The Food Snob

Cinco de Mayo

(For Fun Monday scroll down.)

I originally posted this last year for Cinco de Mayo, and this is what I'll be making for dinner tonight:

Unless you are of Mexican heritage, this is a front for drinking (as is St.Patrick's Day) in this country. My daughter has taken Spanish in school since Kindergarten, so she has an avid interest in anything to do with it, I adopt her enthusiasm (of course, also, because I can express this with my culinary skills!)

I made Baja Fish Tacos and refried beans. I had never made refried beans before, but they were so good, my husband said he never wanted the canned version again (uh oh, that's how I ended up making pasta sauce.) 

These tacos are so yummy! The avocado sauce can be used on different sandwiches, also.

                                Baja Fish Tacos *

COLESLAW

- 1 16 oz. (500 g) bag broccoli cole slaw (you can use regular, or make your own, but the broccoli type gives a nice, extra crunch.)

- 1/2 cup (100 ml) thinly sliced white onion

- 3 tbs fresh lime juice

- 2 tbs fresh cilantro

- 1/2 tsp dried oregano 

SAUCE

- 1/2 cup (100 ml) mayonnaise

- 1/2 large (or 1 whole small) Haas avocado, peeled and pitted

- 1/2 cup (100 ml) fresh cilantro

- 3 tbs fresh lime juice

- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

FISH

- 1 cup (250 ml) plus 4 tbs all-purpose flour (plus some additional for dusting)

- 1/2 tsp. salt

- 1 12 oz. (154 ml) bottle cold beer

- 12 oz. (375 g) mahi mahi fillets (any sturdy white fish will work, I've done it with cod) cut into 3" x 1/2" x 1/2" strips

-Vegetable oil (for frying)                     

- 8- 6" diameter corn tortillas

For coleslaw: Toss all ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 8 hours ahead and chilled.) You could, of course, make your own cole slaw, but as I usually make this all at once, I like to make at least part of this dish easier, if I can.

For sauce: Blend all ingredients in a mini processor.  Add water by the teaspoonfuls to thin if desired (wait until it sits a bit, I made this batch too watery.) Season with salt to taste.( Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)

For fish: Combine salt and flour in large bowl; gradually whisk in beer. Place fish in a large strainer. Spoon additional flour over. Toss fish to coat. Shake well, releasing excess flour. Mix fish into beer batter. (Can be prepared 1 hour ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

 

Pour enough vegetable oil into heavy medium saucepan to reach 1/2". Bring to 375 F (I just usually toss a few drops of water in, when it bubbles and pops, oil is hot enough to fry in.) Working in batches, lift fish from batter and drop into hot oil. Fry until crisp and golden, about 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain. (Note, these get soggy in the oven, trying to keep them warm, so make sure you are ready to serve right away!)

Heat tortillas in microwave ( with a wet paper towel on top and bottom of stack) on high for about 1 minute.

Put some cole slaw in center of each tortilla, top with avocado sauce and fish. Fold edges of tortillas over filling. Enjoy!

* Based on a recipe from Mijita restaurant- New Orleans

Fun Monday

Fun Monday today is being hosted by Kitten. She wants to hear about heroes in our lives.

Initially I thought about Martin Luther King, Jr.

I truly believe he was a great man, with an even greater message.

Then I tried to think about people I actually know.

I thought of my paternal grandparents.

I only found out about two years ago, after they had passed away, how truly great they were.

My aunt (their daughter) was married to a very abusive and probably mentally ill man. At one point the children (my three cousins) were taken away and she was arrested for prostitution. Apparently he was pimping out his wife.

My grandparents got the kids from wherever they were.

They couldn't find my female cousin, because he had let her be taken to an orphanage.

In 1970 he was ashamed to have had a daughter, the first in his family for generations (probably not, did they just murder the rest? No one knows for sure.)

My grandparents tried to keep the kids, but they got them back.

He was abusive (in more ways than I like to think about.)

They tried to visit as often as they could, but my aunt wouldn't leave him.

My cousins came to live with my grandparents when they were in high school, and became responsible adults when given the chance not to live in fear.

They saved them.

