fish pie and guest host

My baby brother (who's not much of a baby anymore) asked if he could get in on the eating preparation. So, please enjoy this recipe from him. We talked a little about it last night, and I asked him if the fish got mushy at all (my only worry when making a fish pie) - he assures me the fish was wonderfully flaky. I haven't tried it, but I trust him when he says it was tasty!

As an avid reader of Prepare for Eating I thought it would be nice to give Catherine Anne a day off and tell you about something I’ve cooked.

Today’s recipe was influenced by Catherine Anne’s almost quiche, the Onion Pie. I took that idea and created a layered fish pie.

Fish pie is a tradition of the British Isles. With that said:

Ingredients:

300-500g {Catherine Anne's note: about 14 oz} of white fish (Cod, Haddock, I used Cod)
Six medium small potatoes (idaho or yukon gold are best)
Two yellow onions
Five cloves of garlic
One shallot (optional)
One stick of butter (I know)
One tablespoon of olive oil (yeah, I know)
Two cups of grated cheese (I used Kerrygold Dubliner but any kind of cheddar will do, white particularly)
One half cup of cream or milk
One nine-inch pie loose pie crust, not the one in the tin)
One tsp. rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste(I didn’t put a whole lot of seasoning in this because I wanted the natural flavor of the Cod and onions to really take over.)

Let me first say that this is not a healthy dish, this is a hearty fill you up kind of dish best served with a cold pint of stout.

{CAnne's note: preheat the oven to 400* F}

Put a large pot of water (6 quart) on the stove to boil.

Start with the vegetation, peel the shallot, garlic and onion. Chop them into semi-slim slices (no more than 1/4 in). Melt two tablespoons of butter with the olive oil in a pan over medium low heat. Throw the chopped alliaceae into the pan and toss together with salt, pepper and rosemary. Sweat them until they are opaque and sweet. Set aside when done.

Now that the water is (probably) boiling throw the eggs in there for ten minutes while you prepare the next step.

Peel the potatoes and slice in 1/4 in. portions. After the eggs have timed out go ahead and throw the potatoes in. You’re looking for just cooked on these, you’re not mashing them. Another 12 min or so and strain them and set aside. Peel the eggs and slice them as well.

In the pan you cooked the onions in, melt the rest of the butter (seriously, I know) over medium heat and add the cod. While cooking for 7 minutes per side (my cod had three sides), spoon butter from the pan onto the fish. Take the fish out of the pan and set aside.

Using the same pan, lower the heat and pour in the cream or milk. Scrape the bits of deliciousness left over from the onions and fish off the bottom of the pan, then let sit.

Now comes the building- I used a deep, round nine-inch glass dish. This is the order I used:
(the bottom of the pan is the top of the list)

Potato
Egg
Onion mixture
Cheese
Sauce
Cod

Repeat until the top is reached.

Unroll the pie crust and lay it on top of the dish, press to the sides until you have a seal. Poke some holes in the top (I used a knife to cut an X in the middle so I could find the spot later){CAnne's note: Can you tell my brother is a joker?}. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. Let it sit for ten minutes, serve and devour (don’t forget the beer, Murphy’s stout, although Guinness is also good and good for you!)

This website is getting a little pie-heavy, huh? Perhaps something lighter over the weekend!

curried and poached catfish

I can't remember where I got the idea to poach fish in curry sauce, but I did it once about 6 weeks ago with fantastic results. For a very impromptu dinner party over the weekend, I did it again. My friend Jeff provided this flattering compliment, "it actually melts in your mouth!" So, yay for that.

Ingredients
1 15 oz. can of coconut milk (shaken)
1.5 tbs of red curry paste
2 catfish fillets (any white fish will probably do)
1 tbs peanut butter
1 tsp honey
1 sliced jalapeno pepper
your favorite fish seasoning
salt to taste

Season the fillets with your favorite seasoning and place back in the fridge while you prepare the sauce. In a large saucepan or skillet (you'll want one with a cover), combine the coconut milk, peanut butter, curry paste, and honey. Whisk until smooth. Toss in the sliced jalapeno pepper (or leave that out if you prefer a less spicy sauce).

Turn the heat on under the saucepan and bring the sauce to a boil. Then, slide in your fish fillets, lower the heat to low and cover the saucepan. Let it cook for 7-10 minutes. Then, flip the fillets over, re-cover and allow to cook for an additional 7-10 minutes.

Serve over rice. The fish will practically fall apart when it's cooked. Pour some of the remaining sauce over the fish and rice when serving.

I didn't take pictures of this dish. Oops!

cheating with tomato sauce

I spent three days on vacation over the weekend, and somehow I'm more tired than usual this week. This unfortunate circumstance led to what is arguably a semi-homemade dinner last night.

