Good Real Food

Last week I had the idea to smoke a trout on our BBQ and it was so good that we ate it before I had a chance to take a picture! Slow cooking and smoking the fish gives it a rich and robust flavor. It is really easy and the trout can be used in many ways once it is smoked. We ate it right off the grill, but it is also good cold on salads, as an appetizer, or mixed with a soft cheese as a dip. Note that this kind of smoking (hot, not cold) does not preserve the fish, so eat it within a few days of cooking.

What to do:

1) Soak a few cups of wood chips in water. I used store bought hickory wood chips, but I hear that oak and alder are great.

2) While the wood chips soak, start the coals in the grill.

3) Drain the wood chips and place on top of the hot coals.

4) Place the whole cleaned and gutted trout skin side down on the grill.

5) Put the cover on the BBQ with a small vent open.

6) Check in on the fish in about a half an hour. To slow cook the trout will take from a half hour to an hour depending on the size.

 Enjoy!

No Comments »

it is much too late and I should be sleeping, but if I don’t write this up, I’ll forget by the time I’m back from the trip I leave on in the morning.

I should probably attribute this recipe to Deborah Madison, since I think that is where it originated, but here is how I came to it - or at least the recipe that inspired the one I’m about to tell you about:

I was reading Rebecca Blood’s blog - her series on Eating Organic on a Food Stamp Budget is terrific for lots of reasons.

Anyway, I saw her recipe for Spaghetti with Zucchini and Basil and thought that it looked super easy and really good so when I saw asparagus at the farmer’s market on Saturday, I pretty much knew what that I’d be remixing her recipe to use it.

And this is what resulted:

And it was astounding, really.

Here’s what you need:

• Asparagus - I don’t know how much I had - it was a big bunch - if you click through on the picture link, you can see another photo of what my pan looked like with all the asparagus in it.
• 3 cloves of garlic
• olive oil
• about a tablespoon of butter
• 1/4 + cup of milk
• basil - as much as you want, though go for at least 3 tablespoons of fresh
• salt and pepper
• linguine
• nice parmesan, grated

What to do:

1. salt water for pasta, start boiling
2. snap off woody ends of asparagus and save for stock
3. wash, drain, and chop asparagus into 1 or 2 inch long pieces, whatever you like
4. chop garlic
5. in your large saute pan, melt your butter (or leave it out if you wish) along with a few tablespoons of olive oil
6. when hot, add in your garlic and fry till you’re getting the idea that a few flecks of gold may appear in a bit - about 2 minutes
7. add in your asparagus, and cook till its about 2/3 of the way done to your liking.  Mine didn’t brown, and I suspect that yours won’t either unless you use your cast iron pan - I didn’t this time, but next time for sure
8. you could also add in some salt while you’re cooking the asparagus.  I did.
9. add in your milk.  I think I misread the recipe when cooking and added 1/2 cup of milk.  It was fine.
10. also add in your basil along with the milk, and maybe some more salt if you think it needs it - pepper would also be good now.
11. cook till milk reduces by half or until you’ve decided its reduced enough
12. if your pasta isn’t done, wait.  If it is done, toss the sauce with the pasta along with one or more handfuls of parmesan.  I think a quarter cup of the parmesan will do you fine, but experiment and find out what you like.
13. devour and wonder how you made something so good, so quickly.

Don’t forget the salad!

No Comments »

I’m trying to get my dad to write for this blog. My dad’s a wonderful cook, and he’s terrific with bread too. I grew up cooking with my parents, but I really owe my love of cooking and comfort in the kitchen to my dad. So, until I can get him writing for this blog, here’s his recipe for a not too spicy mirchi pickle:

Take 15-20 finger peppers, washed and slit along the length. [these are the longer dark green chili, not the shorter chilis that are sometimes sold as Thai chili - you're looking for the ones sometimes called finger hot peppers]

Shake off all the water you can from the peppers. Sprinkle 1 tsp of salt and ½ tsp of turmeric and set aside for 15 minutes.

For the masala, coarsely grind 2 tsp black mustard seed along with ¼-1/8 tsp of fenugreek seeds. You don’t want a powder nor do you want too many whole seeds.

Heat vegetable oil [for 15-20 pepper, take around 5 or 6 tablespoons of oil - after you've made these once, you can decide if you like the masala to be more or less fluid and adjust the oil accordingly]. When hot add the mustard seed mixture. Stir around a couple of times and add the peppers in. Quickly stir fry the peppers for 2-3 minutes, so that the peppers will have scalded in a few places. The more you fry the less hot the peppers will be, but you want the peppers cooked, so it is a matter of taste/judgment. Make sure all the salt and the turmeric is added in, or add extra salt and turmeric. Now add 1 tsp of cumin powder and 1 tsp of coriander powder. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the masala is well fried (but not blackened). Take off the heat and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or juice of ½ lemon.

(I like more masala so I often add more coriander/cumin and mustard). Cool and bottle. Will keep for 1 week or more in the fridge. However, it taste best when freshly made and the peppers are still somewhat crisp and not limp.

No Comments »