Monthly Archives: February 2013

Roasted Catfish with Chili Sesame Oil and Soy Sauce

26 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by in Cooking, Fish, Recipe

≈ 1 Comment

“I brought us fish!” exclaimed the Artist when he walked through the door early Sunday evening.  We have been talking about eating more fish, and since he was going to be close to Uwajimaya he offered to pick some up.  I was already thinking about salmon fillets that I would roast in parchment, with vegetables and lemon slices, to go along with the brown rice pilaf that was simmering on the stove.  And then I opened the neat, sealed package to discover…a catfish!  Right there, in front of my eyes lay a catfish, with the head attached, the gills, the tails – the whole fish!  I have to give the Artist a few points for getting the fish gutted, at least.

I have to admit, I am not a fan of catfish.  The few times I have had it, the fish was dusted in cornmeal and fried, served with a side of remoulade.  Frying was the last thing I wanted to do.

And so, with a chef’s knife, I hacked off the head.  Then, with a thin, flexible knife, I separated the fish into a single fillet and left the other side with the bone attached.  And it was time to roast!

Roasted Catfish with Chili Sesame Oil and Soy Sauce

Ingredients

1 catfish, head cut off, body cut into 2 fillets
2 teaspoons chili sesame oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 scallions, sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

2.  Arrange the fish fillets on the baking sheet and drizzle with oil, soy sauce, garlic and scallions.

3.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4.  Roast the fish in the oven for 12-15 minutes.

The fish finished roasting, the rice pilaf was fluffed, and the vegetables were quickly sauteed.  When it came time to eat, I was hesitant.  The end result was pleasantly surprising.  The fish had a bright white flesh that looked strikingly gorgeous against the dark soy and the orange of the chili sesame oil.  I’m not about to say that I’ll be running to the store tomorrow to pick up another catfish, but perhaps the next time I will be more open to trying something new.

What’s your favorite way to eat catfish?

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Sweet Potato Hash with Bacon and Green Onions ~ Breakfast

23 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by in Bacon, Breakfast, Eggs, Gluten Free, Sweet Potatoes

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…But there you go again, there you go again, making me love you more!  I’m talking about the sweet potato here people.  I just can’t get enough.  The trick to making a quick sweet potato hash is to precook the cubed potato in the microwave for a few minutes.  The cubes get soft and tender and will crisp up and caramelize so much faster.  Give this one a try!

Sweet Potato Hash with Bacon and Green Onions for Two

Ingredients

1 sweet potato, peel on, cubed 1/2″
2 bacon slices, chopped
2 green onions, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Serve with poached eggs and barbecue sauce

Directions

1.  Place cubed sweet potato in a microwave-safe bowl and add a tablespoon of water.  Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 5 minutes.

2.  Cook bacon in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes.  Add precooked sweet potatoes and cook until potatoes begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes.

3.  Sprinkle green onions over the potatoes and season with salt, pepper, and paprika.

4.  Serve with poached eggs and barbecue sauce.

Delicious!

If you want to bump up this breakfast, you might add black beans, diced bell peppers, and tomatoes to the hash.  Crumbled Mexican cheese, such as cotija would go well.

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2013 James Beard Nominations are in ~ Seattle should be proud!

21 Thursday Feb 2013

Posted by in Restaurant Review

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Great news for Seattle and the state of Washington.  Many of our restaurants are nominated for the prestigious James Beard award this year.  I have been to some of the restaurants on the list, but have a long way to go!  What’s your favorite?  Good luck to local nominees.

Best New RestaurantShanik
The Whale Wins
Outstanding Bar ProgramCanon
Outstanding Chef
Maria Hines, Tilth/Golden Beetle/ Agrodolce
Outstanding Pastry Chef
William Leaman, Bakery Nouveau

Outstanding RestaurantCanlis
Outstanding Restaurateur
John Howie, John Howie Steak/Seastar
Rising Star Chef of the Year
Mark Bodinet, Copperleaf
Chris Weber, The Herbfarm
Blaine Wetzel, The Willows Inn
Best Chef Northwest
Chris Ainsworth, Saffron
Renee Erickson, The Whale Wins/The Walrus & the Carpenter
Jason Franey, Canlis
Nathan Lockwood, Altura
Ethan Stowell, Ethan Stowell Restaurants
Jason Stratton, Spinasse
Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, Joule/Revel

Roasted Spaghetti Squash Seeds ~ Snack

20 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by in Recipe, Snacks, Vegetarian

≈ 3 Comments

After struggling with a chef’s knife for what seemed forever and avoiding cuts and bleeding, one stubborn spaghetti squash was split in half, drizzled with walnut oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and popped into the oven.

