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Something Fishy

Dear Readers,

Living in suburbia has its benefits. The grocery stores are massive and I can find just about everything I could ever want or need under one big warehouse roof. However, I miss the magnificence of having the Chinese fish market on Canal Street just a stone’s throw over the Manhattan Bridge. You can buy any sea creature imaginable there and even a pond frog or two. The crabs are so fresh, they’re still moving even though they’re on ice. I swear they pluck things right out of the ocean and drive them to Chinatown. You can get scallops the size of clementines and the large shrimp look like small lobsters. The prices are ridiculously inexpensive as well. I can cook a broiled seafood combination for a fraction of the cost as I can do it in the burbs, and everything seems so much fresher on the streets of NYC with tails still flipping on their bed of ice rather than in the refrigerator display at the grocery.

Those were the days! But now, since the grocery store is what I have at my disposal, I’m trying to learn new dishes with fishes that I wouldn’t normally have purchased in NYC. Don’t let the title of this post fool you. Fish should never be “fishy” tasting, if it is…it’s not fresh. I’m not a huge fan of farm raised fish but thought that tilapia would be a pretty safe bet because it’s mild and meaty. After doing a little recipe searching I found one for tilapia that was really very easy and quite tasty to boot. The sauce that is spread on top of the fish before the final broil gave it a creamy, cheesy deliciousness and the texture as hearty. I will definitely make this again, maybe even this week!

Truly & tastefully,
Tara

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
2 lbs tilapia fillets
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4cup soft butter
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, depending on taste
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
Black pepper to taste

Prep:
Preheat broiler. Line a broiling pan with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray. In a bowl, mix together the parmesan, butter, mayo, and lemon juice as well as the spices: basil, pepper, onion power and celery salt. Position fillets top side up on the aluminum foil in one layer. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2-3 minutes. Flip the fillets and broil the other side for 2-3 minutes. Flip the fillets one more time and cover them with the cheesy mixture on the top side. Broil for 1-2 minutes until the cheesy topping is bubbly and brown and the tilapia is flaky (fork test it).

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Super Bowl of Snacks

Dear Readers,

The big game is coming up! I’m not a football fan myself and to be honest, I’d have to Google to see who was actually playing this year. However, I’m an advertising executive and I get just as excited for the Super Bowl game as any football fan ever would because I love to sit back and watch the advertisements. Opposite of most fans, I talk and eat during the game and watch intently during the commercials. I hope the companies who paid over $3 million for 30 seconds of airtime this year do not disappoint.

This year we’re to our next door neighbor’s house for a Super Bowl party. We’re really excited to mix with them and their friends since we’re still new to the burbs and we’ve really grown to like our neighbors. I just hope people aren’t too loud during the commercials! Since it’s not my party I don’t have control over the food but Mary just sent out a reminder message and let everyone know what is on the menu so far. There will be Meat Balls, Pasta Salad, Turkey BBQ, Buffalo Chicken Dip, Deer Bologna, Pepperoni Bread, Brownies, and M&M Cookies --- mmm, sounds like a great spread.

The really fantastic thing about football and Super Bowl is you can have a lot of people over and serve really yummy casual food. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It’s not a cocktail party, it’s a rowdy sports fan bonanza. And making casual apps is easier and less time consuming than making elegant ones. A lot of them don’t even take much of a recipe, just putting things together to make a yummy spread. So, I don’t have real recipes to share today, just a few ideas to get your super bowl menu started.

Truly & tastefully,
Tara

Spicy Meatballs
3 lbs of frozen meatballs. Pour 2 bottles of Heinz Chili Sauce with 1 jar of grape jelly into a saucepan and heat on medium, stirring until they blend together into a sauce. Pour the meatballs into a larger pot, or crock pot, pour the sauce over the meatballs and heat on medium until the meatballs are warmed all the way through. Serve with toothpicks.

Baked Wings
Don’t have a fryer? Don’t worry. You can bake chicken wings in the oven and have just as tasty results – and healthier too. Bake fresh chicken wings on a cookie tray at recommended temp until cooked through. While baking, combine a bottle of Frank’s Hot Sauce and a stick of butter (more or less according to your taste) over medium heat until blended. When the wings are done, toss them into a large metal mixing bowl and pour the sauce over them. Toss to coat. Serve with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.

