Month: February 2014

Cod and Cockles in a Fresh Turmeric Broth

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OH MY GOSH!

So simple to prepare. And so scrumptious!

At Carmel Valley Ranch, chef Tim Wood makes this dish with Monterey line-caught rock cod and Pacific Northwest cockles. You can refer to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch (seafoodwatch.org) to find the best alternatives available in your area. 
 

Active Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Serves: 4

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 bulb fennel, cored and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced lengthwise
2 tablespoons ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
4-inch piece fresh turmeric, peeled and thinly sliced(I used powder which I mixed with the wine and then added to the above.)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup white wine
1 pound cockles or Prince Edward Island mussels (I used mussels)
Ciabatta or sourdough bread, thickly sliced (I used my Sweet Potato Biscuits.)
4 rock cod or other flaky white fish fillets (6 ounces each)
¼ bunch cilantro, chopped, plus ¼ bunch, whole (I used fennel fronds.)

1. Set a heavy, lidded pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, onions, fennel, garlic and ginger to pot. Decrease heat to medium-low and cook until vegetables soften, 10 minutes. Add turmeric, season with salt and pepper, and cook until spice releases a little of its flavor, 5 minutes more. Add wine and increase heat to medium-high. Add cockles, cover with lid and cook until cockles are beginning to open, 5 minutes more.
2. Meanwhile, toast bread in oven or toaster oven.
3. Add fish fillets to pot, cover and let steam 8 minutes for medium to medium-rare fish. (Check occasionally to make sure pan has enough liquid, and add water if necessary.)
4. In a small bowl, combine remaining oil with chopped cilantro. To serve, top fish with cockle mixture and spoon some broth from pot overtop. Garnish with remaining cilantro. Drizzle bread with cilantro oil and serve on top of or alongside fish.

—Adapted from Tim Wood of Carmel Valley Ranch, Carmel, Calif.
~From The Wall Street Journal Weekend Edition
 

Sweet Potato Biscuits

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From Cooking Light, 2007

Please note: I made these in my food processor and I used Unsweetened Almond Milk rather than Milk. I also used a bit more mashed sweet potato.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt 
  • 5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup pureed cooked sweet potatoes, cooled 
  • 1/3 cup fat-free milk 
  • Cooking spray

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Combine sweet potato and milk in a small bowl; add potato mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
  3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 5 times. Roll dough to a 3/4-inch thickness; cut with a 2-inch biscuit cutter into 10 biscuits. Place biscuits on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Gather remaining dough. Roll to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch biscuit cutter into 6 biscuits. Place the biscuits on prepared baking sheet. Discard any remaining scraps.
  4. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan; cool 5 minutes on wire racks. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Great Chili

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Here I combined recipes from Jennifer Steinhaur, an avid cook and baker who works in The New York Times Washington bureau, and from chef, teacher, author Gail Monaghan .

This was the best chili I have ever made and I have made chili hundred of times! My changes/additions to Jennifer\’s recipe and Gail\’s are noted below (Gail=GM); Bruce=*):

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound ground bison or ground dark turkey(I made pork chops the night before and used 2 that were leftover. I cut the meat from the bone and diced and put meat and bone into pot.)
  • 1 large red onion, chopped (GM)
  • 2 carrots, roughly diced *
  • 1 celery, roughly diced *
  • 6 cloves garlic (GM) (I used 3 crushed and minced.)
  • 1 12-ounce bottle of beer
  • 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee (I used espresso.)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon chile sauce
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (GM)
  • 2 tablespoons chili power (GM)
  • Half a serrano or other hot pepper, seeded and finely chopped, or to taste (I used 3 tablespoons of Frank\’s Hot Sauce.)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 2 15-ounce cans kidney beans
  • 1 15-ounce can cannellini or other white beans

Preparation

1.
Place a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the meat and sauté until browned, then transfer to a plate. (I skipped this entire step as I used the leftover pork chops.)
2.
Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic to the pot and stir for 1 minute. Take two large sips from the beer, and pour the rest into the pot. Stir in the tomatoes, coffee and tomato paste.
3.
Add the brown sugar, chile sauce, cocoa powder, hot pepper, cumin, coriander, cayenne, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, Frank\’s Hot Sauce, salt and kidney beans. Return the meat to the pot. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, for 1 hour.
4.
Add the white beans to the pot and simmer over very low heat, partly covered and stirring occasionally, for 1 to 2 more hours. (Longer cooking improves the flavor.) Adjust salt and cayenne pepper as needed and serve.

Great Chili

Recipes

Here I combined recipes from Jennifer Steinhaur, an avid cook and baker who works in The New York Times Washington bureau, and from chef, teacher, author Gail Monaghan .

This was the best chili I have ever made and I have made chili hundred of times! My changes/additions to Jennifer’s recipe and Gail’s are noted below (Gail=GM); Bruce=*):

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound ground bison or ground dark turkey(I made pork chops the night before and used 2 that were leftover. I cut the meat from the bone and diced and put meat and bone into pot.)
  • 1 large red onion, chopped (GM)
  • 2 carrots, roughly diced *
  • 1 celery, roughly diced *
  • 6 cloves garlic (GM) (I used 3 crushed and minced.)
  • 1 12-ounce bottle of beer
  • 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee (I used espresso.)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon chile sauce
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (GM)
  • 2 tablespoons chili power (GM)
  • Half a serrano or other hot pepper, seeded and finely chopped, or to taste (I used 3 tablespoons of Frank’s Hot Sauce.)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 2 15-ounce cans kidney beans
  • 1 15-ounce can cannellini or other white beans

Preparation

1.
Place a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the meat and sauté until browned, then transfer to a plate. (I skipped this entire step as I used the leftover pork chops.)
2.
Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic to the pot and stir for 1 minute. Take two large sips from the beer, and pour the rest into the pot. Stir in the tomatoes, coffee and tomato paste.
3.
Add the brown sugar, chile sauce, cocoa powder, hot pepper, cumin, coriander, cayenne, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, Frank’s Hot Sauce, salt and kidney beans. Return the meat to the pot. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, for 1 hour.
4.
Add the white beans to the pot and simmer over very low heat, partly covered and stirring occasionally, for 1 to 2 more hours. (Longer cooking improves the flavor.) Adjust salt and cayenne pepper as needed and serve.