Portuguese Skillet Haddock Recipe

Portuguese Skillet Haddock is another extremely healthy dishes from the Old Farmer's Almanac Garden Fresh Cookbook. Most of the flavor in this dish comes from a simple combination of sautéed vegetables along with the traditional Portuguese ingredient, port wine. We prepared this dish with haddock but it would work well with other varieties of white fish.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
6 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp. Madeira wine
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 1 tspn dried basil
1/2 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon or 1/2 tspn. dried tarragon
1/8 tspn. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sliced zucchini
1 1/2 pounds haddock, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup sliced, pitted black olives
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Preparation:

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil and sauté the scallions, celery, mushrooms, and garlic for 3 minutes, stirring constantly so that the garlic doesn't turn brown.
   
2. Add the tomatoes, lemon juice, wine, basil, tarragon, and pepper.
3. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add the zucchini and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add the fish, cover the pan, and continue cooking until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 10 minutes.
6. Stir in the black olives.
7. Serve over rice, garnished with chopped parsley.

Makes 5 servings.

Recipe courtesy of The Old Farmer's Almanac Garden-Fresh Cookbook.

Portugal

Goat-Cheese Stuffed Peppadews Recipe

This recipe for Goat-Cheese Stuffed Peppadews comes from Grey’s Anatomy star Jessica Capshaw, who hosted a party at her Southern California home last month. The menu featured several easy, delicious, low calorie dishes all of which will be featured next month in SELF Magazine. Other recipes in this feature include Shrimp and Grits Cakes, Turkey Meatballs with Sage and Cranberries, Parsnip-Leek Soup with Lump Crab, and Speakeasy Sparkler.

In addition to these recipes, Capshaw and her husband Christopher Gavigan, an avid environmental advocate, have included some eco-friendly tips for hosting your own get-together. These include going to RecycleBank.com to pledge to recycle and receive up to $50 in coupons on party fare, using mini-pumpkins or apples from your local farmer’s market as a centerpiece instead of flowers flown from far-away locales, and using washable dinnerware or items made from renewable materials from bambuhome.com instead of disposable plates and cups.

As a side note, Jessica was joined last week on Grey’s Anatomy by another actress, foodie, and IRS contributor, Sharon Muthu. Last summer, Muthu and fellow actor, Noshir Dalal represented the International Recipe Syndicate at the Beverly Hills Farmer’s Market Chili Cook-off by cooking up a batch of Arrogant Bastard Chili for a host of distinguished judges including Food Network's Aarti Sequeira.
This recipe for Goat-Cheese Stuffed Peppadews and Arrogant Bastard Chili are both great choices for easy, great tasting recipes to entertain friends this Fall. Check out the upcoming November issue of SELF for more recipes from Jessica’s SOCAL Holiday Party.

Goat-Cheese Stuffed Peppadews



The bite-size sweet red peppers in this recipe are a tasty, low-cal vehicle for delicious cheese; plus, their mild heat can help warm you up from the inside out as the temperature begins to drop.

Ingredients:
1 jar (14 oz) Peppadew Mild Whole Sweet Piquante Peppers or Italian cherry peppers, pickled or brined (found in pickle aisle)
4 oz goat cheese
1/3 cup fromage blanc or quark cheese, drained in a strainer for at least 1 hour
2 tbsp finely chopped scallions
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley, divided

Preparation:

1. Drain Peppadews upside down on a rack. If necessary, and taking care not to slice peppers open, pare bottoms so they sit flat.
2. In a food processor, blend cheeses, scallions and 2 tbsp parsley.
3. In a bowl, season cheese mixture with salt and black pepper.
4. Fill a pastry bag (or resealable bag with a corner snipped) with cheese mixture; chill 1 hour.
5. Pipe cheese evenly into each pepper.
6. Sprinkle tops with remaining 2 tbsp parsley.

Make-ahead tip:
You can prep the cheese filling 24 hours in advance and store it in the bag in the fridge; remove it 1/2 hour before needed. Stuffed peppers can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours.

THE DISH:
126 calories per 2 stuffed peppers, 7 g fat (4 g saturated), 10 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 5 g protein

Serves 8

United States [ print this recipe for Goat-Cheese Stuffed Peppadews ]

Corazón de Camarena Recipe

If you are looking for a easy to make cocktail that features some of the classic ingredients of Summer, look no further. The Corazón de Camarena features the unique combination of tequila, strawberry, and fresh basil.