I didn't make my own pierogies - I think Mrs. T's are quite acceptable. Although, considering I've never bothered to make my own, I wonder how much better they could be. Anyway, this dish ended up being pierogies cooked in just a (very) basic tomato sauce.

Ingredients

Pierogies (as many as you want to eat and can fit in the pan)
26 oz. can of whole tomatoes
2 cups of spinach
5 garlic cloves, sliced
parmesan cheese
2 tsp olive oil
salt
pepperoncini (crushed red pepper)

Over medium heat, gently saute the garlic and pepperoncini in the olive oil. Add a little salt to help the process along. This sauce is garlic-heavy, partly because there are so few ingredients in it.

When the garlic starts to brown slightly around the edges, add the whole can of tomatoes. Mash them with a potato masher. Bring to a boil.

Place the frozen pieroges in the tomato sauce. In the picture, I've just placed them in there, but you'll want to cover them with the sauce. Allow to cook for 5-6 minutes (you may need more or less time if you made your own pierogies).

Add the spinach, gently stirring it into the sauce. Allow to cook for another minute more, or until the spinach wilts. Sprinkle the whole thing with cheese to taste.

Serve alone or with your protein of choice (chicken breast, pork chop, whatever).

This recipe is also delicious substituting 1 cup basil for the spinach.

Sorry about that completely blurry picture over there; I couldn't get my hand steady over the pan for some reason.

tostones

I live alone. Therefore, I don't have to follow any food rules at home. This occasionally leads to things like tostones and wine for dinner. These are pretty traditional (I understand) in Latin American households, as a breakfast treat.

Tostones are fried plantains. A plantain looks like a banana, but has more starch in it. Before they're ripe, they're practically unpalatable - they're like a raw potato. But when they look like bananas past their prime, they are sweet and oh so delicious.

Most plantains I get at my local grocery store are green. And when they're green, they're inedible. I like my plantains yellow to the point of turning brown or red. So, I buy them green and pop them in my produce drawer (not in the fridge - I keep a drawer in the cabinets full of potatoes, yams, and plantains...and sometimes garlic) until they turn yellow-red.

These plantains get double fried, and get beat up a little. Have fun.

Ingredients

1 ripe plantain
a bowl of salted water
vegetable oil
salt

Peel your plantain. You'll need to use a knife to cut a slit down the side, but you should be able to peel it from there. Slice it into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces. Put the pieces in the (very) salty water.

Put a pan on high heat and pour in enough vegetable oil to cover the pan about 1/4 inch up the sides. I use a wooden spoon to check if my oil is hot enough. Just stick the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil - if a bunch of bubbles appear around the spoon handle, your oil is ready.

Dry off the plantain pieces and slide into the oil when the oil is ready. You just want the slightest bit of color on this first fry, and that won't take long. Flip them over once you start to get the little bit of browning. When the other side is slightly (slightly!!) browned, take them out of the oil and place them on paper towels. Remove the oil from the heat so it doesn't get too hot.

Then, using a meat mallet or other flat and heavy item (I use a heavy bottomed water glass), smash the plantains so they're about 1/2 inch thick. Do this gingerly at first - you don't want to really mush them all up or break them apart.

Once they're flat, return the oil to the heat and do the spoon test again. When the oil is ready, put the plantains back in. This time around, you want to let them cook until the edges turn crispy and brown. Flip them, and let the other side brown up, too.

Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt while they're fresh from the pan, and serve.

UPDATE: They're also great baked. I came home from vacation earlier this week and found a practically black plantain in my kitchen. I sliced it into 1/4 inch pieces (like a banana), tossed the pieces in a teaspoon of canola oil and baked at 400* F for about 12 minutes, flipping halfway through. Wowza, were they good. I think extra ripe and baked may win the plantain contest.

shepherd's pies

My friends and I throw themed dinner parties for one another. They generally involve some kind of play on words, be it alliteration, rhyme or otherwise. Anyway, now that you know I'm one of the cool kids (ha!), let me give you the recipes I made for our Shepherd's and Skullsplitter dinner party.

Many of my friends don't eat beef (well, certain kinds of beef), and one of them is a pescatarian. So, I actually made one traditional pie and another using Quorn. However, only the meat recipe is below.

To me, shepherd's pie is a clean-out-your-fridge kind of food, so rarely do I go at it with a particular recipe in mind. When I was a kid, my father used to throw it together anytime we had leftover mashed potatoes. Which was anytime my mother made mashed potatoes (I always suspected he threw an extra potato or two into the pot behind her back; so much does he love shepherd's pie).

I made my first shepherd's pies (two huge pies - one lamb and one beef), for my girlfriends and I to eat at my 10th birthday party. Did I mention I'm one of the cool kids? Anyway, here's the recipe.

