Great White Skate and Risotto Croquettes

Tomorrow we film the cooking segment of our first episode of "Around the World in 100 Miles" (RI PBS 14, Mondays in April, 6:30 p.m.).  We filmed our farmer's market visit weeks ago, and of course I made the apple parsnip soup and served it at a committee meeting.  But two huge parsnips sat forlornly in the fridge as I attended to other matters.  Finally back at the FM, I bought all the ingredients again, but also got to talking to one of the fish mongers and went home with a giant skate wing for only $9.  This thing (think: sting ray or shark) will easily feed four people and I was told tasted like scallops.  Scallops being one of my favorite seafood but usually outside my budget, I had to give skate a try.  But what to do with those parsnips I hadn't done a million times already?

I decided to do all easy recipes except for croquettes, which I had an intense craving for.  I cooked up some risotto and prepped everything else.  The parsnips were limp and hard to peel.  I ended up boiling them like potatoes in the same pan I had cooked the risotto in, while the latter quick-chilled in the freezer.  I roasted two large cloves of hard-neck garlic in foil in the oven and mashed it into the parsnips with butter and a bit of salt and white pepper, after I drained the parsnips.  The croquettes got formed, dipped, and fried.  As soon as that was done, I poured the still-hot oil into the now clean pan I had cooked the risotto and parsnips in, so it could cool off and I could cook the skate.  Still warm, the butter browned quickly in the large skillet.  Ten minutes later (two hours total if you count the risotto prep and cooling), I served skate, mashed garlic parsnips, parmesan croquettes, and some window sill mesclun greens.  Everyone had seconds and there were still leftovers because I made too much food.  The skate does taste rather like scallops, but with a different texture, close to a delicate catfish.

Looking forward to airing the show soon.  It was fun just throwing together some tried and true recipes with a few local twists.  The Newport Great White went perfect with the meal, and also finished off the skate nicely.  Tomorrow, making soup again and sharing it and my new leftovers with friends.

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Croquettes

Taste of France Meets Italy

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Prep: 10 minutes  Cook: 20-25 minutes Chill: Overnight Makes 12

1/2 diced onion

1 tbs. unsalted butter

1 cup uncooked risotto

3 cups no-salt chicken stock

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1/2 cup grated Naragansett Atwell’s Gold or aged parmesan

2 eggs, beaten and divided

1 cup Panko crumbs

1 tsp. lemon thyme

oil for frying

Melt butter.  Sauté onions over medium heat until golden, 3-5 minutes.  Stir in risotto and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.  Pour in one cup of stock, cooking and stirring until absorbs.  Continue with second cup of stock.  Repeat with last cup of stock.  Add liquid and cook longer if rice is not tender after that.  Stir in cheese, salt, and pepper.  Chill several hours or overnight.  When cool, mix rice with one beaten egg.  Form mixture into 2 1/2 inch patties, using wet hands.  Mix crumbs with lemon thyme in a shallow dish.  Set second beaten egg in a separate shallow dish.  Dip patties in egg, then crumbs, keeping spaced apart on a plate.  Heat 1/4” of oil in a large skillet on high.  Place patties gently in oil (the level with rise as more are added), and cook in two batches, about a minute per side, or until golden.  Lift out with a slotted spatula to a bacon tray or plate lined with paper towels.  Serve hot.

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Great White Skate

Taste of France

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Prep: 5 minutes  Cook: 10 minutes  Serves 4

1 skate wing, cut into four equal pieces

1/2 cup unbleached flour

3 tbs. butter

1/3 cup Newport Great White wine

fresh chopped parsley

The local wine gives this classic brown butter dish its uniqueness without competing with the delicate scallop flavor of skate, often caught as fishermen pursue other fish.  It’s simple, quick, and more affordable than some other seafood.  Cut prepared wing into four steaks.  Dredge in flour, shaking off excess.  Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Add butter and melt, turning pan around, until lightly brown.  Place skate gently in butter, cooking until opaque three-quarter’s through, about five minutes.    Flip carefully and cook 3-5 minutes more.  Add wine and cook off, scraping up crispy bits from the pan, about two minutes.  Be careful to not overcook.  Add chopped parsley and transfer to plates gently.  Great with risotto.

