Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

Warm Lentil Dip

The latest ingredient of the week for the Sunday Small Bites cooking group on slowtravel was lentils. Now these wee dried legumes weren't an ingredient that I was even familiar with until last year when I needed them for another cooking challenge posted by Kim.

I whined and complained about having to use lentils - convinced that I'd hate them. Yet I went ahead and made my lentil soup (after being soundly mocked for my anti-lentil behaviour by Paolo). Of course I discovered that I loved them (more mocking from Paolo) and we have made a number of other lentil recipes since then. Thanks kim!

'tis appropriate that lentils were selected as the ingredient of the week just prior to New Years as lentils are a food that represents luck and prosperity in Italy. The annual rite of consuming good luck food for New Year's Day is observed all over the world.  . . . exactly what you consume depends largely on where your ancestors came from and what was available there during the winter.  

In Italy, lentils are eaten as a symbol of good luck and prosperity because they resemble tiny coins.  Tuscans eat lentils with "Cotechino", a large pork sausage.  People in Bologna and Modena eat lentils with "Zampone", the same sausage mixture stuffed into the skin of a pig's foot.  In the Piedmont, little grains of rice symbolize money, so New Year's Day menus feature risotto and for added luck, a plate of beef or chicken would be served with spinach and lentils.  If you would like to add a "good luck" dish to your New Year's Day menu, you should consider cooking up some lentils.

Now I am always looking for more prosperity. Since increased prosperity would mean more money for travel I was pleased as anything to whip up some lentils. I decided to make a dip that is extremely healthy - no added sodium (if you use sodium-free tomatoes) and very little added fat. We discovered that it is also extremely tasty!

Warm Lentil Dip

2/3 cup red lentils
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons grated, fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
14 oz can diced tomatoes (we used 0 sodium)
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh cilantro

Wash the lentils under cold running water and drain well.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook over medium heat for 3 - 4 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent.

Add the turmeric, cumin, and lentils. Cook stirring for a minute until the mixture is fragrant. Add the water and the undrained tomatoes to the mixture and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

Cool the mixture slightly. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor and process until well combined. Add the cilantro, season, and process until combined.

Makes 2 cups

Sunday Small Bites - Artichokes

The cooks on the slowtravel community forums have been working on a new cooking challenge - instead of each of us preparing the same recipe each week, we are preparing our own appetizer - or Small Bite - that uses a specific main ingredient. So far we have tackled shrimp, crab, sun-dried tomatoes, avocado, goat cheese, smoked salmon, pecans, pumpkin, olives, mushrooms, ginger, cranberries, potatoes, and brie. This week Sharon selected our ingredient and she went with artichoke. Not surprising since she leaves near one of the major artichoke growing areas in the US.

Artichokes present a wee bit of a problem for Canadians - they aren't native. Fresh artichokes that one finds in the store aren't very tasty. The bottled ones that are preserved in oil often taste salty. Because of that I don't often use artichoke sin cooking. Then I heard about frozen artichoke hearts! I picked up two bags when I was in the US on the weekend and I was good to go.

I decided to make a tart that I found on the taste.au website. I didn't follow the recipe exactly - modifying it to go with the ingredients I had on hand.

The results were brilliant - by using thawed, ready to use puff pastry sheets (dear lord, when will they bring THESE to Canada????) the tart is on the table in less than 40 minutes. The combination of olive tapenade, artichoke and feta gave this tart such a wonderful taste! Very easy, tasty and quick recipe.

This makes it a 'keeper'.

Olive, Artichoke, and  Feta Tart

1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry, just thawed
(1/2 cup) black olive tapenade 
3/4 cup cooked artichoke hearts, drained, quartered 
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
1 cup natural (plain) yoghurt
2 eggs, lightly whisked
2 tsp coarsely chopped fresh basil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Line a fluted tart tins (9 " round or a rectangle tin), with removable bases, with pastry and trim any excess. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until pastry puffs and is golden. Remove from oven. Cover pastry with a clean tea towel and push down on the base with your hands to flatten (be careful as the puff pastry is full of HOT steam!).