Back to the cutting board, I was staring at a pile of seeds.  The pile was considerably smaller than one you would get from a pumpkin or even a butternut squash.  Not wishing to throw the seeds out, I washed and dried them instead.  And then, I roasted the seeds inside a cast iron skillet, over medium heat with a little bit of walnut oil.  Once the seeds started to turn golden brown and getting toasted, I seasoned them with sea salt and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.  Snack for one is ready!

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Valentine’s Dinner Celebration

18 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by in Allrecipes.com, Chocolate, Dessert, Holidays, Lamb, Recipe

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Valentine’s Day is probably the one holiday you should stay home, perhaps other than Mother’s Day and New Year’s Eve.  Avoid the crowded, overpriced restaurants, the lines, the reservations, the desire to impress, and cook yourself.

This year marked the second Valentine’s Day celebration with the Artist.  Simple, delicious, and elegant.  I roasted a boneless leg of lamb, marinated in parsley, garlic and olive oil.


To go along with the lamb, delicious Roasted Eggplant Dip with pomegranate molasses, chopped pecans, cilantro, salt and pepper.

And of course, we had to have potatoes!  Lucky for us, we were shooting a video for Irish Potato and Chive Casserole at Allrecipes.com that day and there was plenty to take home.  Creamy Yukon gold potatoes loaded with sour cream, cream cheese and of course, butter.  Sprinkled with chopped chives and smoked paprika, these potatoes were a hit!

Dessert came in a form of a cake, once again courtesy of working at Allrecipes.com.  I prepared and styled this double-layered Perfect St. Patrick’s Day Cake with Guinness beer, Irish cream liquor and bittersweet chocolate.

Share the love!

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Russian-Style Pickled Cabbage and Carrots Recipe

14 Thursday Feb 2013

Posted by in Paleo, Recipe, Russian, Sides, Vegan, Vegetarian

≈ 5 Comments

I grew up eating pickled cabbage by a bowl-full.  It is possibly embarrassing,  but I add it to soups, salads, maybe even mashed potatoes.  Or eaten on its own, dressed up with sunflower oil, a touch of sugar and onions, it is simply delicious.  And as a pickled item, I am naturally obsessed with it.

Why have I not made this before is a good question.  I do not have an answer, but am happy to report that following my Dad’s recipe, my first attempt was successful.  Special thanks goes out to the Artist who  shredded the carrots and massaged the cabbage.

Russian-Style Pickled Cabbage and Carrots

Ingredients

3 small heads of green cabbage
1/4 cup Kosher salt
6 carrots, peeled

Directions

1.  Core and thinly slice the cabbage.  You can do it by hand or in a food processor.  Do not slice too thinly, or the cabbage will not hold its shape once pickled.  You want the cabbage to remain crisp.

2.  Mix cabbage and salt in a large stainless steel pot.  Massage the salt into the cabbage – this is the part where you can pretend you are punching someone, or giving someone a deep tissue massage – you pick.  The point is to draw out the juices from the cabbage.

3.  Shred the carrots and combine with the cabbage.

4.  Place a weight on top of the vegetables – I used a plate topped with heavy cans.  Keep the cabbage at room temperature for five days.  Over this time you will see a fair amount of liquid accumulated around the plate – this is perfect!

5.  Remove the weight on the sixth day and poke holes through the cabbage, going all the way to the bottom of the pot.  According to my mom, this releases any possible bitterness.

6.  Refrigerate  the cabbage and eat in good health.

As I have mentioned earlier, I love to dress the cabbage with sunflower oil, sugar, and sliced green onions or chopped parsley.  A touch of freshly ground black pepper is also very nice.

There are many variations for this recipe and I will make it many more times.  Next time, I plan to add garlic, red pepper flakes, and shredded beets.