Recommended Equipment:
cocktail shaker

Ingredients:
2 oz Familia Camarena Reposado Tequila
1/2 cup strawberry simple syrup (*see recipe below)
2 oz fresh lime juice
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tspn agave nectar
fresh strawberries, sliced

Ingredients - strawberry syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
5 sliced strawberries



Preparation:

1. Place the basil in the bottom of a cocktail shaker, pour in the tequila.
2. Use the back of a spoon (or muddler) to mash the basil leaves into the tequila.
3. Fill the shaker with ice and add strawberry simple syrup, lime juice and agave nectar.
4. Fill with ice, shake and strain into a high ball glass over ice.
5. Garnish with sliced strawberries on the rim and ribbons of basil mixed in the drink.

Preparation - Strawberry Syrup Recipe:

1. Combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and 5 sliced strawberries in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. Cool the syrup, then strain the liquid through a sieve, pressing the strawberries to extract all liquid.

Mexico

Caramel Apple Cranberry Trifle Recipe

I made up this recipe for Caramel Apple Cranberry Trifle last month for a recipe contest. I wanted to create a dessert that features some of the many great flavors of Autumn. The top layer is a miniature Waldorf salad which includes fresh apples. The next layer is butterscotch pudding which approximates the flavor of caramel. A layer of bread pudding is next with a rich vanilla flavor. At the very bottom is a layer of cranberry jello that provides a tart finish to this rich and creamy dessert.

Ingredients:
bread pudding
2 packets of Jello brand cranberry gelatin
2 packets of Jello brand butterscotch instant pudding
1 container of Cool Whip sugar-free topping
1 apple, diced (do not remove the skin)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup marshmallows (small)
1/4 tspn celery salt
1/2 tspn sugar
1 cinnamon stick

Preparation:

1. Prepare the bread pudding and then let it cool to room temperature.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the diced apple, 1 cup of Cool Whip topping, the mayonnaise, celery salt, marshmallows, and sugar. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. In separate bowls, prepare the cranberry Jello and butterscotch pudding according to the directions on the box.
4. Assemble the trifles by adding the ingredients in the following order: First, add the cranberry Jello and refrigerate.
   
5. After the gelatin has become firm, add a layer of bread pudding to each trifle..
6. Next, add a layer of butterscotch pudding.
7. Next, add a layer of the apple, marshmallow, whip cream mixture.
8. Top each trifle with a layer of Cool Whip topping and fresh ground cinnamon. This recipe makes about 7 large trifles.
   

England

Chả Giò (Minced Pork Roll) Recipe

I learned how to make Chả Giò from my friend and lab partner Hanh Tran during my graduate studies at Oregon State. It is a simple recipe but it is better if you have a friend or two help you with the rolling since this can be quite labor intensive on your own. Also, this is another great dish to make for parties as you can roll the Chả Giò the day before, then refrigerate them overnight, and fry them an hour or two before the party begins. You can serve Chả Giò with many different sauces but be sure to include Nước Mắm as this is a perfect combination with this dish.

Recommended Equipment:
deep fryer

Ingredients:
1 pound ground pork
2 tspn sugar
1/2 tspn MSG (optional)
1/2 tspn Kosher salt
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
2 packs of Lunkow brand bean thread

1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 egg
2 carrots, minced
1 - 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, diced
4 green onions, diced
1 box Lumpia wrappers


Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the ground pork, sugar, MSG (optional), garlic powder, and Kosher salt.
2. In a separate bowl, soak the bean thread in cold water for about 20 minutes. The thread will become soft and malleable. Remove the thread from the water and pat off any excess moisture using a paper towel. Dice up the bean thread and add to the ground pork mixture.
   
3. Dice up the onion and garlic and add to the ground pork mixture.
4. Mince the carrots and dice the green onions and cilantro. Before adding these ingredients to the ground pork mixture, be sure to squeeze out any excess water.
   
