A recipe on which to riff

I am often inspired by recipes I find in the New York Times. Some days the paper runs no-recipe-recipes. Some ingredients are discussed with general instructions, very little is specific. Readers are encouraged to be imaginative as they assemble the ingredients into a fine meal. It sounds all too unfocused to work but it does. My recipe today is in that vein.

First, I like to use about 55g of pasta per person. The usual amount is 85g but both Judy and I find 85g is too much. And I like rigatoni as my go-to pasta. I'm not a big fan of spaghetti. I find the smaller pastas mix better with vegetables. I save spaghetti for serving with tomato sauce with meatballs.

For sauce, I drop about a lump of soft goat cheese, about 30g per person, into the pot of cooked pasta. For instance, for tonight's meal for two I used about 60g of goat cheese. Then, I pour a little hot pasta water into the pot. Always reserve about a cup of the hot pasta cooking water before draining the cooked pasta. The water is great for making sauce. I used about a quarter cup tonight.

And that is it. That's the end of the recipe. Now, you are on your own. Tonight I added about twenty spears of locally grown asparagus cut into one inch pieces. The stalks were gently fried in olive oil for no more than three minutes and the heads for just under a minute. When I added the asparagus heads to the already cooking asparagus stalks, I also added two minced garlic cloves and one minced Thai red pepper minus the seeds. Last, add salt to taste and a few grinds of fresh, black pepper, if you so desire.

I called Judy to dinner and while she was walking to the kitchen, I stirred about an eighth of a cup of grated Parmesan cheese into the mix along with about five finely chopped fresh basil leaves. And at the very last second, I mixed in a big handful of hot, cherry tomatoes which had been seared in a frying pan while the pasta cooked. This added colour to the mix without having time to discolour the pasta. At the table one can add a little more salt and a pinch of dried red pepper flakes.

I've also made this with shrimp and artichokes instead of asparagus. Fresh mushrooms make a nice addition. I like them cut into big chunks. Large mushrooms can be chopped into eight pieces and smaller ones into six.

Oh, if you don't like using just soft goat cheese and pasta water to make your sauce, try adding a little of your favourite tomato sauce to the melting goat cheese. The resulting sauce will have a lovely rose-pink colour and it is delicious.

Now, you are on your own. Good luck!

Looking for inspiration

I'm not all that creative in the kitchen. A pasta dish with a bit of extra colour impresses me. I'm too easily impressed. I need to expand my world when it comes to dining. Today one can find inspiration watching cooking shows on television. But a more traditional way is to enjoy a night out by taking your partner to  a fine dining restaurant.

The picture with today's post shows a squash and baby spinach risotto with pan-seared scallops. I took the picture at The Springs restaurant in London, ON. It had to have been one of the  prettiest dinners I've ever had.

And the best part of the dinner was the knowledge that I could do that (and will). And my doctors  will approve. This dinner is heart-healthy.
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Clean-out-the-fridge-night

Last night it was Taiwanese ginger chicken. Tonight it was clean-out-the-fridge-night. Judy suggested I take the leftover ginger chicken, cook a little extra rice, and add both to a smattering of leftover veggies.

I found broccoli, carrots, celery, green onions, yellow sweet pepper, basil and roasted, salted cashew nuts. I chopped them all and fried them in stages. Some of the vegetables demanded a bit more time in the fry pan than others. For instance, one wouldn't want to fry broccoli flowerettes at the same temperature and for the same amount of time as big, chunks of sweet pepper and thick, slices of raw carrot.

I had a small bit of ginger left from the night before. I peeled this, chopped it into about eight coins and fried these in some roasted sesame oil, along with a couple of chopped garlic cloves and a large sprinkle of dried, hot, red-pepper flakes. After no more than two minutes, I added the carrots to the fry pan. After a short break I added the chopped broccoli stems and then after a bit more time I added the sweet pepper.

I held the chopped green onions, basil and chopped cashews in reserve and added the leftover ginger chicken to the fry pan. I immediately followed this with the rice. I turned up the heat and stirred everything. Then I added the green onions, basil and cashew nuts. All were, of course, coarsely chopped.

I called Judy. Dinner was ready. By the time she arrived at the stove, dinner plate in hand, the green onion had heated through but the green ends still held their shape. Perfect for this meal.

If one is a senior, especially a senior on a slim, fixed income, using every bit of food that comes into the  home is important. Waste is expensive. This dinner cleaned out our fridge but didn't look or taste like a desperation dinner.

As hot as you like it Taiwanese ginger chicken

This recipe won't put a complete meal in front of you. It lacks vegetables. That said, it was quite satisfying as a Saturday lunch just as shown. The bottle of Fiol Prosecco DOC we had with it helped balance the meal with its hints of pear and melon. For a prosecco, Fiol is not cloyingly sweet as some of these sparkling wines can be. In fact, it claims to be extra dry. But it's not.

