Saturday, April 14, 2007

Saturday Dinner: Stuffed cabbage



This stuffed cabbage was probably the first real food that I made, which means I've made this dish many many times since then. Every time, I do something little different, but tonight's stuffed cabbage was really really good.

Stuffed cabbage (for 4 people):
Cabbage (1 medium) - You need 8 nice size leaves.
Ground beef (1 pound)
Onion (1-1/2 medium)
Carrot (1 large)
Celery (1 stalk)
Button mushrooms (1/2 cup sliced)
Bacon (3 pieces)
Olive oil (1/2 Tbsp, 1/2 Tbsp)
Salt
Pepper
Dried oregano (1 tsp)
Garlic (1 clove, 2 cloves)
Nutmeg (1/2 tsp)
Bay leaf (1 large)
Grated Parmesan cheese - freshly grated is the best
Egg (1)
Bread crumbs (1/4 cup)
Canned tomatoes, whole or diced (2 cups)
Water (2 cups)

1. Boil a potful of water. Make incisions on the stem part of the cabbage and take off 8 leaves, being careful not to tear them. Boil cabbage leaves in the boiling water until tender. Be careful not to boil them too much. You just wanted them to be soft enough so you can roll them up.
2. Dice 3/4 of the onion finely. Peel and dice 1 clove of garlic. It's easy if you use a food processor. Saute the oinon in a pan with a pinch of salt, diced garlic, and 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil until tender. Let cool.
3. Peel and cut the carrot into 1/3 inch thick pieces. Cut the celery stalk into 1/3 inch thick pieces. Slice the rest of the onion. Slice bacons into 1/3 inch pieces.
4. Mix sauteed onion, egg, bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, ground beef, a good pinch of salt, pepper, dried oregano, and nutmeg. Mix really well with hands until the mixture is kind of sticky. Divide into 8 equal portions.
5. Spread a cabbage leaf out. Place one portion of the meat mixture on the cabbage leaf and wrap it up. You want to roll up the leaf, tucking in the edges of the leaf. Make 8 stuffed cabbages.
6. Peel and dice 2 cloves of garlic. In a large dutch oven, heat 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil and diced garlic. When you start to smell the garlic in the air, put bacons in. When you start to smell the bacon, add the sliced onion. Keep sauteing until the onion is really tender. Add carrots and celery. Saute for a minute or two.
7. Place all the stuffed cabbage in, making sure they are not on top of each other. Put canned tomatoes, water, and a bay leaf. Once the soup comes to boil, turn the heat down. Add a teaspoon of salt, a pinch of pepper, and mushrooms. Simmer for as long as you can until the cabbage is really tender.

For the side dish, I grilled fennel and spring onions and marinaded them with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Very simple, but really flavorful. Stuffed cabbage goes well with rice, but you can serve it with baguette or pasta. Enjoy!


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How to cut fish




I find that the easiest way for me to cut up fish is to take full advantage of the kitchen scissors for each step and also get rid of the head with guts rather than cutting open the fish and trying to clean the guts away first. Of course, if you bought fish that has already been cleaned, this is not an issue. Cutting fish takes practice, and quite frankly I'm still learning how, but I think it's worth it because then you get access to many more kinds of fish than if you are restricted to already-filleted fish.


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Thursday Dinner: Non-fried "fried" fish



Tonight, I made non-fried "fried" fish salad. It's a nice alternative to frying because frying takes a lot of oil, which means more cleaning hassle and calories.

Non-fried "fried" fish (for 2 people):
Fish fillet (2 large) - I used flounder that I had in my freezer, but you can use salmon, cod, sablefish, or really any fish you like.
Bread crumbs (about 1 cup) - I used panko (Japanese bread crumbs), but regular bread crumbs may be a better choice for this particular recipe, since the crust is really crunchy.
Flour (as needed)
Egg (1)
Cooking spray
Salt
Pepper

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.
1. Cut fish fillet into 1 inch pieces. Pat dry and salt and pepper both sides.
2. Put cooking spray on a pan and toast bread crumbs on medium-high heat until they're golden brown. This process is very important.
3. Coat fish pieces with flour and then beaten egg.
4. Put toasted bread crumbs on the fish pieces.
5. Put the fish pieces on a cookie sheet or baking sheet, making sure that the pieces are not on top of each other. Bake for 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish fillet until they start to produce nice smell.

I put these "fried" fish on Boston lettuce bed with avocado and tomatoes. For dressing, I used balsamic vinegar mixed an equal part of olive oil and a touch of honey. Balsamic vinegar goes really well with the fish. I also served couscous on the side.


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Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Wednesday Dinner: Chicken skewers with Asian slaw



Today, I made skewers for the first time. They were good! Asian slaw is from Cooking Light website and is a great Asian salad.

Chicken skewers (for 2-3 people):
Chicken breast (6 oz)
Soy sauce (2 Tbsp)
Mirin (2 Tbsp)
Sesame paste or ground sesame (1 Tbsp)

1. Soak 6 skewers in water for as long as you can to prevent them from burning.
2. Slice chicken breast into 6 strips and put the strips into mixture of soy sauce, mirin, and sesame paste. Let stand for about 10-20 minutes. Put chicken strips onto the skewers.
3. Grill chicken skewers on a hot skillet/pan both sides for about 2 minutes.

On the side, I served Asian slaw and rice.


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Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Tuesday Dinner: Seared swordfish with cilantro pesto



Today, I decided to make cilantro pesto, using the recipe from Cooking Light website. I was kind of skeptical about the idea of having cilantro, ginger, and Parmesan cheese all together, but actually it was really really good. You should definitely try it. I used it as a sauce over seared swordfish, but you can use grilled chicken also.

Cilantro pesto (3/4 cup):
Chopped green onions (1/2 cup)
Fresh lime juice (2 Tbsp)
Grated peeled fresh ginger (1 Tbsp)
Salt (3/4 tsp)
Fresh ground black pepper (1/2 tsp)
Ground red pepper (dash)
Garlic cloves, minced (2)
Grated fresh Parmesan cheese (1 ounce, 2 cups loosely packed)
Extravirgin olive oil (2 Tbsp)

Put all ingredients except for olive oil in a food processor. Process until finely minced and drizzle in the olive oil with the processor on.

Sear fish pieces on a really hot skillet until both sides have grill marks, but not cooking all the way through. I also served salad and rice on the side.


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Monday, April 9, 2007

Monday Dinner: 9-spice pork



This recipe was adapted from a recipe in Cooking Light.

9-spice pork (for 4 people):
Pork loin (4 pieces, 1/2 inch thick)
Brown sugar (1 Tbsp)
Salt (1 tsp)
Paprika (1 tsp)
Chili powder (1 tsp)
Garlic powder (3/4 tsp)
Cumin (3/4 tsp)
Whole grain dijon mustard (2 tsp)
Ground allspice (1/8 tsp)
Ground red pepper (1/8 tsp)
Cooking spray

1. Combine all the spices. Rub the mixture onto both sides of pork loin.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat an oven-safe grill pan over high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add pork and grill it until it gets nice grill marks or brown. Flip the pork and finish cooking in the oven until cooked throughly.

I served it with sauteed spinach with garlic. I also served pumpkin soup that I made over the weekend with real pumpkin.


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