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Roasted Whole Sea Bass

Jan 172013

Whole Roasted Sea Bass

Now the main course was going to have to be Fish. Since the trainer’s diet pretty much consists of only eating fish. When I was buying Monk fish earlier in the week, I started talking to a women who was buying whole Sea Bass for a dinner and she sold me on its simplicity. In terms of a main dish, this could not have been any simpler as a main dish.

Selfridges Fish Market

Preheat Oven 375

My fish was 1.2 Kilograms.

In a large baking dish, I place 3 fresh springs of Rosemary, 1 and 1/2 Lemons Slices, 1 Cup of mini plum tomatoes cut in half, 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme, 5 garlic cloves sliced, 1 red onion slices, and 1 Cup of white Wine. Cut about 3-4 slices on one side of the fish and place on top of all the seasonings. Drizzle with a handsome amount of Olive Oil and salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes and done!

Whole Sea Bass & Seasonings

Pico de Gallo Steamed Sea Bass

London, Main No Comments »

Nov 292012

Since I was so excited with my sea bass steamed with lemon and thyme, I thought that steaming with a semi deconstructed Pico de Gallo might be good. Trading in the lemon for lime, thyme for cilantro, bell peppers for tomatoes and adding a little chopped red onion. I was happy with the results, but wish I had some fried plantains to accompany it!

Deconstructed Pico de Gallo

Steamed Sea Bass with Deconstructed Pico de Gallo

Pre Heat Oven 400 Degrees

Now I made this just for one. It is a great meal to pull together if eating on your own.

1 4 oz. fillet of Sea Bass

1/2 a tomato chopped or about 4 baby plum tomatoes cut in half

1/4 of a small red onion chopped

3 Slices of Lime about 1/4 of an inch thick

1 tablespoon of Clinatro

1 tablespoon of Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

1 Piece of Parchment paper and kitchen string

On the parchment paper mix together tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. Place sliced limes on top of the pico de gallo and fillets on top of limes. Salt and Pepper and drizzle with Olive Oil. Gather parchment paper together and tie with kitchen string place of a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

Chicken Paillard

Ideas, Main, NYC, Recipes 2 Comments »

Sep 202010

I am back!! Over the past months, I have thought a lot about my blog but, to be honest, lacked the inspiration/hope, Â felt that there were just so many blogs out there, and that cooking was some fad. But, I realize I have always been happiest in the kitchen, whether cooking for myself or for people I love.Â My personality has always been an open book, so I will continue to share my thoughts and what I find interesting with anyone who is interested in reading.

What have I been up too? Outside of my cooking, I have been working on mastering knitting, becoming more comfortable with my sewing machine, and trying to finish the needlepoint I started making for my sisterâ€™s wedding three years ago. (I thought I should finish it before her baby comes in January!!) Chicken Payard

Along with many hours spent in the friendly skies. Â In the kitchen, I have been interested in flavor pairings and pasta. I love pasta and restaurants make it look so easy, so I thought it would be fun to start making my own pastas and working on sauces. And I was correct — I have had a lot of fun working on my pasta! What fun it would be to do a course on Pastas and Gelatos inÂ Italyâ€¦.Oh, how a girl can dream!

As some know, I have a tendency to be a little over the top. When I entertain, I make three sauces instead of one. I just get so excited to cook for others that I get carried away. But then there are times when I keep it simple, and am so delighted by the result.Â Chicken Paillard is one of my favorite dishes to order. It is clean and simple, with so many simple variations. Recently, I made it and served it with: Slow roasted Tomatoes, (or speed the roasting and just increase the temperature) RoastedÂ Fingerling Potatoes, Mixed Greens with a Lemon Vinaigrette, and a Lemon Wedge. Everything, except searing the chicken, could be done in advance and served at room temperature.

To make the Chicken Paillard

Take a boneless skinless chicken breast and pound it out until it is about 1/3 inch thick, salt and pepper both sides. This can be done Â earlier covered and place in fridge. Heat frying pan with a little bit of vegetable oil and cook chicken both sides about 1-2 minutes on each side. Now it is ready to be served. Perfectly simple and something that everyone will enjoy! This dinner was finished with chocolate sundaes. To make them a little more exciting, Â I went to a local ice cream store where they make fresh waffle cones and bought four waffle cups!

