Fish Tacos

I'm a simple guy who has generally identified fish tacos with tuna or tilapia. Cod, while not an exciting fish by any measure, seemed a surprising choice by Cook's Illustrated. Mind you, they offer haddock or halibut as a substitute, but being the price-conscious guy I am, I opted for the cheaper cod, which priced at about half the cost of the alternatives. This meal turned out very, very well. Diced avocado is an excellent accompaniment.

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Fish Tacos
Serves 4

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tbl. minced cilantro leaves
1 tbl. juice from 1 lime
3 tsp. minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1 medium garlic minced
ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, cilantro, lime juice, chipotles, and garlic together, season with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tbl. chili powder
salt and ground black pepper

Whisk the flour, chili powder, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper together in a large shallow dish. Pat the fish dry with paper towels and toss gently in the flour mixture to coat. Transfer the fish to a strainer and shake gently, allowing the excess flour to fall back into the dish.

1-1/2 lb. skinless cod, cut into 1" wide strips
1/4 cup vegetable oil
12 6" soft corn tortillas, warmed
lime wedges, for serving

Heat the oil in a 12" nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the fish and cook, without moving, until lightly browned on the first side, about 5 minutes. Flip the fish over and continue to cook until the fish just begins to flake apart when prodded with a paring knife, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer the cooked fish to a paper towel-lined plate and let drain briefly, about 1 minute.

Smear each warm tortilla with the chipotle mayonnaise. Lay one piece of fish inside each tortilla and serve with the lime wedges.


Source: More Best Recipes: The Companion to the New Best Recipes. Cook's Illustrated. 2009.

Poulet Sauté aux Herbes de Provence (Chicken Sautéed with Herbs, Garlic, Egg Yolk and Butter Sauce)

Poulet Sauté aux Herbes de Provence
(Chicken Sautéed with Herbs, Garlic, Egg Yolk and Butter Sauce)

Serves 4

¼ lb. butter
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. basil
¼ tsp. ground fennel
salt, pepper
1 clove minced garlic

Season chicken with herbs, salt and pepper. Heat butter until foaming on medium heat. Add garlic to dutch oven and quickly coat both sides of chicken. Regularly baste chicken with the butter, cover and continue to cook for 7 minutes on both sides, until chicken is tender and its juices run pale yellow when the meat is pricked with a fork.

When the chicken is done, remove to a hot platter, cover, and keep warm.

½ cup dry white vermouth

Add vermouth and boil down over high heat, scraping up coagulated sauté juices until the wine has been reduced by half.

2 egg yolks
1 tbl. lemon juice
1 tbl. dry white vermouth
2 tbl. softened butter

Beat the egg yolks in a small saucepan until they are thick and sticky. Beat in lemon juice and wine. Then beat in the dutch oven liquid, ½ tsp. at a time to make a thick creamy sauce like a hollandaise.

Beat the sauce over very low heat for 4 to 5 seconds to warm and thicken it. Remove from heat and beat in more butter by tablespoon. Adjust seasonings and spoon sauce over the chicken and serve.

Source: Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Child, Julia. 1961.

Huevos Revueltos del Rancho (Farmhouse Scrambled Eggs)

This recipe was adapted from the legend of Mexican cuisine, Diane Kennedy. I substituted pepper jack for cream cheese, scallions for white onion, and sour cream for crème fraîche.

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Huevos Revueltos del Rancho (Farmhouse Scrambled Eggs)
Serves 2

2 tbl vegetable oil
2-8" tortillas
6 tbl salsa (I use Green Mountain Gringo)
4 large eggs
salt to taste
Slices of pepper jack cheese
2 tbl finely chopped scallions
2 tbl sour cream

Heat oil in a large skillet and fry the tortillas lightly on both sides. They should not get crisp. Drain them on paper towels and put on a warmed plate.