Spread base with tapenade. Top with artichokes and feta.

Whisk the yoghurt, egg and basil together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over the artichoke/feta mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until just set.

 Remove from oven. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Sunday Small Bites - Goat Cheese

The Sunday Slow Cooks  are a group of cooks from the slow travel community message board. We have been bakers, scoopers, soupers, and tossers (yes, I know that is a derogatory term in some parts of the world ! LOL) No we have taken on a new challenge - instead of each of us preparing the same recipe each week, we are preparing our own appetizer - or Small Bite - that uses a specific main ingredient. So far we have tackled shrimp,  crab, sun-dried tomatoes, and avocado. This week Nancy selected goat cheese as the ingredient of the week.

I knew that we'd be in Athens this week (no, I shall never get tired of saying that) so we made this in advance. The recipe we selected was adapted from one we found in the Cuisine at Home grilling magazine. There recipe called for feta. I substituted goat cheese instead with happy results.

We loved the way the smokey grilled zucchini blended with the goat cheese, herbs, and lemon making this a light but sophisticated treat. This was another appetizer that looks like you cooked for hours when really you spent less than 30 minutes getting it together.

Enjoy!

Grilled Zucchini Roll-ups with Goat Cheese and Herbs

1/4 cup goat cheese, finely crumbled
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened (we used low-fat)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (we used low-fat)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon minced, fresh oregano
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
10 8-inch strips of zucchini, sliced about 1/4 inch and about 2 inches wide
lemon zest and fresh thyme to garnish

Pre-heat the grill to medium high heat.

Combine goat cheese, cream cheese, mayo, thyme, oregano, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper for filling in a bowl.

Brush the zucchini with the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Grill , uncovered, about 2 minutes per side. Set slices to cool.

Pat slices dry with a paper towel. Spread each slice with about 1 teaspoon of the filling on one side. Roll up jelly-roll style.

Top with lemon zest and remaining thyme to garnish.

Crispy Smashed Roasted Potatoes

In my books everyone needs a good potato recipe. One that has lots of possibilities so that you can adjust it to suit a host of menus.

There are those who will argue that potatoes have no place in a healthy diet.

To those people I say: BLECH

I am nothing if not mature.

I have come to the realization that a healthy diet involves moderation, cutting down on fat, cutting down on food quantity, and allowing for a splurge once in awhile.

This theory has allowed me to loose 60 lbs so it can't be that bad.

Back to the potatoes though.

I often make this excellent recipe from Fine Cooking as a side dish or as an appetizer, served with a dollop of creme fraiche and some fresh chopped herbs. It's a really great one for a make-ahead dish for company, since the potatoes can be boiled and smashed and prepared for roasting in advance.

It's incredibly simple, with few ingredients, but can be varied in flavor easily with the addition of a sprinkling of spices (paprika, chile powder, cumin) and/or chopped fresh herbs (chives, cilantro, basil). The recipe is so simple it is great for everyday cooking but is also special enough for company.

Give it a try!

Crispy Smashed Roasted Potatoes

12 to 15 baby red or yellow potatoes (about 1-1/2 oz. each; 1-1/2 to 2 inches in diameter)
2-3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan (preferably in one layer) and cover with at least an inch of water. Add 2 tsp. kosher salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook the potatoes until they are completely tender and can be easily pierced with a metal or wood skewer. Make sure they are cooked through but don’t overcook. The total cooking time will be 30 to 35 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, set up a double layer of clean dishtowels on your counter top. As the potatoes finish cooking, remove them individually from the water, and let them drain and sit for just a minute or two on the dishtowels.

Fold another dishtowel into quarters, and using it as a cover, gently press down on one potato with the palm of your hand to flatten it to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Repeat with all the potatoes. Don’t worry if some break apart a bit; you can still use them.

Cover a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; put a sheet of parchment on top of the foil. Transfer the flattened potatoes carefully to the baking sheet and let them cool completely at room temperature.