TBHQ and TV too!

Are veggies really that scary?  Aghh!  The radishpus!  The octoradish!  The, the, thing that has color and flavor found in nature!!!!  In case you missed it, TBHQ, a form of butane used as a food preservative, is bad for you!  So is eating nothing but chicken nuggets for 15 years.  I have a co-worker who's kid will only eat plain bagels with plain cream cheese every day for lunch.  I'm blessed my four year old had thirds of my mashed potatoes last night: wash and cut up local red potatoes, leaving skins on.  Boil until tender and drain.  Mash in butter, milk, herb goat cheese, and sprouts.  Maybe salt, depending on the cheese.  While my kid is used to getting green stuff on her plate, you can get your kids to eat healthier too.  Make a healthier version of something they already like.  Start gradually, if need be.  Cheese makes everything better for kids.  Stay with lower-fat versions.  Let kids food shop with you.  Turn veggies and fruit into faces on that plain cream cheese bagel.  Remember, you are the parent.

My newest recipe uses red lentils and is gluten-free and vegan.  Meanwhile, I'm off to the Winter Farmer's Market to film for my new TV show!

Gluten-Free/Low Sodium/Vegan

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Red Lentil Soup

Taste of Egypt

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Prep: 15 minutes  Cook: 40 minutes  Makes about 4 quarts

2 tbs. olive oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into 1” half-moons

3 celery stalks, sliced thin

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ancho chili powder

28 oz. can chunky tomatoes

3 cups red lentils, picked over

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.  Add onion, carrot, and celery, stirring and cooking until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in spices and cook until fragrant, 2-3 minutes.  Pour in tomatoes and heat another 2-3 minutes.  Add lentils and two cans of water (8 cups) and bring to a gently boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until lentils are soft and soup is thick.  Puree in batches in a blender or use and immersion blender.  Serve as a soup with yogurt garnish and warm pita, injera, or sourdough bread.  Also a great side dish with eggs or as a sauce over oven-roasted potatoes.

New Year's Revolutions

Crazy, crazy winter it's been, mostly warm, with car accidents and computer kablooeys thrown in.  Still driving a rental after being rear-ended.  Luckily, the other guy's insurance is paying for it all.  Wouldn't it be nice if I could trade in my half-paid for Matrix for a hybrid?  Still installing updates after Safari got "fixed" and new fan was put in.  At least it stops quitting, the computer is quiet and cool, and I figured out how to get it to print again (selecting a beta version of my printer - go figure).

Anyway, much good is in the works.  My Eco-Warrior students grew basil plants as part of their community service, so on MLK day, I brought our 42 herbs to a local food pantry and did a quick demo for about 20 people on how to care for their plants and cook a tasty simple dish with canned white beans, including take-home care sheets and recipe cards.  We gave away all 42 plants and cannellini beans and many joyfully leaned in to smell the basil.  Some people set New Year's resolutions to do more volunteer work.  If you're starting seeds, grow some extra herbs to give to food pantries, nursing homes, hospitals, etc.  Share the green!

One of my other many projects is helping collect rabbit pellet for the New England Cottontail Project.  The NE native species is very threatened, with the introduced Ohio species in far greater numbers.  The introduced species has a white mark on its forehead, which may amount to a single hair, or sometimes no mark at all.  With the rabbit pellets, graduate students at URI will test for DNA to determine species.  Volunteers like me stake out areas using flags and a GPS and collect specimens in sterile tubes with silica after it snows.  

I set one site up on Sunday, finding the GPS center-point fairly easily and setting out to mark 25 meters in four directions.  Walking that far, even in uneven ground, is nothing for me.  I walk over a mile to the bus three times a week.  Keeping a line straight as I measure and tag specific points while navigating through brush, thorny bushes, grape vine, and saplings in 20 degree weather is not.  I got hit in the eye twice.  I kept thinking about Blair Witch Project.  It took me an hour and I was cold.  

