Have you ever gone to someone's house, eaten something they've prepared, gone home, went to bed, dreamt of what you ate, woke up, drove to the market and bought all of the ingredients so you could make it yourself at home? I do that all the time, but then again, thinking and dreaming about food is pretty much my entire existence. These smashed potatoes my neighbor made the other day were no exception... they are red potatoes, flattened with a masher, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with fresh garlic, grated parmesan, herbs and salt and pepper... and they turn perfectly crunchy in the oven. Go away french fries, these are perfect for the upcoming football season.
Because that's what time it is, my friends. Football and school lunches and seasonal Starbuck's drinks and Halloween stuff already in stores (with Christmas decorations no doubt 5 minutes away). You can't fool us, 90-degree-weather, fall is gonna get you. (Sorry, I talk to toddlers all day long.)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. Brush a large baking sheet with olive oil. Place the potatoes about an inch apart on sheet. Using a potato masher (or a large fork), gently smash potatoes. Drizzle the tops with olive oil. Crush garlic with a press, and sprinkle a little on each potato. Sprinkle the tops with Italian herbs, salt and pepper and Parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes, until potatoes are golden and crispy.
A simple lunch from last weekend. Sausage from one of my favorite stores - Urban Deli - with parmesan, and a simple salad with apples, fennel, red onion, cucumber and snow peas.
Friendly friends! I am back from vacation. I am officially home, being an official, productive mom. I am putting my kids to bed before 8pm (after lots and LOTS of nighttime reading), we are eating only the healthiest of foods, and I've stopped drinking wine! Except for all of this is a lie.
Ok not all of it. I AM home. Vacation IS over. I am ATTEMPTING to be productive.
I even cooked up a Today Original pasta dish this morning, and if you missed it you can check out the segment and view the recipe here. Baby steps to waking up early.
But GUESS WHAT?! I am going to post a recipe every, single, day this week. So take THAT you lazy, indulgent, carefree, delicious summer. Take that.
Maybe it’s the billionaire(s) in the news lately, but for some reason I decided to take one of America’s most frugal meals, franks and beans, and give it a high-end makeover. Besides, all the other classic comfort foods have been fancified, hipsterized, and/or molecular gastronomized; so I figured I would take this one down. And by down, I mean up.
Usually, franks and beans is made by opening up a couple cans of baked beans, and heating it up with some sliced hotdogs. Not exactly something you’d serve to visiting dignitaries. However, by adding some fresh veggies, plain beans, and high-quality beef hot dogs, we can achieve something much healthier, equally delicious, and every bit as comforting.
So, how much more will it cost you to make this usually cheap dish, using these upscale ingredients? It’s tempting to say, if you have to ask, you can’t afford it, but that’s not the case. Sure, the Kobe hotdogs will cost you a couple extra dollars, but the rest of the dish is still quite inexpensive. I really do hope you give this a try soon.Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 portions Franks & Beans:
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 diced yellow onion
1 diced poblano or other green pepper
2 tbsp minced fresh cayenne pepper, or other hot red pepper
1 rib celery, diced
1 pound hot dogs, sliced (literally any other sausage will work here)
Based on the YouTube comments appearing under the newly posted spring rolls video, lots of people missed the part about this not trying to be a specific recipe, but simply a demo featuring the magic that is damp, rice paper wrappers.
Don’t get me wrong; I love the “authentic” spring rolls I so often order at my friendly, neighborhood Vietnamese restaurant. Loaded with sweet shrimp, and bursting with vermicelli noodles, they are among the most delicious things ever invented.
However, I do reserve the right to soak rice paper wrappers in water, and… (I hope you’re sitting down for this) ...not make those! What you see here is just what I had on hand that day, and the next time I do a batch of these, who the heck knows what they’ll encase. If I have a point, that’s it.
Speaking of soaking in water, many commenters suggested that I dunk these in warm water for just a few seconds to hydrate, instead of the longer dip in cold water. I’ve tried both methods, and had more issues with the warmer/faster approach. They seemed to get too rubbery, too fast, which I found made the rolling harder.
Anyway, to each his own, and that goes for water temperature, filling ingredients, and dipping sauce. By the way, there are no ingredient amounts below, since that’s up to you entirely. You should be able to get “rice paper wrappers” at any large grocery store with an Asian food section, but if not, they’re easily found online. I hope you give these, or something similar, a try soon. Enjoy!
One of my go-to "I have no idea what to cook tonight" meals is breakfast for dinner. It's different for the kids, it's easy, and you can get rid of all your leftovers. Just scramble eggs, and throw everything in it! I had never really thought about putting corn in my eggs until I had breakfast at Martha's 22nd Street Grill in Hermosa Beach, California. They make a white corn scramble that's to die for. During the summer, I almost always have leftover corn in the fridge, and I love slicing off the kernels into salads, pastas and now... scrambles! This was delicious, probably due to the cream and Boursin cheese I added (no judging) but also because of the delicious, fresh, summer corn.
1/4 cup Garlic & Herb Boursin cheese (or garden veggie flavored cream cheese), crumbled
1 T chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley)
Salt and pepper
In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. While heating, whisk the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Add to skillet, and cook until fluffy using a rubber spatula to stir eggs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
There are many different techniques used for making financiers, but as usual, I’ve chosen the easiest one. I would have been happy to try those other more complicated versions, but fortunately, I enjoyed this one so much, there’s no need.
I mention in the video that these are called “financiers” because they’re rich, and look like gold bars (if you use the traditional rectangular molds). Well, apparently that’s not quite right.
Word on the “rue” is that there was a bakery next to the Paris stock exchange that made these small almond cakes so bankers could enjoy them on the way to work, without getting their fingers dirty. I assume this is accurate, since I read it in the YouTube comments.