Inspired by a recipe from the New York Times, I cut back on the garlic and added some celery and sweet, red pepper. The next time I may up the ginger, gin and soy sauce from the amounts listed. Why? For more flavour and more sauce. My wife and our guest were both asking for more sauce and I had none. Next time, I will.

The original recipe called for rice wine. This is not the same as sake. And since true rice wine is difficult to find, what is a good substitution? Gin. Go figure. I used Tanqueray.

One can either use red-pepper flakes for the heat or fresh, finely chopped, hot peppers. I went with fresh, using one, small, Thai red pepper from Remark on Hyde Park just north of Oxford St. W. These peppers are quite small and come in green, half-pint containers that hold dozens. If you are not going to use them quickly, they can be frozen for use later.

I remove the seeds before mincing the pepper into fine pieces. This cuts the heat. As it is, Judy and I find just one of these red peppers is more than adequate to spice a meal, but if you'd like to use more, please, go ahead. You have been warned.

Judy was concerned about the ginger in this recipe. She urged me to cut back. I resisted. I did go a little lighter on the garlic though. A fine call by Judy.

This chicken dish, complete with a thick sauce, works well served over white, Basmati rice. A few minutes before serving I tossed some chopped celery into the still cooking mix and I decorated each  plate with a few sweet, red pepper rings that had been briefly fried in a separate pan with olive oil.

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp sesame oil (I used equal parts regular and toasted) . These oils add a nutty flavour to the dish.)
• One 2 1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into 'coins'. You should get about ten 'coins'.
• 9 cloves of peeled garlic
• 4 whole green onions cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3/4 tsp red-pepper flakes or one, minced Thai red-pepper. I would say no more than 1-1/2 minced Thai red-peppers. You do not want this to uncomfortably spicy hot. If in doubt, go for less. You can always add more.
• 1-3/4 pounds of chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 rounded Tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup Tanqueray London Dry Gin
• 1/4 cup light soy sauce
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup of fresh, coarsely chopped basil. I used 1/2 cup and my wife, who hates basil, loved it in this dish. A half cup worked for her and our friend.
• an ounce or two of salted, roasted coarsely chopped cashews

The preparation is simple

1. The very first thing to do it get the rice cooking. This will take about 20 minutes. Start it first.
2. Then heat a deep, 5 qt. frying pad or large wok, add 2 Tbsp of sesame oil and when oil shimmers add the ginger coins, garlic, chopped green onions and minced hot pepper. Cook for possibly two minutes.
3. Push the aromatics to the side, add remaining oil and after heating oil for a few seconds, add the chicken. It should be cooked in 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Add the brown sugar, stir all together and add the gin and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until sauce has reduced and thickened, about 15 minutes. About five minutes before being done, add the diced celery. You want some resistance but not raw.
5. About three minutes before the chicken is done, fry the sweet, red pepper slices in a separate fry pan. Flip once. Salt.
6. Add basil to chicken dish, stir and serve. Spoon onto white rice  and decorate  with slices of red pepper.
7. Coarsely chop an ounce or two of salted, roasted cashews and sprinkle on each serving.

Peasant Food

My wife called my lunch peasant food. A little pasta, 55 g, a handful of cherry tomatoes halved, half a sweet pepper coarsely chopped, a minced clove of garlic, a pinch of hot pepper flakes, a little grated Parmesan, a few leaves of fresh basil, some salt and pepper plus a tablespoon of olive oil in which to gently fry the veggies. These are all ingredients an Italian peasant would have on hand, according to my wife.

For me, this lunch recalls the no-recipe recipes that the New York Times runs almost weekly. This was quick and easy and, more importantly, delicious.

Put the dry pasta in a pot of boiling water, while the pasta is cooking cut the little tomatoes in two, chop the sweet pepper and put a tablespoon, or so, of olive oil in a heating fry pan. While the sweet pepper is cooking chop the garlic and tear the basil leaves into large pieces. With just minutes until the pasta is done, drop the tomato into the fry pan with the sweet pepper. After a minute add the garlic. The garlic will be done a minute or so. It should be a golden colour and most. It should not be allowed to get dark brown.

Drain the cooked pasta, add it and a little of the pasta water to the fry pan with the sweet pepper, tomatoes and garlic. Sprinkle some hot pepper flakes onto the mix and then grate some Parmesan cheese on top. Toss all and then add the basil and salt and pepper. Cook for about a minute. Just enough time to wilt the basil. Serve and add some more grated Parmesan at the table if you like.

It is a no brainer to make and it tastes as good as it looks. The ounce or so of pasta water helps to make a light garlicky sauce composed mainly of the juices from the tomatoes and sweet pepper.

This was inspired by a quick afternoon lunch made by David Rocco on his cooking show. I'm going to make it again come spring, serve it with some red wine and enjoy it with my wife and possibly some friends.

Pan-toasted pumkins seeds a hit

The Publican House Brew Pub is located in an heritage home in Peterborough, Ontario. My wife, Judy, loves dining outside. It was lunch, the brew house was handy and it had a large porch open for dining. I knew nothing about the place but a porch, serving as a patio, made it worth a look.