In the same oil, cook the salsa for a few seconds over high heat (watch splatter). Beat the eggs lightly with the salt and add them to the salsa in the pan. Add 1 tbl of onion. Stir the eggs until they are set. Serve the eggs on top of the tortillas and top with the pepper jack cheese, remaining onion, and sour cream.

Source: The Essential Cuisines of Mexico. Kennedy, Diane. 2000.

Chicken and Tomatillo Chimichangas

Chicken and Tomatillo Chimichangas
Serves 4

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 chipotle chile, seeded
1 tbl vegetable oil
2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teas ground cumin
1/2 teas ground coriander
1/2 teas ground cinnamon
1/2 teas ground cloves
2 cups drained canned tomatillos
2-1/3 drained canned pinto beans
8-8" flour tortillas
corn oil for frying
salt and pepper to taste

Put chicken breasts in a large saucepan, pour in water to cover, and add chile. Bring to boil, low heat to simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken cooked through and chile is softened. Remove chile and chop finely. Let chicken cool slightly and shred.

Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium heat. Saute the onions until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, ground spices, and chile and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the tomatillos and pinto beans and continue to cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stirr constantly to break up the tomatillos and some of the beans. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Add chicken and salt, pepper to taste.

Put tortillas on microwavable plate and cover with plastic wrap. Heat on full power for 1 minute. Spoon one-eighth of the filling into the center of the tortilla, fold in both sides, then fold the bottom of the tortilla up and the top down to form a neat parcel. Secure with two toothpicks.

Heat corn oil in a large skillet and fry chimichangas in batches until crisp, turning once. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Heat in 200 degree oven until ready to serve.

Source: Mexican. Milton, Jane. 2001.

Elegant Wintertime Tomato Soup

Elegant Wintertime Tomato Soup
Serves 4

2 oz sun-dried tomatoes
28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbl fresh thyme leaves
1 tbl minced garlic
1 medium carrot, finely diced
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbl honey
1 quart roasted vegetable stock (see my previous post)
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a heatproof bowl and cover with 2 cups boiling water. Drain the canned tomatoes and reserve the liquid. Halve them and put in a shallow roasting pan; drizzle with 2 tbl olive oil and sprinkle with thyme. Roast, turning once or twice, until the tomatoes are dried and lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

When tomatoes are done, drain the sun-dried tomatoes and pour their soaking liquid into the roasting pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, breaking up the roasted tomatoes at the same time. Roughly chop the dried tomatoes and add them to the roasting pan.

Put the remaining 2 tbl olive oil in a large saucepan. When hot, add the garlic and cook just until it begins to color, a minute or so. Add the carrot and onion and cook until they start to release their liquid about 3 minutes more. Sprinkle with sale and pepper, then add the honey and stir until melts, just a few seconds.

Add the reserved liquid from the canned tomatoes and continue stirring until the liquid dries out and darkens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the stock, along with the contents of the roasting pan. Turn the heat to high and bring the soup to boil, then lower the heat so it bubbles gently. Cover and cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Use an immersion blender to puree the finished soup in the saucepan. Stir in 1 cup heavy cream and heat gently. Garnish with parsley.

Pureed Potato Soup with Leeks

Pureed Potato Soup with Leeks
Serves 4

2 tbl butter
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
3 leeks, white and light parts only, well washed and sliced into thin rings
salt and pepper to taste
1 quart roasted vegetable stock (see my previous post)

Put the butter in a large dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the stock and cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender, carefully puree the soup. Stir in 1/2 to 1 cup of heavy cream. Add salt and pepper as needed and serve.

Roasted Vegetable Stock

I used this as my base for two soups this week- creamy potato leek soup and winter tomato soup. Considering the effort going into this stock, I suggest doubling it as I did. It easily freezes and the possibilities are endless.

