Chinese-Style Fish with Sesame Soy Sauce

I feel like I bitch about not finding ingredients on a regular basis. This dish was no exception. The original recipe called for monk fish. Well, I knew I wouldn't be finding that at the Oswego supermarket, so I set out looking for halibut. No halibut. There was haddock, swai, catfish, tilapia and probably five other kinds which are exactly alike. But not a single thick white-fleshed fish. I wasn't in a good mood when I got to the fish counter anyways because of the chili selection. I substituted a cherry pepper for the red chili in the original recipe because the store obviously wouldn't have something so common. I need to move.

I'm attempting to make more fish lately. I need a healthy option once or twice a week. This is a great option for those looking for a health, but flavorful dish.

Chinese-Style Fish with Sesame Soy Sauce

adapted from Ching-He Huang

2 fillets of some sort of fish (try monkfish it might be good, I used swai)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

3 Tablespoons peanut oil

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated

1 red chili (if you can find it), deseeded and minced

1 Tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine

4-5 Tablespoons light soy sauce

2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 spring onions, julienned

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Season the fillets with salt and pepper. Heat a wok or saute pan until very hot and add the oil. Add the fish to the pan, pressing down lightly on the fillets to keep them from curling, and cook for 3-4 minutes on one side. Reduce the heat to medium, flip the fish and sprinkle with chili, garlic and ginger. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil and spoon over the fish. Sprinkle in the onion and cilantro. Continue cooking the fish until just cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Serve the fish with some of the pan sauce spooned over the top. I served this on white rice with steamed asparagus.

Chicken Tikka Masala

I am relatively new to Indian food, my family weren't exactly into exotic food growing up. I have only been eating it for a few years, but I absolutely love it. After a trip to an Indian restaurant, and the attached Indian grocery store, I have been attempting to cook Indian food over the last few months. I think a lot of people are intimidated by the ingredients and avoid cooking Indian food, I know I was. However, if you can find this stuff, it is really easy to cook a lot of great Indian dishes.

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe. I realize he isn't Indian, but I love his recipes and I'll take his advice on most things. Also, because of its popularity, chicken tikka masala is thought by many to be the true national dish of England, so I'll take his word for it.

Chicken Tikka Masala

adapted from Jamie Oliver

For marinade:

1 red chili, deseeded

1 clove of garlic, peeled

A thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

A pinch of paprika

1/2 Tablespoon of garam masala

A teaspoon of tomato puree

The stems from 3 cilantro sprigs, leaves reserved

2 chicken breasts, cut into large cubes

Mix up the chili, garlic, ginger and oil in a food processor. Then add the paprika, garam masala, tomato puree and coriander stalks and process to a smooth paste. Place the chicken cubes into a bowl, add the paste and mix it all up. Marinate for a few hours, or overnight if possible.

To finish it:

1 medium onion, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

A pinch of ground cinnamon

A pinch of ground coriander

A pinch of turmeric

Half a 28 oz. can of San Marzano tomatoes, chopped (or a 14 oz. one if they make them)

100 ml of plain yogurt

100 ml of heavy cream

Fry the onion, pepper and spices over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, yogurt and chicken pieces and cook for another 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Just before serving, stir in the cream and minced coriander leaves.

I used a jalapeno when I made this, and only put in half (because of the original recipe), because that's about all I can get around here. There was no heat at all. Chicken tikka masala shouldn't be too spicy, but I would definitely use the whole chili.

I served this over some steamed white rice. It would be great with some homemade naan, but that's for another time. 

Meatballs with Roasted Fennel-Tomato Sauce

I've been trying to get my hands on a copy of Ad Hoc at Home, written by the great Thomas Keller, since I first heard about it. It took me many months. I had high hopes I would receive a copy from someone, anyone, this past Christmas. I hope I didn't let the my disappointment show that morning. My desire was further amplified during a visit with family when I noticed my cousin Katie had received a copy. Yet it would still be well over a month before I got my copy (for my birthday). Sure I had chances, but for one of the few times in my life I was able to resist spending money.