Ingredients

Filling
1 lb of meat (I used sirloin this time, but I've used everything from leftover ribeye to ground beef)
4 large garlic cloves, minced
5 diced carrots
1 large diced onion
1 1/2 c frozen green peas

Potatoes
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 - 1 c milk
3 tbs butter

Gravy
1 beer (or use chicken stock or water)
wondra (I LOVE wondra, but a corn starch slurry or some sifted flour will also do the trick)

Seasonings
your favorite meat seasoning
salt
pepper
cayenne pepper
paprika
olive oil

Preparation
The night before, you'll want to cook the steaks. First, this breaks up what can be a long process (and since this is really meant as a use for leftovers, hopefully you'll just have leftover steak). Secondly, you're going to be cutting the steak into bite-sized pieces, and if you cook the steak right beforehand, and then cut it, you lose some of the juices.

You can cook them in your favorite way (broil, grill, pan-fry). I broiled them. Sprinkle them liberally with your favorite seasoning, allow them to come to room temperature, then cook. The steaks I had were about an inch thick, and I wanted them fairly rare inside (as they will be introduced to heat again later), so I broiled them for two minutes per side.

The day of, get all your vegetables diced and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. Preheat the oven to 400* F. Peel and cut the potatoes, put them in a pot, cover them with water and boil them for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until a fork is easily inserted into them. While the potatoes are boiling, prepare the filling.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, saute the garlic, onion and carrot in the olive oil until just softened. Add salt to help this process along. Add the peas and cover. Lower the heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 3 minutes.

Raise the heat to high, add the meat and cook for about 1 - 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. The point here is to get some of the meat to stick to the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, cover.

By now, the potatoes should be ready to mash. Drain them and then place the pot back on the hot (but off) burner. This will allow any excess water to steam off the potatoes. Give the pot a shake every few seconds. Once the steam coming off them has lessened, toss in the butter. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or other instrument. Add the milk in small increments (you may not need it all) and stir it in until you reach the consistency you want. Then, season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste.


Assembly and Gravy

Transfer the meat and vegetables into a baking dish, spreading them out evenly. Then make the gravy.

Place the saucepan in which you cooked the vegetables over high heat. Hopefully, you have some meat and/or juices stuck to the bottom of the pan. When the pan is hot, pour in half the beer (or 1/2 cup stock or water). With a whisk or fork, scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the stuck bits. Stirring continuously, sprinkle a fine layer of wondra over the liquid. Continue alternating liquid and wondra until you get the gravy consistency you prefer. Remove from heat and season lightly with salt and cracked pepper. The amount of seasoning you will need will vary based on what liquid you used, and you don't want to oversalt, since you've salted the other components of the dish.

Finally, you're ready to assemble fully. Pour your pan gravy over the meat and vegetables. Using a spatula, transfer the mashed potatoes on top of the meat and vegetables. Spread them out evenly (kind of like frosting a cake).

Sprinkle paprika over the top of the mashed potatoes (this will help them crisp up a little). Place the pie into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes to an hour, or until the top looks crisp around the edges.

Serve like you'd serve a lasagna. Or a pie.



I hope that wasn't too complicated! Enjoy.

clam and spinach conchiglie

Conchiglie are little shell-shaped pasta. It sounds much fancier than "shell," but you'll find this dish is not at all fancy (like most of my cooking).

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Conchiglie pasta
1/2 a bag of fresh baby spinach (about 2 cups)
1 can of good quality clams, rinsed and drained
parmesan cheese
olive oil (enough to cover the pan bottom)
garlic, sliced
crushed red pepper (pepperoncini)
salt

Cook the pasta for about 1 minute less than package instructions. While it's cooking, make the sauce. It will really take less than five minutes to put it all together once you've prepped the ingredients (rinsing and slicing and such), so keep that in mind.

Over medium heat, simmer the garlic and pepperoncini in olive oil until they get the slightest bit brown. Add the clams and the spinach and stir for about a minute. Using a slotted spoon, add the cooked pasta directly from its cooking water. Add a few spoonfuls of the pasta water to your sauce to get the consistency you like. Allow to simmer for about a minute (if you need to, lower the heat a little). Add parmesan cheese to taste (I probably put in 1/4 cup). Add salt to taste.

Serve. Dang, that was easy.

Some will scoff at using canned clams, but frankly, when you've just spent the day working and your stomach is growling, fresh clams seem like a whole lot of hassle. This is definitely a recipe for the end of a long day. I always seem to have the ingredients lying around, and the fact that its ready in only as many minutes as the pasta needs to cook is a definite plus. So, if you've got the wherewithal to use fresh clams, please do - but don't shy away for fear of a can.

onion pie

I suppose this is technically a quiche, but I modeled it after the Alsatian Onion Pie by Chef Hubert Keller. My version takes significantly less time and finesse. Full disclosure: this was my first quiche. And though the picture doesn't do it justice, I assure you, it was exceptionally tasty.