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Roasted Vegetable Stock
Makes 3 quarts

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 well-washed leeks, cut into chunks
4 carrots, cut into chunks
2 celery stalks, cut into chunks
1 parsnip, cut into chunks
2 potatoes, quartered
6 garlic cloves
15 to 20 white button mushrooms, halved or sliced (depending on size)
Small bunch of parsley leaves
1/4 cup soy sauce
10 peppercorns
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine the oil, leeks, carrots, celery, parsnip, potatoes, garlic, and mushrooms in a large roasting pan; stir to coat all the vegetables with oil. Put the pan in the oven and roast, shaking the pan occasionally and turning the ingredients once or twice until everything is nicely browned. This will take about 45 to 55 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to scoop the roasted vegetables into a stockpot (I used my dutch oven); add the herbs, soy sauce, peppercorns, wine, salt to taste, and 2 quarts water. Turn the heat to high. Meanwhile, put the roasting pan over a burner on high heat and add 4 cups water. Bring to a boil and cook, scraping off all the bits of food that have stuck to the bottom. Pour this mixture into the stockpot.

Bring to a boil, then partially cover and adjust the heat so the mixture sends up a few bubbles at a time. Cook until the vegetables are very soft, 30 to 45 minutes. Strain, pressing on vegetables to extract as much juice as possible. Taste and add more soy sauce, salt, or ground pepper if necessary before using or storing.

Source: How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food. Bittman, Mark. 2007.

Pasta with Caramelized Onions

When I got home from work yesterday, Christina surprised me with Mark Bittman’s “How To Cook Everything Vegetarian.” This was the first recipe that just demanded to be made. Outcome: delicious.

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Pasta with Caramelized Onions
Serves 2

½ lb long pasta
1 lb onions, sliced thin
2-1/2 tbl + 1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
grated parmesan
salt and pepper

1. Place onions in a dry large skillet, cover, and heat over medium-low heat until onions begin to brown and stick to the skillet, about 20-30 minutes. Check ever 5 minutes.

2. Remove lid, add 2-1/2 tbl olive oil and generous amount of salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium and stir until onions are browned and pasty.

3. Bring water to boil and add salt to cook pasta while onions are caramelizing. Drain pasta when tender and add to a large warm bowl. Combine onions and 1 tbl olive oil. Toss with parmesan.

Source: How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food. Bittman, Mark. 2007.

Salmon Braised with Leeks

I served this as the main dish for dinner with the newlywed Morgans- my cousin Kelly and her husband Eric. I served the braised salmon and leeks with a french baguette, simple green salad, and mixed vegetables. Outcome: Very good, but not as piping hot as it should have been. Timing was an issue.

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Salmon Braised with Leeks
Serves 4

1-1/2 lbs leeks, trimmed, chopped and washed
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper
1 tbl dijon mustard
1-1/2 lbs salmon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Scatter the leeks over the bottom of dutch oven. Mix with wine, salt, pepper, and mustard. Top with the salmon, sprink fish with salt and pepper. Cover.
3. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a thin-bladed knife meets little or no resistance when inserted into the thickest part of the fish. Uncover and serve the fish with the leeks and pan juices spooned over it.

Source: The Minimalist Cooks Dinner. Bittman, Mark. 2001.

Baked Eggs with Onion and Cheese

Christina wants me to blog my meals more often. This is hopefully the first of many to come. This was a very simple meal that was filling and quick to make. I accompanied the baked eggs with a green salad with mushrooms. Outcome: delicious.

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Baked Eggs with Onions and Cheese
Serves 2

2 tbl butter
2 cups sliced onions
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 eggs
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place buter in large skillet and heat over medium heat. After two minutes, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they're very soft and tender but not browned. Approximately 15 minutes. Spread the onions over the bottom of a pyrex pie plate.
3. Top with half of the bread crumbs and half the cheese. Use the back of a spoon to make 4 little nests in the mixture and crack 1 egg into each. Top with salt and pepper, and remaining bread crumbs and cheees.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until eggs are just set and the whites solidified. Serve with toast.

Source: How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food. Bittman, Mark. 1998.