BBQ Chicken Sliders
Boil boneless skinless chicken breasts until they are fork tender. Allow to cool. Shred the chicken either with your fingers or two forks until you have a pile of shredded meat. Put meat in a pot and pour in a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce. Let the contents warm together and then serve the shredded meat on small potato rolls you find in the bread aisle of your grocery store. Sprinkle with shredded sharp cheddar cheese for extra flavor.

Pesto Pizza Pinwheels
A can of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, a jar of pesto sauce, and a jar of pizza sauce is all you’ll need for this delicious snack. Unroll crescent dough and seal perforated edges by smoothing over the dough. Spread pesto sauce over the dough and then roll the dough long ways into a tube. Cut one inch pieces of the roll and lay them flat on a cookie sheet. Bake in the oven at 350 until the dough gets golden brown (according to directions on dough packaging). Serve the pinwheels with pizza sauce for dipping.

Curry in a Hurry

Dear Readers,

I haven’t posted in awhile because I’ve been super busy with work during the week days and entertaining on the weekends. Not to mention getting stuck in Brooklyn for 5 days buried under 18 inches of snow. The weather in the Northeast this season has been unbelievable! And lucky us, we’re gearing up for another storm this weekend and beginning of next week. Snow, on top of snow, on top of more snow with a little ice thrown in. But I’m not complaining. In my mid-20s I left Los Angeles after 7 years because I missed the seasons and now seasons are what I get!

Being that I’ve been so busy, I’ve been making quick recipes that take little to no effort to make but still taste deliciously warm and satisfying in this cold weather. I came across a simple curry recipe the other day and, with a few modifications, I made it my own. I don’t have exact measurements because I just threw things together, but it turned out nicely and my hubs and I really enjoyed it. I actually think I would even consider serving it at a dinner party with a side of couscous and perhaps some slow roasted squash and onions. Anyway, it couldn’t be easier if you need a quick dinner option this week.

Truly & tastefully,
Tara

Curry in a Hurry
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 medium yellow onions
1 quart of button mushrooms, sliced
3 cups of chopped fresh spinach
Yellow Curry Powder (to taste)
1 cup of sour cream
1 cup of water
1 packet of chicken bullion
Cilantro for garnish
Olive Oil – probably about 8 tablespoons

Curry Prep:
Chop the onions coarsely and sauté them in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet until they start to become translucent. Generously sprinkle with yellow curry powder and stir. Add mushrooms and spinach and sauté until mushrooms become pliable. Sprinkle more curry powder (to taste) and stir. Add a cup of water and a packet of chicken bouillon. If the bouillon is sodium free, add a pinch of salt - if it’s not sodium free, watch the amount of salt you add (mine didn’t need any extra). Add pepper to taste. Turn the veggies on low and let them simmer while you prepare the chicken.

In a separate pan heat the remaining olive oil until it it sizzles when a drop of water is thrown in. Cut each chicken breast into 3 pieces to create large chunks. Sprinkle the breasts with pepper and yellow curry powder. Place your chicken breast pieces spice side down in the oil and sprinkle the naked side with more curry and pepper – again this is to taste, I don’t have exact measurements. If you like a strong curry flavor, add more curry, if not – don’t add as much.

While the chicken is cooking, add about 4 heaping tablespoons of sour cream to your vegetables and stir. The sour cream mixes in and creates a creamy sauce. The recipe I used called for a cup of sour cream, but I thought that might be a little too much so I added 3 tablespoons and then one more after tasting.

Once the chicken juices run clear, transfer the chicken into the skillet with the vegetable and coat the chicken with the sauce. Cover and simmer on low for an extra 20 minutes so the chicken gets nice and tender. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro before serving.

Why Not Roast in Your Pot?