We kept it simple. We both had the beet and arugula salad and shared a Marge pizza of tomato, cheese and basil. All was very good. I also had a pint of the Pub House Ale from the brewery immediately next door. The beer was another good choice. We gave the place full grades as a spot to stop for a quick bite and a draught.

When we got home, I decided to serve a salad inspired by the brew pub's. I headed for our local Remark store. I got a bag of spring greens (for the colour), a bag of arugula, some dried cranberries, shelled pumpkin seeds, a pint of strawberries, a bottle of pickled, whole beets and some still-in-the-pot pea sprouts. At home, I had a large block of Parmesan plus a bottle of blackcurrant and raspberry salad dressing.

The brew pub's salad was arguably better. Their presentation was perfect. And I really liked their dressing, which I assume was made in the brew pub kitchen. That said, my salad was wonderful. Why? I  pan-toasted the pumpkin seeds. The pan-toasting game the seeds a strong hit of a surprising, and very yummy, flavour.

The ingredients are listed above. The proportions to use are up to you. I'd advise being generous with the pan-toasted pumpkin seeds and shaved Parmesan. My wife and I both prefer the pickled beets cut into large chunks. We find larger pieces deliver more flavour. The strawberry is actually optional. There was no strawberry in the brew pub salad. And the choice of salad dressing is also up to you. My only advice here is do not use too much dressing. Let the salad itself shine. Never drown a salad in dressing. The brew pub didn't and that was one reason its salad was so good.
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I've had a complaint or two about not going into greater detail as to how to assemble this salad. I didn't think it necessary but obviously it is. This post is meant to inspire. Good salads are not simply iceberg lettuce and Kraft dressing. Have some fun. Buy some interesting greens. Add nuts or fruit. Toast the nuts now and then in a hot fry pan for a slightly different flavour. If you're lazy, at the very least don't always buy Kraft dressing. There are lots of interesting dressings made by small, local food businesses. Read the labels and look for excellent ingredients. You won't go far wrong.

Have fun! And in short order you will be making stuff that makes you smile. Now, go for  it! (p.s. I'm taking my own advice. I bought some shelled Brazil nuts at Costco today: A fine addition to an imaginative salad.)

Sockeye Salmon with Tomato and Onion Sauce

My doctors have advised me to eat more fish. I should try to replace red meat with fish whenever possible. Tonight I served sockeye salmon steaks pan fried and served with a tomato and onion sauce spiced with a little ground coriander and some fresh basil. I liked it. My wife not so much. She is not big on fish and so is very hard to please.

The recipe is quite simple: Sockeye salmon steaks pan fried in a hot, neutral tasting olive oil. Fry the fish for about three minutes per side, skin side down first. The thicker the steaks the longer the frying time. Generously salt and pepper while cooking.

While the fish is frying, in another pan, fry a quarter cup of chopped onion until translucent. Add about 12 ounces of chopped, fresh tomato to the cooked onion and then salt all. Sprinkle in some ground coriander. Taste to decide on the amount. I used about half a teaspoon. Immediately before serving, mix in about a dozen chopped fresh basil leaves

Meanwhile in another pot have some rice cooking. This dinner is served on a bed of basmati rice. In another pot, one with a steamer insert, cook enough broccoli for two. I found eight minutes steamed the brocoli perfectly. This will vary depending upon the amount of broccoli and the pot.

To serve, put down a bed of rice, top with a salmon steak and add some tomato/onion sauce. Put a slice of lemon and some broccoli, or other vegetable, on the side. Good luck. My wife often finds salmon has a fishy flavour. For that reason, she isn't fond of salmon. She did like the sauce, though.

Farro for a different kind of risotto

I bought a bottle of farro with dried porcini mushrooms at Homesense. I love that store for the interesting food items it carries - and at damn fine prices to boot.

Farro, often incorrectly called spelt, is an ancient grain. A little chewy with a slightly nutty flavour, farro cooks in about 30 to 45 minutes. As farro cooks, one adds preheated chicken broth a little at a time in a manner similar to that used when cooking risotto. (I should add that in Italy, my bottle of farro came from Italy, the confusion is so deep that the two terms, farro and spelt, are used interchangeably on the labels. The New York Times has a widely quoted article addressing the mix-up.)

With it being the end of summer in southwestern Ontario, I had to add fresh vegetables. To this end, I bought field tomatoes, zucchini, fresh mushrooms, garlic and flat-leaf parsley from a farmer's market. I also used some basil from my garden. And lastly, I chopped up one hot, Italian sausage with fennel and I fried it with the vegetables.

Ingredients

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup farro
1/4 cup dry white wine. I like a good box wine for cooking as it keeps.
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup of chopped fresh field tomato
1 garlic clove minced
A little olive oil
2/3 cup of chopped fresh mushrooms
2 3/4 cups of low-sodium chicken stock
1 hot Italian sausage coarsely chopped (Optional. Vegetarians can eliminate this.)

