Flounder with Asian Glaze

From Good Housekeeping

The zesty glaze was inspired by our good friend, cookbook author Barbara Tropp, an expert in Chinese cuisine.

• 1/4 cup(s) light mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon(s) reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon(s) peeled, grated fresh ginger
• 1 jalapeño chile, seeded and minced
• 4 (6 ounces each) flounder fillets

1. Preheat broiler. Spray rack in broiling pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In small bowl, mix mayonnaise, soy sauce, ginger, and jalapeño.
3. Place flounder fillets, flat side down, on rack in broiling pan. Spread mayonnaise mixture on top of fillets; broil 4 minutes or until mayonnaise mixture is lightly browned and bubbly, and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork (do not turn fish over).

Korean Barbecued Chicken with Egg Noodles

I don't remember where I got this recipe, but I remember cooking this several times before. I found this and several other recipes in the files I kept of my first attempt at making cycle menus.


1 lb chicken breasts, cut into serving slices
¼ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sesame or vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 green onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Carrots, thinly sliced and sautéed separately

1. Marinate chicken in all ingredients, except carrots. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.

2. Drain chicken; stir-fry in 10-inch skillet or wok over medium heat until light brown, 2-3 minutes. Serve chicken with hot cooked rice or cooked egg noodles tossed with black pepper.

Serves 4

Pescao en Blanco

1 fish, preferably culambal (round-eyed scad), apahap or maya-maya
Salt
2 cups rice washing
3 ripe medium tomatoes, cut crosswise about 1/4-inch thick
3 medium onions, halved
2 medium radishes, sliced diagonally about 1/4-inch thick
1 bundle pechay, trimmed and halved crosswise
1/4 cup olive oil
Rub the whole fish with salt and set aside for a while. Then cut the fish into desired number of pieces. Wash the fish pieces and put aside.
Pour rice washing into a casserole and let boil for three minutes with a little salt. Put in the fish, tomatoes and onions. When the fish is half-cooked, add the radish, pechay, and olive oil. Salt to taste.

Simmered Flatfish

2 servings

A great way to prepare any whole flatfish that will fit in your skillet. The best way to eat it is to simply pick at the fish with a pair of chopsticks or your fingers. If you are making rice, make that first; this dish takes only twelve minutes or so.

1 clove garlic, crushed
2 thin peeled slices fresh ginger
¼ cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice or other mild vinegar
1 whole (1 – 1 ½ lb) flatfish, gilled, gutted and scaled

Place all the ingredients except the fish in a large skillet, preferably non-stick (one for which you have a cover), and bring to a boil over high heat.

Turn the heat to low, add the fish, and cover. Cook until the fish is done (it will just barely flake when prodded with a knife or fork), about 10 minutes. Serve with the sauce, immediately.

Provençal-Style Fish

Makes 4 servings
Time: 30 minutes

This is a 1950s-style recipe that takes almost no effort. If you want to cut back on the fat, it will still work fine.

2 tablespoons oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups cored and chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned (undrained)
½ cup dry white wine or water
1 cup tiny black olives, pitted
½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
About 1-½ lbs fillets, cut into serving pieces

1. Heat oil for 2 minutes in a large, deep skillet or casserole over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they have softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and tomatoes, raise the heat slightly, and cook, stirring occasionally, until some of the tomato juice bubbles away. Add the wine, stir, and cook another 5 minutes.
3. Add the olives, half the chopped basil, rosemary and thyme, and some salt pepper. Cook 1 minute; submerge the fish in the sauce and cook over medium heat until the fillets are tender and white, about 8 minutes. Garnish with the remaining basil and serve with crusty bread.

(Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything)

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

250g sotanghon noodles, washed
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups shredded chicken, cooked
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 cup cilantro (wansuy)
2 sprigs green onion, thinly sliced

1. Prepare sotanghoon noodles. Remove strings and cut in half. Wash well.
2. Put chicken stock in a 4-qt pot and bring to boil.
3. Stir in mushrooms, soy sauce, ginger and salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Stir in shredded chicken, sesame oil, and sotanghon. Heat through.
5. When ready to serve, stir in cilantro and green onions.