Croque Monsieur Recipe

Appetizers, Main, NYC, Recipes No Comments »

Feb 032010

I can remember the first time I had a Croque Monsieur vividly. I was 8 years old, had just moved to Tokyo with my family, and come back from school orientation and while waiting for my mother in lobby seating area my father ordered one for us. He was so excited to see it on the menu. I think to this day it is still the best croque monsieur; I have ever had. Recently, in the past year I have been on the quest to find one that compares. I have found one that competes but thought I would indulge and try it on my own. I have seen them cut up small and served as hors d’Â oeuvres. Which I think is an awesome idea.

What makes this different from just a ham and cheese sandwich? The Bechamel Sauce. I never would have thought to put a sauce in a sandwich, but oh how it makes it delicious!

Pre Heat 350 degrees

Croque Monsieur

4 slices of Sandwich Bread

4 ounces of Slice Ham

1 1/4 Cup of Grated Gruyere Cheese

1/4 Cup of Grated Parmesan Cheese

2 Tablespoons of Butter

1 Tablespoon of Dijon Mustard (optional)

5 to 6 Tablespoons of Bechamel Sauce (See Below)

Lightly and evenly butter on both sides of bread and toast both sides in saute pan over low heat until just golden brown. If you decide to use Dijon Mustard spread one side of each toasted slice with mustard. Evenly place the ham slices and about ½ cup Gruyere cheese on two of the bread slices. Top each with one of remaining bread slices, mustard-side down. Spread bechamel sauce to cover the top of each sandwich including the crust. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining Gruyere cheese and Parmesan Cheese. Place on a pan and bake for 5 minutes, then place under broiler until cheese is bubbling and lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

Bechamel Sauce

1 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoons flour

½ cups warmed milk a plus 1 Tablespoon

Salt and ground pepper to taste

1/4 Cup of Grated Gruyere Cheese

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, about 2 minutes, do not let it turn brown. Add the hot milk, continue to stir, the sauce will thicken and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper, lower the heat, and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove from the heat and stir in the Gruyere Cheese.

Julia Child’s Beef/Boeuf Bourguignon

Main, NYC, Recipes, Soup No Comments »

Jan 212010

Julia Child’s Beef/Boeuf Bourguignon

I saw Julie and Julia the first day it came out. I don’t think, I was the only person that was then intrigued to make Beef Bourguignon and see what all the fuss is about. I made this recently, on a cold snowy night. This is the perfect dish for this kind of evening. While making it I did not understand why there was all this fear in making the Beef Bourguignon. I think the fear comes from the fact that there are multiple steps and it takes a long time to cook. Also you do need a Dutch Oven to make this dish. Since it was the holiday season, I saw it as an excuse for me to finally buy one. This is something that could be made the day before and I think, actually tastes better the next day. Also a perfect dish to entertain with in the winter since it can be made ahead. It is very hardy.

6 oz Bacon (cut into pieces Â¼ inch thick and 1Â½ inches long)

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

3 lbs of Lean Stewing Beef (cut into 2 inch cubes and pat dry)

Slice Carrot I used 4 carrots and would suggest maybe 6

1 sliced Onion

1 Teaspoon of Salt

Â¼ Teaspoon of Pepper

2 Tablespoons of Flour- I used 3 to 4 tablespoons

3 Cups of Full-bodied Red Wine

2 to 3 Cups of Beef Stock

1 Tablespoon of Tomato Paste

2 gloves of Mashed Garlic

½ Teaspoon of Thyme

A Crumbled Bay Leaf

24 Small White onions

1 lb of Fresh Mushrooms

Preheat Oven 450 Degrees

Simmer bacon for 10 minutes, and then drain water and pat try. In Dutch Oven/Casserole Fireproof Dish saute the bacon and olive oil for 3 minutes. Remove bacon and set aside. Heat oil and saute beef until browned, do this a few pieces at a time and when browned on all sides with bacon. In the same fat brown all of the vegetables (except small white onions and mushrooms). Once vegetables are lightly browned, pour out the sauteing fat. Return the beef and bacon to Dutch oven and toss with salt, pepper, and flour and place in oven for 4 minutes. Remove from oven and toss again and return to oven for 4 minutes. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust).

