FROM FISHBURGERS TO PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

 

                            From fish burgers to pistachio biscotti

           The famous Phileas Fogg, created by Jules Verne in “Around the World in Eighty Days” needed to take a long trip to encounter the variety of flavors of food found on our planet. Amazingly today, it is possible to find food and spices from every continent in the world and a well-stocked pantry/refrigerator is likely to feature such diverse items as Korean barbeque sauce, Canadian bacon, Portuguese sardines, fruit from Peru, Miso paste from Japan, couscous from Tunesia, Dutch cocoa and for diehards – vegemite from Australia.

          Cooks today recognize spice mixes for various regions of USA, Asia, Africa and different European cuisine. Since some such spice blends require many rarely used ingredients in the average cook’s spice rack, the spice industry sells premade mixes in supermarkets for our convenience. This naturally leads to a lot of creativity in cooking, and an occasional dilemma of having to make a choice of what to cook. Unless you shop for a specific occasion, the choice is likely to be made depending on what you have at home.

                              Fish burgers

          These can be made with any broiled, baked or lightly fried fish, without breading. Flake ½ lb. cooked fish such as cod, hake or haddock.

          In a small bowl mix to swell 3 tblsp fine breadcrumbs with 3 tblsp. milk. Fork beat in 1 egg, 1 tblsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp. onion powder, ¼ tsp. lemon pepper, ½ tsp. salt and 2 tblsp. chopped dill or parsley. Fold in the flaked fish, shape the mixture in 2 large patties and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Fry patties in 1 tblsp. olive oil and 1 tblsp. butter until lightly browned, turning once. Serve on a soft bun with Tzatziki sauce and arugula.

          You can buy readymade Tzatziki sauce or make your own by mixing 1 cup Greek yoghurt, 1 tsp. white vinegar, 1 tsp. olive oil, 1 grated garlic clove, 1-2 tsp. chopped dill, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper and ½ English cucumber, grated on a box grater and squeezed dry in a paper towel. Mix well and refrigerate for use.

          With warmer weather shrimp becomes more attractive for easy weeknight dinners. Gochujang or Korean red chili paste is made from fermented soybeans, glutinous rice, red chili peppers and salt and has recently become a favorite of cooks everywhere. Its intense flavor livens up any dish, but it needs to be used judiciously.

 

 

                                                 Gochujang shrimp

          Peel and devein 8-10 very large shrimp. Mix sauce in a small bowl: 1 tblsp. soy sauce, 1 tblsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp. brown sugar, ½ tsp. yellow mustard, 1 tsp. Gochujang sauce, 4 oz. tomato sauce and 2 tblsp. water.

          Set 8 oz. penne in salted boiling water, cook for 11 minutes and drain. While pasta is cooking heat 1 tblsp. olive oil in a pan and sauté the shrimp for 3 minutes, turning once until pink and set aside. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and sauté ½ sliced medium onion, 1 chopped garlic clove and ½ large red pepper, seeded and cut in julienne strips, and set aside. Stir sauce in pan, scraping up bits. Stir in vegetables and shrimp and cook for an additional minute. Serve hot on cooked pasta.

          Anyone familiar with novels set in 19^th century Britain has encountered endless cups of tea served at various times of day, always accompanied by scones, biscuits or cake. You don’t have to be British to appreciate a cup of tea, but most of us don’t have personal cooks to provide such delicious, sweet treats on demand. Biscotti save the day, since they are Tuscan twice baked cookies that will last you for a month or more, when stored in tightly closed tin.

                                                      Pistachio biscotti

          In a large bowl whisk together 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp. baking soda, ¼ tsp. salt and 1 cup shelled pistachios.

          In a small bowl beat 3 eggs for 3 minutes, stir in 3 tblsp. cooled melted butter and ½ tsp. almond extract. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the egg mix. Thoroughly mix the two together to form a stiff dough.

          Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a cookie pan with parchment paper. Using generous dusting of flour, divide the dough into half and form each half in a 13x2 inch log on the parchment lined pan. Fork beat 1 egg with 1tsp. water and baste the logs with the egg mix. Bake logs for 30 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Slice each log in ½ inch slices on the diagonal, return slices to parchment lined pan and bake for additional 20-25 minutes, turning each slice over after 10 minutes of baking. Cool thoroughly and store in an airtight container.