Remove the pan of potatoes from the refrigerator, if prepared ahead. Heat the oven to 450°F. Alternatively, if you have a convection function, turn it on and set the temperature at 400°F. Sprinkle the potatoes with about 3/4 tsp. salt and pour the olive oil over them. Lift the potatoes gently to make sure some of the oil goes underneath them and that they are well coated on both sides. Roast the potatoes until they’re crispy and deep brown around the edges, about 30 minutes if using a convection oven, 30 to 40 minutes if roasting conventionally, turning over once gently with a spatula or tongs halfway through cooking. Serve hot.

Sunday Small Bites: Sun-dried Tomatoes

The Sunday Slow Cooks  are a group of cooks from the slow travel community message board. We have been bakers, scoopers, soupers, and tossers (yes, I know that is a derogatory term in some parts of the world ! LOL) No we have taken on a new challenge - instead of each of us preparing the same recipe each week, we are preparing our own appetizer - or Small Bite - that uses a specific main ingredient. So far we have tackled shrimp and crab. This week Amy selected sun-dried tomatoes as the ingredient of the week.

When I was at the grocery store on Thursday I saw that they had a promotion on large mushroom caps - buy 1 package and receive a whack o' air miles. Of course I had to buy some. I don't care if I needed mushroom caps or not - if it was going to get me closer to a trip I was buying the flipping things!

Then I thought about combining them with the sun-dried tomatoes in some magical way. Through the power of google (although it may have been yahoo because I get MORE air miles when I use yahoo to search even though I despise it as a search engine . . . holy digression, Batman!)

Anyway. Where was I?

Oh yes. Through the searching about on the cobwebby corners of the internet I found a recipe for stuff mushroom caps that used sun-dried tomatoes, feta (which I needed to clear out of the fridge), and fresh herbs. MMM

Better yet, it was called Grecian Stuffed Mushrooms.

Given that we will be in Greece in less than two weeks now (pre-trip panic starting to emerge) it seemed a perfect fit.

I don't know if there is anything Grecian about these babies, other than the inclusion of feta and oregano, but let's just go with it shall we?

We had these last night with an amazing grilled mahi mahi dish that Paul pulled together (roasted pepper and orange relish and all) and they were great. In fact, so great that I was left wondering why I don't stuff mushrooms caps more often. I bet it has something to do with the fact that stuffed mushrooms were one of the first things that I perfected as a cook. Therefore they seems so 1980's to me.

Note to self . . . get over it. They're good!

As I made them I couldn't help reflect upon the fact that they are low-calorie, low fat (I used half-fat feta), AND vegetarian.

AND Tasty. More of my food myths tossed out of the darn window.

Enjoy!

Grecian Stuffed Mushrooms

10 sun-dried tomato halves, not packed in oil
2 Tablespoons olive oil
18 large mushrooms
3 medium shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh Greek oregano, finely chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese, finely crumbled

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.

Place dried tomatoes in a small bowl. Cover with hot water. Set aside to soak and soften for 5 mins. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon soaking water. Finely chop tomatoes.

Remove stems from mushroom caps; set caps aside and finely chop stems.

In a small skillet heat oil until hot but not smoking. Add chopped mushroom stems and shallots. Cook until shallots are softened, about 4-5 minutes.

In a medium bowl combine the mushroom mixture, bread crumbs, egg , tomatoes, reserved tomato liquid, parsley, oregano, and crumbled feta. Stir to blend.

Stuff mushroom caps with the tomato mixture; place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from oven and transfer mushrooms to a serving platter to serve immediately.

Pasta with Kalamata Olives and Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce

This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging - one of the longest running food blog 'events' on the web.  This week it is being hosted by Chriesi from Almond Corner. Weekend Herb Blogging was created by Kalyn and is now organized by Haalo, WHB is now in its 4th successful year of showcasing every week delicious (and often unusal) foods prepared using herbs, fruits and vegetables by bloggers around the world.

More on tomatoes after after the post . . .

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Given the summer that wasn't here in Ontario it took a LONG time for our tomato plants to furnish us with some ripe tomatoes. Because our garden is small we only plant cherry and pear tomato plants. All some they were prolific, producing huge quantities of green tomatoes but nothing ripe. Then with a few weeks of warm, sunny weather they all ripened at once!

