I had Girls Night Out last night and needed to bring an app for the party. Wonderful bags pistachios that are roasted and salted, or dusted with chili powder, or salt and pepper, etc, but rarely you can find unsalted ones. On our recent trip to the Wegmans in Maryland I saw them and bought 2 big bags. Sooooo... what do I do with pistachios? This is sweet and savory and light and also yummy although I would do it on crostini next time rather that the flour tortilla. Here's what I DID do last night
1/4 cup ish chopped pistachios (salted is fine if you like that) 1 small log goat cheese (plain) 1/4-1/2 cup dried cranberries 1 T ish honey 1/2 tsp thyme 2-3 ounces fig paste (I would use fresh figs but they aren't in season) 2 spinach tortillas (I think crostini would be better) Mix all ingredientsexcpet tortilla/crostini. If using the tortilla. spread the mixture and roll. Then slice into pinwheels to serve. If using crostini, spread on the toast and serve
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I set out to make Asian inspired fish tonight, but soy has wheat so Reid can't eat it. AND it has high sodium content so I can't eat it. Challenge accepted. This does not taste like it has that lovely soy umami, but it IS yummy!
1 1/2 pounds cod (or whatever your favorite fish is) Zest and juice of 1 lime 2 cloves of chopped garlic 1 tsp corriander fresh ginger grated on a microplane a dash (1 small squirt) dijon mustard a good squirt Sriracha (hoping for Turmeric but I was out) small (1/4 tsp) smoked paprika (just for the salty flavor) small shake Nutritional Yeast (again for the salty flavor) Mix everything that isn't fish in a large measuring cup. Cut fish into large bite size pieces. Put in a big bowl for marinating and pour marinade over it. Meanwhile heat a sauce pan and add olive oil. Add 1 cup of rice. Coat the rice with oil and swirl around in the pan. Add 2 cups of chicken stock to the measuring cup that had the fish marinade in it. It just adds a small amount of flavor. Add to pot and wait for it to boil. Once it boils turn the heat all the way down and simmer for 20 minutes. I like a good nutty flavor so I chopped maybe 1/4 cup of no salt pistachio nuts. Once the rice gets to about 10 minutes, heat the large fry pan. I remember the Frugal Gourmet telling me when I was young that you want a hot pan before you add anything. It keep food from sticking. Hot pan, Cold oil. So once the pan is hot add olive oil and then the fish with as little liquid and you can shake off the fish. Cook about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove fish and pour marinade into the pan to reduce. Sprinkle cilantro over fish. Once sauce is reduce pour that over fish as well. When the rice is done add pistachios and more cilantro. I served this with steamed broccoli. It was pretty darn good!!! On a date night a while back we visited Travinia at Willow Lawn and Chris ordered Cioppino. He was so impressed that I had to try and copy it. This is a recipe that is pretty fluid in it's ingredients, but I'll map it out as best I can. The important piece is the broth.
1 stalk celery chopped 1/2 and onion chopped 2 carrots chopped 1/2 a fennel bulb + 1 stalk Saute all of that until it gets traslucent and all the flavors schmoosch together. Add 3 cloves chopped garlic (I like garlic) When it starts to smell like garlic add 1 can tomatoes a tablespoon or 2 of tomato paste 1/2 a bottle of red wine (anything that's drinkable is fine) Cover, turn down the heat, and let that simmer a bit and then add 1 (or more) teaspoon each dried basil, corriander, thyme, and parsley Let simmer covered for 30 minutes so the broth really fills the house. You can serve the stew over pasta, or rice, or polenta. All are good. Cook the starch accordingly. What ever you choose, you'll want a nice loaf of crusty bread to sop up the broth. About 5-10 minutes before serving you'll add the seafood. All of this is personal for taste, price and freshness. Here's what I like: 1/2 bag mussels 8 clams 8 scallops 4 crab legs a nice firm piece of fish maybe haddock or cod, cut into pieces calamari All or any combination. Lower the seafood into the broth and put a lid on it for about 3-5 minutes,. Check to see if the mussels and clams are open and take off the heat. I like to grate some fresh parmesan and a little squeeze of fresh lemon juice over the top. I'd love to know what you put in your cioppino! Leave me a comment. Always looking to brighten up the dish! |
AuthorI'm not a chef. I have no training. I just really like food. I grew up eating processed food and over time, as a grown up, decided I wanted to cook the kinds of foods I got in restaurants. I have one problem. The doctor put me on a low sodium diet. You'll find there very little if any salt/sodium in this recipes. Just add to your own taste. I will probably do things wrong/differently on this website, but hopefully we'll all learn from each other! Archives
March 2024
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