Note:
· If using dried mushrooms, soak in hot water for about 10 minutes. Add water to broth for extra flavor.
· May use leftover chicken from Afritada.

Arroz Á La Cubana

This is the Arroz a la Cubana recipe that I was looking for a few weeks ago. It was a recipe that my sister cut out from a Cocobank calendar we had when we were younger.

6 servings

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
4 tablespoon cooking oil
¾ kilo ground beef, pork or chicken
3 tablespoon soy sauce
Salt, pepper
½ cup water
3-4 tablespoon tomato catsup
1 small box raisins
6 pieces banana saba, peeled, halved and fried
6 fried eggs
6 cups packed, cooked rice

1. Sauté garlic and onion in hot oil. Add ground chicken and cook till meat turns brown.
2. Add soy sauce, water, salt and pepper and simmer until meat is cooked.
3. Blend in catsup and raisins and cook 10 minutes longer, stirring continuously.
4. Serve in individual plates with fried bananas and eggs and a mound of rice.

Baked Tilapia Bruschetta a la Manding

Last week, we were suppose to have Sole with Pimiento Sauce for dinner, but as I was cooking the sauce, something didn't smell right. (It must have been the mushrooms I bought a few days before.) I was unsure about having it for dinner, so before I could add the fish, I decided to throw away the sauce. I had to quickly think of another fish recipe because it was almost dinner time and I still didn't have any food ready. The tilapia package featured a recipe called Tilapia Bruschetta. I didn't follow the recipe since I didn't have all the ingredients available, so I made my own version using leftover sun-dried tomato pesto (which my husband prefers to the oily basil pesto).

Preheat oven to 350. Lay about 5-6 tilapia fillets on a lightly greased baking pan. Brush tops with sun-dried tomato pesto. Pour frozen vegetable mixture around the fish being careful not to cover the fillets completely. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until fillets flake easily with fork.

Menu Plans

I really should put my act together. For years, I've struggled to do a cycle menu, and I actually had one, but in the end I chucked everything. I spend a lot of time working on the week's menu when I really should be doing something else. It's my fault though due to easy access to books through the library I tend to borrow cookbooks almost every two weeks and try new recipes instead of focusing on what I already have in my collection.

Dutch Oven

I'm thinking of getting a dutch oven for my birthday. But the one I want is quite expensive. I want to see one though before I decide to purchase.

Pasta & Bean Soup

I tried this recipe tonight, with the the help of my apprentice (my sister who hasn't cooked all her life). I got the recipe from Eating Well. My son loved it. It's so easy to make and I must admit it is delicious and healthy, too. I didn't have crushed red pepper so I used chili powder. I also used macaroni instead of orecchiette.

Recipe and photo from Eating Well.

Using basic canned goods and a few other staples, you can make this comforting soup in just minutes. The trick to achieving a full-bodied homemade flavor from canned chicken broth is to freshen it up with a handful of herbs, some garlic cloves and crushed red pepper. For a meatier flavor, add a little crumbled cooked Italian turkey sausage to the soup.

Makes 8 servings, 1 cup each

Ingredients

4 14-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
6 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
4 4-inch sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon dried
⅛-¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 15 ½-ounce or 19-ounce can cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed, divided
1 14 ½-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup medium pasta shells or orecchiette
2 cups individually quick-frozen spinach (6 ounces) (see Ingredient note)
6 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Pasta & Bean Soup Ingredients Cont.

Pasta & Bean Soup Instructions

1. Combine broth, garlic, rosemary and crushed red pepper in a 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven or soup pot; bring to a simmer. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes to intensify flavor. Meanwhile, mash 1 cup beans in a small bowl.
2. Scoop garlic cloves and rosemary from the broth with a slotted spoon (or pass the soup through a strainer and return to the pot). Add mashed and whole beans to the broth, along with tomatoes; return to a simmer. Stir in pasta, cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is just tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Stir in spinach, cover and cook just until the spinach has thawed, 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each serving with a drizzle of oil, if desired, and a sprinkling of Parmesan.

Variation: Substitute chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for the cannellini beans; use a food processor to puree them.