On Saturday we were looking for something that we could make that might use some of this bounty up. We came upon this recipe at the epicurious site. The tomatoes are roasted with olive oil, vinegar, and garlic - resulting in a delicious, full-flavoured sauce. It is amazing the difference that roasting the tomatoes makes - taking the flavour to an entirely new level of goodness.

The nice thing about this recipe is that much of it can be done ahead - the most labour intensive part is prepping the tomatoes (and I an loath to call THAT labour intensive because it really isn't). This can be done in advance (the recipe says 2 hours but you could make it the day before, refrigerate it, and bring the tomatoes to room temperature while making the pasta). This would make it a perfect week-night staple.

We loved this recipe! Don't leave the pine nuts out; they added a great crunch to the dish and the nutty flavor blended with tomatoes and olives very well.

 Pasta with Kalamata Olives and Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce

2 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1 pound farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
1/2 cup halved pitted Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives
1/4 cup drained capers
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Combine tomatoes, oil, garlic, vinegar, and crushed red pepper in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast until tomatoes are tender and juicy, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Stir in oregano. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Return to pot. Add tomato mixture, olives, and capers. Stir over medium heat until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add feta and stir until melted and creamy, about 2 minutes. Divide pasta among 6 plates; sprinkle with pine nuts and serve.

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From southdreamz . . .

There are many health benefits of eating tomatoes. Tomatoes contain compounds that have been proven to help prevent cancer, heart disease cataracts and many others.

New research is beginning to indicate that tomatoes may be used to help prevent lung cancer. Two powerful compounds found in tomatoes-coumaric acid and chlorogenic acid-are thought to block the effects of nitrosamines. These are compounds that not only are formed naturally in the body, but also are the strongest carcinogen in tobacco smoke. By blocking the effects of these nitrosamines, the chances of lung cancer are reduced significantly.

When choosing your tomatoes, be sure to pick those with the most brilliant shades of red. These indicate the highest amounts of betacarotene and lycopene. Though raw tomatoes are great for you, cooking them releases even more of the benefits. Lycopene is located in the cell wall of the tomato, so by cooking in a bit of oil, this healing compound is more fully released. In addition cooking the tomato in olive oil allows your body to absorb the lycopene better. Don’t worry about the availability of fresh tomatoes. Tomatoes don’t lose any of their nutritional value in the high heat processing , making canned tomatoes and tomato sauce are both just as viable and beneficial as fresh tomatoes.

Tomatoes are rich in Vitamin C and in lycopene, a protective factor against prostrate cancer. They are also a source of potassium - essential for balancing our sodium intake and for proper cell performance as well as for regulating blood pressure.

They contain folate, niacin and Vitamin B6 (an anti-inflammatory) and Vitamin K (which aids the body's fight against osteoporosis).

Tomatoes are second only to potatoes in terms of the quantity of vegetables we consumers eat, so, scientists are now trying to grow tomatoes with a wider range of health providing qualities. The first anthocyanin-laden tomatoes were produced in 2004 at Oregon State University. Anthocyanin is one of the compounds that makes red wine healthy.

The latest informed speculation on the health benefits of tomatoes concerns lung cancer.

