Fish & Chips

What to do with a couple pounds of halibut from Alaska?  Fish & Chips, of course!  It was fantastic; thanks Jeff & Rae.  I haven't calculated the weight watchers points, but Alton Brown assures me that if the proper technique and temperatures are used for frying, very little oil is absorbed by the food.  

 

 This recipe had over 100 reviews with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars.  I did make changes suggested by many comments - additional seasoning and thinning the batter a bit.  We'll use this batter recipe for many things.  I think zucchini may be next.

         
Ingredients

Adapted from Alton Brown  

 

For the fries:

 

4 large russet potatoes

1 gallon safflower oil (I used 48 oz. canola oil)

kosher salt 

 

For the batter:

 

2 c. flour

1 T. baking powder

1 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. cayenne pepper ( I used 1/2 t.)

dash Old Bay seasoning, (I used 1/4 t.)

1 bottle brown beer, cold (I used 1 1/4 bottles)

1 1/2 lb. firm white fish, cut into 1 oz strips

salt 

cornstarch, for dusting
          

Directions  
   

Heat oven to 200 degrees.
   

Heat the oil in a 5 qt. dutch oven (I used a large cast iron frying pan) until it reaches 320 degrees. Using a V-slicer on it's thickest setting, slice the potatoes with skins on.  Put potatoes in a large bowl of cold water.  

  

In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, and Old Bay.  Whisk in beer. Mix until smooth and free of lumps.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes.  Can be refrigerated for up to an hour.
         

Drain potatoes, removing all water.  Fry (at 320) in small batches for 2 - 3 minutes.  The potatoes should be light and floppy.  Drain allow to cool to room temperature.  Increase oil temperature to 375.  Refry potatoes (still in small batches) for an additional 2 - 3 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.  Place cooling rack over cookie sheet (to catch any drips).  Remove potatoes from oil, place on cooling rack.  Season with kosher salt while still hot.  Keep warm in oven.
      

Allow oil to cool to 350 degrees.  Lightly salt fish; dredge fish in corn starch.  Working in small batches, dip the fish in the batter, and then into the oil.  When the first side is set and brown, turn fish over.  Cooking for about 2 minutes.  Again, placking a cooling rack over a cookie sheet.  Place fish on cooling rack to drain.
      

Serve with malt vinegar.
      

Serves 4.
 

  

Cherry La La

Cherry La La comes from our friends, Mike and Janice.  They've made it often enough over the years that Mike was able to jot it down from memory.  This cherry cordial is perfect for after-dinner sipping, and the recipe makes enough to share with friends, so start saving pretty bottles. 

 

Ingredients

One gallon red wine (Paisano works well)

One quart cheap whiskey

One pint cherry syrup

One cup sugar

One jar maraschino cherries (8 - 10 oz.)

  

 

Directions

Combine all ingredients.  Age 3 days or longer.  Stir daily until bottling.   Cheers!

Halibut Tacos

My daughter's boyfriend was kind enough to not only bring us fish from Alaska but to cook for us too. The halibut was diced, seasoned with taco seasoning, seasoned salt and black pepper. Then sauteed in a little olive oil. The fish was served on a tortilla (flour or corn) on top of refried beans, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, red & yellow bell peppers.

Cookie Table

The cookie table at my niece's wedding; a yummy Pittsburgh tradition.

Commonly seen in in the ethnic-mosaic, mill-mining towns of Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio. The cookies; prepared by the bride, her family and friends; are offered to guests at the wedding reception in addition to or sometimes in place of the wedding cake.

Gambas al Ajillo (Spanish Style Garlic Shrimp)

I can't take credit for this dish. This is something my husband fixes. His inspiration comes from a dish we ordered on every visit to Meson de San Javier, near the Puerta del Sol, in Madrid.