Pasta & Bean Soup Instructions Cont.

Pasta & Bean Soup Tips

Ingredient Note: Individually quick-frozen (IQF) spinach is sold in convenient plastic bags. If you have a 10-ounce box of spinach on hand, use just over half of it and cook according to package directions before adding to the soup in Step 3.

Pasta & Bean Soup Tips Cont.

Pasta & Bean Soup Nutrition Information

Per serving: 133 calories; 2 g fat (1 g sat, 0 g mono); 6 mg cholesterol; 20 g carbohydrate; 9 g protein; 4 g fiber; 356 mg sodium.

Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (35% daily value), Fiber (16% dv).

Shortcut Chili

Here's another recipe from Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers. I'm slowly introducing more beans into our menu and I'm happy that my husband is starting to eat beans, which he normally does not eat. I did not have chipotles, so I used chili powder, but I am curious about how chipotles taste. I just hope it's not too spicy for my son. This recipe is good with tortilla chips.

There must be as many recipes for chili as there are cooks. This one has the surprising addition of lentils and the smoky spiciness of chipotles.

2 cups chopped onions
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced canned chipotles in adobo sauce and/or 2 teaspoons chili powder
1 red or green pepper, diced
1 15-oz can of red kidney beans, drained
1 15-oz can of lentils, undrained
1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
sour cream (optional)

In a soup pot, saute the onions, garlic, and salt in the oil until soft, 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the chipotles and the bell peppers, cover, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the beans, lentils, and tomatoes. Cover and simmer on low heat for 5-1o minutes or until everything is hot. Stir in the cilantro. Serve topped with sour cream, if you wish.

Serves 4-6.

Asian Braised Fish with Greens

Here's another dish from the Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers cookbook.

1 lb soba or udon noodles or 1-1/2 cups jasmine, brown, or white rice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons mirin or 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger root
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
6 scallions
1 head of boy choy (about 1-1/2 lbs)
1-1/2 lbs firm flesh fillets, at least 1/2-inch thick
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
pinch of salt
sesame seeds (optional)

Cook the noodles or rice.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the soy sauce, mirin, vinegar, ginger, garlic and 3 tablespoons of water. Set aside, Cut the scallions on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces. Cut the bok choy on the diagonal into 1/2-inch slices (about 8 cups). Cut the fish into serving-sized pieces or bite-sized chunks.

In a large skillet on high heat, stir-fry the scallions in the oil for a minute. Add the bok choy and salt. Stir constantly until the greens are just tender but still crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm.

Add the soy sauce mixture to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Add the fish fillets, cover, and simmer on low heat until cooked through; for fillets, about 6 minutes for each 1/2 inch of thickness, and for chunks, about 4 minutes. Carefully turn over the fish about halfway through cooking. The fish is done when the flesh is opaque.

Serve the fish on a bed of the rice or noodles. Top with the bok choy, the pan sauce, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Serves 4.
Time: 30 minutes

Green and White Bean Gratin

I borrowed another cookbook last week, Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers, and this is the first dish I tried. I was surprised that even the kids liked it. I served it as a side dish to smoked ham.

This creamy, cold-weather casserole with a golden, crunchy topping can be assembled ahead and baked when you are ready.

2 cups frozen cut green beans
2 15 ounce cans white beans
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons dried rosemary, sage, or thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of black pepper
1 cup grated Cheddar, Fontina, or Gruyere cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. Defrost the green beans by placing them in very hot water for a few minutes. Drain and spread to cover the bottom of the prepared dish.

In a blender, whirl one can of white beans, undrained, with the garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper until smooth. Pour over the green beans in the baking dish and sprinkle with the Cheddar cheese. Drain the second can of white beans and spread the beans on the top.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and melted butter. Sprinkle over the top of the gratin. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden and bubbling, about 10 minutes more.

Chef Suggestions
You can substitute fresh beans that have been stemmed, cut into 2-inch lengths, and blanched, if you prefer.

Serving & Menu Ideas: On the side, try Apple Two Ways or Carrot Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette. A simple, not-too-rich dessert, such as Riesling Roasted Pears or Mocha Sorbet would be just right.