Reduce Oven heat to 325

Stir in the wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, and herbs. Bring to a simmer on the stove. Then cover the dish and place in oven for 2.5 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

Boil the Small White Onions and then remove skins after cooked from onions. Cut Mushrooms into quarters and saute.

When ready to serve distribute the onions and mushrooms over the meat.

Steak Salad

Main, NYC, Recipes, Tomato No Comments »

Aug 192009

Steak Salad 3

Definitely as the heat wave continues salad or cold soups are what I have been craving. Every so often I make something that I am truly excited about how it turned out. This Â is how I felt about this recent Steak Salad. I think I told just a few people, about 10 just how excited Iwas about it! Â I know it might seem like a lot of work, but I was able to accomplish everything in under an hour- I had a lot of things cooking at the same time. Unfortunately, I don’t per say have real measurements I just used what I had and tried to have equal portions. Also since I don’t have a grill I broiled my NY Strip steak for about 4 ½ minutes on each side. It did not have that beautiful grilled look but still tasted delicious!

Steak Salad

1 Head of Red Lettuce

1 Red Bell Pepper Roasted

1 Bunch of Asparagus Roasted (cooked in broiler)

1 Sauted Yellow Onion

Fingerling Potatoes Roasted with Rosemary

Steamed French String Beans

1 Pound of Steak

1 Tomato chopped

Extra- I roasted a garlic bulb to either be added to the salad or used on the bread.

Vinaigrette

Balsamic Vinegar

Olive Oil

Dijon Mustard

Before mixing all the ingredients together I cooled them all except the steak was served warm.

Steak Salad 2 Steak Salad 1

Chinese Chicken Salad – the full entry

Main, NYC, Recipes, Veggie No Comments »

Jun 012009

My apologies, the last entry had a some kind of computer glitch with only part of the entry. Here is the complete entry.

I love Chinese Chicken Salads, if on a menu I am always tempted to order it and look no further. The other thing that I love about them is that there are some underlying similarities but so many different kinds of variation that can be done. I think this is the perfect meal to have on a hot summer evening.

Ingredients to Cook Chicken

1 Tablespoon of Chopped Cilantro

5 Slices of Ginger

3 Scallions Sliced

2 Tablespoons of Rice Wine Vinegar

4 Cups of Water

1 to 11/2 Pounds of Chicken

Put all of the ingredients together in a pot and let cook on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes covered. Once chicken has cooked all the way through remove from heat and tear chicken into small pieces. Chill chicken before putting in salad.

Dressing

1/3 Cup of Vegetable Oil
1 Teaspoon of Dry Ground Mustard
2 Tablespoons of Sesame Oil
6 Tablespoons of Rice-wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper
1 Teaspoon of minced ginger (optional)
Mix all ingredients together. I find easiest to just put them all into a bottle and shape it up.

Salad

I Head of Lettuce (tore or chopped) (I use usually Romaine or Iceberg)

1 Yellow Bell Pepper Chopped into small Cubes

Â½ English Cucumber Chopped into small Cubes

2Â Carrots Peeled and Chopped into small Cubes

6 Scallions (6 diced)

1/3 Cup Chopped Cilantro

Â½ Cup of Sliced Almonds

2 Cups of Shredded Chicken

1 â€“ 2 Tablespoons Cup of Sesame Seeds (optional)

Fried Maifun Noodles or Fried Wontons can also be added.

In a large salad bowl add all ingredients except fried Noodles. Toss the salad with dressing and right before serving at the noodles.