Of course being younger than them I was shielded from all the details, and never even knew until I was finally with my cousins as adults at the funerals.

I just thought they were the best grandparents ever, who made every single grandchild (9) feel as though they were their favorites when we were with them.

I miss them terribly, and when I think of them I just think about the unassuming way they gave everything (which wasn't a lot) to everyone around them.

.

They gave because they could.

They gave because it was right.

.

If I can be half the person they were, I will be happy.

.

My grandparents: my heroes.

Rice Crisis?

I love, love, love The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

It's smart, sarcastic, and funny.

What's NOT to like?

This video is from the show on April 24, making fun of the supposed rice crisis in the U.S. and the rationing by Sam's Club (owned by Walmart.)

You Are What You Eat

For real, you are.

But this is about the BBC America show of that name.

First, though, A at Marmite and Tea had tagged me for a meme a while back and I was very excited since I haven't been tagged for a while, and then promptly forgot about it!

I have to describe myself in six words:

sarcastic

generous

shy

friendly

introspective

strong

Clearly, an enigma wrapped in a riddle!

Back to Dr. Gillian McKeith, host of You Are What You Eat.

First, let me say when we got digital cable a few weeks ago I was VERY excited to see we would be getting BBC America.

Then I started watching it.

I love MI-5, but where are all the cool English shows I thought I'd be able to see?!

Turns out 60% of the shows are made only for the U.S. audience, so basically they're sending us the crap.

You Are What You Eat showcases Dr. Gillian McKeith, who goes into obese people's homes and tears into them for the garbage they eat.

Fine.

She shows them why what they eat is bad, puts them on a new diet (not a verb) and gets them to start exercising.

Fine again.

What I can't get past, no matter what, is why in God's name she is so fixated with their bowel movements?!

I understand from a nutritionist's point of view you can get a lot of information from it.

Does the average person,though, want to spend 5 minutes (or more) hearing about someone's movements on a 30 minute show?

No.

No, we don't.

So not only am I getting crap from BBC America, I'm learning way more than I ever wanted or needed to know about how my diet affects it.

.

Excellent.

Fun Monday

Fun Monday is being hosted by Angela at The Lurchers.

She wants to see our favorite walk.

Sydney (for one) has been very happy I've not been working. I take her for a nice long walk most days.

This is one of my favorites with her, Essex.

One of the smaller houses in town.

We walk to this field, where we play fetch, and then round trip back to the car.

Finishing at the dock, where I try to keep Sydney from eating ducks for breakfast!

It was raining when I took these, I forgot my camera on all the nice sunny days, but I think you get the general idea.   

Visit Angela for some more nice walks.

Happy Fun Monday!           

Red Pepper and Pecan Slaw

When the weather gets warmer, as it has this week, I start wanting light, fresh food.

I think most people do.

I had seen this recipe in Self Magazine, it looked so pretty and colorful I just had to try it.            

It's very good, so good in fact that I made it again the next day.

The dressing that goes on it, however, is very time intensive. Unfortunately I didn't read it through enough and we ended up about an hour over normal dinner time.

Whoops!

Dressing
32 oz nonfat vegetable stock, divided
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced *
1 clove garlic
1/2 shallot, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup sweet Thai chile sauce, such as Mae Ploy
1/4 cup apple cider (or rice wine) vinegar
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Slaw
1/2 cup pecan pieces
1/2 tsp dark chili powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 lb red cabbage, shredded
1/4 lb green cabbage, shredded
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
1 large yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced

Stir 1/2 cup vegetable stock with cornstarch in a measuring cup until blended. Bring remaining 28 ounces stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and slowly whisk in stock-cornstarch mixture. Stir rapidly until stock is the consistency of olive oil. (It should cling to the back of a spoon.) Cool to room temperature, skim off and discard any film on top. Place cumin seeds in a dry sauté pan over medium-high heat. Stir until aroma of seeds is released, about 1 minute. Blend 1/4 cup stock in a blender with cumin seeds and remaining dressing ingredients until smooth. (Refrigerate or freeze leftover stock.) Heat oven to 350º. Combine pecans, chili powder and oil in a mixing bowl; toss to coat pecans. Place nuts on a cookie sheet and roast until the aroma of the chili powder is released, 3 to 4 minutes. Combine dressing and slaw ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

168 calories per serving, 9 g fat (1 g saturated), 21.7 g carbs, 4.4 g fiber, 3.2 g protein

Very tasty, and healthy, too! 