Dear Readers,

I grew up in a reasonably gourmet household where mom’s dinners consisted of meals like bouillabaisse and blue cheese and herb stuffed chicken breasts. I don’t ever recall the smell of a pot roast wafting up the stairs to my bedroom where I sat at my desk doing homework.

Okay, I may be exaggerating a little. I’m sure there was a pot roast or two in my time. Mom is half German and makes a wonderfully delicious sauerbraten which I love. However, because both of my parents enjoyed testing their skills in the kitchen with different flavor mashing and layering of ingredients, I grew up thinking that foods like baked chicken and American pot roast were common and boring. Those were the things I’d eat when having dinner at a friend’s house, not MY house. Mom and dad made fancy foods, except for the very occasional fried egg & cheese sandwich mom would throw together when we were in a hurry to be somewhere. (She somehow even made those more delicious then they were supposed to be.)

Now that I’m grown up and have a passion of my own for experimenting with food, I’m starting to reverse my negative thoughts about roasting meats. Just this season I’ve decided that you CAN make a fancy roast. It doesn’t have to be boring with dry outer layers and just brown gravy, carrots, and potatoes. I’ve been testing recipes for lamb roasts, pork roasts, and yes, even (my most dreaded) pot roast. I usually marinate and grill or pan sauté meats and make delicious sauces by adding ingredients to the drippings, so you can imagine I’ve been treading on some very new territory.

Here is a pot roast recipe that I found and modified and then really enjoyed. The amount of horseradish seems excessive but don’t be scared! The flavor mellows as it cooks in the dutch oven leaving a really delicate and awesome flavor in the meat. I don’t eat starches but paired the main dish with garlic sautéed green beans and it was really fab.

Truly & tastefully,
Tara

Horseradish Pot Roast
4 pounds beef chuck roast, boneless
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
8 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
12 ounces low sodium beef broth (3 ounces reserved for thickening the sauce)
½ cup prepared horseradish
½ cup dry white wine
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Pot Roast Prep:
Pre-heat oven to 325. Salt and pepper meat on all sides. In a Dutch oven or large pan with a tight-fitting oven proof lid, sear meat in oil over med/high heat until all sides have a nice brown crust. Turn burner off. Pour liquids over the meat and toss garlic and onions into the pot. Cover entire top of the roast with a layer of horseradish. If you love horseradish, feel free to use more, as stated the flavor will mellow and give the meat a lovely flavor. Put lid on pot and stick in the oven for about 2. 5 hours. Once done, thicken the juices by placing the pan back on the burner and removing the meat. Mix 3 ounces of reserved beef broth with 2 tablespoons of flour and wisk it into the boiling liquid until it thickens. Slice the roast and pour on the gravy!
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Skillet Chicken Parm

Dear Readers,

This is my first winter in the burbs and it’s not quite as convenient to just “run out and get something at the store” as it was in Brooklyn. Here, I actually have to jump in my car and drive a few miles to get to the grocery as opposed to just walking 3 blocks down the street. So there have been and will be times when I literally can’t run out because they shut the roads down due to inclement weather. NYC never shuts down; it’s the city that doesn’t even sleep. It’s a whole new world!

On Tuesday afternoon I left the city in hopes of beating the oncoming snowstorm home. I was doing really well for the first hour and then big clumpy snowflakes began to fall and I started to get a little bit nervous. Being mostly a subway rider for the past nine years, I really don’t have skills at driving on snowy, slippery roads. By the time I got back to my neighborhood, there was about an inch of white on the ground and I was so happy to park my car and get into the house.

But wait! I left the city early so I was home in time for dinner which meant I actually had to make dinner which I don’t usually do on the nights I drive back from the city. Hmm. There was NO way I was getting back in my car and driving up and down mountainous back roads to get to my grocery store, so I had to think fast.

Luckily, I keep a pretty well stocked fridge now that I don’t have the luxury of just stopping by the market on the way home from work every day. There are always things like cheese, sausages, olives, vacuum sealed meats, eggs, and other sundries that tend to keep for longer periods of time. I’m also inclined to keep a few jars of gourmet sauces on hand in the pantry for when I’m in a pinch. (Besides, even skilled cooks don’t necessarily want to do everything from scratch every single day.)