Directions

First, fry the fresh mushrooms, chopped into big chunks.When lightly browned, add a cup of hot chicken stock, a cup of farrow, a quarter cup of wine and bring all to a simmer. Simmer gently for five minutes or until the liquid is almost completely absorbed.

Add a quarter cup of hot chicken stock and keep the pan simmering. (I like to preheat the chicken stock so that adding it does not stop the simmering.) As the chicken stock is absorbed, add another quarter cup of chicken broth. This cannot be hurried. When all the chicken stock has been added and absorbed or reduced, the farro should be cooked. This may take from 30 to 45 minutes.

While the farro is cooking, cut the Italian sausage into large chunks and fry in a little olive oil in another frying pan - a larger, deeper frying pan. One with a tight-fitting lid is perfect. The lid keeps the heat in and minimizes splatter. When the sausage has clearly started to cook, add the zucchini slices and a little more olive oil if necessary. Don't let the zucchini completely cook. The zucchini should not cook so long it gets mushy.

Of course, vegetarians can omit the sausage and go right to cooking the zucchini. If you do this, start the cooking of the vegetables a little later. Like I said earlier, you don't want to have mushy veggies.

Add the minced garlic to the pan of fried zucchini, fry for about thirty seconds, don't burn the garlic, now, add the tomato chunks and simmer all gently.

Even though no tomato sauce has been added, the frying pan should have some tasty liquid gathering at the bottom of the pan. This is mostly juice from the tomatoes. If you have timed this right, the farro should be done as the tomato chunks begin to look cooked and the liquid has all but disappeared. Add the cooked farro, the parsley and the chopped basil. Toss, salt to taste and serve.

I added some fresh ground pepper some dried, hot pepper flakes at the table. My wife also added a little more salt. We both agreed that this was delicious.

If you are a vegetarian, you might consider adding some chopped fennel to this recipe. My sausage had fennel and it was a nice additional flavour.

Lemon Rotini with Lobster

Tonight's dinner was excellent. A little expensive but worth it. (I'm still romancing my wife and she loved the dinner.) The lobster was half a package of frozen VIP brand from Costco Canada. The asparagus came from Remark on Oxford Street in London and it was the usual product from Peru and not local. The season for local asparagus has passed.

This dinner was exceedingly easy to put together. I simply used my previous recipe for a lemon pasta and substituted lobster meat for the chicken.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

6 oz or 160 g of lobster meat (I use VIP frozen lobster meat I buy at Costco Canada)
3 Tbsp of olive oil
6 large mushrooms, each cut into eight, large, pie-shaped chunks
10 asparagus spears chopped into 1-inch sections
2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1 Tbsp of freshly grated lemon zest - don't scrimp
5 Tbsp of no fat sour cream (I'm considering using 1% sour cream. This is very close nutritionally but the small amount of fat may add some flavour and texture.)
140 g of linguine - I find 70 g of dry linguine is enough per person while cutting the calories.
4 Tbsp of fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 Tbsp of fresh grated Parmesan cheese
At the table add a pinch of dried, crushed, hot-peppers, plus salt and pepper.

Preparation

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. While it's heating, heat the olive oil in a large, deep fry pan.

2. Add the mushrooms to the hot oil and drop the linguine into the boiling water. From this point, you have about eight minutes to get this dinner together. Stay focused.

3. With the mushrooms beginning to cook, add the asparagus to the fry pan. (I cheated and put mine in a microwave at high for 30 seconds. Don't do too much precooking. The asparagus should have good colour and a little crunch.) Stir all with a spoon or toss with a flipper as the mushrooms/asparagus cooks. You don't want this to burn. Stir the pasta occasionally to keep the linguine from sticking.

4. Add the minced garlic to the fry pan. After a minute add the sour cream. You don't want the garlic to burn. At the well drained lobster meat. I sprinkled a little lemon juice onto the meat five minutes before using. This is optional. Sprinkle the Tbsp of lemon zest over all and flip or stir all.

5. At this point, the pasta should be done. Drain and save a cup of pasta water just in case the dish seems a little dry. Add the pasta to the fry pan. Sprinkle the lemon juice over all and the grated Parmesan. Toss all and serve.

6. At the table, add a pinch of dried, crushed, hot-peppers, if desired, plus some salt and pepper. Have some extra grated Parmesan for adding at the table.

Linguine with lemon, chicken and mushrooms

Tonight's dinner was quite good and not expensive. The chicken was leftover from a rotisserie chicken bought at Costco a couple of days ago; the asparagus came from Thomas Bros. Market on highway 4 south of the city heading to St. Thomas.

