Crisp Smashed Potato Cakes and Brown Sugar-Maple-Acorn Squash

No entree, you ask? Well, true. This post will focus on two side dishes - Crisp Smashed Potato Cakes and Brown Sugar-Maple-Acorn Squash. The cakes are simply divine - taking a classic favorite, smashed potatoes, and turning them into crisp cakes with cheese and spices. Think crispy outside but warm, soft inside as you spear that cake with your fork. Truly, truly delicious. Meanwhile, the acorn squash is a vegetable that will be gobbled up by even those who believe vegetables are just for show. Coat anything with maple syrup and brown sugar and you cannot go wrong! But learn how to do it superbly here.

I paired this meal with my Tilapia en Papillote of which I am an endless fan. If you select the link you'll see I blogged about it using sole before but this time substituted Tilapia. Either fish works very well.

Time: 90 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Brown Sugar-Maple-Acorn Squash

Time: 90 minutes
How can you resist them with that mouth-watering picture that is just wheeling you in with its delicious sugary goodness? This squash comes out so sweet and tender that you can scoop it like a puree and will continue to devour it until you are left with only skin.

Ingredients:
1 acorn squash
1 tsp butter
3 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp maple syrup

Get your oven preheating to 400 degrees. In the meantime find a sharp, long knife and slice the acorn squash down the middle so it will be in two halves. The squash is very hard to cut so make sure your knife is strong and you do not cut yourself (or break the blade) while slicing through the thick vegetable.

Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and mushy stuff in each half of squash. When that is done use the knife to make a number of small cuts on the inside of the squash - this will allow the syrup mixture to seep in more easily.

Grease a glass baking dish and place the squash halves in it, skin sides down. Pour several tablespoons of water into the pan around the squash. This will keep the skin from burning and sticking or getting too dried out.

Put 1/2 tsp of butter into each half. Add 1.5 Tbsp of brown sugar to each half. Add 1.5 Tbsp of maple syrup to each one. To be honest I probably added more like 2 Tbsp to each since I love maple syrup (and brown sugar) but 1.5 will be plenty and cut down a little more on the calories. Mix the mixture in the squash lightly for a few seconds with a spoon.

Place the dish in the oven and cook for 1 hr 15 min - 1 hr 20 min. When it comes out the squash should be very tender. When you eat it just use a spoon and scopp the pulp directly out, leaving the skin as a bowl at the end.

Crisp Smashed Potato Cakes
Time: 1 hr
...and now it's time for potatoes! Have you been eagerly awaiting their arrival? I mean, who doesn't eagerly await the arrival of anything that combines potato, cheese, and crispiness?

Ingredients:
2 lbs potatoes
1 tbsp butter
2/3 cup 1% milk
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup shredded cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup panko
(note: this recipe is based upon one from Cooking Light)

Wash your potatoes and cut them into 1 inch pieces. I prefer to leave the skin on but you can remove it if you prefer. Place them in a pot of water and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down a bit and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are quite tender. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot on the stove. Add the butter and milk. Stir well until you have nicely smashed potatoes.

Now, get your oven preheating to 425.

While your potatoes are simmering you can start on the other pieces of the recipe. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the diced green onions. Stir frequently to avoid burning and cook for about 5 minutes or until they are getting browned and wilted. Remove them from the heat.

Put the smashed potatoes in a bowl when they are slightly cooler than when they first come off the stove. Add the sauteed green onions, cheese, salt, and pepper. I used shredded cheddar cheese but feel free to substitute whatever is in your house or whatever your favorite cheese is. I think that mozzarella, asiago, monterey jack, etc would all work very well here. Stir well until the mixture is blended.

Pour the panko into a shallow plate or dish of some sort. Form the potato mixture into patties and dredge them in the panko, making sure to coat both sides well. This will give an extra crisp to the cakes when they are cooked. Place the cakes on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes, flip the patties (carefully) and then bake for another 12 minutes. They should be crispy and golden when done.

Rum Bananas

Bananas. Rum. Brown sugar. Crepes. Ice Cream. Are you salivating quite yet? Because despite it being a Monday morning I'm ready to devour this delicious dessert all over again! Crepes can be eaten for breakfast, right? And bananas are fruit and ice cream is just like milk... sooo....

That's right - this post is dessert. I do not feature them very often (mostly because I like them so much that portioning would not work very well for me) but this one is a doozy. We'll delve into how to prepare Rum Bananas and then also provide a plethora of options for serving them.

Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: easy

Rum Bananas
Ready to make this? Good news for you - it's incredibly simple and fast yet yields amazing results!

Ingredients
1 tsp butter
5 bananas
3 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
5 tbsp dark (gold) rum

These come together very quickly and are amazing! To start melt 1 tsp of butter in a pan over medium heat. Slice your bananas into about 1/4" thick slices. When the butter has fully melted toss the bananas into the pan. You can actually pick up the pan by the handle and lightly shake it to make sure the bananas are evenly distributed with the butter.

Add the brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and allspice. Stir to make sure the bananas are fully coated. Continue to stir frequently, letting the mixture simmer, as the sugar melts. This should only take 3-4 minutes. Then, add the rum. The rum will sizzle when first added to the pan. Stir well and let simmer for another 4-5 minutes or until bananas are very soft. You're then ready to serve your dessert!

But, how do you do that? These bananas can easily be enjoyed plain, but here are some other options:

1) In crepes with ice cream on top. This is how I choose to serve them. Make sure you are almost done making the crepes before starting the bananas since they cook so quickly. I used a low-fat vanilla caramel swirl ice cream on top of the crepes.

2) Over ice cream. Put a scoop of ice cream into a bowl and pour these hot rum bananas over top for a delicious sundae.

3) Over cheesecake. Need I say more?

4) With anything chocolate. Warm brownies, mousse, or souffle work especially well with the bananas.

5) Plain pound cake! You can dress up a simple pound cake with these bananas as well for a simpler presentation.

I'm sure there are endless more options but these were just a few to get you started! Post below if you have a great idea of your own that you would like to share.

Asiago Rolls with Caramelized Onion Dip and Fresh Apple Butter

If you do not enjoy fresh, hot rolls with delicious toppings just turn away now because that is what this post is all about. Still there? I thought so. Who can resist the smells, tastes, and textures of freshly baked bread? If you have the time for some kneading and rising there is really nothing that can beat it. So find some hours and make this on a weekend when you have some extra time to wait for that yeast to take effect.

This post focuses on not only fresh Asiago rolls, which can certainly be enjoyed plain with their cheese flavor, but also on two different toppings that work very well with them. The first is apple butter - the ill-named topping that actually has no butter in it whatsoever and is actually very healthy. The second is a warm caramelized onion cheese dip. The warm and cold of the two, cheesy and fruity, provide some excellent choices for everyone.

Time: 3.5 hrs
Difficulty: Medium

Asiago Rolls
Time: 3.5 hrs
We'll get started with the rolls since, as you can see, they will take the longest. Luckily much of the preparation time is really rising time so you will be able to accomplish other things around your house as the dough rises.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp honey
1 package yeast
1 egg
3 cups flour
3/4 cup shredded Asiago
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
(this recipe is based upon one from Cooking Light)

Dissolve half of the honey and the yeast in 3/4 cup of warm water in a large bowl. You do not want hot/boiling water but it should be very warm water from your tap. Let it sit for 5 minutes and then add the other half of the honey and the egg (beaten previously). Stir gently.

Once those are mixed add 2.5 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of shredded Asiago cheese, and the 5 spices listed above. Mix to form a soft dough. If it is too liquid-y add a tiny bit more flour. Add slowly to avoid adding too much flour.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface (I have granite counters and like to put flour directly upon them for this.) Cover your hands with flour as well and knead the dough for about 5 minutes or until it is elastic-y. You should be using the extra flour to flour your hands/counter and to add as needed, but only if needed.

Once the dough is kneaded, elastic, and not sticky place it in a large bowl (it will rise) coated with cooking spray. Flip the dough over once or twice to make sure the entire ball of dough is lightly coated in the spray. Cover with a towel and put in a place that is relatively warm and free of drafts. I usually just go with my microwave (not on) and that works out well. Let the dough rise for 1 hour. At that point it should be doubled in size and if you press 2 fingers into it the indentation should remain. If that is the case, punch the dough down, re-cover, put back in its warm place, and let rise another hour. It should be doubled in size.

When the dough is ready, punch it down again. Preheat your oven to 425. Separate the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces. (Or roughly equal anyway!) Roll each into a ball. Place them on a greased cookie sheet, cover, and let them rise for 30 minutes. Uncover and top with the remaining Asiago cheese. Bake for 18 minutes.

