Have you ever tried cooking “en papillote?” which in French means “in parchment.” Let’s stick with papillote – it sounds more French fou fou.
Getting ready for the oven
You will basically be wrapping the fish in parchment paper. The beauty of cooking this way is that once you seal the paper then the fish will cook evenly at a higher heat for less time and still stay moist.
I don’t have a specific recipe but you can start with placing the fish (halibut, salmon or other fish) on top of a bed of sliced tomatoes and/or thinly sliced onions that sit on top of a piece of parchment paper large enough to seal around it. Coat the fish with capers/lemon/butter or a pesto sauce and a few sliced lemons over top. Then seal the parchment tightly with lightly brushed on egg white. Bake at 375 until done. It can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending on the size fish. You can always open the parchment to check but make sure to re-seal it again if not yet done. How to tell: pierce fish with a fork and if the fork meets resistance it’s not yet done.
Halibut baked in parchment topped with sundried-tomato-pesto & served over sliced sweet onions & campari tomatoes. Side: crisped roasted brussels sprouts.
For sides serve with rice & veggie of your liking.
I’d like to hear back from you to find out how your recipe turned out.
Japanese inspired with crunchy seaweed on top & soba noodles.
Asian Inspired veggie noodle soup – my version. This is a great tasting dish and so healthy too. It will help you avoid getting a cold.
I recently had lunch at a noodle house where everything was made fresh on the spot with your choice of noodles from buckwheat to rice to udon.
You can tick off all the veggies and meat or dumplings you want to add to it on a little sheet where everything is listed. Fun! I want chicken dumplings with rice noodles and baby bok choy, tofu, mushrooms, green onions and spinach. Don’t feel like the crunchy cruciferous ones right now. I bought a homemade hot/garlic sauce which really added oomph to the broth.
Chinese inspired with baby bok choy, snow peas & spinach noodles.
Then on my way home I bought the following:
Shiro Miso Soybean Paste for making broth (which they use for Miso soup), extra firm tofu, a bunch of different veggies and I had buckwheat and spinach noodles at home just waiting to be useful.
Added chicken stock for additional flavor, some bonito flakes and a bit of bonito flavoured soup stock (available at any Japanese grocery store) and steamed the veggies in a huge bamboo steamer. At the end I tossed in some baby spinach, tofu & sliced green onion. Then upon serving a little soy, some crunchy seaweed/sesame and Japanese 7 house spice that is on the table at every single Japanese restaurant. The actual name in English is red pepper mix or ShichimiTogarashi. Nothing with M.S.G.
Let me say that it was simple to prepare and so delicious that I may never end up going back to that little noodle house ever again…except to buy more of their special house hot sauce.
What about you? Do you love Asian INspired soups? What kind of noodles are your favorite?
Note: You can find many Asian groceries like noodles, bean paste and spices now at places like Whole Foods or other local grocery stores and markets.
Making a flavourful Risotto is a nice addition to any meal or even as a main course. The only problem is making sure the Arborio rice (in between a rice & tiny pasta) is neither too chewy or too soft at the finish.
Even though I’m not Italian (although I have family members and friends who are) I can tell you how to make a really good one.
Here’s what you need to serve 6 as an Appetizer or 4 as a Main:
RECIPE
Arborio Rice – 1 cup
Dried shitake or porcini mushrooms (1/2 oz, about 1 cup), rinsed then soaked in boiling water for about 30 minutes. Remove mushrooms, squeezing excess water but reserve some liquid for pot. Coarsely chop mushrooms and set aside.
1 onion, thinly sliced.
3 cups of chicken stock. You can keep it warm over another stovetop element until ready to add, little by little.
2 Tbsp. butter
2 large shallots, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ cup of dry white wine
½ lb. fresh wild mushrooms (chanterelles, morels, shitake, porcini or combo of all) washed and sliced.