Now, what to do with the leftover no fat sour cream. I hate waste.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

7 ounces of cooked, chicken (white meat if possible)
3 Tbsp of olive oil
6 large mushrooms, each cut into eight, large, pie-shaped chunks
10 asparagus spears chopped into 1-inch sections
2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1 Tbsp of freshly grated lemon zest - don't scrimp
5 Tbsp of no fat sour cream (I'm considering using 1% sour cream. This is very close nutritionally but the small amount of fat may add some flavour and texture.)
140 g of linguine - I find 70 g of dry linguine is enough per person while cutting the calories.
4 Tbsp of fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 Tbsp of fresh grated Parmesan cheese
At the table add a pinch of dried, crushed, hot-peppers, plus salt and pepper.

Preparation

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. While it's heating, heat the olive oil in a large, deep fry pan.

2. Add the mushrooms to the hot oil and drop the linguine into the boiling water. From this point, you have about eight minutes to get this dinner together. Stay focused.

3. With the mushrooms beginning to cook, add the asparagus to the fry pan. (I cheated and put mine in a microwave at high for 30 seconds. Don't do too much precooking. The asparagus should have good colour and a little crunch.) Stir all with a spoon or toss with a flipper as the mushrooms/asparagus cooks. You don't want this to burn. Stir the pasta occasionally to keep the linguine from sticking.

4. Add the minced garlic to the fry pan. After a minute add the sour cream. You don't want the garlic to burn. Add the chunks of cooked chicken. Sprinkle the Tbsp of lemon zest over all and flip or stir all.

5. At this point, the pasta should be done. Drain and save a cup of pasta water just in case the dish seems a little dry. Add the pasta to the fry pan. Sprinkle the lemon juice over all and the grated Parmesan. Toss all and serve.

6. At the table, add a pinch of dried, crushed, hot-peppers, if desired, plus some salt and pepper. Have some extra grated Parmesan for adding at the table.

Grilled wild salmon with garlic, celery, cherries

There's no recipe with this post. I'm not flogging a recipe tonight. I'm simply doing some cheer-leading.

I discovered the fridge was fairly empty tonight and tonight was Canada Day. Oops. All the stores are closed. Even the grocery stores.

I found some frozen, wild salmon in the downstairs fridge, some sweet peppers in the upstairs fridge and decided to get imaginative.

I served the salmon on a bed of basmati rice -- I always have rice on hand -- and spooned a quickly fried mix of chopped cherries (not too sweet), celery, garlic and pistachios on top. It was amazingly good.

The lesson? Seniors can eat well and on a tight budget without serving gruel. Almost all the ingredients came from Costco and were priced well within our budget demands. Watch a few cooking shows, get past your fears and be creative.

Good luck!

Bella Sun Luci sun dried tomatoes

Bella Sun Luci sun dried tomatoes, the ones bagged without oil, are my favourite sun dried tomatoes. I find these are lighter than the ones packaged in oil. But if you like the ones in oil, Bella Sun Luci  makes these as well. In London this brand is available at Remark on Hyde Park just south of Oxford Street West.

I had opened this package and so the Bella Sun Luci brand name has been cut off the top. Oops.

Pan fried rainbow trout with a tarragon tomato sauce

Pan fried rainbow trout with a tomato - tarragon - garlic sauce served on basmati rice.

The frozen rainbow trout comes from Peru where it is an invasive species. This is one fish that can be consumed without guilt. It's delicious to eat and quick and easy to cook. Love it.

For this recipe, simply rinse the defrosted fillets in cold, running water, pat dry, salt and carefully place, skin side down, in a medium hot fry pan with a little hot olive oil. If you aren't concerned with cholesterol, a pat or two of butter adds flavour.

Although it is not demanded, I like squeezing some lemon juice over the flesh side, not the skin side, of the fillets before frying. Four, nor more than five, minutes of sizzling per side is enough. Don't overcook.

The rice is basmati. It is possibly my favourite. It makes a tasty and contrasting bed for the fish. Use a quarter cup of rice to half a cup of rapidly boiling water for each serving. After adding the rice to the boiling water, stir to break up any clumps, put a lid on the pot and turn the heat down to a low simmer. Check after fifteen minutes. You don't want the rice sticking to the pot. When done, only a few more minutes, put the lid on the pot and set aside. This is ready to serve.

The asparagus takes a minute on high in a microwave oven. If it's really fresh, don't worry about peeling except for possibly the bottom three inches of each stalk and only if the stalks appear thick and tough.

I pan-fried some cherry tomatoes in a small fry pan with a little olive oil to serve over the fish at the table. The tomatoes add bursts of flavour. I added some pistachios to the pan at the last moment. I wanted the nuts to be hot like the rest of the meal but I didn't want the nuts to burn. Heat the tomatoes and nuts after the fish has been flipped. With luck all will come together at the same moment.

The sauce was made from a couple of cloves of minced garlic, about an eighth of a cup of coarsely chopped sun dried tomatoes, a dozen halved cherry tomatoes, two ounces of milk and some chopped, fresh tarragon to taste. I used the leaves from about five small sprigs.

These sun dried tomatoes are really fine.

The chopped garlic sizzled for about thirty seconds in some hot olive oil at the bottom of a small pot. Before it could even turn golden, the chopped sun dried tomatoes were added. Everything was stirred to prevent food sticking to the pot.