Fresh Apple Butter

Time: 2 hrs
The apple butter will be the second most timely piece of this preparation. Once again, however, a lot of the time will not involve constant watching or work. I'm also not entirely sure why apple butter even earned its name. While it is indeed a spread for bread it actually does not contain any butter at all. Instead it is made of slowly sauteed apples that are delicious and soft and mashed down to form a sauce. While it works very well with bread you can also easily enjoy it with crackers or other favorites.

Ingredients:
5 apples
3/4 - 1 cup apple cider
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
(this recipe is based upon one from Cooking Light)

Cut your apples and core them. If you choose to do so, you can peel them, but I enjoy the skins and left them on when I made this recipe. Cut your apples into wedges. Place them in a large boiling pot and pour in the cider. You'll want to use 3/4 - 1 cup depending how large your apples are so play it by ear based upon how they look in the pan. Bring them to a boil and then turn the heat down a bit to a simmer and let the apples simmer for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes the apples should be soft. Pour the entire mixture into a food processor and pulse a few times. Let the mixture stay chunky but allow the apples to be a bit smaller in size.

Put the apple mixture back in the pan and add the sugar, lemon juice, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. Keep your pan over low heat and stir every 10-15 minutes but allow it to cook slowly and thicken. After an hour it is done. You can serve it warm or place it in an airtight container and chill it first. It will keep in that container in your fridge for several weeks.

Caramelized Onion Dip

Time: 40 minutes
Last but not least, we have the warm caramelized onion dip. The cheesy warmth provides an excellent contrast to the cool crispness of the apple butter. If you enjoy spinach and artichoke dips and other such concoctions this will be a sure favorite for you.

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced (2 cups)
1/4 teaspoon dried Thyme
1/3 cup fat free sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup fat free cream cheese
1/8 cup fat free mayo
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
(this recipe is based upon one from Cooking Light)

Heat the olive oil in a large fry pan over medium high heat. Add the onion and Thyme. Stir frequently to avoid burning and cook for 10-12 minutes or until onion is browned. Turn the heat down to low and continue to cook for another 20 minutes, still stirring fairly frequently. This long heating process will allow the onions to become caramelized.

After the twenty minutes stir in the sour cream, Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, mayo, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir constantly until it is well-blended and the cheese is smooth. Remove immediately from heat upon it reaching that point and eat immediately.

Basil-Mint Turbot with Cucumbers

I know, it's green. And green is weird. But I promise you that this, while perhaps of a slightly unusual color, tastes nothing like green. Instead the unique combination of mint and basil blend together in unexpected ways. While I was wary of mixing them, and that their flavors would clash, they actually pair quite nicely providing a sauce that is at once refreshing and savory with a little bit of a kick.

I served this meal with fresh Asiago rolls, homemade apple butter, and a warm caramelized onion dip but to avoid making this post extremely long they will be featured next time. Feel free to pair this fish with really anything, however. The blend of flavors makes it very well suited for almost any vegetable or starch. And who doesn't love an easy meal?

Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Easy


Basil-Mint Turbot with Cucumbers
While I used turbot in this recipe, nearly any firm, white fish would substitute quite nicely. I chose the turbot largely because when I went food shopping it looked extra fresh over any true need to have this specific variety of fish. And in general, that is a good rule of thumb. Go with what looks best and in the end it will also taste the best.

Ingredients:
1 lb Turbot
Black pepper
1 cup fresh basil
1/3 cup fresh mint
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp water
2 tsp lime juice
sprinkle of salt (optional)
1 large minced garlic clove
cucumber
(this recipe is based upon a similar one at Cooking Light)

Get your broiler heated! Use cooking spray to grease a dish that can go in your broiler and place the fillet of Turbot on it. Sprinkle with about 1/4 tsp black pepper and broil for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. You might want to check after 8 minutes if it is a thinner fillet.

While the fish is broiling you can whip together your sauce. Combine the basil, mint, olive oil, water, lime juice, salt, and garlic clove in a food processor. If you have a slightly smaller one this is the time to use it! Process until your mixture is smooth but it will be not be super liquid-y. It should be something like a more fluid pesto but less than a full sauce.

When the fish comes out toss some freshly cut cucumber into the pan with the fish and pour the sauce over the Turbot and cucumber. Eat immediately!

Snapper Provencale with Roasted Butternut Squash-Apple Soup with Garam Masala

Ready for a winter-licious meal? Imagine delicately flavored fish with warmly ripened winter tomatoes and luscious, creamy soup that somehow doesn't up the calorie count. This meal pairs just those two pieces while also tossing in the delicious stuffed artichokes that I have prepared in the past.