On Monday I set out with helpers to survey site number two.  After half a mile through steep pathways and over and under trees, we found our pathway blocked.  800 meters to go.  Getting back to the car, we drove to the back of an industrial complex and tried again.  Trash.  600 meters.  A third try down a narrow winding road with nice houses, 179 meters.  Then it was time to pack up for the food pantry.  I guess I will try again on Saturday, when it's supposed to snow.  But working full-time does not give me much "light" time.

Meanwhile, my producer and I discussed our upcoming tv show: The 100 Mile Lifestyle.  I may just do a parody of Blair Witch when we cover this.  That is, if we can get the camera out in the snowy woods.  2012 appears to have many changes in store.  Chinese New Year is early, January 23rd, the year of the Black Rain Dragon.   In China, dragons are not horrific monsters but wise protectors, especially of water and rivers.  I thought of the rain dragon as I gazed at the protected lake I was exploring, now icy in a single day.  The water I cross going to work often stinks and is posted with warnings not to fish there.  This new area I am surveying is reintroducing fish.  We need more rain dragons to make this happen.  (A great movie that shows this is "Spirited Away".) 

We all want prosperity, whether it's for ourselves, our loved ones, or the Earth.  Eating local foods is one way to encourage this, supporting the local economy, reducing our carbon footprint, and eating healthier for a better life.  This recipe can be made with pine nuts of sunflower seeds, with slightly different (but tasty) results.  If you're short on time or want a thinner wrapper, use refrigerated wonton wrappers in the specialty section of supermarkets or from a local Asian market.

Gluten-Free Option

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Money Bags

Taste of China Meets Greece

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Prep: 20 minutes  Cook: 20 minutes  Makes 48

Filling:

1/4 cup dried Asian mushrooms, reconstituted in boiling 

     water 10 minutes (reserve liquid)

6 oz. frozen spinach

1/4 cup pine nuts or sunflower seeds

1-2 tbs. oil

4 tsp. butter

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/8 tsp. pepper 

2 scallions, or onion, chopped fine

4 oz. local feta (such as Narragansett Creamery’s Salty Sea)

Celebrate the New Year, Chinese or otherwise, with this appetizer of prosperity.  The spinach in  these dumplings represents cash, with feta, pine nuts or seeds, and thyme adding a punch of flavor inside. You can by-pass using a bamboo steamer by placing a cookie rack on the bottom of a large stock pot with lid.  Use wax paper pierced with holes and brushed with oil to keep wraps from sticking.  You can even tie bags with a thread of green scallion for a nice little detail. 

Chop mushrooms very fine.  Sauté pine nuts or seeds in 1 tbs. oil, until lightly toasted.  Add spinach and mushroom liquid as needed, cooking down, about 10 minutes.  Stir in mushrooms, butter, thyme, and pepper.  When all is incorporated, stir in scallions and feta.  Remove from heat and let cool.

Dough:

2 cups flour (or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 egg

1/2 cup water

1 tbs. oil

Sift dry ingredients.  Beat egg, water, and oil in bowl.  Add to dry ingredients and knead into a stiff dough.  Cover bowl with a damp towel and let rest 10 minutes to activate baking powder.  Form dough into two foot snake and cut into 48 slices.  Roll each slice into a thin round, add a tablespoon of filling, gather dough edges, and twist to seal.  (Use a drop of water if money bags do not stay closed.)  Place dumplings in oiled bamboo basket or oiled, pierced wax paper on a cooling rack over simmering but not boiling water, 12-15 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Back from Tour and Green Uses for Trees

My family and I just got back from a 4 hour tour of local foods and recovered resources. First, we went to the Resources (Recycling) for Rhode Island Education, where teachers and members can buy industrial cast-offs for 40¢ a pound.  I loaded up on 20 felt sheets for a dollar special, as well as some odd foam and cardboard pieces, plastic sheeting, embossed paper, wallpaper, and several handfuls of felt/cardboard hybrid circles.  Some of these materials will become characters in my upcoming show: "The 100 Mile Lifestyle", which will air on Cox local access channel 14 starting in April.  I'm on the look-out for bubble wrap so I can recreate the octopus costume from "Love, Actually" and plan to make some reusable sandwich wraps for our "Waste Free Lunch" segment in our second show.  Two bags of materials: $3.80.  Educating the world?  Priceless!