Now that I finally have the book, and if these meatballs are any indication of the food, I intend to cook as much of it as possible. So far the book seems very accessible with some great food and tips. I highly recommend it.

Meatballs with Roasted Fennel-Tomato Sauce

adapted from Thomas Keller

For the Sauce:

2 Tablespoons canola oil

1 cup finely chopped yellow onion

1 cup minced leeks (white and pale green parts only)

1 cup finely chopped fennel

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tablespoons light brown sugar

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 28 oz. cans of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 sachet:

1 bay leaf

3 thyme sprigs

10 black peppercorns

1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Combine the oil, onion, leeks, fennel and garlic in a large Dutch oven or baking dish and sprinkle with some salt. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the vegetables are lightly caramelized. Stir in the brown sugar and vinegar and cook for another 20 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed.

Meanwhile, drain the cans of tomatoes. I left a little liquid in the bottom because I didn't want the sauce to be to thick. Roughly chop one of the cans and puree the other with a stick blender (or pour it into a blender).

Add the tomatoes to the vegetables, add the sachet, and season with salt and pepper. Roast for another hour and a half, stirring occasionally. The sauce should be thick and chunky. Keller says to check the consistency of the sauce by running a spoon through it, if it runs back together immediately, it is to thin. Continue cooking until it thickens up a little. Remove the sachet before freezing or serving.

I loved this sauce. It was unique. Slightly sweet and the fennel gave it something extra.

For the Meatballs:

2 Tablespoons canola oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 Teaspoons minced garlic

40 oz. of assorted ground meats. Keller recommends 12 oz. sirloin and chuck and 8 oz. pork butt and veal shoulder. I do not have a meat grinder to grind my own meat, nor can I find veal at my local grocery store, so I improvised. I found pre-ground packages of 80% beef, 15% pork, 5% veal and used that.

1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs

3 Tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

1 large egg

4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and reduce the heat. Cook gently for approx. 20 minutes until soft, but not browned. Remove from the heat.

Add the onion and garlic, bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and the egg to the meat in a large bowl. Mix gently until incorporated, but do not overwork the meat! It will make the meatballs dense, you want them light.

Divide the mix into 12 equal balls (approx. 1/4 cup each). Cut the cheese into 12 cubes and shape the meatballs with 1 cube in the center of each. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and set a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Put the meatballs on the rack and cook for 15 to 18 minutes. I pulled them out at 15 and they were perfect and just slightly pink in the middle. Let them rest for a few minutes before eating with the tomato sauce. The mozzarella cheese melted in the center is delicious.

Although these meatballs were delicious, they ended up being a little dry. I think it was the meat mixture. I missed the fat from the chuck and pork shoulder. Next time I will try finding a mixture with more fat.

Mushroom Stuffed Shells with Bechamel

This was delicious. So delicious, in fact, that I finished the half a pan left from dinner around 12 or 1 in the morning. I couldn't help myself, I just kept going back and nuking three at a time, over and over, until they were all gone. The cheese and bechamel are just great together. I've been trying to eat vegetarian at least once or twice a week for health reasons, but I'm not sure if this should count. Fat is flavor and this has plenty of it.

This is a relatively quick recipe to prep and get in the oven, but then you have to wait for it to bake. It was torture. I was starving and kept peaking under the foil to see if the middle was bubbling. Good thing it was worth the wait, I just wish I'd saved a few.

I think the freshly ground nutmeg in the bechamel is very important. The ground nutmeg from a jar just doesn't have the same flavor, especially since many people only use it when they make pies a few times a year. The longer ground spices sit in the jar, the less flavor they have because the essential oils evaporate over time. If you buy whole spices, and grind or grate them yourself, they maintain the oils much longer. Buying whole spices is also MUCH cheaper, especially if you know where to look. I bought a packet of 20 whole nutmeg seeds for $4 at an Indian spice store in Rochester. It would be at least 3 times that amount at my local supermarket.