I'm especially excited about the soup featured below. Typically, while delicious, squash soups actually pile on the calories. They are filled with heavy whipping cream to give them that tantalizing texture and flavor, but that also means they are stock full of calories when you are least expecting that to be the case. Here we lighten up the soup considerably leaving you guilt-free while enjoying the now very nutritious yet still yummy classic.

Time: 1 hr 15 min
Difficulty: Medium

Roasted Butternut Squash-Apple Soup with Garam Masala

Time: 1 hr 15 min
So let's get started on the soup! This will take the bulk of your cooking time as you can see from the estimate listed above. The good news is that a lot of that time is taken up by the roasting of the squash. As that is in the oven you can work on prepping the rest of your meal.

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash, in 1" peeled cubes
1 tbsp vegetable (canola) oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp Garam Masala
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1/8 cup shallots, diced
2 cups chopped apple (3-4 apples depending on size)
1/4 cup white wine
7 oz (1/2 can) vegetable or chicken broth
1 tbsp fat-free half and half (optional)
(this recipe is based upon a recipe from Cooking Light)

Preheat your oven to 400. Peel and chop your squash into 1" cubes. Combine in a greased glass baking dish with vegetable oil, maple syrup, Garam Masala, and black pepper. Make sure to toss well so the squash is evenly coated. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

While the squash is baking you can get everything else ready so you can assemble the soup quickly. Make sure you chop the shallots and apple and if you are like me and make all of your broth from bouillon cubes you'll want to boil water and get that ready as well.

Once your squash is just about ready you can start putting together the rest of the soup. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and stir frequently to avoid burning. Cook them for about 5 minutes or just until they start to turn translucent. Add the apple and cook for another 5-7 minutes or until the apple begins to get soft, continuing to stir frequently. Add the wine and stir well.

You'll now want to add your roasted squash to the pan along with the broth and another 1.5 cups of water. Bring to a quick simmer and allow the soup to simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour half of the mixture into a blender. Take the small center piece out of the lid to allow steam to escape and instead place a paper towel over the opening, making sure it is secure to avoid splattering. Blend until smooth. Pour that half into a large bowl and repeat with the other half. Your soup should be relatively thick.

You can now stir in 1 tbsp fat-free half and half to add a bit of creaminess or skip this altogether. I left it out and found the soup quite tasty without it!

Servings: 4
Serving size: about 1.5 cups
Nutrition: calories 184; fat 5.4g; carbs 34g; cholesterol 0mg; sodium 429mg; iron 8mg

Snapper Provencale
Time: 20 minutes
Ready for the fish? You can start this when the soup has about twenty minutes left to go to make sure all of your food finishes on time.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups grape tomatoes, halved
3 tbsp fresh basil
2 tbsp shallots, diced
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
1 lb red snapper
black pepper
(this recipe is based upon one from Cooking Light)

Toss your grape tomatoes, basil, shallots, balsamic vinegar, and 1.5 tsp olive oil in a bowl. Make sure the tomatoes are well coated.

Heat the remaining 1/2 tsp of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Sprinkle your snapper with black pepper and put in the pan when the oil is hot. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until the fish is nearly done.

Pour the tomato mixture over the fish and allow it took for another 3 or so minutes or until the mixture is warm. Serve immediately.

MOROCCO: Harissa Salmon with Vegetable Tagine and Cous-Cous

And today brings a traditional Moroccan meal. While last time we focused on some Mediterranean ingredients in general, this dinner dives specifically into a meal you could easily find in any Moroccan household. It introduces two main components: harissa and tagines.

Harissa is common throughout a lot of Northern Africa and is a spicy sauce made up of Pirichili peppers, tomatoes, and paprika. It definitely has quite a bite to it so do not taste too much of it plain unless you are a big fan of spice. You'll see below that I just use a little bit of it to add flavor without making my dinner spicy.

A Tagine actually refers to a heavy clay pot that is used in cooking a tagine - a tagine pot. It can be used on a stove or even in an oven when needed and is made for cooking stews at low temperatures for a long time. These typically Moroccan stews can include vegetables or meat and often cheaper meats are used. This saves money (in a relatively poor country) but when the meats are cooked for long periods of time they still become very soft and tender. I do not have a tagine pot so I used a large frying type pan that is more cylindrically shaped but the cooking process was the same.

Cooking Time: 1 hr
Difficulty: easy-medium
Wine: Shiraz

Vegetable Tagine
Time: 1 hr
(from now on I will post individual times at the start of each individual recipe so if you make part of a meal you can properly guage)
We'll start with the vegetable tagine since it will take the longest to cook!