Tomato Health Facts

• Eating tomatoes, ketchup, tomato sauce and tomato paste-topped pizza more than two times a week can reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 21 to 43 percent according to Dr. Edward Giovannucci of the Harvard University School of Public Health.
• "The only nutrient that turned out to have significant preventative value (against prostate cancer) was lycopene," writes Dr. Giovannucci who also found that lycopene was most efficiently absorbed into the body when accompanied by dietary fats (limpids).
• "Cooking tomatoes in oil encourages intestinal absorption and results in a two-to-threefold rise in plasma lycopene concentrations," said Dr. Giovannucci. "Tomato sauce is one of the best lycopene sources."
• Men who eat two or more servings of tomato products average a 35 percent reduction in prostate cancer risk.
• Tomato products are beneficial in aggressive cancers that have also spread to other parts of the body.
• The best food sources of lycopene according to the Tomato Research Council in New York City: ( Amount of lycopene in one ounce) Tomato Sauce, Spaghetti Sauce, Ketchup (5 mg); Tomato Soup, Canned Tomatoes, Tomato Juice, Vegetable Juice (3 mg); Minestrone Soup, Vegetable Soup, Pink Grapefruit (1 mg)
• Lycopene helps women guard against cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia, (CIN), tumorous tissue growth in the cervix according to research from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
• Lycopene is a powerful inhibitor of the growth of breast, endometrium (inner lining of the uterus) and lung cancer cells.
• Tomatoes are good for the eyes. Lycopene, the most abundant carotenoid in the blood serum, was found to be the key antioxidant that guards against ARMD ( Age-Related Macular Degeneration), a condition that may cause blindness.
• Tomatoes are high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and Potassium
• Lycopene is an inhibitor to heart disease.

Other Health Benefits of Tomato :

1. A large consumption of tomato can help improve skin texture and color. 
2. Tomato is a good blood purifier.
3. Tomato helps in cases of congestion of the liver (protects the liver from cirrhosis) as well as for dissolving gallstones.
4. Tomato is a natural antiseptic therefore it can help protect against infectionNicotinic acid in tomatoes can help to reduce blood cholesterol, thus helps prevent heart diseases.
5. Vitamin K in tomatoes helps to prevent hemorrhages.
6. Tomato contain lycopene (the red pigment in tomato), this pigment is a powerful antioxident that can also fight cancer cells.

Tomato Pie

Normally I would not have given this recipe a second thought. I rarely attempt those that have prepared mayonnaise as one of the main ingredients. However, since Elise, author of Simply Recipes, was sharing it I thought 'hmmm'.

Once Paul saw the picture he declared 'you have to make that!'

He couldn't care a less if there was mayonnaise or anything else in the pie for that matter!

Given the glut of tomatoes we had in the fridge and the fresh basil in the garden this was the perfect thing to make for dinner on Friday.

We both agreed that this was delicious!  It was easy to make and came together in next to no time - the flavour was incredible - in fact, one would assume that far more time over a hot stove was needed to turn out an amazing treat like this - my kind of recipe!

Enjoy!

Tomato Pie

• 1 9-inch pie shell
• 1/2 yellow or red onion, chopped
• 3-4 tomatoes, cut in half horizontally, squeezed to remove excess juice, roughly chopped, to yield approximately 3 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup sliced basil (about 8 leaves)*
• 2 cups grated cheese (combination of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack, or Gruyere or Mozarella)
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon (or more to taste) of Frank's Hot Sauce (or Tabasco)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

*To slice basil, chiffonade them by stacking the leaves on top of each other, roll them up like a cigar, starting at one end slice the "cigar" crosswise in thin slices.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pie shell in oven and cook for 8-10 minutes or longer until lightly golden. If you are starting with a frozen crust, you'll need to cook it a little longer. If you are using a homemade crust, freeze the crust first, then line the crust with aluminum foil and pre-bake it for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Squeeze as much moisture as you can out of the chopped tomatoes, using either paper towels, a clean dish towel, or a potato ricer.

Sprinkle the bottom of the pre-cooked pie shell with chopped onion. Spread the chopped tomatoes over the onions. Sprinkle the sliced basil over the tomatoes

In a medium bowl, mix together the grated cheese, mayonnaise, Tabasco, a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground black pepper. The mixture should be the consistency of a gooey snow ball. Spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes.

Place in oven and bake until browned and bubbly, anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes.

Let sit for 10 minutes prior to serving.

Serves 6.

Tortellini Salad

Today marks the last of our salad exploration. 18 weeks  . . . 18 great salads. To be honest I can't believe that we're finished - Paul accused me of being confused when we were out walking last night. He was sure that we had missed a month of salads somewhere.