After that, we drove down Elmwood to 1577 Westminster to finally check out the local food supermarket Fertile Underground.  The store is alive and kicking, with a coffee/sandwich bar, fresh and mostly local produce, and a pantry that looks like they raided my house.  So yes, stuff I like.  The murals look great, also done by local artists including my friend Mac.  There's also a kid's play area that is visible from most of the store, so I was actually able to have an adult conversation while my daughter played with the blocks and moving parts pull grasshopper.  I picked up a turnip, rutabaga, carnival squash, dry navy beans, and Narragansett Creamery's Atwell's Gold.  I  will be making a frittata with the squash and cheese later this week.  The coffee was exceptional.  I picked up a bottle of Mrs. Squibb's ice tea which I first tried at a Festival Fete event.  Yummy stuff.  They also carry Yacht Club sodas (with returnable bottles), Trappist Monk jams, many local value-added products (more jams, honey, sauces, etc.) and Farmacy products.  I was able to stock up on mullein for Ryk's asthma. 

Then it was off to the winter farmer's market.  It was PACKED!  More cheese.  Granola.  Brussels sprouts.  We tried some gluten and sulfite free sausage.  My daughter picked out bok choy.  Ryk picked out squid.  I'll be making my "Baby's Got Bok Choy" this weekend, trying the squid instead of the shrimp this time.  The exciting thing was to see how much the market has expanded since last year.  More vendors.  More variety.  More people shopping there.  Now you can get kits to grow your own microgreens or oyster mushrooms.  If you still have a Christmas tree hanging around your house, New Urban Farmers will take it: they are recycling the trees into compost, mulch, and a substrata to grow the oyster mushrooms.  The stumps will be used for raised beds, tomato supports, and other landscaping projects.  Smithfield even brought all their curbside pick-up of trees to them.

Finally home, I noticed it was beautiful outside.  I got one shot of a nuthatch in the tangle of forsythia and bittersweet before the cat decided to join me.  Finding ice in my daughter's sand and water table, I popped it out and we played "Block of Ice" on the deck.  (Think "catch", but using your feet like hockey sticks.)  Surprisingly, the garlic chives are still out.  Then it was swing time and looking for critters under rocks.  We found slugs.  

Well, I have lots of cooking and sewing to do.  I'm close to having a low-income recipe for the recipients of the basil plants my after-school Eco-Warriors grew.  It will be garlicky and full of beans, with fresh basil mixed in.  Meanwhile, there's "Mercy Brown Bread" and fish tacos to make and chicken and worm puppets to sew.  Later.

Gluten-Free/Low Sodium/Vegetarian Option

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Baby Got Bok Choy

Taste of Thai

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Prep: 15 minutes  Cook: 30 minutes  Serves 4

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

2 tbs. mirin or local white wine

2 tsp. corn starch

1 tbs. sesame oil

1 lb. shelled, de-veined local shrimp or firm tofu

1 small yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup chopped white mushrooms

8-10 washed baby bok choy, chopped into 1/2” pieces

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro*

2” peeled, minced ginger**

2 tbs. lime juice (about one lime), plus lime for garnish

Spice it up: 1 tsp red pepper flakes or Sriracha sauce (found in Asian markets) (optional)

Whisk broth, mirin or wine, and corn starch.  Set aside.  In a large sauté pan with lid, heat sesame oil on medium-high and stir-fry shrimp until cooked through, 3-5 minutes.  Set aside.  Sauté onions and mushrooms 2-3 minutes.   Add bok choy and pour broth over all.  Cover and cook 6-8 minutes, stirring up from the bottom occasionally.  Reduce to simmer.  Add shrimp or tofu, lime, and ginger, stirring well.  Heat 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.  Serve with jasmine rice and lime wedges.

* I find it easier to cut cilantro with kitchen scissors I only use for herbs.