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped carrots
2 sliced zucchinis
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add the onions. Stirring frequently to avoid burning, cook the onions for 8-9 minutes or until they are wilting. Add the bell pepper, carrots, and zucchini. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the vegetables begin to get soft. Then add the garlic, turmeric, and cinnamon. Stir well to make sure the vegetables are coated with the spices. Cook another 2 minutes, continuing to stir fairly often to avoid any burning.

Add the diced tomatoes (do not drain - add whole can with juice) and the vegetable broth. Turn the heat up and bring to a boil and then turn the heat down but keep the vegetables/broth simmering. Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. By the end the vegetables should be very tender.

Add the raisins and sea salt and stir. Cook another 3 minutes then remove from heat and sprinkle with almonds. This tagine should be served over cous-cous.

Harissa Salmon

Time: 25 minutes
And now it is time for the Salmon itself! This does not take as long to cook so you can start this after the tagine is about halfway done. You'll also want to cook up some cous-cous when you have about 15 minutes left on the tagine. (You need time for the water to boil before you add the cous-cous so 15 minutes should suffice.)

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil (divided into 1 and 2)
1/2 cup diced shallots
3 minced cloves garlic
black pepper
2 tsp harissa
2 diced tomatoes
2.5 tsp coriander (divided)
1.5 tsp cumin (divided)
2.5 tsp fennel seed (divided)
3/4 tsp cloves (divided)
1.5 tsp cardamom (divided)
1 lb salmon fillet

First we'll start with the sauce, or rather topping since it's thicker than a sauce. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a smaller fry pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallots, and black pepper to taste. I believe I used about 1/2 a teaspoon. Stir frequently to avoid burning and cook for about 5 minutes. The shallots should be translucent and wilted. Add 2 tsp harissa (1 tablespoon if you prefer spicier food) and stir well. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes. Add 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp fennel seed, 1/4 tsp cloves, and 1/2 tsp cardamom. Stir well and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Set aside.

I know this is unusual for me, but you'll now use a full 2 tbsp of olive oil to cook your fish. I do not say this normally but, alas, this fish will be a crispy-skinned salmon. The original Moroccan recipes often call for 1/4 or 1/2 a cup of oil so cutting to 2 tbsp is a huge cut back but still enough to make the salmon plenty crispy without saturating it in oil.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Let it heat before adding the fish for best results. Sprinkle your salmon fillet with the remaining 2 tsp coriander, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tsp fennel seed, 1/2 tsp cloves, and 1 tsp cardamom. Place in the pan, skin-side down. It should sizzle when it is added to the hot oil. The oil may pop a bit so be careful not to burn yourself and make sure your clothes are covered.

Cook the salmon for about 5 minutes with the skin-side down. The skin should now be getting crispy. Flip the salmon over so the spice side is now down. Let it cook for another 4-5 minutes. Flip it back over. The top of the fillet with the spice should be browned where the spices have cooked into the salmon. Once the salmon is the amount cooked you enjoy, pour the Harissa mixture on top of it. Heat for another 1-2 minutes to make sure the topping is hot and enjoy.

Rosemary-Garlic Grilled Trout with Tomato Mozzarella Risotto and Mushroom and Chestnut Soup

Any meal that includes risotto is a good one. Right? And when you add in a soup that has 'mushroom' in the name and some freshly grilled fish with herbs there is really nothing else better for dinner. Just pair it with some wine, toss on some slippers and sweatpants, and get a good movie going on your TV for the perfect evening.

Single? Make this meal when you want to impress your date. The fish is relatively easy to make, giving you extra time to spend on the soup and risotto. The flavors are simple yet unique, making the meal memorable. And risotto and soup are time-intensive enough to inspire true awe without leaving you a slave to the stove for the entire day. So save this one for the dates you want to impress... don't waste this one unless you're willing to put in some effort!

Time: 90 minutes
Difficulty: medium
Drink: Pinot Grigio or Shiraz (although Trout typically pairs well with white wine the richness of the risotto and soup support a light red such as a Shiraz)

Mushroom and Chestnut Soup

Chestnuts evoke everything good about winter.  Think of big fires, snow outside, and curling up with hot chocolate and friends or family in the warmth of a house or lodge after gallivanting in the snow...  that's what I imagine when it comes to chestnuts.  That or winter in NYC and purchasing them on the street after shopping, playing in Central Park, or hitting up a Broadway show.  And who doesn't want to imagine all of those things, especially when it's actually dreary outside and you're dreading slipping on the ice on the way to work the next morning?