Mushroom Stuffed Shells with Bechamel

Total Time: approx. 1 1/2 hours

A good amount of your favorite pasta sauce (I used some homemade tomato-basil I had in the freezer)

12 oz. box of jumbo pasta shells

1 medium onion

24 oz. mushrooms of your choice (I recommend button or cremini), chopped roughly to fit in the shells

4 cloves of garlic

Fresh mozzarella

Freshly grated Parmesan

A few lugs of extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Bechamel:

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

4 Tablespoons flour

2 1/2 cups milk (whole milk works best, you need some fat)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook the shells according to the box directions but make sure not to overcook. They should be al dente (or even a little less) and will continue cooking in the oven. When they are finished, run cold water over them to stop the cooking. This also makes them easier to handle when you are stuffing them.

While the shells are cooking, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until softened. Throw in the chopped mushrooms with the 2 tablespoons of butter and cook until softened. You want them to maintain a little texture so your shells have a little bite. When they are where you want them, add half your pasta sauce. I'm not sure exactly how much sauce I used total (I had a large Tupperware full and used all of it).

Make the bechamel by melting the butter in a pan. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk constantly over medium-low heat until browned slightly, this will make sure the raw flour taste cooks out. Whisk in the milk and turn the heat up a little. Keep whisking until the bechamel thickens. Pull off the heat and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Make sure you taste the sauce after seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Add a thin layer of pasta sauce to the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish. Stuff each shell with about a tablespoon of the mushroom-sauce mixture and some grated mozzarella and Parmesan. Place seam side up in the pan and add the bechamel on top of each. I didn't use all of the bechamel, but I should have. What could it hurt? It is delicious. It may look like a lot, but trust me. Finally, add the remaining pasta sauce over the top of the bechamel.

Cover the pan with tinfoil and bake for about 30 minutes. Uncover and let it go for another 10 or so minutes until it browns slightly on top. Plate a few but allow to cool slightly before digging in, they are very hot!

Chicken Cacciatore

I recently bought a nice new dutch oven and have been stewing and braising quite often to justify spending money I didn't have. This recipe looked pretty good to start with but I tweaked it a little. I added the mushrooms and red chili flakes. I got stuck with plain old button mushrooms because the grocery store was strangely out of most of their produce. Must have been all the students coming back to school. I would have liked to use creminis.

I read through the recipe once or twice and then just started throwing things together. I stupidly threw the basil in and stewed it with the chicken, which turned it an unappealing brown color. Remember just to sprinkle it over the top when plated, that will add a nice freshness and keep the colors vibrant. I obviously wasn't thinking clearly that day and used extra virgin olive oil to brown the chicken. This of course led to a nice burnt pan bottom. In the future I will try to remember to use plain olive oil or a blended oil (they have a higher smoke point and won't burn as easily).

Chicken Cacciatore
Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

8 chicken pieces (I used thighs and legs)
Kosher salt
Pepper
All-purpose flour for dredging
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
3 garlic cloves, minced
A few shakes of red pepper flake
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes with juice
3/4 cup chicken stock
3 Tablespoons capers, drained
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the chicken pieces with flour and pat off the excess.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan or dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot (it should be wavy but not smoking) add the chicken pieces skin-side down and saute until brown (5 or 6 minutes). This will render some of the fat out of the skin so it's not so chewy and soggy. After the chicken is browned, remove it to a plate. Add the butter, pepper, onion, garlic and the red pepper flakes, season with salt and pepper and saute until the onion softens (about 5 minutes). Deglaze the pan with the wine and scrape the little brown bits from the bottom of the pan, this will help flavor your sauce. Cook until the wine is reduced by half (about 3 minutes). Next, stir in the capers, stock, oregano and the tomatoes with their juice. Add the chicken pieces back into the pot and simmer, covered until cooked through (approx. 30 minutes).

When the chicken pieces are cooked, remove to a plate. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce for about 5 minutes until it has thickened a little. Taste your sauce, what does it need? If you seasoned your ingredients throughout it might not need anything. Be careful of adding to much salt because the capers are pretty salty.

Spoon the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with fresh chopped basil.