This week's salad was posted by Ida. She posted a salad that was true to her Italian heritage with lots of delicious Mediterranean flavours . . . sun-dried tomatoes, olives, roasted red peppers . . . all mixed with cheese tortellini. No, you wouldn't find this amazing salad on the menu in Italy, but what do they know anyway? LOL This is definitely one of those few times when North American Italian food RULES!

We really liked this salad for its robust flavours; neither of us could stop eating it. Ida warned us that the recipe made a large bowl - and it did. This would be a great salad to make for a party or a pot luck - you'll be the most popular person there!

The only change that we made to the recipe was to add about 1/4 cup basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade. The nice thing about this recipe is that you can play around with it, adding or deleting things based upon preference.

Enjoy!

Tortellini Salad

1 lb fresh or frozen tortellini or a Barilla bag of dry tortellini
1 container of pearl or small sized fresh mozzarella balls
16 oz jar of julienne cut sun-dried tomatoes in oil PLUS oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 large bunch Italian parsley, chopped fine
1 jar black dried olives in oil, pitted and sliced
16 oz jar marinated artichokes, cut into pieces
1 jar marinated red peppers, cut in strips
S/P and some extra virgin olive oil

Boil pasta as per package instructions making sure not to over boil it! Drain, and set aside.

In a very very large bowl mix together the cheese through to the roasted red peppers.

Add cooked tortellini and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. If the salad is 'dry' add more olive oil.

Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavours to blend.

Pacific Snapper with Fennel Slaw

This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging - one of the longest running food blog 'events' on the web.  This week it is being hosted by Prof. Kitty from The Cabinet of Prof. Kitty. Weekend Herb Blogging was created by Kalyn and is now organized by Haalo, WHB is now in its 4th successful year of showcasing every week delicious (and often unusal) foods prepared using herbs, fruits and vegetables by bloggers around the world.

More on fennel after after the post . . .

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The other day Paul was looking for a quick fish recipe to make for dinner. I had some snapper in the freezer that I had bought for fish tacos but hadn't used. He wanted to use that up so soon he was at work searching for a recipe for snapper. He came upon this one on the food network site. It is by one of our favourite Canadian cooks - Christine Cushing.

I thought that his head would explode when he read over the recipe . . . it combined the fish he wanted to cook with his favourite vegetable - fennel.

SOLD

It was quick and easy to pull together - even though the list of ingredients seems a tad intimidating. The only thing that I had to do was to provide advice with the use of the mandolin when it appeared that Paul was about to shave his thumb into the slaw . . .

We both really enjoyed this recipe. The combination has great fresh flavours – perfect for a summertime meal. Instead of pan-frying, you could also grill the fish. Just rub fish with some of the olive oil before grilling.

Enjoy!

Pacific Snapper with Fennel Slaw

4 x fillets Pacific snapper, each fillet about 6-ounces, skin on (180 grams)
3 tbsp olive oil (45 ml)
1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme (15 ml)
grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp toasted ground cumin seed (2 ml)
1 tbsp fresh chopped coriander (15 ml)
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley (15 ml)
juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Mix cumin, parsley, thyme, coriander and lemon zest together in a bowl. Season the fish with salt and pepper and rub the herb and spice mixture over fish. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil to a large non-stick sauté pan over medium high heat. Pan sear fish for 2 minutes per side. Squeeze lemon juice over the fish and drizzle with remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil. Cover and steam for 2 to 3 minutes or until fish is just cooked through.

2 tbsp sherry vinegar (30 ml)
2 tbsp olive oil (30 ml)
1 tbsp lemon juice (15 ml)
1/2 head fennel finely shaved (preferably shaved on mandolin)
1/2 small red onion, finely sliced
1 x carrot, julienned
Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper
pinch of sugar
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley (60 ml

Combine the sherry vinegar, olive and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add the fennel, carrot and red onion. Season with salt, pepper and pinch of sugar. Add parsley and toss.

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Now how about that fennel?

The hardy biennial or perennial Foeniculum vulgare (derived from the Latin word “foenum” which means fragrant hay) — commonly known as fennel — is a member of the parsley family.