In this case, chestnuts pair especially well with mushrooms.  The meaty flavor of the exotic mushrooms pairs with the sweet but rich flavor of the chestnuts for a marvelous soup that is both light and hearty all at the same time.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
12 oz cremini mushrooms
3.5 oz shiitake mushrooms
3.5 oz other mushrooms (I used Baby Bella but Oyster or Morel are good too)
Shallots
Garlic
Chicken or Vegetable Broth
Roasted Chestnuts
Thyme
Black Pepper
(basis of this soup comes from Cooking Light)

First, a quick note about the mushrooms. I put approximate amounts of the kinds I used above but you can substitute any of your favorite varieties here. As long as your total amount of mushrooms remains approximately the same you should be good to go, so feel free to substitute in your favorites!

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a very large pan (will have all of soup in it before long) over medium to medium high heat. Wash and chop up all of your mushrooms and add them. Stir frequently to avoid burning and saute for 12-15 minutes or until the mushrooms are wilted and excess liquid has evaporated.

As the mushrooms are sauteing you can chop up your shallots. Dice up about 2-3 tablespoons of shallots and add them to the pan after the 15 minutes described above. Continuing to stir frequently, saute them for another 3 minutes. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Now, scoop out about 1/2 - 3/4 of the mushroom mixture and set aside.

Add 2 cups of vegetable or chicken broth, 2 cups water, a jar of roasted chestnuts (about 1 cup), and a few Thyme sprigs to the pan. Vegetable broth works quite well if you are a vegetarian but if you are not the Chicken broth adds a meaty flavor that pairs excellently with the mushrooms. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat so it stays simmering and let let the soup simmer for about 45 minutes. During this time you only have to stir every 10 minutes or so and can concentrate on getting your risotto up and running.

At the end of that period your soup should have boiled down slightly and be slightly thicker although it might not be very noticeable. Remove the Thyme sprigs and discard them. Using a blender, pour the soup into it in batches and puree it. Return the soup to the pan after it is pureed. I prefer to puree enough to get rid of any large chunks of chestnut or mushroom but do not want my soup completely fine. I prefer to leave some small bits of mushroom and chestnut and just pulse the blender enough to get there. You can choose to leave your soup chunkier or smoother.

Once the soup is all back in the pan add about 1 teaspoon of black pepper and a sprinkle of salt if you absolutely must (I didn't.) Pour the mushrooms you saved initially back over the top of the soup for a pretty presentation.

Tomato Mozzarella Risotto
Risottos have fast become a staple of my kitchen and I look forward to making them in every variety. This time I decided to make a risotto as a side dish to my trout and soup. The thickness of the risotto paired well with the soup while the delicate but creamy taste augmented the trout perfectly.

Ingredients:
Olive Oil
Onion
Arborio Rice (or other risotto rice)
White wine
Vegetable Broth
Cherry Tomatoes
Mozzarella
Black Pepper

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add diced onions (about 1/2 or 3/4 cup) to the pan. Stir to avoid burning and saute for about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of uncooked Arborio rice or another short-grained rice that can be used for risotto. Stir constantly, allowing the rice to coat with oil, for about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup of wine. Stir frequently until the rice has completely absorbed the wine.

Now you'll want to use about 4 cups of warm or hot vegetable broth (cold doesn't allow the starch to come out as well) over the next portion of this recipe. Add just 1/2 a cup at a time to your rice. Stir frequently, nearly constantly, and do not add the next 1/2 cup until the the rice has absorbed all of the liquid. Continue until you have gone through all 4 cups of liquid.

Add halved cherry tomatoes. I added about 1.5 or 2 cups of the halved tomatoes (1 carton). Mix well. Add fat-free or low-fat mozzarella cheese (shredded) and stir until it has melted. Add black pepper and stir well. As soon as the tomato, pepper, and mozzarella are mixed in and the mozzarella has melted remove from the heat and enjoy.

Rosemary-Garlic Grilled Trout
And, finally, it's time for your entree. But after a time intensive period of making your soup and risotto (hopefully you made the risotto as your soup is cooking and you can whip this fish up together when you're midway through the risotto) this part will go quite quickly.

Ingredients:
Trout
Garlic
Olive Oil
Rosemary

Get your grill (or Foreman grill) heating to medium high or the correct temperature. (Check if you have a guide to find out what temperature fish should be at since this can vary.)