Ingredients

10 large tiger shrimp, butterflied (we get a huge bag at Costco)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 t. crushed red pepper
1/4 c. olive oil
kosher salt

Directions

Heat oil with garlic and red pepper over medium heat until it begins to sizzle - approximately 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium high and add shrimp, sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring, until shrimp are curled and they turn white (opaque). Serve with a crusty baguette (perfect for dipping in the spicy oil). Serves 2.

Seven Layer Bars

Ingredients
Adapted from The New Pillsbury Family Cookbook

1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs (18 squares)
1 1/3 c. flaked coconut
1/2 c. sliced almonds
3/4 c. butterscotch chips
3/4 c. dark chocolate chips
1 can (15 oz) sweetened condensed milk

Directions
In 13 x 9 pan, melt butter while preheating oven to 350. Mix graham cracker crumbs with butter and press on bottom of pan. Sprinkle with coconut, nuts, and chips. Pour sweetened condensed milk over all. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and cut into bars.

Tomato Cucumber Salad

We have an heirloom, yellow pear tomato plant that survived the winter, and now with its mature root structure it's trying to take over the world. We've gotten a lot of tomatoes this year, but it does involve diving into the plant to find them.
This is my variation of the salad my sister-in-law makes. I've always loved having this when we visited PA in the summer.

Ingredients
3 c. pear & cherry tomatoes halved
2 cucumbers, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced
1 small onion, diced
approx. 1/4 c. salad dressing, to taste, Italian or balsamic vinaigrette
kosher salt & pepper, to taste


Directions
Combine all ingredients. (If you have basil and parsley on hand, add a bit.) Chill.

Banana Bread

This missing portion(s) will give this away as one of my favorites. I've changed this basic recipe by using buttermilk (it gives a more golden color to the bread), using whole wheat flour & applesauce (so I can tell myself it's healthy), and adding nuts to the top (they add a wonderful toasted flavor and crunch).

Ingredients
Adapted from The New Pillsbury Family Cookbook

1/4 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. applesauce, unsweetened
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. (2 medium) mashed ripe bananas
1/4 c. buttermilk (or milk soured with 1 t. vinegar)
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, applesauce, and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in banana, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and 1/2 c. nuts. Stir just until well combined. Pour into a 9 x 5 greased loaf pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cups nuts on top of batter. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool completely before slicing.

Bigos (Polish Hunter's Stew)

Earlier this month, as we were looking through the Polish section of one of my favorite cookbooks, my husband said that he thought the Bigos looked interesting. He's quite the carnivore, so a hunter's stew would be appealing. The cookbook said that in Poland, it was served after bear hunts and was made with bear or other game meat. (You'll see that the ingredients have been adapted.) I served bigos last night as a "welcome home meal." I was surprised at how good it was. I'm not a big meat eater, and I hadn't really expected to enjoy it and was just fixing it to be nice. Don't you just love it when thoughtfulness is rewarded?

Ingredients
Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens Heritage Cookbook

6 slices bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 pound boneless beef, cut in cubes
1/2 pound boneless pork, cut in cubes
salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
1/2 pound Polish sausage, sliced
2 cups beef broth
1 6-ounce can sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon paprika
1 bay leaf
2 16-ounce cans sauerkraut, drained and snipped
sour cream
parsley
noodles, cooked

Directions
In a 5-quart Dutch over cook bacon and onion till bacon is cooked and onion is tender. Drain, reserving 2 T. drippings. Set onion and bacon aside. Brown beef and pork in reserved drippings. (I know the bacon makes the drippings salty, but at this point, I still added salt, pepper, and garlic powder with the meat.) Stir in bacon-onion mixture, sausage, beef broth, undrained mushrooms, wine, paprika, and bay leaf. Simmer till meat is tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Stir in sauerkraut (besides draining, I also rinsed the kraut because that's what my mother-in-law used to do when cooking with sauerkraut. You still get the tartness, but it's not overpowering). Cook till heated through. Remove the bay leaf. Serve over noodles with a dollop of sour cream; sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Serves 10