In its wild state, its bright green stalk with yellow gold flowers grows to four or five feet tall and has smooth feather-like leaves. Cultivated, it needs to be cut back to maintain strength. Indigenous to Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, it essentially spread throughout the world. Today, it’s grown mostly in India, China, Egypt and Turkey.

Fennel is known for its beauty as much as for its aroma and flavour. The stalks and stems are eaten as vegetables and have a licorice-like taste but it’s the seeds that are used to spice dishes. Seeds are oval, green or yellow/brown, have a sweet scent and warm, sweet taste. Fennel seeds have been said to be anise-like but they’re sweeter and more aromatic. Seeds are clustered and harvested once the flowers have died and the seeds have dried.

Today, fennel seeds are mostly sourced in India and Egypt and used in curry powder mixes, spice mixes for fish and spice blends from India, Scandinavia, China and the Mediterranean. Fennel seeds are also used in baked good and liqueurs. In India, fennel seeds are used as an after-dinner breath freshener and digestive.

Fennel has symbolized many things in the past. In Ancient Greece, fennel was given the name Marathon because the Battle of Marathon against the Persians took place in a field of fennel. Fennel then, was used to symbolize victory, longevity, strength and courage. In Medieval England, the plant was used to ward off witchcraft and hung on doors to ward off evil spirits. The Puritans called them “The Meeting Seed” since it was chewed during meetings.

In France, India, Iran and Russia, fennel seeds are cultivated specifically for their medicinal properties. The seeds do have a long medicinal history and were originally cultivated by the Ancient Romans who identified at least 22 uses — including to improve eyesight and to relieve jaundice.

As early as the Third Century, Hippocrates prescribed fennel to combat infant colic. And even today fennel is known for relieving gastrointestinal disorders and indigestion since it relieves spasms in the digestive system. It also acts as a diuretic and both a pain and fever-reducer. In Latin America, fennel seeds are believed to boost the production of breast milk in nursing mothers. Fennel seed tea has been used to treat food poisoning, snake and insect bites, to increase urine flow and help with menstruation.

Fennel seeds may be chewed whole or steeped to make tea (use one-half teaspoon of crushed seeds per one cup of boiling water).

Southern Mustard Potato Salad

 This week it was Sandi's turn to select a salad for us to try. Given that she is a published cookbook author you just knew that the salad would be awesome! The recipe she picked is a family favourite - a combination of a southern potato salad and a German mustard potato salad.

Sandi pointed out that there are as many recipes for potato salad as there are potatoes . . . in fact I suspect that each and every family has their own favourite recipe that  MUST. NOT. BE. ALTERED. AT. ANY. TIME! You know of what I refer to. What most seem to agree on is that potato salad is a dish made from potatoes, and varies throughout different regions and countries of the world. WHEW That was tough.

With respect to its place among the various individual menu courses served together as one meal, it is better classified as a side dish rather than a salad per se, as it generally accompanies the main course.

This is our plan. We're having some friends over tonight for a BBQ feast of wings and ribs and we thought that this would be the perfect salad to join the menu. Paul did the taste test yesterday and declared it incredible. I was a bit surprised given that it features mustard and he is well-known for being mustard-phobic, nonetheless it was a hit with him. The salad is a great blend of flavours and crunch. MMM

We also made Sandi's incredible cole slaw recipe from her cookbook which is a tangy vinegar cole slaw. We've made it a couple of times and have found that it just vanishes from the bowl.

If you're looking for a awesome salad to take to a picnic or BBQ give these a try - although you'll need to buy her cookbook to get the recipe for the cole slaw!

Enjoy!

Southern Mustard Potato Salad

1-2 pounds potatoes
4-5 hard boiled eggs
1 sweet onion, diced
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup pickle relish
3 Tbs spicy mustard
1/2 cup mayo

Clean potatoes then boil them whole. Once tender, 15-20 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool. Dice onion and celery. Dice potatoes into large chunks.

In another bowl whisk together mayo, mustard and pickle relish. Add kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Stir all ingredients together. Finally, peel and slice the hard boiled eggs and stir those in as well. Serve warm or cold.