Anyway, not only is this an easy recipe, but it works beautifully with pretty much any summer fruit. Berries are popular, as are other stone fruits. Just don’t use too much. It’s merely a garnish, and adding too much could effect the texture and cooking time. I hope you give these delicious peach financiers a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 12 small cakes:
3 egg whites
1/2 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup almond meal (or finely ground almonds)
3 tablespoons flour
3 oz unsalted butter (6 tablespoons), toasted to a golden-brown
12 small sliced of peach
- I used mini-muffin pans, so you'll have to adjust your time if you used regular muffin tins, or other molds.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 400 F., then top with fruit, and continue baking until browned, about 10-12 minutes.
I was in Alaska recently to go fishing and watch cooking demos, but more importantly to learn a bit about how Alaska helps to promote sustainability, protect the fisheries and in turn, the ecosystem. The effort that goes into maintaining the health of fisheries in Alaska is astounding and something I didn't really appreciate until I met and spoke with environmentalists, biologists, state officials and even politicians, all committed to the long term health of the fisheries.
Salmon fishermen are projected to harvest a billion pounds of salmon or 221 million fish this year in Alaska and yet consumption of seafood continues to decline in the US and is considerably behind chicken, pork and even beef. In Alaska, those responsibly harvesting seafood take a vested interest in maintaining it. What I learned about the sustainability of salmon fisheries has applications well beyond seafood. We all want more sustainability and biodiversity in our food and to preserve traditional foodways, but how? Sometimes if you love it, the best thing you can do is eat it.
Sustainable Seafood
Choosing sustainable seafood is getting easier to do. If you enjoy fishing, check out Trout Unlimited. It’s an organization dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds.
When it comes to eating seafood, one easy way to choose sustainable, is to choose Alaska Seafood which is also wild and natural and represents 60% of the seafood consumed in America. For seafood beyond Alaska, talk to your local fishmonger or explore the SeafoodWatch program to learn more about making the best seafood choices.
Heritage Breeds of Animals
The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity is dedicated to supporting biodiversity through various projects including the Ark of Taste and Earth Markets. Another organzation that specifically preserves and promotes rare and heritage breeds of livestock is the Livestock Conservancy. They even have a gene bank that saves the genetic material of rare breeds.
For consumers, bookmark the Eat Well Guide, which has 25,000 free listings of farms, farmers markets, restaurants, co-ops, and other places that offer locally grown, sustainably produced food.
Heirloom Varieties of Produce
Remember when all the tomatoes in the supermarket tasted bland? The tomato selection has improved, but for even tastier tomatoes, head to the garden.
One of the great joys of gardening and even shopping at a farmer’s market is enjoying varieties of fruits and vegetables that aren’t commercially grown on a large scale. Not all varieties of produce ship easily or have reasonably long shelf life.
By supporting farmers and growing your own heirloom varieties, you can help preserve biodiversity.
Take a look at the fun 2 minute video above featuring Hugh Acheson, and let me know in the comments what about it made the biggest impression on you. I will chose one winner at random on Sunday August 30th, 2015. You must be a US resident to win and have a US mailing address. Include your email in the comments form, only I will see it. Do NOT write your email in the body of your comment or it will be visible to everyone.
Disclaimer: Giveaway courtesy of Seeds of Change, I was not compensated in any way, shape or form for this post.
When I was growing up we had a second freezer that I swear was packed full of halibut. My father got it somewhere and we ate it for what seemed like years. I remember that it was dry, tough and somewhat stringy. Was it terribly freezer burned? Only recently my mother told me it might not have been halibut. What it actually was will forever remain a mystery. But it was years before I tried halibut again and imagine my surprise to discover that it is a delicate, creamy and luscious fish.
Recently I was in Alaska to learn more about seafood so naturally I went fishing. Our boat caught a tremendous amount of halibut. Halibut can be very big fish and now I've come full circle and am enjoying having a freezer full of it. I believe the secret to cooking halibut is to be extremely gentle. It cooks up wonderfully when roasted slowly and is much harder to overcook at low temperatures. In this recipe you roast vegetables at high heat, give the fish a little rest at room temperature with a spice rub and then coat the fish with the juicy vegetables to help keep it moist while cooking it ever so slowly.
In 2014 Americans ate over 100 pounds red meat and about 100 pounds of poultry per capita, but only around 14 pounds of fish and seafood That's a shame because seafood is really good and even a small serving can be very satisfying. I find about 4 ounces is plenty.
* It's healthy--3 1/2 ounces cooked halibut has 140 calories, 27 grams of protein and 460 mg of Omega 3
* It's easy to cook
* It can be prepared very quickly
Note: If you don't have cherry or grape tomatoes, just use diced Roma tomatoes instead. Slow Roasted Alaska Halibut with Fennel & Tomatoes Serves 4 Ingredients 1 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb
2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes
4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 halibut filets, about 4 - 5 ounces each
1/2 teaspoon paprika—any kind is fine, smoked, sweet or hot
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450°.
Lined a roasting pan or baking dish with foil. Layer on the fennel then garlic and top with the tomatoes Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile combine the paprika, salt, and onion powder. Pat dry the fish and sprinkle evenly with the spice mixture. Let the fish rest at room temperature while the vegetables are roasting.
When vegetables have roasted for 15 minutes, remove them from the oven and immediately lower the oven temperature to 200 degrees. Push the vegetables to the side of the pan. Place the filets in the center of the pan and pile the vegetables on top of the filets. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: My thanks to Alaska Seafood for hosting me on my trip to Alaska. I was not compensated monetarily to write this or any other post on Cooking with Amy.
.png)