** Ginger can be easily peeled around its unpredictable curved using a spoon.

A Very Sunny Curry and Surprises

Enjoying the week off.  A couple weeks ago, having no time or preparation to deal with the unexpected hatching, I discovered a dark tiny speck about the size of a comma on our white cupboards.  When I went to brush it away, it hopped.  It was a baby grasshopper.  Then, in other parts of the house, about thirty more.  Apparently, eggs had been laid in the rosemary plant I had taken in and placed on top of the radiator.  The heat caused the nearly mature eggs to end their stasis in the cold and hopping things were everywhere!  After two failed attempts to create a place to hold them, where they either escaped to get stepped on or eaten by spiders, or stuck to the duct tape, or possibly suffocated, I got the survivors into a large plastic bin with a lid I cut slits rather than holes into.  I also cut a large window I stretched nylon over and taped in place to allow more air through.  In the bottom of the container is a small tupperware bottom with compost and bird seed that has started sprouting, topped with twigs and a pine cone for perching.  The grasshoppers have grown about 30% every week.  They are lighter now and have striped legs.  No wings yet.  I've watched them eating leaves and carrot peelings, grooming themselves, crawling up leaves and twigs, and eliminating waste.  They sometimes hang out together.  In the beginning, they were mostly on the ceiling.  Now they chill from various perches.  The seeds seem t be growing faster than the guys chew them, but we'll see if any adjustments need to be made.  So far, with habitat #3, everything is chill.

Christmas day a hawk landed in the tree just beyond my parents' deck.  I got some blurry pictures through the screen before it took off.  Tuesday we went to the Audubon with the kids.  Lots of finches.  I found some milkweed seeds.  Then it was the movies and mini golf.  I'm still fighting off cold #2 this month.  The sage/thyme tea helps, but the cough suppressant is key to getting any sleep at night.  I ran out, but we restocked this morning.  Managed to survive drive to and from NYC to take the fam to the Met.  Glad the kids enjoyed the sensory-overload of thousands-of-years old art in a museum the size of Newport.  Caricatures from DaVinci and Daumier, among others.  Seeing old favorites, like Chuck Close and Dali.  Visits from O'Keeffe.  Very exquisite Africa exhibit.  Saw lots of mythical beasts from my daughter's new board game, which I pointed out.  It was her who found the centaur figure in the glass case, however.  Lots of sphinx.  Even a siren.  It's a bird kind of week.

Hanging out today.  Made curry with buttercup squash and green apple.  It's a bright, orange touch to a wintery day.  For New Year's, I'll be making "Money Bags', or steamed dumplings with spinach, feta, and pine nuts.  I've made them many times, but I'm adding a new local twist.  I'll let you know how it turns out.   

Gluten-Free/Vegetarian Option

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A Very Sunny Curry

Taste of India

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Prep: 20 minutes  Cook: 30 minutes  Makes six servings

2 cups peeled, cubed buttercup squash

2 cups cooked brown rice

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup golden raisins

1 tsp. curry

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4-1/2 tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 green apple, peeled and diced*

olive oil for cooking

yogurt for garnish (optional)

A different kind of stir-fry, this combines the spices of Asia with with sweetness of squash and bite of tart apple.  Cook rice.  Boil squash until tender, about 10 minutes, reserving liquid.  Sauté onion in 1 tbs. olive oil until translucent, stirring frequently to prevent browning.  Add squash, spices, raisins, and apple, stirring after each addition.  Add cooked rice and mix well over med/low heat.  If necessary, add reserved liquid to keep mixture from sticking to pan.  Serve with broiled chicken or lamb or as a dish in itself.  Top with plain yogurt, if desired.

* Wait to cut apple until last moment, or place pieces in cold water with a teaspoon of lemon juice to prevent browning.

Sacred Spuds

On the fifth day of Hanukkah, my true love fried for me a somewhat nutritious latke...

