I found this wild Alaskan cod in the freezer aisle at Trader Joe's and thought I'd try doing something different with it (other than breaded and fried). At the moment, I don't have any drinking saké in addition to the mirin I use for sauces. I mean really, mirin is a seasoned saké, typically brewed sweeter than what you'd drink out of saké cups. For its replacement in this recipe I used Chinese red rice wine.
The flavors that I'm imagining this dish to taste like is outweighed by the salt from the miso paste. I think refrigerating the raw fish in the marinade overnight is too long. At most, it should marinade for an hour; otherwise you'll lose the essence of the Alaskan cod entirely. This marinade can accommodate up to 24 oz of fish, or four 6-oz fillets.
Serves 2.
Ingredients
3/4 lb wild Alaskan cod fillets
1/4 c Chinese red rice wine (or fine saké)
1/4 c mirin
2 tbsp yellow miso paste
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
Directions
1. In a small pan, bring mirin and rice wine to a boil and whisk in sugar and miso paste. Remove from heat. Whisk in sesame oil and set aside to cool.
2. Wash and gently pat dry the cod fillets.
3. In an 8" x 8" glass baking dish, pour in a portion of the marinade so that it coats the bottom of the dish. Gently lay the fillets on top. Then, pour the remainder of the marinade on top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Place fish skin side up under the broiler, about 6" from the heat. Broil for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the surface browns and starts to blacken in some spots. Can finish in the oven for up to 5 minutes more depending on the thickness of the fillets.
The fish is done when the flesh turns opaque and can be easily pulled apart with a fork.
This recipe is adapted from the NY Times.
Kitchen Note: About that Squash
Since November I had a couple of squashes sitting on my kitchen counter. The butternut squash sat in the corner and pretty much looked as though it could have sat there for a few more months before showing any signs of degradation. The kabocha squash, on the other hand, lost its beautiful greenish-orange hue and turned into an unappetizing color. But, it too fared well for how long it sat around doing nothing.
Now, the butternut squash has a mildly sweet taste to it and traditionally I just halve it, scoop its seeds out and bake it up with a drizzling of olive oil and brown sugar. With the kabocha squash I wanted to simulate deep frying, but since the rind cured to a very hard texture, I couldn't slice it with the knives I had on hand. In fact, I couldn't remove the stem at all before baking. Instead, I stabbed it repeatedly with a chef knife to hasten its baking time.
I ended up tossing the roasted flesh of both squashes into a slow cooker and cooked it into a nice winter soup. There is still something amiss in the flavor, but the smooth, soupy texture is there.
Ingredients
One kabocha squash, roasted (seeds, strings and rind removed)
One butternut squash, roasted (seeds, strings and rind removed)
1 quart organic chicken broth
random spices: ground lemongrass powder, garlic powder, thyme, paprika
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
1. On a rimmed baking sheet, scoop out seeds and place halves of a butternut squash cut-side down and drizzle lightly with olive oil. On a second rimmed baking sheet, halve or stab a kabocha squash. Bake both at 400 degrees for an hour. Let cool before handling. Scoop out the flesh from both squashes and put into the bowl of a slow cooker.
2. To the slow cooker: add chicken broth, spices, salt and black pepper. Cook for 8 hours on low. Blend together with an immersion blender. Serve hot.
3. If it is too thick, thin the soup with more broth.
Makes 3 quarts.
Now, the butternut squash has a mildly sweet taste to it and traditionally I just halve it, scoop its seeds out and bake it up with a drizzling of olive oil and brown sugar. With the kabocha squash I wanted to simulate deep frying, but since the rind cured to a very hard texture, I couldn't slice it with the knives I had on hand. In fact, I couldn't remove the stem at all before baking. Instead, I stabbed it repeatedly with a chef knife to hasten its baking time.
I ended up tossing the roasted flesh of both squashes into a slow cooker and cooked it into a nice winter soup. There is still something amiss in the flavor, but the smooth, soupy texture is there.
Ingredients
One kabocha squash, roasted (seeds, strings and rind removed)
One butternut squash, roasted (seeds, strings and rind removed)
1 quart organic chicken broth
random spices: ground lemongrass powder, garlic powder, thyme, paprika
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
1. On a rimmed baking sheet, scoop out seeds and place halves of a butternut squash cut-side down and drizzle lightly with olive oil. On a second rimmed baking sheet, halve or stab a kabocha squash. Bake both at 400 degrees for an hour. Let cool before handling. Scoop out the flesh from both squashes and put into the bowl of a slow cooker.
2. To the slow cooker: add chicken broth, spices, salt and black pepper. Cook for 8 hours on low. Blend together with an immersion blender. Serve hot.
