Our Food Blog: June 2010

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Beets and basil

Sorry, only a low-light iPhone photo this week. About all you can see is that green stuff fills the box! You can't see that there are also beets.

Basil
Beets
Chinese Cabbage
Chard
Endive
Lettuce
Summer Squash

Saturday, June 26, 2010

From the original Moosewood Cookbook, which shouldn't be a surprise when you see that it's got gobs of butter, cheese, seeds and nuts. I generally prefer the meatier version of stuffed cabbage that I've made. I wouldn't mind finding a better tomato-sauce based vegetarian stuffed cabbage that I liked.

STUFFED CABBAGE
6 servings, 2 rolls each

1 large head green cabbage
1 medium carrot, diced
1 cup chopped onion
3 tbl. butter
1 clove crushed garlic
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¾ cup raw cashew pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 stalk chopped celery
2 cups ricotta cheese
¼ cup raisins
1 cup chopped apple
juice from one lemon
1-2 tbl. tamari
1 tbl. honey
extra butter

1. Parboil cabbage in in a kettle of water 10-15 minutes or until outer leaves are easily removeable. Remove first 12 leaves. Make sure the cabbage is cooked well enough so leaves will not break when rolled, but not so well that they disintegrate. Save cabbage insides for another dish.

2. Saute vegetables (not apple), nuts and seeds in butter until onion is transparent and nuts roasted. Combine the saute (drain it well!) with remaining ingredients and season to taste.

3. Place 3-4 tbl. filling near the base of each cabbage leaf. Roll tightly, folding insides. Place on buttered sheet and brush with extra butter. Cover and bake until heated through (about 25 minutes at 325°F).

Serve with yogurt or sour cream, on a bed of rice

source

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Fish Tacos

I don't deep fry often, but this is one that is worth the mess. Helps to satisfy those occasional California cravings.

Fish Tacos

¼ cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup sour cream
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chipotle salsa, or more to taste
½ cup shredded red cabbage or lettuce
2 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
¼ cup finely sliced red onion
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 cup flour
⅓ cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, or more to taste
1 cup beer
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
12 6-inch soft, white corn tortillas
Peanut oil, for frying

1 pound fluke, cod or any firm white-fleshed fish, cut into slivers ¼ inch wide and 2 to 3 inches long

2 limes, cut into wedges.

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, cumin and 2 teaspoons chipotle salsa. (Add more salsa if you like; chipotle salsas vary in heat.) In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, garlic and cilantro.

2. In a large bowl, make a beer batter: Whisk together ⅔ cup of the flour and the cornmeal, kosher salt and beer. Near the stove, arrange a bowl of the remaining ⅓ cup flour, a bowl of the beaten eggs and the bowl of beer batter.

3. Preheat the oven to warm, or its lowest setting. Spread the tortillas on a baking sheet. Cover with a damp tea towel and place in the oven -- but don't forget about them!

4. Pour 1 inch of peanut oil into a deep saucepan and place over medium-high heat. When it is hot enough to brown a bread crumb, begin coating the fish. Dust 3 to 4 pieces with flour, then dip them in the egg, followed by the batter. Add the pieces, 1 by 1, to the hot oil. Fry until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Adjust heat as needed. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels; repeat with the remaining fish.

5. Fill each warm tortilla with 2 to 3 pieces of fish, a generous spoonful of the chipotle sauce and a large pinch of the cabbage mixture. Squeeze a wedge of lime and sprinkle a little salt over the filled tortilla. Fold in half and serve.