After about a minute, I added the halved cherry tomatoes and kept stirring. The tomatoes began breaking down and all began to bubble. I added the milk and then blended all with my KitchenAid hand blender. Don't over blend. You want some chunkiness.

Finally, I added the chopped tarragon and turned down the heat. You must taste to determine if more tarragon or salt is needed.

I made the sauce earlier in the day and then reheated it at dinner time. The rice was put on the stove about fifteen minutes before the fish was slid into the fry pan. This made putting dinner together quite easy.

I waited until I had flipped over the fish, then I heated about ten cherry tomatoes in a little hot oil in a small fry pan. Shaking the pan kept the little tomatoes rolling and heating evenly. Before serving the rice, drop the pistachios into the pan with the cherry tomatoes.

Now assemble the meal. Spoon some rice onto each plate, lay a rainbow trout fillet onto the rice, drizzle a little sauce on each fillet, add the asparagus and finally spoon some hot, cherry tomatoes and pistachio nuts onto the fish. You may find you have to add some more salt and pepper at the table.

Ingredient List - for two

2 thawed rainbow trout fillets about six ounces each
1 lemon
Possibly 2 pats of butter depending upon dietary demands
olive oil, use your discretion as to amount
1/2 cup of dry, basmati rice
1 cup of cold water
8 stalks of asparagus
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1/8th cup of sun dried tomatoes coarsely chopped
10 gm of pistachio nuts and if large, halved
2 dozen or so of cherry tomatoes - a dozen halved, the remainder left whole
2 oz. of 1% or 2% milk
5 small sprigs of tarragon - leaves only - coarsely chopped
salt and pepper

Pasta with roasted and pan fried vegetables and feta

This recipe is based on a Weight Watchers recipe. I left the chopped rosemary out as a my wife finds the herb tastes like floor cleaner. I disagree but, as I am cooking for both of us, I defer and leave it out.

I also added to the recipe eight very large mushrooms, chopped into eights, four chopped, green onions, a sprinkle of cajun spice flavouring and one minced hot red pepper fried in olive oil.

Ingredients:

2 small zucchini (I have used both green and yellow zucchini. I like this with either.)
1 red bell pepper sliced into long strips about a quarter of in inch wide
1 1/2 cups of grape tomatoes. Chop about half the tomatoes in half and leave the remainder whole.
2 tsps of chopped fresh rosemary if you like rosemary. Otherwise, leave this out.
2 medium garlic cloves, minced but not too fine
8 large, fresh mushrooms, chopped into eights
4 chopped green onions, keep some of the green stems for colour and flavour
Sprinkle of cajun spice
1 finely minced hot, red pepper
160 grams of rotini pasta
3 Tbsp of crumbles feta cheese

Directions:

Slice the red pepper into thick strips, about a quarter of an inch wide. Slice the zucchini into quarter inch thick disks. Toss both with a little olive oil, salt lightly and put all into a vegetable basket and place on a hot barbecue.

With the vegetables roasting, and a pot of water heating for the pasta, start prepping all the other ingredients: chop half the tomatoes in two, keep the other half intact, mince the 2 cloves of garlic, clean and chop the mushrooms into large chunks, chop the 4 green onions, finely mince the red, hot pepper and crumble 3 Tbsp. of feta cheese. Remember to flip the vegetable basket roasting on the barbecue if you haven't flipped it already. You do not want to burn the zucchini and the bell pepper. And start heating a little oil in a large fry pan.

By now the water should be boiling rapidly. Add the pasta to the boiling water. Now, dump the mushrooms into the pan of heated olive oil and begin pan frying them. Toss the mushroom chunks frequently. After about three minutes, push the mushrooms to the side and add the green onions. Fry for thirty seconds or so and then add the minced garlic. Do not let the garlic brown. You may find it necessary to add a few drops of oil to keep the onion/garlic frying and not burning. It will only take seconds to cook the garlic. Add the tomato, both the whole and halves, to the fry pan and toss all lightly.

Outside at the barbecue, sprinkle some cajun spice over the zucchini and red bell pepper. Keep the barbecue heat low. Inside, fry the finely minced hot, red pepper in a little oil. Don't burn. This only takes about thirty seconds.

The rotini should be done by now. Save a little pasta water, just in case, and drain the pasta. Add pasta to pan holding the fried mushrooms, tomatoes, green onions and garlic. Pour the mix of hot, red pepper and oil over the pan fried vegetables. Toss all lightly. If this is too dry, add a little pasta water. Now, add the zucchini and red, bell peppers from the barbecue. Toss all lightly and serve. At the table, add the crumbled feta cheese.

If you like rosemary, the addition of the rosemary adds a little extra depth and complexity. If you don't like hot, spicy food, take great care with the hot, red peppers. A one-inch pepper is enough for this entire dish for two. Too little red pepper is better than too much. If you'd like to add some extra flavour but no heat and no rosemary, I suggest adding an eighth of a cup of chopped sundried tomatoes to the chopped green onions when frying.