3. If it is too thick, thin the soup with more broth.
Makes 3 quarts.
Simple Israeli Couscous Salad
This is essentially the same as the Peruvian Quinoa Salad recipe, except it uses a box of Israeli couscous (from Trader Joe's) instead. This dish can be served warm or cold. The processed grain does come from Israel, according to Wikipedia. It is hard wheat flour that has been shaped into tiny balls or pearls and toasted in the oven.
Ingredients
Serves 4.
1 1/2 c Israeli couscous
14.5 oz organic tomatoes, diced
1 3/4 c organic chicken broth or water
2 organic bell peppers, diced
1 tbsp olive oil or unsalted butter
sea salt, to taste
Directions
1. In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil on medium-high heat and toast the couscous until it is lightly browned. This step can be skipped. It merely adds some color to the otherwise creamy white couscous.
2. Add water or broth to the couscous and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
3. Add tomatoes and their juice, if any, and the bell peppers. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and serve warm.
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| Israeli couscous salad |
Ingredients
Serves 4.
1 1/2 c Israeli couscous
14.5 oz organic tomatoes, diced
1 3/4 c organic chicken broth or water
2 organic bell peppers, diced
1 tbsp olive oil or unsalted butter
sea salt, to taste
Directions
1. In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil on medium-high heat and toast the couscous until it is lightly browned. This step can be skipped. It merely adds some color to the otherwise creamy white couscous.
2. Add water or broth to the couscous and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
3. Add tomatoes and their juice, if any, and the bell peppers. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and serve warm.
Stovetop Apple Sauce
This recipe tastes better after the spice and flavors have had time to mellow in the fridge before canning. When I first tasted the batch after using the immersion blender, it tasted sour to me even though I only used the juice of half a lemon. I made this sauce at the same time I was making apple butter because the slow cooker was filled to the brim already with apples for the apple butter.
Red rome apples were used since I was unable to get winesap apples from the Portland Nursery during their apple tasting event last October. The only similarities between the two varieties of apples are that they are dark red in color and are a firm and not sweet tasting apple. The dark red color doesn't have an impact on either of these recipes since the skin is removed and discarded.
For medium-sized apples, one pound of apples with make approximately one pint of sauce (or butter).
Ingredients
at least 2 lbs of peeled, cored, sliced apples (any variety)
1 c. filtered water
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
juice of 1/2 a large lemon
Directions
1. In a lidded pot, add all the ingredients and cook on medium heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to pureé the sauce so that no large chunks remain.
3. Store in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use. Or, can using hot sterilized jars and lids. Process in a water bath for 20 minutes.
Red rome apples were used since I was unable to get winesap apples from the Portland Nursery during their apple tasting event last October. The only similarities between the two varieties of apples are that they are dark red in color and are a firm and not sweet tasting apple. The dark red color doesn't have an impact on either of these recipes since the skin is removed and discarded.
For medium-sized apples, one pound of apples with make approximately one pint of sauce (or butter).
Ingredients
at least 2 lbs of peeled, cored, sliced apples (any variety)
1 c. filtered water
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
juice of 1/2 a large lemon
Directions
1. In a lidded pot, add all the ingredients and cook on medium heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to pureé the sauce so that no large chunks remain.
3. Store in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use. Or, can using hot sterilized jars and lids. Process in a water bath for 20 minutes.
Coconut Mochi Cake
This is not the dessert for anyone trying to cut back on sugar. Even though I reduced the sugar, it still tastes rather sweet. It's the perfect rainy day treat to nibble on with a hot cup of tea.
Ingredients
1 lb sweet rice flour (1 box of Mochiko)
1 3/4 c. organic granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 (14 oz) cans unsweetened light coconut milk
5 large eggs
1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
1. In a large bowl, whisk together rice flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2. In another large bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut milk, unsalted butter, and vanilla extract.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until a smooth batter forms.
4. Pour batter into an ungreased 13" x 9" baking dish.
5. Bake for 1.5 hours. Let cool for 1.5 hours before cutting into squares and serving.
Source: Gourmet Magazine, May 2005
Ingredients
1 lb sweet rice flour (1 box of Mochiko)
1 3/4 c. organic granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 (14 oz) cans unsweetened light coconut milk
5 large eggs
1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
1. In a large bowl, whisk together rice flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2. In another large bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut milk, unsalted butter, and vanilla extract.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until a smooth batter forms.
4. Pour batter into an ungreased 13" x 9" baking dish.
5. Bake for 1.5 hours. Let cool for 1.5 hours before cutting into squares and serving.
Source: Gourmet Magazine, May 2005
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