I used pre-made pie crusts, which frankly, is a little embarrassing. My grandmother (on my father's side) was the only person in our family who couldn't cook - if it didn't come out of a can, she didn't know what to do with it. But, she apparently made the most amazing pie crust my father ever tasted. And he's tasted a lot of pie. So, sorry grandma, but I bought the frozen ones.

Ingredients:
2 regular frozen pie crusts (or 1 deep-dish)
2 medium onions, ends cut off, cut in half, sliced into half-moons
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup grated cheese + some for garnish (I used cheddar, but I think next time I'll use something like havarti)
3 eggs
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 cup low-fat milk
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup of chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, sliced
salt and pepper

Chicken breast:
Season the chicken breast liberally with your favorite seasoning. I use Commander's Palace's meat seasoning. Place in an oven pre-heated to 400* F. Cook for 5 minutes, flip over, cook for another 5 minutes. Take out the chicken and let it rest on the counter. Don't eat it! It's not cooked.

Pie:
Pre-heat the oven to 325* F (or turn it down to 325). Put the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Once the butter has stopped bubbling in the oil, put the sliced onions and garlic into the pan. Sprinkle with salt, pour in the chicken broth and cover the pan. Let this cook down, without stirring it, for about 10 minutes. Then give it a quick stir, cover it again and let it go another 10 minutes. Keep this up until the onions turn a pretty amber-brown color and completely wilt. If you find that your pan is getting dry, add a little more chicken broth.

While the onions are cooking, cut the chicken breast up into bite-sized pieces. The chicken will finish cooking in the pie. Once the onions are soft and brown, toss the cut-up chicken and the cheddar cheese with them. Then, fill the pie crusts evenly with this onion+chicken+cheese mixture.

Next, place the milk and sour cream in a small pot over low heat. Whisk continuously until the mixture is slightly warmer than body temperature (you should be able to stick your finger in it - clearly I cook at home and not in a restaurant). Turn off the heat under the pan, and add the eggs one by one, whisking in each one fully before adding the next. Grate a little bit of fresh pepper into this and add a pinch or two of salt.

Pour the egg mixture over the filled pie crusts. Sprinkle some grated cheese on top. I put the pies on foiled-lined cookie sheets, in case of spillover (which didn't occur). Stick them in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the tops of the pie are puffed up. If you notice the crust getting too brown, just cover lightly with some aluminum foil.

When I make this again, I think I'll cut out the chicken and use some soft white cheese and fresh thyme.

This weekend I also put together pasta shells with clam sauce and spinach (which was delicious) and some pumpkin-carrot chocolate chip cookies (which were pretty awful). I didn't get a picture of the pasta, but I'll post the recipe anyway. I won't, however, inflict the pumpkin-carrot abomination on y'all.

corn and black bean chili

Let's just jump right in without a bunch of introductory hoorah, hm?

Last night I had approximately 15 minutes to cook and eat dinner before running out of the house. Vegetarian chili resulted from a quick refrigerator scan. Luckily, it was delicious.



Ingredients:

3 cups of pre-soaked and boiled black beans (I'd cooked these over the weekend)
2 cups of fresh, frozen, or canned corn (I used canned)
1 whole chopped jalapeno (take out the seeds!)
1/2 a large can of crushed tomatoes (whole, diced or even tomato sauce would work, too)
3 cloves minced garlic
1 small chopped onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon of sun-dried tomato paste (substitute regular tomato paste if you like)
salt to taste

So, I took the beans out of the fridge, mixed the (strained) corn and tomatoes in with them and set them over medium-high heat in a pot. Then, in a small pan, I sauteed the onion, garlic, and jalapeno in the olive oil (make sure to put a pinch of salt in there too) until softened.

Once the garlic, onion and pepper were softened, I added the cumin and chili powder and cooked for another minute or so, stirring constantly. You'll just want to cook it until you really smell the spices - and man, do they smell fantastic.

Mix the contents of the pan in with the contents of the pot. Stir well. Add the tomato paste then salt to taste (and this will require a good deal of salt; beans always do). Lower the heat and let it simmer up to a half hour. As I only had a few minutes, it didn't simmer long - but if you have the time, use it. Chili will only get better the longer it simmers.

Toss some cheese on top and you're ready to eat! The best thing about this meal, besides its easy preparation and nutritious ingredients (um, and yumminess), is that the whole pot probably costs less than $5 and will feed 4-5 people.



So, that's how this blog will be: recipes and the occasional food-related story. Eat up.