Place your trout fillets side by side. Using a brush (or spoon if you do not have a cooking brush) rub about 1/8 of a teaspoon of olive oil on each fillet. Then, using about 1 garlic clove for every 2 fillets, mince your garlic and rub it evenly over the fillets. Wash your rosemary sprigs and pull the long leaves off the stems. Place the leaves on top of the fillets as well.

Put your fish on the grill and repeat on the other side. Cook to taste. I like my fish fairly well done and cooked my trout for 8-9 minutes total. If you are using a traditional grill you'll want to flip halfway through but it is less necessary if you are using a Foreman grill. Enjoy it while it's hot.

MOROCCO: Mediterranean Swordfish with Vegetable Cous Cous and Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

Today, in the first *cooking* post of the new year (I wonder how many firsts I can have before it gets old?) I am debuting my ethnicity of the month feature that I spoke about yesterday. Today will be the first Moroccan dish that I'm making. And, I must admit, it's not really pure Moroccan. Most countries in the world do not have truly unique food. What may be called pita in the Middle East might appear as something somewhat similar to nan in India. What passes for a latke when you're Jewish is part of Irish potato culture or Russian hard-winter sustenance. Chinese cuisine might include a pancake with moo shu which looks somewhat similar to a French crepe or the large pancakes used in traditional Ethiopian cuisine. And within regions the lines can be even more blurred. You'll find this very true of Middle Eastern food. Ironically, Israelis and Arabs even share many of the same traditional dishes, underlining their past cultural history together, even as they war today.

Across the Middle East you'll find some things you recognize, such as cous-cous and olives and hummus, and others you might not necessarily associate as much with the region such as dates and lamb. This meal takes a few of these things into account. Swordfish, which often spawns in the Mediterranean itself, is cooked with lemon and spices in foil. It is paired with curried cous-cous with fresh veggies. This is a dish you could easily find on many different Mediterranean coasts, but it will serve well as an introduction to our Morocco discussion. Finally, I added in slow-roasted tomato as the veggie. I'm afraid I can't quite claim that as Moroccan or even Mediterranean, but it's not really a member of another culture either. Slow-roasting has been around as long as humans have cooked and was especially useful on tough meat caught while hunting in times long past. In this case, I use it to bring out the strong and powerful flavors of tomato that pairs excellently with the rest of the meal.

Time: 7 hours (most of this is just for tomatoes to cook)
Difficulty: Easy
Wine: Roussanne or Riesling

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
Slow-roasting takes a long time, but the good news is that once it's in the oven you have nothing to do all day. The catch, of course, is that if you slow-roast you'll be stuck in the house all day. In my case this interfered with initial shopping plans so I rescheduled this meal for when a slew of football games were on my TV which worked out nicely. You wake up, pop this in on a weekend, and then can putter around your house while it cooks. In the meantime the smells fill your air, tantalizingly delicious smelling, and making everyone extra eager for dinner.

Just make sure you plan ahead before embarking on this recipe! You'll need about 7 hours in all to make sure this is ready.

Ingredients:
olive oil
sugar
dried basil
dried oregano
garlic powder
freshly ground black pepper
tomatoes
(basis of this recipe from Cooking Light)

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Since you'll be roasting for so long you only need a low temperature.

Cut your tomatoes in half or quarters depending on size. For plum tomatoes, half lengthwise is perfect. I used some medium vine tomatoes and cut them in quarters as pictured.

Mix together all of the ingredients listed above except for tomatoes. For 6 medium tomatoes I used 1/2-3/4 a tablespoon of sugar and the same amount of olive oil. I used roughly 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil and dried oregano and about 1/4 of a teaspoon of garlic powder and black pepper. Mix these together well and then add the cut tomatoes and toss to make sure they are fully coated.

Use cooking spray such as PAM to grease a cookie sheet and put the tomatoes on it, cut sides up. Pour any remaining oil mixture over them, scraping it out of the bowl used for mixing. Roast for 6.5 hours.

Mediterranean Swordfish
Once the tomatoes are getting relatively close to done you'll want to turn your attention to the fish. If you have a double oven start this process when the tomatoes have 30-45 minutes left (the cooking time for the fish is a lot less but you'll need prep time as well.) If you only have one oven then you'll want to get everything ready during the tomatoes last 30 minutes and then pop the fish in as soon as they come out. You can cover them with foil to keep them warm as the fish cooks.

