Potatoes

It's the season for potatoes...latkes...mashed ptoatoes... all good things...

These came in my email today and they look so good, it's going to be painful to wait until I can make these...

Potato dishes

Cornmeal and artichoke-crusted Halibut

Background: It's been freezing lately and I decided to give in to ordering groceries online instead of walking and schlepping. On the bright side, I finally restocked on heavier items. On both the upside and downside, some products come differently than I imagined...One of those items was halibut. I guess I was expecting smaller, more manageable pieces when I ordered a pound of fish... Had I known I'd have a huge long piece of fish, skin attached, I would've also bought scallions and ginger to make an Asian style steamed fish.

I'd bought olives and artichokes in preparation for The Hurricane. Having lived in Florida through hurricane seasons enough times I realized that I'm better off buying foods I would enjoy eating if a hurricane were not to come...(or even if it were to come) than the standard ones people tend to buy but then dread to eat if a hurricane doesn't come by... Anyway, since I now had them on hand, I decided to get adventurous and make an artichoke and olive (think tapenade) breadcrumb topping for the aforementioned halibut and bake it... Never tried doing the American breadcrumb baked fish thing but since I was low on Asian ingredients, it seemed like the only option left...of course, I then realized I was out of usable breadcrumbs...  so the next best thing I had on hand was cornmeal...

Methods:
Melt butter in the microwave--I used about 1/4 to 1/2 stick (there were only ends of a few sticks left...) and stuck in the microwave for about 30 minutes.
Add cornmeal to bowl and mix until it forms a paste with the butter.
Add artichokes and olives...in my case I used two very large artichokes from a Trader Joe's can and three olives.
Chop it all up

Rinse fish and coat with flour.
Place in oiled 9x13 glass baking dish
Spread fish with cornmeal topping.
Bake at 350 until fish seems done. (Check standard measurements for how much fish you have poundage wise and heating time required)

Remove and serve with sliced avocado and lime juice

Results:
Delicious!

These fish recipes look delicious!

http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/fast-fish?xid=DISH112612FastFishRecipes

Time for curry~

I've been craving curry since cooking with L for Thanksgiving. I finally gave in to cooking (yay Friday night!). I tried this recipe tonight...

http://www.northindiancooking.com/pyaz-ki-aloo-potatoes-with-onion-curry.html

Pumpkin here pumpkin there

This looks amazing

http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/12929/Deconstructed-Pumpkin-Pie.html

As does this:

http://www.tastingtable.com/entry_detail/chefs_recipes/11030/Smashing_Pumpkin_Cocktail.htm?parentEntryId=10528


I recently made these pumpkin brownies. Definitely something to keep for now...though I wonder if it'd be better as a pumpkin cheesecake brownie.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/10/pumpkin-swirl-brownies/

tomato gazpacho (Jean-Georges)

Here is the original tomato gazpacho with mozzarella, raspberries, and almonds that was in my Home Cooking cookbook by Jean-Georges. What follows are the ingredients that I used instead to make tomato gazpacho with goat cheese, blueberries, and almonds, based on the ingredients I had available--a lot was cut out but it was still the most delicious gazpacho I've ever had--JG may be horrified by how much I cut out...not even sure it's the same consistency or taste or the same recipe at this point...but hey I love it.

1. 4 large ripe beefsteak tomatoes, cored and cut in half through their equator
2. 1 small shallot, coarsely chopped
3. 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
4 1/2 cup chopped celery heart
5. 1/2 cup chopped European cucumber
6. 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
7. 1/2 fresh long red chile, seeded and chopped
8. 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
9. 2 teaspoons kosher salt
10. 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Garnishes
1. 8 blanched whole almonds
extra virgin olive oil
2. 1/4 cup grated fresh mozzarella
3. 8 cherry tomatoes, preferably a mix of colors, sliced 1/4 inch thick
4. 1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
5. 4 raspberries halved
6. 4 fresh basil leaves, torn
7. 8 very thin slices long red chile
8. fleur de sel or course sea salt
9. freshly ground pepper

Abbreviated instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350; bake tomatoes cut side up; bake approx 10 minutes until skin blisters (originalyl recipe says to use a wire rack on a rimemd baking sheet)
2. When cool enough to handle, peel and break into quarters with your hands
3. Transfer tomatoes and juices to a blender, along with shallot, garlic, celery, cucumber, bell pepper, and chile
4. Blend on low speed until pureed
5. Strain through medium mesh sieve into bowl
6. Season with vinegar, salt, and sugar
7. Refrigerate until extremely cold.