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Baked Breakfast Eggs with Peppers and Sausage

10 Sunday Feb 2013

Posted by in Breakfast, Eggs, Recipe

≈ 2 Comments

Once again, it was time for breakfast.  The eggs would be the star of the meal, but this time, they would bake in the oven, set atop sauteed red bell pepper and diced spicy pork sausage.  The beauty of this recipe is that it is as easy to make four eggs as it is a dozen.  You can prepare the ingredients the night ahead and breakfast is almost ready in the morning.  Let your imagination and refrigerator contents guide your filling ingredients.

 

Baked Breakfast Eggs with Peppers and Sausages

Ingredients (for 4 eggs)

1 red bell pepper, diced and sauteed
1 spicy pork sausage link, diced
4 eggs, cracked
1/4 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease four muffin cups with nonstick oil spray or butter.  This is crucial to grease well, otherwise the egg cups will stick and you’ll have a runny, cheesy disaster on your hands.

2.  Divide pepper and sausage evenly among the four cups.  You want them to come up no higher than half way, otherwise the egg would not have the space to rest.

 3.  Top each muffin cup with an egg and sprinkle with a tablespoon of cheese.

4.  Bake the eggs in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until desired doneness of the yolk.  Cool the eggs slightly and carefully remove from the muffin cups onto a plate.  A butter knife or a small, thin, flexible spatula will help you ease the eggs out of the cups.

I served the eggs with a side of oven roasted potatoes and hot sauce.  
I would strongly recommend cooking your filling ingredients ahead of time if they are high in water content (peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach).

Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookie Decorating

08 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by in Allrecipes.com, Baking, Cookies, Dessert, Holidays

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Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.  You couldn’t miss it even if you tried.  Pink, red, hearts, teddy bears and frilly white objects are everywhere.  It is like they were blown confetti, spilling uncontrolled around.

Just in time for the love holiday, I had to decorate sugar cookies at work for Allrecipes.com video production team.  This was one of my first videos taking charge and we baked Pope’s Valentine’s Cookies in various heart sizes.  A little bit of colored frosting went over the top and then we went to town writing sweet sayings and decorating with heart and sugar sprinkles.

I hope you Valentine is sweet.  I will post the video link once it is available.

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Vegetarian White Lasagna Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

04 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by in Cheese, Cooking, Dinner, Pasta, Recipe, recipe development, Vegetarian

≈ 1 Comment

I am thrilled to be once again participating in 30 Days, 30 Ways Macaroni & Cheese Blog launched by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board to celebrate the National Cheese Lover’s Day.  The blog features a brand new mac and cheese recipe every day for 30 days. Be sure to check out all 30 delicious recipes!

Last year, I made individual portions of My Big Fat Greek Mac and Cheese.  This time, I combined the flavors and textures of lasagna and macaroni and cheese with stuffed pasta shells to create Vegetarian White Lasagna Macaroni and Cheese!  Enjoy!

 


Vegetarian White Lasagna Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

For the Stuffed Shells
22 jumbo pasta shells

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

1/2 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

8 ounces ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/4 cup chopped parsley

salt and pepper, to taste

For the Sauce
1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

4 ounces smoked Gouda cheese, shredded

smoked paprika, to taste

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Cook pasta according to box directions, reducing the time by two minutes.  Rinse in cold water, drain, and set aside.

3.  For the filling, heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium high heat.  Add mushrooms, onion and garlic and saute for five minutes, stirring often.  Stir in spinach and saute for additional three minutes.  Combine sauteed vegetables with mozzarella, ricotta, egg, parsley, salt and pepper.

4.  Spoon the filling into pasta shells, about two tablespoons per each shell.

5.  For the sauce, heat oil and garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly for three minutes.  Pour in the milk, slowly, constantly whisking.  Increase heat and cook the sauce until it thickens, about five minutes.  Off heat, stir in the cheese until melted.  Season with smoked paprika, salt and pepper.

       

    

6.  Ladle 1/2 cup of the cheese sauce on the bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish.  Arrange 11 filled pasta shells over the sauce.  Pour half of the remaining sauce over the stuffed pasta shells.  Repeat with the remaining pasta shells and sauce.

7.  Bake Vegetarian White Lasagna Macaroni and Cheese in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, until heated through, the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.  Cool for 5 minutes and serve.  A green salad and a glass of chilled crisp white wine go beautifully along with the dish.

Disclaimer: Wisconsin Cheese sponsored this post.  All opinions are my own.  
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