Meatball Recipe

Main, NYC, Recipes, Tomato No Comments »

Feb 252009

In making these meatballs I was re-taught the lesson of watching things will they are cooking. It is very easy to get distracted sometimes while cooking and this time I surely did. I let my first batch of meatballs cook for way too long and the sauce had gotten too thick , badly burnt my pot and now my pot has been soaking for two days! Anyways the next batch turned out great.

1 Pound of Ground Pork
1 Pound of Ground Beef
1 Pound of Ground Chicken
1 Large Yellow Onion (Chopped Finely)
½ Green Pepper (Seeded and Diced)
3 Eggs
2 Cups of Bread Crumbs
1 Cup of Milk
8 Gloves of Garlic (Chopped Finely)
¾ Cup Toasted Pine Nuts (Slightly Chopped after Roasting)
1/3 Cup of Chopped Parsley
1/3 Cup of Chopped Oregano
1/3 Cup of Basil
Zest of one Lemon
2 -3 Teaspoons of Pepper
4 Teaspoons of Salt
¼ Cup of Olive Oil

In a large skillet heat the olive oil and cook the onions for 5 minutes and then add the green peppers and garlic and cook down for another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer Onions, Peppers, and Garlic into another bowl and let cool a little. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs together and add the herbs, lemon zest, and pine nuts. In another bowl add the bread crumbs to the milk together and let stand for a few minutes. Then remove bread crumbs from milk and squeeze milk from them (discard milk) and add to egg mixture. Finally mix everything together the Meats, Onions, Eggs, Salt and Pepper. Make sure well combined, I think best to just use your hands to combine.
Shaping the meat balls depending on the size I think easiest to just use a large ice cream scoop and scoop meat into balls and place on a baking sheet to prepare for cooking. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet and cook meatballs for about five minutes making sure to cook all sides. Remove meatballs from pan. (At this point a froze most of the meatballs to have at a later date) To finish cooking cook meatballs in your desired tomatoes sauce for about 20 minutes. And make sure to watch it!

Eggplant Tomato Sauce

Budget, Main, NYC, Recipes, Tomato, Veggie No Comments »

Feb 032009

In search of a comfort food, one that I believe remains at the top of my list would a tomato sauce. I thought this would also be a good way for me to economize and bring lunch to work, One thing to remember with some sauces is I think they taste better the next day when all the flavors have had a chance to meld together. So I went out and decided to make and Tomato Eggplant Sauce with a base of white wine instead of vegetable broth. Funny how as I child I would cringe at the sight of an eggplant and can‘t say how many times I can remember my mother saying to meOh, would you just try it, you can hardly taste the eggplant. Now, I love eggplant.

¼ Cup of Olive Oil

3 Garlic Cloves (Finley Chopped)

½ Pound of Eggplant (Finley chopped)

1 Bell Pepper (Seeded and Diced)

3 Small Tomatoes Chopped (about 1 ½ Cups)

1 -2 Tablespoons of Capers *

1 Tablespoon of fresh chopped Basil

½ Teaspoon of Oregano

6 oz. of Tomato Paste

1 Cup of White Wine ( If need more liquid can add more wine or use a vegetable broth)

Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a large skillet heat olive oil and garlic once oil has heated add the tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and capers. Cook over look heat for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook with lid for stirring occasionally for 40 to 50 minutes. If the sauce becomes to think add more liquid.

*I really like capers and get excited when I think they will work in a recipe but I definitely put about 3 tablespoons in my sauce and can say the capers became over powering.

Super Bowl Sunday- Sloppy Joes

Main, Recipes 2 Comments »

Feb 012007

Super Bowl Sunday is here. Sure there are the traditional wings and dips to serve but how about Sloppy Joes? Very simple to make and easy to serve to a large group- I think they are perfect for this occasion. I love all sporting events mainly because of the food associated with them!

3 lbs. of Beef Chuck
BBQ Sauce
8 Rolls
Preheat oven at 275

Place Chuck in roasting pan and cover with tin foil. Bake for six hours, remove from oven and tear meat apart with two forks. Add BBQ sauce the amount is dependent upon your own tastes. Now ready to serve on rolls.

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