Spicy Parchment Hake with Mixed Vegetables

We adore fish around our house. The feller comes a running when he smells it cooking as do the cats waiting for their special treat. As part of Clean Out the Coffers March, I went through the bits and pieces that were left in my hydrator for this one. There's a list of additional vegetables you could easily use or substitute with if you had them lying around.

It's a fast dish to make, with cutting of the vegetables taking the most time. I made this, 4 servings, start to finish, including the 25 minutes of cooking, in 50 minutes. This is the sort of dish where I'll prepare the vegetables in the morning, refrigerate them and throw it together upon walking through the door at the end of a long day. Served it with steamed rice and a nice Sancere. Fabulous!

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Serves 4

Ingredients:

Spicy Sauce:
3 tsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce*)
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp sriracha hot chili sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice (bottled may be substituted)
2 tsp Shaoxing Chinese cooking wine*

Vegetables & Fish:
1 leek, cut into matchsticks, soaked in cold water to remove sand/grit
1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
2-3 scallions, white and green parts cut lengthwise into matchsticks

1 small zucchini, thin lengthwise slices
6pc (1/2 bunch) Chinese choy sum
4 filets (2 pounds) wild Hake fillets (cod would be a good substitute)

sesame seeds
fresh ground pepper

lime zest
large flake kosher salt

Steamed Rice (I use a rice cooker)

Special Equipment:

2 jelly roll pans (Cookie sheet with sides)

parchment paper

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix all of the sauce ingredients together well and set aside.

Cut a rectangle of parchment paper 3x the length of the fish fillet. Place parchment on the jelly roll pan. In the center of one half of the parchment, place one quarter of each vegetable in a pile on the parchment paper. Place a fillet of the fish on top. Pour on one quarter of the sauce, spreading over the fish fillet. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top of the fillet and grind on some fresh ground pepper.

Fold the Parchment in

half. Starting at the folded corner, fold/roll small sections of the parchment upwards, one on top of the next, all around the three open edges. (I'll take a photo of what it looks like next time, I can't believe I didn't this time!) Once all edges are rolled, take the edges at the both ends of the folded side and tuck them under to hold the parchment in place

and keep it from unrolling.

Bake in parchment for 25 minutes. You can either serve in the individual parchment packets or slide it all out onto a plate. Before serving, grate on some fresh lime zest and sprinkle on some large flake kosher salt to taste. (Less is more with the salt.) You may also want to mix some additional kecap manis and sriracha hot chili sauce if anyone wants more of a sweet kick to dip in.

I serve with a side of steamed rice.

A few additional/ substitutable vegetables include:

pea pods

summer squash

shredded carrot

asparagus

green/yellow bell pepper

bok choy

* May be found in your local Asian market or may be ordered online from your favorite Asian supplier.

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Strawberry Butter

We've all had it happen... that box of strawberries that gets lost in the back of the fridge only to surface when they've grown softer than we'd like. They aren't bad... but they don't look so good.

This is the perfect recipe for them! You can OF COURSE use gloriously fresh and perky berries too.

This was used in place of maple syrup on our French Toast for dinner night. I had to focus on finishing the gift for my nephew rather than spending loads of time in the kitchen - both were a success!! Yum!

Quantities in this recipe are all to taste. It can be changed in all quantities to suit your own taste.

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Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons salted butter, softened to room temperature

6 strawberries, bad spots cut off if there are any

1 tablespoon confectioners sugar (10x powdered sugar) You may need more or less.

Into the bowl of a small food processor put the strawberries and process until well chopped. There will likely be some chunks larger than others. That's OK. They'll break down.

Add the butter and continue to process, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.

Add the sugar, a little at a time. The amount you will need all depends upon the sweetness of the berries. The sugar seems to bind it all together providing the needed texture, so I wouldn't cut it out all together.

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Beany Egg Tortilla (my version of Huevos Rancheros)

I have a bag of avocados, a little bit of salsa and a can of organic spicy black beans that was time to use up and had all of the fixings for an easy and tasty tortilla lunch. It's also great for breakfast brunch or dinner!

This recipe is per serving. Easy enough to double or triple. You can, of course, make two or three eggs rather than one per serving to your taste.

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1 serving

Ingredients:

1 egg

2 tortillas

1/3 cup salsa of your choice (I love Green Mountain HOT myself)

1/3 cup canned black beans (I prefer to make them myself, fresh, but in a pinch these are great!)

1/2 fresh avocado, mashed

*(see avocado tips at bottom of post)

1/8 cup shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend containing

Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Asadero & Quesadilla cheeses.)

salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

I love my cast iron pan for this dish. It's well seasoned and the eggs don't stick with only a small amount or no oil sprayed on. You can substitute with your favorite frying pan if you haven't a cast iron pan.

A broiling pan with a sheet of foil on top large enough to hold the tortilla.

I began with making my favorite sunny side up egg. Cracking the egg into the cast iron pan, immediately cover it and let the egg begin to cook. I love a good runny yolk (you may not), and this allows the entire white portion of the egg to cook leaving the yolk nice and runny.

While the egg cooks, mash the avocado and spread it onto one of the tortillas.

When your egg is cooked to your desired doneness, add a little salt and pepper and slide the egg(s) onto the non-avocado covered tortilla that you have placed onto the foil covered broiling pan. I use the broiler in my toaster oven if I'm making only one. I use my regular oven if I'm making multiples at once so they are all ready at the same time or in batches.

While the pan is still hot, toss in the salsa and black beans to warm them up. If you are not using a cast iron pan, you may need to turn the heat back on to do this. I've found when I turn off the heat from cooking the egg in my cast iron pan, it's still hot enough to do this job without any more flame. Pour the salsa/bean mixture over the egg and top with the avocado covered tortilla.

Sprinkle the cheese on top of the mashed avocado and pop under the broiler. Heat until the cheese has melted. Keep an eye on things under the broiler as they can go from yummy and melty to burnt and destroyed in a flash.

With the help of a spatula if needed, slide your finished tortilla onto your plate. Sprinkle on additional salt and pepper to your taste. I added some heated leftover cooked asparagus and a mescaline salad before serving.

AVOCADO TIPS:

* When selecting avocados in the market, if you can easily remove the stem base (brown woody looking spot on the end of the avocado) with your fingernail, the avocado is ripe and ready to eat now. Keep your avocados out on the counter to ripen fastest rather than in the refrigerator.

* After slicing the avocado in half lengthwise (as shown in photo), firmly whack a sharp knife blade into the pit and gently twist. The pit will come out easily. Scoop the avocado out with a spoon and mash away. I use the now emptied avocado skin to hold the slippery pit and wiggle the knife back out of the pit. Be careful to not cut yourself. Slow and steady here.

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Ma Po Tofu

This recipe comes from my Sister-in-Law, AC. (Thanks AC!) It's a fast favorite around our house and hers for adults and children alike!

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Ingredients:

1 box soft silken tofu, chopped

1 lb. ground pork

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2" ginger, chopped

1.5 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons seasame oil

2 teaspoons corn starch

1 cup petite green peas (optional)

3-4 scallions, chopped

vegetable oil

Mix ground meat with some soy sauce, sesame oil, and corn starch. Set aside.

Cut the tofu into chunks. Heat a bit of vegetable oil in pan. Toss in the garlic and ginger and sautee until fragrant. Put in the ground meat and brown, breaking it up as it cooks.

When the meat is mostly done, toss in the tofu and peas (if you're using them - they are not in the photo above). Stir.

Add 2 tablespoons of water and cover to heat the tofu and defrost the peas.

When it's just about done, add the scallions and salt to taste. Serve over steamed rice. Delicious and fast!!

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