4 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped (optional)
½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
salt & ground black pepper, to taste
2 oz. fresh truffles or white truffle oil for finish
Chopped flat-leaf parsley or chives for over top
Melt butter over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, onion and sage. Cook until onions and shallots are transparent, about 5 minutes. Add rice, and cook stirring constantly, until lightly toasted (not burned) and well-coated with butter, about 5 minutes.
Add *wine and stir until absorbed into rice. Stir in all the mushrooms (ones that were previously dried & fresh), reserved cooking liquid (about 1/2 cup) and ½ cup of the warm chicken stock. *You can absorb yourself with some wine too while cooking – I highly recommend it.
I almost always use a cast iron frying pan
Cook over simmering heat, stirring frequently until ALMOST all liquid has evaporated. Remember not to let it dry out completely. Continue adding stock, about ¾ (175 ml) of a cup at a time, stirring frequently, until rice is tender but firm to the bite and mixture is creamy but not soupy, about 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in ½ Tbsp. of butter and the parmesan cheese. Season with kosher salt and black pepper. Garnish with flat-leaf parsley or chives for presentation. Then shave fresh truffles onto risotto upon serving. I used white truffle oil instead & it was amazing. Buon Appetito as they say in Italy.
“Half the cookbooks tell you how to cook the food and the other half tell you how to avoid eating it.” ~ Andy Rooney
“When the waitress asked if I wanted my pizza cut into four or eight slices, I said, Four. I don’t think I can eat eight.” — Yogi Berra
“A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do.”
— P. J. O’Rourke”
“The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later, you’re hungry again. “
— George Miller
“I’ve been on a diet for two weeks and all I’ve lost is two weeks.” ~ Totie Fields
“ If people say if you eat dessert before dinner it will ruin your appetite — won’t eating dinner before dessert ruin your appetite for dessert?” ~ Author Unknown
“I really don’t think I need buns of steel. I’d be happy with buns of cinnamon.” ~ Ellen DeGeneres
“ There are four basic food groups: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and chocolate truffles.” – Unknown
“This recipe is certainly silly. It says to separate two eggs, but it doesn’t say how far to separate them.” ~ Gracie Allen
My mother’s menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it.” ~ Buddy Hackett “
“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.” ~ Garfield/Jim Davis
Surveys repeatedly show that 80 to 90 percent of Canadians and Americans want labelling to tell them when food has been genetically engineered. Yet huge corporations don’t want us to know what’s in our food, and governments are listening to them instead of consumers.
But in November 2012, Californians will vote on Proposition 37, which would require clear labelling of foods produced through genetic engineering. Why is this relevant to us in BC? A victory in California could be the catalyst that finally brings GE food labelling to other states and because of our history of harmonizing food laws with the US, to Canada.
The corporations who profit from GE foods are spending huge amounts of money on ad campaigns designed to scare Californians into voting NO to proposition 37. Of course Monsanto’s on that list, but so are many big grocery brands that might be on your pantry shelves. We were saddened and perplexed to see Ocean Spray among them; why would a farmer-owned co-operative fight so hard to keep consumers from knowing what’s in their food?
On a more positive note, we’re proud of Richmond based Nature’s Path, a heroic local company that has given funds to support the YES campaign. Thank you, Nature’s Path – and all the other companies and individuals who are standing up for the rights of consumers. After all, when the citizens of countries as diverse as China, UK, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Latvia, and many others (40+ in total) already have laws requiring the labelling of GE foods, isn’t it perfectly reasonable for us to expect the same?
Don’t miss listening to “Transforming Health” with host Brad King for the most up-to-the-minute interviews with leading health professionals – Live every Wednesday @ 12PM-PST/3PM-EST on VoiceAmerica.com – #1 internet radio station in North America. Listen to it live or listen to previous episodes at: http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1686/transforming-health
*The Vancouver Health Show takes place this weekend at the Trade and Convention Centre. Brad King will be one of the keynote speakers on Saturday, November 10th.