5. After you have added the carrots, cilantro and green onions, cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
   
6. Heat up the oil (I used canola) in the deep fryer. When the oil has reached frying temperature, test a small amount of the pork mixture by making a small ball and dropping it into the deep fryer. After 4 minutes, remove the ball of pork and test the flavor. If you need to adjust the flavor, do so now.
7. Using the Lumpia wrappers, roll out the chả giò. See the photos below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Next, drop 3 to 4 of the rolls into the deep fryer and cook until the chả giò begin to turn golden brown. Do not cook more than 4 at a time to ensure that the chả giò cook evenly.
   
9. Remove the chả giò from the oil, and set them on a paper towel to dry. Keep them warm on a baking sheet in the oven until you have cooked all of the chả giò.
10. Serve hot with Nước Mắm fish sauce.
    

Vietnam

Nước Mắm (fish sauce) Recipe

My friend Hanh taught me how to make this sauce at her house in Portland, Oregon during graduate school. We made this along with about 250 egg rolls. Nước Mắm is a Vietnamese condiment that is easy to prepare but you may want to open the windows in the kitchen before you begin to cook it as it emits a potent aroma. The end result, however, is a golden, briny sauce that is the perfect companion to the Egg Roll recipe that I will be posting this week.

Ingredients:
1 cup "Squid" brand fish sauce (see photo below)
2 cups water
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup sugar
3 cloves garlic, diced
6-8 pickled leeks or scallions, chopped
Preparation:

1. In a medium sized saucepan, mix together the fish sauce, water, vinegar, and sugar.
2. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Lightly boil the mixture for about ten minutes, skimming off and discarding any bubbles as it cooks.
4. Let cool and then pour into a jar and refrigerate. It will last for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
   
5. When you are ready to use this sauce, add the garlic and leeks (or scallions) and serve with egg rolls.
   

Fish Sauce

Vietnam

Sun Dried Tomato Calzone Recipe

This calzone recipe features all that is great about Mediterranean cuisine. The shell is highlighted by a hint of lemon zest and a dusting of Parmesan cheese. The filling includes 2 thin slices of prosciutto topped with fresh mozzarella cheese, diced onions, garlic, basil, oregano, and sun dried tomatoes.

Ingredients - dough:
1 cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1 tspn Kosher salt
3/4 tspn sugar
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
zest of 1/2 of one lemon
1 tbsp olive oil

Ingredients - sauce:
oil from sun dried tomatoes (about 4 tbsp)
1/2 tspn dry parsley flakes
1 tspn crushed red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic
1 tspn basil
1/2 tspn oregano
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Ingredients - filling:
prosciutto, thinly sliced
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced
1 jar sun dried tomatoes (I used Bella Sun Luci)
1 yellow onion, diced

Preparation:

1. In a small bowl, mix together the warm water, yeast, salt, and sugar. Let sit for 20 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour and lemon zest. Make a small well in the middle of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture.
3. Knead the dough for 10 minutes. Coat the ball of dough with the olive oil and place it in a bowl covered with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rest for an hour in a warm place. The dough should almost double in size.
   
4. While you wait for the dough to rise, prepare the sauce. In a small saucepan, mix together the oil from the sun dried tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, basil, oregano, dried parsley flakes, red pepper flakes and garlic.
5. Heat the mixture over medium heat. When it begins to boil, remove pan from the heat then set aside.
   
6. After the dough has rested for an hour, turn the dough out of the bowl onto a floured, flat surface. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Form each of the pieces into balls and place them back into the bowl. Cover the bowl and let sit for another 15 minutes.
   
   
   
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out each ball into a flat, round piece of dough that is about 8 to 10 inches in diameter.
9. Place 2 thin slices of prosciutto in the center of each piece of dough.
   
10. Place 2 to 3 thin slices of mozzarella on top of the prosciutto.
    
11. Next, place the diced onions on the mozzarella.
12. Chop up 4 to 5 sun dried tomatoes for each calzone and place the pieces on top of the onions and mozzarella.
    
13. Top each calzone with 1 to 2 teaspoons of the sauce and a teaspoon of Parmesan cheese.
    
14. Fold the calzone once to enclose the filling with the dough. Pinch along the edges or use a fork to seal the calzone. Cut a small slit in the top of each calzone.
    