Judy and I had this tonight with a small glass of red wine. Don't laugh but for everyday use we find a box of a simple boxed wine, like Jackson Triggs Shiraz, perfectly adequate. For dessert we had some cubed cantaloupe. The cool fruit was perfect following the spicy pasta.

Snow Crab Pasta

Years ago, the '70s if I must get exact, I used to enjoy a snow crab appetizer at the Mount Pleasant Lunch in Toronto. It was wonderful and left me with wonderful memories of snow crab. I decided to come up with my own snow crab recipe to delight my wife.

I used frozen snow crab. Look for packages that promise lots of big chunks. I have found that the packages that favour snow crab slivers are more fishy tasting. I can't say this is a general rule, and sometimes it is impossible to apply as packages are sealed and opaque, but still this has been my experience. Good luck.

Ingredients (This recipe is for two. I'm a senior and I cook for myself and my wife.)

360 g of frozen snow crab (Big pieces, if possible.)
90 g of asparagus, chopped into large, one-inch, pieces (I used eight stalks tonight.)
150 g of rottini or penne pasta (I like these shapes for ease of mixing with the other ingredients.)
25 ml of butter or Becel (I use Becel to please my doctors.)
25 ml, or a bit more, of olive oil
3 or 4 chopped green onions (Use lots of the green if these are nice and fresh.)
2 finely chopped garlic cloves
6 ml of lemon zest (More can work but don't use less.)
25 ml of fresh squeezed lemon juice
25 ml (at the very least) of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup of pasta water
1 finely chopped little, hot, red pepper (To be fried in a Tbsp of olive oil and poured over mixture.)
Salt and pepper to taste
Serve with a slice of lemon.

First, boil the asparagus stalks for about thirty second and remove from the hot water using a slotted spoon. Do not over cook. When the water returns to a boil, add the pasta to the water. Chop the warm asparagus and set aside.

Melt the butter or Becel in the fry pan with the 25 ml of olive oil. When hot, add the chopped green onions, minced garlic, and asparagus. Toss all together. Add the lemon zest and set aside.

When the pasta is done, again, don't over cook. Add the hot pasta to the fry pan along with two ounces of the pasta water. Add the chopped parsley. Add the chunks of snow crab. Add the lemon juice and grated Parmesan by sprinkling both all over the top. Toss everything as it heats. Set aside but for just a moment. Don't let this cool.

In a small fry pan, quickly fry the minced, hot, red pepper. I find one, and only one, of these one-inch wonders is enough. Some folk find these quite hot. Almost deadly. Use discretion. Frying the chopped pepper will take but seconds. Maybe thirty or forty. Pour the hot oil with the chopped pepper over the snow crab/pasta mix and toss all over the heat. Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately with a slice of lemon and a little extra Parmesan.


A few baguette slices are nice on the table -- maybe with a little dipping sauce, too. And don't forget the white wine. I like something on the dry side. We are talking dry and not astringent.

Enjoy.

Grilled sourdough bread with feta, strawberries and basil

If I could recall the restaurant where I originally enjoyed this, I'd give the place and the chef credit. Sadly, I can't.

Each spring I take my granddaughters strawberry picking at one of the pick-your-own operations in the neighbourhood.

One of my favourite things to do with the oodles of strawberries is make feta cheese, strawberry and basil sandwiches using sourdough bread.

I've also tried this with soft, goat cheese. The picture shows this variation. But, I've decided I like the feta version best. That said, my granddaughter, Fiona, likes hers made with a mild Canadian cheddar. Adding a light patina of strawberry jam is optional but the kids love it.

Punch up fruit flavour with a cheat: sweet raspberry sauce

Both my wife, Judy, and I are watching our calories. We've both put on a few pounds. We haven't put on much and we don't intend to. Tonight we had a salad built on a solid foundation of fresh, baby spinach.

I added chunks of sweet, navel oranges, pieces of fresh strawberries and big bits of a locally made feta cheese. I added a blackcurrant/raspberry dressing and tossed all. It lacked something.

I added a few roasted sunflower seeds and slices of pan-fried leaks. It still lacked focus, not to mention a strong, fruity snap. In desperation, I added a Tbsp of a Quebec-made, sweet raspberry sauce, a topping made for waffles or vanilla ice cream. That did it. That punched up the flavour.

The sauce is good quality, made with fresh fruit. Using just a little highlighted the sweet taste of the fruit in the salad without making it cloyingly sweet. One must take care using such a cheat. It would not take too much to destroy a healthy salad. The goal here is a salad and not a dessert.

I made this without a recipe and yet my wife said it was delicious. Someday I may feel bold enough to call myself a cook.

Arctic char: a good choice for folk who aren't sure if they like fish

My wife isn't sure that she likes fish. In fact, she often claims she doesn't like fish. It's that fishy taste she hates. I tell her that properly handled fish, kept cold and fresh, doesn't have that off flavour. Good fish tastes good. Period.

