Month: January 2018

Cod In Miso Broth

Food Photography, Inspiration, Recipes

Light. Comforting. Satisfying. Delicious. Japanese-like.

Cooked in one skillet (if you don’t add red lentils).

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons canola or other neutral-tasting oil
  • 5  shiitake mushroom caps,  sliced
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced, dark-green parts reserved for optional garnish
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons peeled, finely minced fresh ginger root
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 tablespoons white or yellow miso paste
  • Two 6-ounce pieces of cod
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves
  • 1 cup cooked red lentils (my addition)
Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the mushrooms and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are browned. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium; add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the scallion whites, garlic and ginger; cook for about 30 seconds, stirring, until fragrant.

Add 2 3/4 cups of the water to the skillet and bring to barely a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. While the water is heating, whisk the miso paste with the remaining 1/4 cup water in a liquid measuring cup until dissolved, then whisk that mixture into the skillet.

Season the fish with the salt and pepper, then place in the skillet. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes over low to medium-low heat, maintaining a gentle bubbling, until the fish flakes easily with a fork and is fairly firm.

To serve, place one piece of fish in each wide, shallow bowl. (Before I did this, I spooned the cooked red lentils into each bowl.) Stir the sauteed mushrooms and the spinach into the liquid in the skillet, then remove from the heat. Pour the broth with spinach and mushrooms around the fish in each bowl. Garnish with the scallion greens, if using.

Serves 2. Recipe based on one from Ellie Krieger.

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Roasted Chickpea and Fennel Ratatouille

Color Photography, Food Photography, Inspiration, Recipes

This is a great recipe. My wife Susan found it for me and suggested that I make it.

If you have made Ratatouille on the stove-top, adding ingredients one at a time, you are going to love this. Rich and hearty. So delicious. And so easy to prepare!

The recipe is from Mark Bittman and he writes:

“This ratatouille with chickpeas and fennel is among the best I’ve ever made. It’s a recipe for what you might call A Vegan Day. Being a vegan is not my point, and anyway, it’s as easy to create an unhealthy full-time vegan diet as it is to eat brilliantly as a part-time vegan.

“When fruits and vegetables are at their best, they give you insight into how the vegan thing can work for you, if only for a day. And given a moderate degree of freshness, most conventional vegetables from ordinary supermarkets can be made to taste good when gardens go dormant.”

Ingredients

  • 1 pound eggplant (smaller is better), peeled if you like, and cut into large chunks
  • ¾ pound zucchini, cut into large chunks
  • 1 pound Roma (plum) tomatoes, cored and chopped, or 1 28-ounce can, drained
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 red or yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded and sliced (I didn’t have these so I used 3 seeded and sliced jalapeno peppers.)
  • 1 fennel bulb (about 1 pound), trimmed and cut into large chunks
  • 5 garlic cloves, halved
  • 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
  • Black pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 3 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, drained
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or rosemary, or 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or parsley

Preparation

  1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine all ingredients except oil, chickpeas and herbs in a large roasting pan. Drizzle with oil and toss to combine.
  2. Transfer to oven and roast, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are lightly browned and tender and some water has been released from the tomatoes to create a sauce, 30 to 40 minutes.
  3. Add chickpeas, stir and return to oven until beans heat through, 5 to 10 minutes. Add herbs and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

 

If you are looking for beautiful portrait, wedding, nature, or documentary photography, or someone you know is looking for photography that helps to create a more artful and beautiful life, please contact me.  Photography and Prints meant to last a lifetime! For more details about having an amazing and fun photo experience, please contact me.

 

Hoppin’ John

Color Photography, Food Photography, Inspiration, Recipes

For years, and always a few days before the New Year, Susan will say, “Bruce, would you make Hoppin’ John for New Year’s Day?” It is a Southern peas and rice dish traditionally served on New Year’s Day.

And finally I make it this year. Not on New Year’s Day but a few days ago on January 9.

It was delicious!

I based my dish on the instructions on the GOYA Blackeye Peas bag. Noted below are my additions.

Ingredients

1 bag of GOYA dry Blackeye Peas
4 slices of bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped (my addition)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup cooked, chopped ham (my addition
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (my addition)
1 teaspoon oregano (my addition)
1/2 teaspoon thyme (my addition
4 roasted tomatoes (see previous Blog post.)
3 cups water
1 cup rice (I cooked the rice separately.)

Directions

Sort and wash beans. In an large 8 quart pot, soak  beans in 4 cups water (I used homemade chicken stock.) DO NOT DRAIN!!! Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Add onion, peppers, celery and cook until tender. Add mixture to beans in pot. Stir in remaining ingredients except for the rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until beans are tender (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours). Beans should have about 2 cups of liquid when they are tender. Serve with cooked rice.

Note: a vegan Hoppin’ John could be made by leaving out the bacon and ham. Might want to add some Liquid Smoke.

You can read about the history of the dish at Wikipedia and Serious Eats.

 

If you are looking for beautiful portrait, wedding, nature, or documentary photography, or someone you know is looking for photography that helps to create a more artful and beautiful life, please contact me.  Photography and Prints meant to last a lifetime! For more details about having an amazing and fun photo experience, please contact me.

 

Pasta alla Louise

Color Photography, Documentary Photography, Food Photography, Inspiration, Recipes

Yesterday, January 8, was Susan’s birthday.

I gave her a choice of four different meals for dinner: pasta and spinach, meatballs and rice, meatloaf, or hamburgers. She chose pasta.

The recipe is based on one I found online called “5 Ingredient Spinach Parmesan Pasta.”

I call this recipe “Pasta alla Louise.” Why Louise? Because that is Susan’s middle name. And Pasta alla Louise sounds more pasta-poetic than Pasta alla Susan!

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz uncooked pasta (I used Rienzi Glutten-free Penne Rigate)
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup Olive Oil (My addition)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (I didn’t used garlic. See Note below.)
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced (My addition)
  • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (My addition)
  • 5-6 cups packed baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock (My addition)
  • Note: 3-4 roasted tomatoes (My addition. I roasted tomatoes this past summer in olive oil, lots of garlic, rosemary, thyme and oregano. I then bagged them and froze, 3-4 per bag. I have about 30 bags in the freezer!)

Directions:

  1. Add the pasta to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Set pasta aside.
  2. Using a large pan or wok, melt the butter over medium heat with the olive oil. Add the red pepper flakes and onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add in the roasted tomatoes, pasta and spinach. Gently toss and cook until spinach leaves are wilted. Add in some of the reserved pasta water and chicken stock. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese and toss until combined. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
  3. Pour pasta into a large bowl. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Here is a photo of it cooking in my All-Clad pan:

If you are looking for beautiful portrait, wedding, nature, or documentary photography, or someone you know is looking for photography that helps to create a more artful and beautiful life, please contact me.  Photography and Prints meant to last a lifetime! For more details about having an amazing and fun photo experience, please contact me.