Haggling over trinkets and sweets, while eating the best Shawarma, and all with the Mediterranean Ocean as a backdrop. Talk about sensory overload, all of my desires being met and my hidden skills being used simultaneously. This sounds like a great way to spend the...
It is said that the word Sandwich comes from the title of the English nobleman John Montagu from the town of Sandwich in the eighteen hundreds. He was a compulsive gambler who was so enthralled in his game that he had no time to eat,...
I escaped the wretched cold of NYC and decided to have a weekend of sandy and delicious times on the beach. I had made it a point to try and have as many of my meals either on the sandy beach, around the sandy beach...
You like opening up presents? Of course, who doesn't!
How about presents filled with succulent fish filets, perfect al dente vegetables and the scent of wine with the first piercing of your package?
This preparation is one of my favorite single person go to meals. It's also the equivalent of the 'one pot meal'. Almost no clean up. It involves preparing, cooking and eating in the same container. Which in this case is parchment paper. If you have never used this baking paper, you really need to run and get some immediately. It's one of the staples of a properly stocked pantry.(It's also a great last minute substitute for gift-wrapping paper) It's a wonderful product because no food will ever stick to it. You could also certainly use foil instead of parchment, but you would have to make sure you lubricate your foil, or use a nonstick.
So basically what we're going to do is put a piece of thin fish filet, some thin cut vegetables, and some wine (you could use chicken stock) in a pocket of parchment paper. You can use any type of fish, as long as its pretty thin. If you have a think cut of fish then you would just slice it lengthwise just to insure it gets cooked through. We will fold it up and bake in the oven. This will steam the stuff inside our pocket leaving us with a delicious and quite impressive meal that can be done in less than twenty minutes! Once cooked you have your own Pocket o'goodness to place entirely on your plate and feast.
Using en papillote is an extremely healthy cooking preparation because of the lack of oil used in the process. Any ingredients you put inside the pocket will steam together along with the help of the liquid you add. I love using wine because it adds big flavor without doing much. This is a great recipe because you could play with it so many different ways. You could use almost any vegetable you have laying around your kitchen; squash, onions, potatoes, broccoli, green beans, peppers, anything! Since you’re only cooking this meal for 15 minutes, it is important to cut your vegetables think and small enough to insure you properly cook them through. Some recipes call for cooking some of the vegetables a little bit before you assemble the pockets, but I don’t do this. I simply like my vegetables with a little crisp. Plus, the difference in taste is not significant enough for me to take that extra step and sauté my vegetables before I assemble my pockets.
It's time to cut out the crap. Nobody needs eight knives sitting on their counter that you never use, or know what they’re for. Unless you are any of the following; a butcher, a fisherman, or a Dexter enthusiast. In the typical average kitchen one...
Icey..Shaved..Minty
Three words that come to mind on a hot Summers day.
Don't act like you don't think the same.
I've been known to crave a sweet thing from time to time. But when it comes to making something at home I like to keep it real. By real I mean easy, Reeeall Easy. The last thing I want to do on a hot summer day is stand in a hot kitchen and make a dessert, but I still would like something slightly sweet to satisfy my urge for something cold and refreshing.
Whats easier than freezing some juice, and shaving it? Not much. This is known as a granita. It's pretty much frozen flavored ice. Not much to it.
You basically take some sugar, water and any other flavoring you like, melt it down then freeze it, then take a spoon and shave the ice so you create a snow-like consistency and serve immediately.
I like to make this dessert in the summer so I have the advantage of using beautiful summer fruits as an accompaniment to the granita that require almost zero effort. Just slicing and serving.
Mint is a wonderfully refreshing herb that will add brightness and a cool flavor to the granita. You could add anything to your granita base just as long as there aren't any large chunks of fruit in it. If you are using any fruit it would be a good idea to place in a blender and get it to a smooth consistency before you freeze just so it's easier to shave when it's frozen.
Got some pulpy orange juice? Freeze it and shave it! Leftover Sangria? Freeze it and shave it! Extra chamomile raspberry tea? Freeze it and shave it!
You get the idea. Pretty much anything an be made into a granita, it's not difficult, and takes little effort. Below is one of my favorite flavor combinations for a cool and refreshing granita.