Let's face it, fried potatoes are not exactly healthy.  Or are they?  Potatoes, especially the skins, provide some vitamin A and calcium, but a whole lot of vitamin C, iron, and fiber.  There's also potassium, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6, folate, pantothenic acid, choline, and betaine.  Some have called it the perfect food.  My recipe also includes carrots, onions, and buttermilk, providing more potassium and vitamin A as well as calcium from the milk.  You do need some fat to be able to absorb certain nutrients.  So while you shouldn't eat all your foods fried, it's the holidays.

Boxty is an Irish potato pancake gaining popularity in restaurants.  There are dozens of recipes for both boxty and latkes.  The commonality are the grated potatoes, which will fry much crisper by draining the starchy liquid.  I also grate them into cold water with lemon juice before draining to prevent discoloration.  Who wants a gray potato?

This diverse South American tuber certainly gets around!  Latkes symbolize the oil that lasted eight days when there was only enough for one day after the Macabees reclaimed and dedicated the temple.  In other countries they fry fish or chicken, but in Russia and the Ukraine the potato was more readily available.  Boxty (and its buttermilk) is sometimes served as part of St. Brigid's Day, February 1st or 2nd.  She is the patron saint (and pagan goddess) of the hearth, milk, butter, dairy animals, tools, and poetry.  So no matter your reasons, may they all be delicious!

Vegetarian/Vegan Option

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Boxty Latkes

Taste of Ireland Meets Jewish Russia

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Prep: 25 minutes  Cook: 30 minutes  Makes 28 four inch pancakes 

2 pounds organic Yukon Gold potatoes

1 medium organic onion, diced

1 organic carrot, grated

1 tsp. fresh ground coriander

1/2 tsp. each salt and white pepper

1 cup buttermilk (soy milk for vegan)

1 cup unbleached flour

lemon juice

1 tbs. butter or olive oil

oil for cooking

Did you know potatoes are full of vitamins, particularly the skins?  Cut up 3-4 scrubbed potatoes, leaving skins on.  Boil until tender, 10-15 minutes.  Meanwhile, saute onions and carrots in butter or olive oil until golden and set aside.  Grate 2-3 scrubbed potatoes into bowl with cold water and a splash of lemon juice to prevent discoloration, also leaving skins on.  Drain in colander, pressing down with masher and squeezing water out with hands just before adding to batter.  Mash drained boiled potatoes with buttermilk, vegetables,  and seasonings.  Stir in grated potato.  Add flour a little at a time, until absorbed.  Batter should be thick.  Heat 1/4” of oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Drop batter by spoonful, cooking 4 inch pancakes 2-3 minutes per side.  Drain on towels.  (Pancakes can be kept warm on a cookie tray in a 250ºF oven.)  Serve with butter, breakfast meats, sour cream, and/or apple sauce.

No Cupcakes Allowed!

Once again, I was stuck on a treat for my daughter's holiday party, where there can be no nuts, dairy, or, goodness, cupcakes!  For Halloween I adapted an idea for the graveyard from Family Fun Magazine.  This time, I though I'd make snow men from cucumbers, but the ones I purchased were not very white inside.  My spouse reminded me we had a tree-shaped pan, and my ideas for sculpting hummus into a tree shape instantly became easier.  Adding green food coloring, my frequent flyer hummus ingredients went into the Magic Bullet blend and got scooped into the pan.  I cut roasted red pepper strips for the garland and ornaments.  The mini cukes got sliced and inserted as well.  So if you're looking for a quick and pretty dish for that last holiday party, here it is:

Vegan

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Hummus

Taste of the Middle East

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15 oz. can of chick peas

5 tbs. lemon juice

3 tbs. tahini 

2 tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

While I can’t claim local ingredients for this recipe, making it yourself will result in less plastic in the landfill.  The can the chick peas come in is recyclable.  Lemon juice and olive oil are common staples in most American households.  You can find tahini in most markets today, usually with organic or ethnic foods, but the recipe can be made without it.  You can also mix in diced red pepper, garlic, or parsley.  Hummus is a good source of protein, iron, dietary fiber, and vitamin C.  

Drain and rinse chick peas.  Place all ingredients in blender or food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Great with cucumbers, celery, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, pita chips, and more!