          Best way to choose when undecided, cook what you are hungry for!

    (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day:” and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

 

 

 

THE VERSATILE CHICKEN

 

                                        The versatile chicken

 

          Chicken is probably one of the most popular meats in the world today and for that we need to thank some unnamed pre-historic human for domesticating this jungle fowl 8,000 years ago, somewhere in Southeast Asia. Chicken has signified prosperity in history. The Good King Henry IV of France reputedly wished “a chicken in his pot every Sunday” for his peasants in the 16^th century and the saying was subsequently borrowed for an election slogan early in the 20^th century in USA.

          History aside, chicken has served well in culinary efforts and adapted to many flavors, well past simple stewed or roasted chicken. Many of todays’ recipes take advantage of quick cooking methods for easy meal preparation with minimal effort. One of these are fajitas, a Texan invention with roots in Mexico. The bold flavors of marinated chicken strips combine well with colorful peppers and have great eye appeal.

                                                   Chicken Fajitas

          Marinade: 1 tblsp. olive oil, 1 tblsp. lime juice, 1 minced garlic clove, ½ tsp. chili powder, ½ tsp. cumin, ½ tsp. lemon pepper, ½ tsp. salt, 1/3 tsp. turmeric, 1/3 tsp. sumac (optional), ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes.

          Cut 1 large skinless chicken breast in thin strips and marinate the meat for 30 minutes in a plastic bag, making sure the marinade is evenly distributed to cover all pieces.

          Heat 1 tblsp. olive oil in a large pan and sauté 1 medium thinly sliced onion with 1 red and/or green pepper cut in ½ inch thick strips for 4 minutes and set aside. Heat an additional 1 tblsp. olive oil and sauté the marinated chicken strips with occasional turning for 3-4 minutes. Return the onion and pepper to the pan and 1 chopped Roma tomato. Cook for 2 minutes until the tomato is softened and all the ingredients are well mixed.

Serve hot on 8-inch warmed flour tortillas topped with salsa and sour cream with lime wedges.

          Chicken breast cut in thin cutlet form has gained popularity as a quick and easy way to fry chicken breast while keeping it both flavorful and tender. The means to achieve that requires dipping the culet in egg or cream followed with breadcrumbs or panko. Increased flavor can be achieved by including some parmesan in the breadcrumbs or panko mix. For gluten free use almond flour instead of breadcrumbs and panko.

Recent emergence of the Middle Eastern Za’atar spice blend in store gives the cook a new twist for this dish and provides an exciting taste experience. Za’atar is a blend of sesame seeds, oregano, thyme, marjoram and sumac.

                                               Za’atar chicken cutlets

          Slice a large skinless chicken breast lengthwise into 3 cutlets and pound thin between plastic sheets.  Set out 3 shallow bowls, one with 1 beaten egg, one with ½ cup flour mixed with ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper, and one with 1 cup panko mixed with 2 tblsp. Za’atar spice. Dip chicken cutlets in flour, shaking off excess. Then briefly dip in beaten egg, followed by panko-spice mix, making sure all sides are well covered. Fry cutlets in 2-3 tblsp. of olive oil and serve hot with potatoes or pasta and vegetables.

          Looking toward warmer weather, an elegant chicken salad is always welcome for lunch or a light supper.

                                                 Spicy chicken salad

          Cut up 2-3 cups of cooked chicken into bite size pieces. Toss together with 1 diced celery stalk, 2 sliced scallions, 1 medium chopped dill pickle, 1 chopped hardboiled egg and ½ cup chopped almonds. Mix with dressing: ½ cup sour cream, 2 tblsp. lemon juice, ½ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. lemon pepper, ½ tsp. dry mustard, ½ tsp. celery seed and 1 ½ tsp. pickled jalapeno pepper (optional). Chill in refrigerator for at least an hour and serve on lettuce decorated with halved snap peas around the sides.

          Now for the trivia question:” Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” 

    (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day:” and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)