So in my fridge I found a block of fresh mozzarella cheese and a package of chicken. Ding, ding, ding! The idea hit me. Why not try and make something like chicken parmesan on the stove top so it didn’t take too much time to prepare? I don’t know why I have never thought of this before; it was so easy and so delicious. I had a jar of my favorite fancy pasta sauce on hand as well as the ever present shredded parmesan in my fridge. I basically had everything I needed to fake it. The dish wasn’t traditional chicken parmesan: I didn’t use breading, didn’t pound the chicken breasts, and I didn’t bake the meal in the oven. But in under an hour I had a meal that was tasty, melty, and molto Italiano. Try it for yourself. Manga!

Truly & tastefully,
Tara

Skillet Chicken Parmesan
Bone & skin-less chicken breasts (however many you’d like…I used 4 large filleted into smaller pieces)
½ cup fresh chopped basil (or parsley)
16 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese sliced in rough slices
½ cup shredded or powdered parmesan or Romano cheese
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
Large jar of gourmet pasta sauce

Prep:
So easy! Heat the pan and roll the olive oil in around the in around the bottom once it’s hot. Sautee the chicken breasts over medium to high heat until the surfaces are golden brown and the juices run clear. Turn the heat to low and lay mozzarella pieces over the chicken pieces and then spoon sauce over the cheese. Cover the pan and let the chicken simmer on low heat until the mozzarella cheese melts and the sauce warms. Once the cheese is melted, remove the lid, sprinkle the fresh basil and grated parmesan over the dish and plate!

Sausage is Souper!

Dear Readers,

I must admit, I’m currently experiencing what’s commonly known as the post-holiday blues in a serious way. That magical time of the year between the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and New Years Day is over. All the parties, all the special food, all the visiting with loved ones you don’t see very often has fizzled down into the doldrums of the chilly winter here in the Northeast. To that I say, bah-humbug!

BUT winter is a really great for preparing and eating the heavier foods you don’t want to eat in the summer because it’s too hot to have the stove or oven on too long. With temperatures in the low 30s yesterday I thought it would be a great Sunday for soup.

You’ll find as you get to know me, I don’t often follow recipes. I usually know if I can make something just by tasting it. My husband used to tease me because when we go out to eat together, I’ll go completely silent if my dish is delicious to concentrate on the flavors so I can to try and decipher the recipe. He used to laugh about that, until I started making the same dish for him just as well or even better. Now he just gives me my time to taste and eagerly awaits the day I make it for him at home.

Such is the case with the sausage meatball soup I made yesterday. I didn’t use a recipe and I haven’t actually eaten sausage soup in years. The thought of it just popped into my head and I thought I’d try it out to see how it would taste. The results were delightful…try for yourself.

Truly & tastefully,
Tara

Sausage Meatball Soup
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, loose – not in casing (or you can take it out of its casing in a pinch)
3 cups fresh chopped baby spinach
2 large shallots, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
64 ounces of chicken broth
1/2 cup powdered parmesan or Romano cheese (or more to taste)
Pepper and salt to taste (keep in mind you probably won’t need a lot of salt because of the cheese)
· **Optional ingredients for the carb. hungry – 2 potatoes diced into bite sized chunks, a large can of drained and rinsed hominy

Soup Prep:
Sit down and relax for the first activity, it’s a bit time consuming but well worth it. Roll the pound of loose sweet sausage into little bite sized meatballs. They should be able the size of a quarter, if a quarter was spherical. Brown the sausage meatballs in your soup pot, you shouldn’t need oil because the sausage is fatty, but if they start to stick just pump a few squirts of cooking spray into the pot with the sausage. for a couple of hours. Somewhere near the end of that 2 hour simmer time frame, add the ½ cup of parmesan. You want to make sure to add the cheese when the soup is not boiling or it will melt and stick to your pan and serving spoon. About 10 minutes before you’re about to serve, stir in the chopped spinach and serve when the spinach has wilted. **If you want to add the carb-ie ingredients, put the diced potatoes and hominy in the pot at the same time as you add the chicken broth.