15. Lightly baste the tops of the calzones with oil from the sauce and dust them with Parmesan cheese.
    
16. Place the calzones on a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
17. Remove from oven and let the calzones cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Italy [ print this recipe for Sun Dried Tomato Calzone ]

Turkey Samosa Recipe

Every Indian mom has a signature dish. This recipe for turkey samosas is my mother-in-law's specialty. After 6 years, I finally had the chance to watch her prepare a batch of turkey samosas from start to finish. I tried to take as many photos along the way to help you as you make this great Indian treat.

The samosas that I have tried at most Indian restaurants are large, over stuffed with potato and for the most part, have a bland flavor. They are wrapped in a thick dough and deep fried. The turkey samosas that you will get using this recipe will taste completely different than most that you will find in a restaurant. They are bite-size, with a thin crispy wrapper and packed with spicy turkey and vegetables.

When you make turkey samosas, you will need to make 5 components and then combine them to form the filling. Then you will assemble the samosas using the filling, pot-sticker wrappers, and water to seal the samosas. My mother in law usually has a batch of filling on hand at all times. When people stop by the house, she can roll up a small batch of samosas, put them in the deep fryer, and serve them in a matter of minutes. So this recipe is another great choice if you are planning on having a party and you need to have some of the food prepared ahead of time.

Ingredients - ground turkey:

1 pound turkey, ground
1/2 tspn turmeric
1/2 tspn garlic powder
1/4 tspn dry ginger
1/4 tspn crushed red pepper
1/4 tspn cayenne pepper
1/2 tspn Kosher salt
1/4 tspn black pepper

Ingredients - mixed vegetables:

1 cup peas and carrots
1/4 tspn turmeric
1/4 tspn garlic powder
1/8 tspn dry ginger
1/8 tspn crushed red pepper
1/8 tspn cayenne pepper
1/4 tspn Kosher salt
1/8 tspn black pepper

Ingredients - potato mixture:

1/2 of a russet potato
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 tspn turmeric
1/4 tspn garlic powder
1/8 tspn crushed red pepper
1/8 tspn cayenne pepper
1/4 tspn Kosher salt
1/8 tspn black pepper
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp water

Ingredients - cabbage mixture:

1/4 head of cabbage
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 tspn turmeric
1/4 tspn garlic powder
1/8 tspn crushed red pepper
1/8 tspn cayenne pepper
1/4 tspn Kosher salt
1/8 tspn black pepper
1 tbsp tomato paste

Ingredients - onion mixture:
1/2 tspn fennel, ground
1/2 tspn cumin seeds, ground
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 tspn turmeric
1/4 tspn garlic powder
1/4 tspn crushed red pepper
1/4 tspn cayenne pepper
1/4 tspn Kosher salt
1/8 tspn black pepper

Other Ingredients:
cilantro, chopped
pot-sticker wrappers

canola oil for frying

Preparation:

1. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground turkey with spices and drain off excess fat (if needed).
2. In another skillet over medium heat, cook vegetables with spices for about 5 minutes then remove from heat and set aside.
3. Peel a russet potato. Cut it in half and dice one of the halves into small pieces.
4. Add 1 tbsp of oil, diced potato, tomato paste, water, and spices to a skillet over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes then set aside.
5. Shred 1/4 head of cabbage and dice 1/2 of a yellow onion.
6. Add the oil, onions, cabbage, tomato paste, and spices to a skillet and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside.
7. In a large mixing bowl, combine the potato and cabbage mixtures. Mix in the vegetables and set aside.
8. In a skillet over medium heat, add the ground fennel and cumin seeds. Heat the seeds for a couple of minutes.
9. Add 2 tbsp oil to the skillet along with 1 large diced yellow onion, 1 tbsp tomato paste, and spices. Cook for about 5 minutes then remove from heat.
10. In a large bowl, combine the turkey mixture with the onion mixture.
11. Combine the turkey and onion mixture with the cabbage mixture.
12. Add chopped cilantro to the mixture to taste.
13. Place a small amount of the mixture on a round pot-sticker wrapper. Wrap the wrapper around the mixture and seal with a small amount of water or egg yolk.
    
    
14. Press the edges with a fork to form a good seal.
    
15. Fry the samosas in canola oil until golden brown. Remove and serve hot with your favorite dipping sauces.

India