The sea bass from a few days ago shared a case with some incredibly large sea scallops, of which I bought nine. Casting my net widely, so to speak, I found several recipes which relate to the recipe which follows; I then made up this one. I resonate strangely with any recipe that begins 'take three knobs of butter.' It represents the slapdash approach to good ingredients I so thoroughly enjoy.
INGREDIENTS:
for the foundation:
2 pkg mushrooms, chopped (white, portabella, crimini)
2 shallots, diced
1 large clove garlic, smashed and chopped
1 pkg frozen spinach
1/2C red wine
2T white wine vinegar
a knob of butter
salt and pepper to taste
ground nutmeg
for the scallops:
1/2 lb sea scallops
1t olive oil
a knob of butter
salt and pepper to taste
lemon juice
for the sauce:
a knob of butter
the reserved liquids
METHOD:
saute the mushrooms with the garlic and shallots in the first knob of butter
when the mushrooms have reduced, add the spinach, wine, salt, pepper and nutmeg
simmer for ten minutes
place in a sieve over a bowl
add the vinegar and set aside to drain (reserve the juice)
heat a second pan with the olive oil
add the scallops and let them sizzle undisturbed for 2 minutes
add the second knob of butter, turn the scallops and saute for another 2 minutes
add the salt and pepper
squeeze a quarter lemon over the scallops and remove from the heat
return the spinach pan to the heat
put the third knob of butter in the pan
add the reserved juice from the spinach mixture and the liquid thrown off by the scallops
reduce to a sauce
ASSEMBLY:
divide the mushroom and spinach mixture on two plates
place the scallops on the vegetable bed
pour the reduced sauce over all
serve while hot
I mentioned experimenting with a new type of salad dressing a few days ago, based on raw cashew nuts in a vinaigrette. So far I have decided that, while it goes extremely well on a salad, it is less than convincing when served on steamed cauliflower. The result of a recent taste test comparing this dressing with The Best Salad Dressing Ever was evenly divided.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2C raw cashews
2 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
2T lemon juice
1/2C White wine vinegar
2T olive oil
1/2C water
1t honey
8 Kalamata olives, pitted
METHOD:
put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
This makes enough dressing for about 5 salads.
for the entire dinner:
two servings, each
750 calories
107 grams of carbohydrate
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Cauliflower with Boursin sauce and a red pepper coulis
Cauliflower can be a remarkable replacement for potatoes in a diet. For this dinner it forms an elegant accompaniment to chicken quarters roasted with salt, pepper and crushed rosemary plus a salad and wine. This recipe is entirely my own.
INGREDIENTS:
the cauliflower:
1 cauliflower
1 pkg boursin
1/4C milk
1/2t butter
1/4C parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
ground nutmeg
the coulis:
1 red pepper, roasted and skinned
1/4 C red wine
1/2t cumin
salt and pepper to taste
METHOD:
the cauliflower:
trim the bottom stalk from the cauliflower
steam for 10 minutes covered, in a saucepan
cool under cold water then cut into florets
heat the butter in the saucepan
add the milk, Boursin, salt, pepper and parmesan
whisk until smooth
add the cauliflower florets and shake to coat with the sauce
the coulis:
grill the red pepper until the skin is blackened
place in a paper bag to cool
peel the skin from the pepper, with your fingers in cold water
put the pepper into a blender with the wine, salt, pepper and cumin
blend until smooth
ASSEMBLY:
pour the cauliflower and sauce into a serving dish
drizzle the pepper coulis over the cauliflower
serve while hot
four servings, each
135 calories
14 grams of carbohydrate
There's a lot of room for do-whiles in making this dish. I'm not describing them because they take place in conjunction with preparing the rest of the meal.