The other day she noticed Arctic char on sale at our local fresh food market. She bought a 12 oz. fillet for the two of us to share. I cooked it that night.

I baked some large, thick slivers of sweet pepper, brushed with olive oil and salted, for about fifteen minutes at 375 degrees fahrenheit. With the time about half gone, I opened the oven door and add four tomatoes to the pan, and sprinkled on some basil, and, when only four minutes remained, I cleared a spot and added some washed and still wet baby spinach. I covered the pan for those last four minutes in the oven. This gently wilted the spinach.

Meanwhile, I pan fried the salted and peppered Arctic char in a little olive oil. I started with four minutes skin-side down and then flipped the fish for another three minutes. These fillets were not an inch thick.

Dinner was quick, under half an hour, looked good on our plates and delighted my wife. And the wine I paired with dinner, a dry pinot grigio.

Healthy Eating Is Easy!

Healthy eating is easy. Follow a few simple rules and all falls into place  — and weight control falls into reach.

• Plan your meals around vegetables and fruits and not meat. Often your plate will be at least half-filled with fruits and veggies or have fruit or salad on the side. 
• Mix the food groups at each meal. Try to always include at least one serving from most food groups.
• If you're hungry, eat! Do not starve yourself. It is counterproductive. You will simply overeat later. Remember, you are allowed almost unlimited consumption of vegetables and fruits.
• Put pleasure first. Don’t sacrifice enjoyment. Think flavour and not calories first.
• Plan meals a week at a time. This will guarantee you have all the right ingredients on hand to complete each meal.
• Eat 'real' food. Avoid processed foods or limit their consumption. This includes many canned and most boxed and convenience foods. Processed foods often include unwanted fat, sugar, calories and salt. It is better to lean towards whole, fresh foods still in their natural state. This includes most frozen fruits and vegetables.
• Count 'add-ons' in servings. Dressings and dips for vegetables and fruits, as well as cream, milk or sugar in coffee or tea are not calorie free.
• Be flexible with yourself. Every food you eat doesn't have to be a source of excellent nutrition. We are all allowed a guilty pleasure now and then. Just don't make them a daily occurrence. (My weakness it my wife's turtle cookies; don't ask.)
• Look for shortcuts. Buy pre-cut veggies and fruits, precooked meats, and shredded low-fat cheese for quick, healthy meals.
• Tomorrow is another day. If you didn't get enough veggies Monday, add extra Tuesday and Wednesday. Try not to get stuck on exact servings each day.
• Beverages — including alcohol — count. When considering calories, don't forget to count what you drink. Juice may be made from fruit but it often contains oodles of added sugar. Milk contains lots of important nutrients but it can be high in calories, as well. One percent, or even skim, milk is best. And don't forget water: it is often the best choice when it comes to satisfying thirst and cutting down on the urge to snack.

The above was taken from the tips for using The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid. These are rules I try to follow when planning my diet and I am finding it works.

Broccoli Soup with Undertones of Onion and Cheddar

I like soup, if you hadn't noticed. Soup is fun to make. It usually keeps well. And, it is easy to get to the table on time.

I often make a cauliflower soup that even my granddaughters enjoy. (This is possibly because even small children can break the head into small florets. Letting them do this, helps to make the soup theirs.)

Inspired, I decided to try a broccoli version of my popular dinner time fare. I believe it worked out quite nicely and, more importantly, my wife liked it. She's my harshest critic.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lbs. of broccoli, stems peeled and chopped
3 cups of chicken stock
1 cup of 1% milk
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, I like the medium to old cheddar best
a few tablespoons of fat-free sour cream
some crumbled blue cheese
some chopped chives
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Warm the olive oil in a large, stainless steel pot over medium heat. Add the diced onions and sauté until the onions are soft and translucent. This should take from three to five minutes. Add the minced garlic cloves and continue to sauté for another minute. Do not let the garlic burn. Add the broccoli and continue to sauté until the broccoli begins to soften, turning a bright green.

Add the stock and milk and bring all to a simmer over medium heat. When bubbles appears, turn the heat to simmer, partially cover the pot and cook until the broccoli is tender. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Although the following can be done in either a food processor or blender, I like to use a handheld immersion mixer. I find the KitchenAid with the metal housing surrounding the blade very good.

 Stay clear of the handheld immersion mixers with a plastic housing surrounding the blade. This can soften when mixing hot foods allowing the sharp, quickly spinning blade to come in contact with the bottom of your pot. The damage can be extensive.

Purée the soup until smooth and then, with the soup still retaining heat, add the shredded cheese. Blend with a whisk until the cheese disappears. Season with salt and pepper.

Return the soup to the heat, when hot ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Garnish each serving with a tablespoon of fat-free sour cream, some crumbled blue cheese and a few chopped chives. (I forgot the blue cheese when taking the picture. The soup, although excellent, did miss something.)