* I would leave out the pepper altogether if you don't like heat.

Unwelcome Visitor

From BBC.com

No, not the in-laws.

I'm talking about lemon curd.

"Lemon curd?! you may ask, I love it, what's your problem ?!"

Well, I do like lemon curd.

I LOVE it.

If it were socially acceptable I would sit and eat a jar with a spoon.

So you see, I rarely ever have it because I don't think I would be able to control myself!

(Food issues much?)

For some time I've wanted to make a coconut layer cake with 7 minute frosting, and I've tried several versions.

For Easter I wanted to do this one, substituting lemon curd for the lime.

The recipe called for purchased curd, and I almost bought some, then sanity hit.

I was making the rest of the cake, was I really going to BUY curd?

No, I wasn't.

Lemon Curd*

2 lemons, rind and juice

2 eggs

55g/2oz. butter

225g/1/2 lb sugar

Method

1. Grate rind of lemons and squeeze out juice. Put sugar, rind and juice, butter and beaten eggs into a large basin on top of a pan of simmering water.  Stir with a wooden spoon until thick and curd coats the back of the spoon. Pour into warm sterile jars, cover, seal and label. Refrigerate.

* From BBC.com, from Burrastow House Hotel, I've cut the recipe in half as I did NOT want any left over.

Coconut Cake*

2 1/2 cups cake flour

2 1/4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1 1/3 cups milk

2 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 350°F. Lightly butter the bottoms and sides of two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Lightly butter the paper and dust the pans and paper with flour; tap out excess flour.

Over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the milk and vanilla; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk mixture and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat each addition just until incorporated, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, spreading it evenly. Bake until the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the pans and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto the rack, remove the parchment and let cool completely. Using a serrated knife, level the top of each cake by slicing off any "domed" part. Cut each cake in half horizontally to create 4 equal layers.
 
To assemble, place 1 cake layer, cut side up, on a plate. Spread half of the lemon curd over the surface. Top with another cake layer, cut side up, and spread with a generous 1 cup of the frosting. Top with a third cake layer, cut side up, and spread the remaining lemon curd over the surface. Top with the remaining cake layer, cut side up. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Using your fingers, press the coconut onto the top and sides. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes before serving to set the frosting. Serves 12.

*Williams Sonoma Kitchen

7 Minute Coconut Frosting*

Ingredients:

4 egg whites

1 1/3 cups sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Directions:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using a handheld whisk, beat together the egg whites, sugar, corn syrup and salt just until combined, about 30 seconds. Place the bowl over but not touching simmering water in a saucepan and whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot, 2 to 3 minutes.

Set the bowl on the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat until the outside of the bowl is cool and stiff peaks form 5 to 7 minutes more. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the coconut just until incorporated. (I did NOT do this. I just put the coconut on the outside.)

* Williams Sonoma Kitchen

The frosting was very soft, so it oozed a bit in the fridge.

It tasted good anyway.

Assateague Island National Seashore

I am very lucky that so many places and areas of the country which are rich in history and are just plain interesting are close and accessible to me and my family.

Case in point is Assateague Island National Seashore.

While visiting the in-laws this past weekend we went here. It is part of Virginia and Maryland, and lucky for us it was a cold spring day, so not many bugs and mosquitoes were out yet, but plenty of horses were!

Here are some horses exploring the parking lot.

The assumption by most people is that the original horses were survivors from a Spanish ship that went down off the Virginia coast.

In reality, they are probably descendants of horses kept here by colonists who didn't want to pay taxes on all livestock.

This was part of our view on one of three trails: Life of the Forest Trail. This starts in the woods and ends up near a marsh. It is also on a wood walkway, so an easy walk.

(Yes, a snake.)

The second trail we took was The Life of the Dune Trail.