* I've used the stem trimmings in the bottom of a saucepan as a steamer
INGREDIENTS:
the cauliflower:
1 cauliflower
1 pkg boursin
1/4C milk
1/2t butter
1/4C parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
ground nutmeg
the coulis:
1 red pepper, roasted and skinned
1/4 C red wine
1/2t cumin
salt and pepper to taste
METHOD:
the cauliflower:
trim the bottom stalk from the cauliflower
steam for 10 minutes covered, in a saucepan
cool under cold water then cut into florets
heat the butter in the saucepan
add the milk, Boursin, salt, pepper and parmesan
whisk until smooth
add the cauliflower florets and shake to coat with the sauce
the coulis:
grill the red pepper until the skin is blackened
place in a paper bag to cool
peel the skin from the pepper, with your fingers in cold water
put the pepper into a blender with the wine, salt, pepper and cumin
blend until smooth
ASSEMBLY:
pour the cauliflower and sauce into a serving dish
drizzle the pepper coulis over the cauliflower
serve while hot
four servings, each
135 calories
14 grams of carbohydrate
There's a lot of room for do-whiles in making this dish. I'm not describing them because they take place in conjunction with preparing the rest of the meal.
* I've used the stem trimmings in the bottom of a saucepan as a steamer
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Yau Pao Yiu Gor Yue Kow
From time to time I wind up with more of a particular ingredient than I know what to do with. Just now, it is raw cashews: when I needed half a cup around Thanksgiving the clerk at Deep's Indian Grocery found only a one pound bag. Way too much - not expensive, just inconvenient. My cupboard and freezer have all kinds of half-used stuff. Sometimes it's great to keep around, and sometimes not (I believe I can still put my hand on a half bag of star anise I bought at the beginning of Reagan's first term).
The cashews are great, though. An entire new (to me) class of vinaigrette salad dressing uses ground raw cashews (watch this space - it is still in an experimental stage as far as I'm concerned). And .. well, I believe in a well-stocked larder and like having the ability to pull out odd condiments at will.
Late Friday, considering dinner, I called Nancy from My Local Grocer. "Fish," she said. I splurged, and bought a half pound of sea bass at a truly unfortunate price (though any other white fish would have done as well).
Once home, I riffled through one of my all-time favorite cooking references, The Complete Asian Cookbook.* I prefer this to the Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook - the presentation is better, the selection broader, and it has luscious color photographs. On page 378 I discovered Yau Pao Yiu Gor Yue Kow (quick boiled fish with fried cashews). This recipe is modified only slightly to fit what I had at hand.
All the remaining ingredients came from MLG as well; no trip to the Cincinnati Asian Market needed. Preparation and cooking made for a very busy 20 minutes, starting with putting the rice in the rice cooker. The prep happened on the fly, chopping and smashing vegetables as the stock came to a boil and tossing them in. It's easier than it sounds...
INGREDIENTS:
White rice:
1C raw rice (I used Jasmine)
2C water
For the fish:
4C chicken stock**
1 large onion, sliced
4 ribs bok choy, sliced in 1/2" lengths
1 large carrot, sliced in rounds
1 knob fresh ginger, sliced and smashed
8 whole peppercorns
1/2C rice wine
1/2 lb boneless white fish
for the garnish:
1/4C raw cashew nuts
2 oz char siu pork, diced small***
2 scallions, minced
1T soy sauce
2t sesame oil
oil for frying
METHOD:
steam the rice
heat the stock to boiling in a wok
simmer the next six ingredients in the stock for 5 minutes
bring to a fast boil, add the fish and cook for 10 minutes
remove the fish to a plate
strain the stock (reserving liquid and solids separately)
rinse the wok and return it to the heat
when dry, add cashews and oil to barely cover
fry until the cashews begin to change color
remove the cooking oil to a small bowl and reserve
drain the cashews on a paper towel and pat dry
add the char siu to the remaining oil in the wok and fry until crisp
discard the dripping from the pork
drain the pork on a paper towel and pat dry
return 2T of the oil the cashews were fried in to the wok to heat
ASSEMBLY AND PRESENTATION:
put the rice in a serving dish
divide the fish in bite-size portions and place on the rice
spoon the soy sauce and sesame oil over the fish
spoon the hot oil from the wok over the fish
sprinkle the cashews, the crisp pork and the minced scallions over all
Not being one to toss out perfectly good cooked vegetables, I took Ms. Solomon's advice and made a quick soup from the remaining fish stock and vegetables, instead of a salad:
discard the peppercorns from the reserved vegetables
return the ginger slices to the liquid
bring to a boil, together with the scallion ends, for 5 minutes
strain, discard the ginger and scallion bits, and return the liquid to the wok
return the reserved vegetables
add water to make a souplike consistency
drizzle a beaten egg into the hot broth.