The Look no Further for a Chocolate-Chip Cookie recipe (if I may say so):
I love a good cookie with a glass of almond milk
If you love chocolate chip cookies as much as I do then I think you’ll find these ones quite delicious.
There are a few little tricks that help to make them turn out better but most recipes don’t mention them.
*TIPS: For instance, 1) using cold butter instead of at room temperature, 2) Refrigerating the dough for half an hour before baking and 3) putting them on a lower heat for longer than the recipe calls for.
Recipe:
2 1/4 cups (550 ml) all-purpose flour (I use whole wheat all-purpose) 1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda, 1/2 tsp (2ml) salt 1 cup (250 ml) unsalted butter, at room temperature (*see notes above). You can still use room temperature is that’s what most recipes call for but Mrs. Field’s knows better. 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) lightly packed brown sugar 1 egg 1 1/2 tsp. (7 ml) pure vanilla extract 2 cups (500 ml) dark chocolate chips or coarsely chopped dark-chocolate chunks.
Note: I made this recipe before using the coarsely chopped dark chocolate and it was delicious but this time I used a mix of equal amounts of bitter-sweet, milk, semi-sweet and white Ghiradelli chocolate chips. The taste sensation of all the different kinds was SWEET! I recommend using the mix.
Pre-heat oven to 350 (180c) or 300 if you follow suggestions above. Lightly spray a baking sheet with oil. In a medium bowl, use a fork to stir flour with baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon or an electric mixer, beat butter with sugar until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture, until just combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.
Scoop about 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of dough and place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, placing at least 2 in (5 cm) apart. Don’t press down; they will spread as they bake.
Bake in centre of oven until cookies are golden around the edges, from 8 to 10 minutes at 350 and at least 15 if oven is at 300. Also depends on what size cookie you want – just check on them. Remove from sheet to a heatproof surface and leave for 2 min. Then remove the cookies to a rack to cool completely. Cool baking sheet or use another one and repeat with remaining dough.
If making ahead, form dough into a thick disc and wrap well. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks or freeze up to a month. Cookies will keep in a covered container at room temperature for a few days – but I doubt they’ll last that long.
You can make up to 5 dozen if forming them into regular size Tbsps but I prefer the size shown so always put double the amount of dough called for on the sheet. Less is MORE!
Nutrients per cookie (more or less): 1g protein, 5g fat, 12g carbs, 1g fibre, 8mg calcium, 92 calories.
How apropos that I found this amazing recipe after having just visited the Sonoma and Napa Valley wine regions of California.
If you love WINE and you love CAKE then you can have your wine and eat your cake too!
I never did understand that saying.
This recipe makes 1 cake, to serve 16-20.
Cake:
18 Tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for greasing
2 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
2 1/4 cups red wine (you can drink the rest while it’s baking)
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
3 cups plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/8 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
Frosting:
24 ounces cream cheese (three 8-ounce boxes), at room temperature
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
To make cake: Preheat oven to 325. Line the bottom of three 9″ round cake pans with parchment paper. Grease parchment paper and sides of pan. Place butter in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, cream butter on medium speed until smooth. Add brown and granulated sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and yolk and beat until incorporated, then add red wine and vanilla. (Don’t worry if the batter looks a little uneven and grainy).
In a medium bowl mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Sift dry mixture over wet ingredients. Mix until 3/4 combined, then fold in remaining dry mixture with a rubber spatula.
Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of each layer comes out clean. The top of each cake should be shiny and smooth. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove cakes from pans and let cool completely on a rack. (If cakes have domed a bit and you want even layers, trim tops using a long serrated knife held horizontally).
To make frosting: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in vanilla, then gradually stir in confectioners’ sugar.
To frost cake, place one layer on a cake stand or plate and spread with 1 cup frosting. Repeat with next 2 layers and spread top and sides with remaining frosting.
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