Ingredients:
swordfish
black pepper
olive oil
lemon
fake salt (optional)

Preheat your oven to 425.

And now for the super easy part! You'll serve the fish with the cous-cous so you'll find the actual preparation of the fish is very basic and very simple while sticking to some traditional flavors and methods.

Cut the fish into the appropriate number of pieces for the people who are eating, since it does not come in fillets already. Since there were just 2 of us enjoying 1 lb of fish for my meal I split it in two. Take the appropriate number of pieces of foil and lay them on the counter. Place a piece of swordfish in the center of each. Drizzle about 1/2 a tsp of olive oil over each piece. Sprinkle with black pepper and fake salt if you must (I skipped it of course.) Place a few slices of lemon on top of each. Fold the foil up and twist the edges over to form a closed packet.

Place the packets on a baking sheet and cook at 425 for 15 minutes.

Vegetable Cous-Cous
Finally, you'll want to whip up the cous-cous. Set some water boiling about 15 minutes before your tomatoes are done and start cutting up the veggies. That way when the tomatoes are done the cous-cous should have just finished and you can just mix everything together. If you do not time it correctly, however, do not worry. Many people serve the cous-cous as a chilled dish so it doesn't matter if its cooler than when originally finished.

Ingredients:
cous-cous
grape tomatoes
red onion
garlic
fresh oregano
olive oil
lemon juice

Boil the water and cook your cous-cous. I used a curry variety but any kind will work very well here. Follow the directions and then continue once it is prepared.

While the cous-cous is cooking you can cut up everything else. For one full packet of cous-cous I used about 1.5 cups of halved grape tomatoes (one medium-large container), 1/4 cup diced red onion, 3 garlic cloves, 3 teaspoons of chopped fresh oregano, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. As usual, these are just estimates. Mix all of those ingredients together with the cous-cous and fluff with a fork. Serve the cous-cous with the fish.

A New Year, An Improved Blog

Happy New Year! Since I am now authoring my first post of 2010 it must officially be the new year. I thought I'd take this post to set out some new year resolutions and continue the quest to make this blog more interesting and more useful to you, the reader. So let's the start the conversation!

To start, what do *you* think? Please use the comments below to let me know. Do you want to see other nationalities? Other types of food? Or more focus on a single area of cooking? Would you like to see more pictures? Fewer pictures? Video? Would it help if I wrote more detailed instructions for recipes? Or if I had pictures of each step? Anything and everything is on the table.

As pointed out in December, I debuted a new feature in time for the final two posts of the year. It included a 3-prong "fyi" which gave an approximate length of time to prepare the entire meal from putting on your apron to sitting down to eat. This included all prep and cooking times. I also added a difficulty rating which is independent of length of time. Finally, I included a drink/wine suggestion that pairs well with the meal. Is this helpful?

In addition to new features I'd like to focus on some overall themes. For Hanukkah my boss gave me a 'Julie and Julia' gift sit which included the DVD and also Julia Child's French cookbook, the one which has garnered renewed interest since Julie decided to cook her entire way through it in one year. Well, I'm not going to repeat that feat for many reasons! But what I *would* like to do is work through it, tackling a few recipes a month, but only focusing on the ones that fit my general diet... meaning vegetarian or seafood recipes. The catch is, however, I'll make them healthy. While Julia Child may be a fabulous cook, French cooking is hardly known for it's health. I'll work to make the recipes healthy and post them in the updated style with notes and comments as usual.

I'll also be hitting the major holidays with special meals. You'll notice that one post was a complete Thanksgiving meal. I'll be tackling other holidays as they come along - watch for Purim and Passover in the next few months. These posts will be a full guide to throwing your own party for the holidays complete with all of the traditional items and a few more interesting ones thrown in for fun. As usual, they'll all be made healthy and will include step-by-step notes.

Finally, I'd like to tackle more international food. Each month will have a focus on a specific nationality. This does not mean that all of the food items in each month will be of that ethnicity, but it will feature at least a handful of dishes that crop up throughout the posts. This will allow me enough cooking to begin to understand the tastes and flavors, and to improve my cooking skills, for a given country. January is now officially the month of Moroccan food. I'll tag the relevant posts with the nationality so you can search based upon country or region.

And, of course, I can promise that the occasional political post will be thrown in as an issue crops up that I cannot resist advertising and writing about.

For now, I suppose that is it from my end, but I encourage you to continue to submit your thoughts. I welcome your feedback and get a smile on my face every time I get an email saying a comment has been posted.