Marvelous.
for the entire dinner:
two servings, each
750 calories
107 grams of carbohydrate
* Solomon, Charmaine. The Complete Asian Cookbook. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1985.
ISBN 0-07-059636-0
(aka "800 Authentic Asian Recipes Made Simple" but I warn you .. the term simple is relative)
** This time I used water and chicken gravy base instead of making fresh stock.
Canned stock or chicken bouillion would suffice.
*** The original recipe calls for 'barbecued pork' - which I frequently find as a code word for char siu. I
used salt pork flavored with 5-Spices Powder because that's what I had in the fridge.
The cashews are great, though. An entire new (to me) class of vinaigrette salad dressing uses ground raw cashews (watch this space - it is still in an experimental stage as far as I'm concerned). And .. well, I believe in a well-stocked larder and like having the ability to pull out odd condiments at will.
Late Friday, considering dinner, I called Nancy from My Local Grocer. "Fish," she said. I splurged, and bought a half pound of sea bass at a truly unfortunate price (though any other white fish would have done as well).
Once home, I riffled through one of my all-time favorite cooking references, The Complete Asian Cookbook.* I prefer this to the Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook - the presentation is better, the selection broader, and it has luscious color photographs. On page 378 I discovered Yau Pao Yiu Gor Yue Kow (quick boiled fish with fried cashews). This recipe is modified only slightly to fit what I had at hand.
All the remaining ingredients came from MLG as well; no trip to the Cincinnati Asian Market needed. Preparation and cooking made for a very busy 20 minutes, starting with putting the rice in the rice cooker. The prep happened on the fly, chopping and smashing vegetables as the stock came to a boil and tossing them in. It's easier than it sounds...
INGREDIENTS:
White rice:
1C raw rice (I used Jasmine)
2C water
For the fish:
4C chicken stock**
1 large onion, sliced
4 ribs bok choy, sliced in 1/2" lengths
1 large carrot, sliced in rounds
1 knob fresh ginger, sliced and smashed
8 whole peppercorns
1/2C rice wine
1/2 lb boneless white fish
for the garnish:
1/4C raw cashew nuts
2 oz char siu pork, diced small***
2 scallions, minced
1T soy sauce
2t sesame oil
oil for frying
METHOD:
steam the rice
heat the stock to boiling in a wok
simmer the next six ingredients in the stock for 5 minutes
bring to a fast boil, add the fish and cook for 10 minutes
remove the fish to a plate
strain the stock (reserving liquid and solids separately)
rinse the wok and return it to the heat
when dry, add cashews and oil to barely cover
fry until the cashews begin to change color
remove the cooking oil to a small bowl and reserve
drain the cashews on a paper towel and pat dry
add the char siu to the remaining oil in the wok and fry until crisp
discard the dripping from the pork
drain the pork on a paper towel and pat dry
return 2T of the oil the cashews were fried in to the wok to heat
ASSEMBLY AND PRESENTATION:
put the rice in a serving dish
divide the fish in bite-size portions and place on the rice
spoon the soy sauce and sesame oil over the fish
spoon the hot oil from the wok over the fish
sprinkle the cashews, the crisp pork and the minced scallions over all
Not being one to toss out perfectly good cooked vegetables, I took Ms. Solomon's advice and made a quick soup from the remaining fish stock and vegetables, instead of a salad:
discard the peppercorns from the reserved vegetables
return the ginger slices to the liquid
bring to a boil, together with the scallion ends, for 5 minutes
strain, discard the ginger and scallion bits, and return the liquid to the wok
return the reserved vegetables
add water to make a souplike consistency
drizzle a beaten egg into the hot broth.
Marvelous.
for the entire dinner:
two servings, each
750 calories
107 grams of carbohydrate
* Solomon, Charmaine. The Complete Asian Cookbook. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1985.
ISBN 0-07-059636-0
(aka "800 Authentic Asian Recipes Made Simple" but I warn you .. the term simple is relative)
** This time I used water and chicken gravy base instead of making fresh stock.
Canned stock or chicken bouillion would suffice.
*** The original recipe calls for 'barbecued pork' - which I frequently find as a code word for char siu. I
used salt pork flavored with 5-Spices Powder because that's what I had in the fridge.
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