Incredibly, this is the remains of a paved road. Back in the 50's some investors wanted to build resorts in this area. They were given the go ahead until the first storm came and wiped everything out.

They (or their bankers) were smart enough not to try again.

It was a chilly, windy day, and luckily we knew to bring food for a picnic lunch because there is none available.

I hope the kids will remember it fondly, and not just as 'something else Mom and Dad dragged us to.'

?!

Maybe not.

 

 

Belated St.Patrick's Day Food

  I apologize for not posting much lately, and for the fact that most of my posts have not been about food.

Theoretically this is supposed to be a food blog, right?

Between job searching (which I'm finding difficult. I attended a job fair yesterday which told me all I needed to know about the economy here, as if I needed a reminder) dog exercising, studying, and doing all my regular 'stuff', I haven't had the desire to post, or even to cook or photograph anything I would blog about.

I did make my usual for St.Patrick's Day, though, which can be made any time.

The picture above is champ. I basically make my regular mashed potatoes with the addition of green onions, and melt a pool of butter in the center. I do make this at other times, but I ALWAYS make it for St.Patrick's Day.

The other thing I always make is a fish dish based on one from Island Cottage, Hare (Heir) Island, County Cork, Ireland.

What, you may be asking yourself, no corned beef and cabbage?

Um, no.

First of all, it's not Irish, it's Irish-American.

Second, I don't eat beef, and I find corned beef to be fatty anyway. And what could be more Irish than fish?

               Halibut with Tomato-Spinach Sauce

SAUCE

- 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

- 1/4 cup (4oz.) white wine vinegar

- 1/4 cup (4oz.) dry white wine

- 1/2 cup (4oz.) whipping cream

HALIBUT

- 3 tbls. olive oil

- 12 oz mushrooms, chopped

- 1/2 tsp. dries crushed red pepper

- 2 medium zucchini (courgette) trimmed and cut into matchstick-size strips

- 4 8oz halibut fillets (I've used other white fish too, at least 1 inch thick and it comes out great)

- 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into pieces

- 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped

- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh spinach

FOR SAUCE: Combine shallots and vinegar in heavy small saucepan. Boil until most of the liquid evaporates, about 4 minutes. Add wine; boil until most of the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Whisk in cream and set aside.

FOR FISH: Preheat oven to 400F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and crushed red pepper. Cook until mushrooms are deep golden brown, stirring frequently, about12 minutes. Add zucchini and saute 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

                                    

Meanwhile, lightly oil baking sheet. Place fish on sheet and brush with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Bake until fish is opaque in center, about 10 minutes.

Bring sauce to simmer. reduce heat; add butter and whisk until just melted. Remove from heat. Mix in tomatoes and spinach. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with champ. Place fish on mushroom mixture, spoon sauce around and over fish and serve.

Serves 4.

NOT for when you are short on time, a good weekend meal.

   

Tax Relief Swap

Alix and Anglophile Football Fanatic (A.K.A. AFF) are hosting (hostessing?) a tax relief swap which I signed up for.

Some questions they wanted us to consider:

 

1. If you are getting a refund this year, where is the money going? If you can only wish that would happen, what would you get if you were? I did get a refund this year. We bought a tv for the bedroom because ours just died, and used the rest to pay bills. Super-exciting!

2. What is your favourite non-traditional holiday? Mother's Day, because it's really the only holiday that has anything to do with me, and I usually get pampered.

3. If we all got Tax Day off (Massachusetts does as Patriot's Day), how would you spend it? Well, as I'm not working right now, the same as every other day! (Work out, troll the internets for jobs, read blogs, watch my new crack: The Real Housewives of New York City.) Seriously? I HATE, ABHOR reality TV (except Top Chef. I watched this show by mistake because I didn't get to the remote in time. Now I'm addicted, sadly.

Someday, I'd like the run the Boston Marathon, which is always run on Patriot's Day (which is actually the third Monday of April, no matter what the calendar date.)

4. If you had the ability to dictate where your tax money went where would you have yours go? Certainly not to bail out billion dollar banks, fund a pointless war, or make weapons. I would have it go to people who are hungry, or who have no homes. (Insert 'damn blue state people' here.)

That's it.

How about you?