Before Serving:
8. Put almonds in a small saucepan and add just enough olive oil to cover. Cook over medium heat until almonds are fragrant and blonde, about 5 minutes
9. Remove from heat, drain on paper towels, and let cool to room temperature
10. Reserve almond cooking oil.
11. Divide mozzarella, tomatoes, avocado, raspberries, basil, chile, and reserved almonds among cold soup bowls.
12. Pour soup into bowls, drizzle with almond cooking oil, and season with fleur de sel and pepper.

---------
My version
Modified ingredients and prep...makes 1 serving:

1. 3 roma tomatoes, halved

2. 2 garlic cloves

3. 1/2 of a European cucumber

4. 1 carrot

5. 2 teaspoons cider vinegar

6. dash of sea salt

7. 1/4 teaspoon raw sugar

Garnishes (I did this on day two, right before eating)

1. 4 whole roasted slated almonds

2. extra virgin olive oil

3. few spoons of goat cheese

4. 1/2 package of Trader Joe's baby heirloom tomatoes, halved

5. 1/2 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, cubed

6. 2-3 frozen blueberries

7. 2 fresh basil leaves, torn

8. fleur de sel or course sea salt

9. freshly ground pepper / sprinkle with crushed red pepper if desired

1. Roast tomatoes at 300 F.
2. Forget peeling skin or roasting etc. Throw into food processor along with garlic cloves, cucumber, carrot, crushed red pepper, carrot, cider vinegar until blended.
3. Strain through colander (I don't own a sieve) directly into a container wide enough to set colander in and can be covered if not serving gazpacho until next day.
4. Stir in salt and sugar...covered until next day
(5. I seasoned the blended veggies left in colander with lime juice and salt--this became salsa to eat as a snack the next day)

Before Serving:

1. Put almonds in a small saucepan and add just enough olive oil to cover. Cook over medium heat until almonds are fragrant, about 5 minutes

2.  Remove from heat, place in serving bowl.

3. Reserve almond cooking oil.

4. Put goat cheese, tomatoes, avocado, raspberries, basil, chile, and reserved almonds among cold soup bowls.

12. Pour soup into bowls, drizzle with almond cooking oil, and season with fleur de sel and pepper.

Back home

There's been a lot of travel in the last few weeks...which included a week of eating fries, with and without various forms of vegetarian gravy or other sauces...meals in Toronto...Philly...New York...Boston...
It's nice to be in my home town for a weekend and have time once again to buy fresh vegetables and cook...the week ahead...

Saturday:
Lunch:
Paratha with battered cod fillet and apple cider cole slaw (sauteed cabbage, golden raisons, pine nuts, and cider vinegar) [The concept: nouveau fish tacos]

Prepped sourdough bread--let it rise while I went off to Pride festivities

Dinner:
Lovely evening at Dimitri's

Evening: Divided dough into two rounds, tucked edges under, wrapped, and placed in fridge

Sunday Morning: took out bread to let it sit

Sunday Dinner:
Whole wheat sourdough bread with flaxseeds and pine nuts (Bake time 30 min)

Spinach and toasted quinoa with goat cheese and sauteed shiitake mushrooms (Prep: 10 min)

Paired with a glass of Falanghina

Also prepped:
Roasted tomatoes for gazpacho (15 min), blended ingredients, strained, cooled in fridge
Salsa (with ingredients from gazpacho)
Kale with shiitake mushrooms

Monday
Lunch:
Spinach and toasted quinoa with goat cheese and sauteed shiitake mushrooms
Bread

Snack: tortillas and salsa

Dinner with a friend!

Evening: Make brown rice

Tuesday
Lunch: brown rice with thyme shiitake mushrooms and kale
Dinner: tomato gaspacho with goat cheese, raspberries, and almonds or pine nuts

Wednesday
Lunch: bread with hummus, tomato, spinach, basil and avocado
Dinner: tbd based on time... cabbage with pine nuts and raisins? vegetarian bolognese?

Thursday
Lunch: Pasta with chickpeas and kale
Dinner: Sandwich