Breakfast

Hi Everyone, as I am not cooking dinner this evening, this is a good time to talk about breakfast.  I eat the same, big, hearty breakfast every day and I LOVE it.  I wouldn't want to eat the same thing for dinner every night !!, but for breakfast, it works.  At breakfast,  I eat carbs. This meal fills me up and keeps me from thinking about eating for several hours, and after I eat it I always say yummmmmm.  Really.

Brown Rice, Hulled Barley, Lentils, and Eggs:

The brown rice, barley and lentils are all cooked in the same pot at the same time.  I use a little more rice than barley, both grains totaling a little more than half cup.  Add to the grains a small handful of lentils.  I put in a piece of kombu seaweed,  mainly because I love it.  However, I heard a report on the radio that stated that scientists were studying seaweed because they discovered  that seaweed in the ocean is impervious to bacteria.  Where there was bacteria harming the ocean environment, the seaweed was untouched.  The bacteria could not stay on the surface of the seaweed.  How this translates to humans is unclear, but I like the sound of it. If you don't want to eat the kombu, you can discard it and still get the nutrients from it being cooked in with the grains.  Put the grains, lentils and kombu in a pot with double the amount of water to grains + 1/4 cup.  Let that come to a boil and then cook slowly over a low flame.  When all the water is gone, the grains are done.  I heat them in a minute amount of olive oil adding some tamari or soy sauce for flavor.  I've been using Bragg's Liquid Aminos.  I also like some mesculum greens, undressed for breakfast, with just some salt and pepper, and wasabi on the grains and eggs.  Lately, I've been having the eggs soft boiled about 6 minutes.  To soft boil eggs, bring water to a boil and gently put in the eggs and let them cook to your liking.  3 minutes will give you a rather loose white and yolk.  5 to 6 minutes, a firm white and medium yolk.  10 minutes will give you a hard boiled egg.

You can cook the grains the night before while preparing dinner so you'll save time in the morning.  mmmmmmm, enjoy this savory and filling meal!

Delicious Memories

Hi Everyone, while thinking of tonight's meal, some delicious moments in Italy came to mind. Last January, my daughter, a good friend, and I had the good fortune to spend some time on the Amalfi Coast of Italy.  There is a small fish market across the street from the apartment in which we were staying.  The fish market is supplied daily by the local fishermen who fish the waters off the Amalfi Coast.  I learned that you had to go the the market rather early in the morning, because by noon, most of the fish was sold out.  The first day I went to the market I bought a large piece of filet.  Neither the name nor the look of the fish was familiar.  It was rather thick with a light pink color.  That night, when the three of us sat down to eat, we discovered the best piece of fried fish that we'd ever tasted!  We still speak of that meal to this day!  Indeed, there are many such culinary experiences to be had in Italy.  So tonight it's:

Fried Filet of Fish and Swiss Chard with Cannellini Beans

Tonight I'm going to use filet of cod, but this works just as well with sole, flounder, scrod etc. as long as it's fresh.  Dredge the filet in salted flour.  The flour keeps in the juices while giving a crisp outside.  Cover your pan with oil ( corn, peanut ) and heat.  Place the fish in the HOT oil and lower the flame to a medium heat.  Cook the filet for about 3 minutes on one side, and turn and cook another 3 minutes on the other.  The thickness of the filet will determine how long to fry the fish.  Sole or flounder will take less time than a ticker fish like cod.

Wash and tear the swiss chard.  Brown a couple of cloves of garlic in olive oil and salt.  Add the chard, a little water and salt.  As the chard is cooking add the beans and enough water to make the chard soupy.  I use canned beans for this and I like Progresso or Goya.  This dish only needs to cook for about ten minutes, however I find it tastes better if it's allowed to rest for another 10 minutes or so before serving.  mmmmmmm, I'm definitely hungry!  Enjoy!  

   

In Transit

Hi,  I'm not posting any recipes today as I'll be traveling and I don't know yet what I'm having for dinner.  However, I urge you to try the mushrooms from last night.  They were REALLY GOOD!!!

Ciao for now.

xo Christine   

No Carbs?

Hi.  You may have noticed that I haven't included carbs in my dinners.  I eat carbs at my morning meal and I will go into more detail about this at a later date.  For dinner, I generally like to eat lots of vegetables and protein.  While cooking, I like to snack on cheese ( no crackers ), olives and wine.  I'm fond of Bucheron, a french goat cheese and several types of olives.  An olive I've discovered recently is Castlevetrano, a green, buttery, sicilian olive.

Tonight I'll be eating fried tofu again along with: 

 

Lacinato Kale with Leek and Sauteed Mushrooms 

Wash and tear the kale.  Smash a couple of cloves of garlic and put in a pan with some olive oil and salt.  You may be noticing a pattern here.  Clean and slice a medium to large leek.  Brown the garlic, add the leek slices, stir, cover and cook over a low flame for a few minutes until the leek begin to soften.  Add the kale and salt.  No water.  Cover and cook over a low flame until the kale is soft.

You can use any type of mushroom.  I usually use cremini.  Clean by wiping rather than washing and cut the mushroom into quarters.  Brown garlic in olive oil and salt as you did for the kale, and put in the mushrooms.  Add a little more salt, cover and cook over a low flame.  Stir occasionally and when the mushrooms begin to release their water add some fresh, chopped parsley ( about 1/4 cup ).  Cook a few minutes more and stir.  Close the flame and sprinkle the mushrooms with parmigiano cheese. mmmmmmm....enjoy!  

Time for Dinner!

Growing up, dinner time was always a high point of the day, something to look forward to and savour.  That Grandma and my mother were good cooks, no doubt helped a lot.  Everyone sat down at the table together and the tv was off.  I still look forward to dinner time every day.

Tonight it's: Escarole, Brussels Sprouts and Fried Tofu Slabs

I'm going to saute the escarole.  Wash it and tear into smaller pieces.  Smash a couple of cloves of garlic with the flat edge of the knife and the palm of the hand.  Put the garlic and some olive oil( about 2 tablespoons) and salt into the pan.  Put the washed escarole on top, salt it, cover and cook over a low flame.  The escarole will take about 20 minutes to cook, but it must be checked from time to time.  When the escarole cooks down, the garlic begins to caramelize and so the escarole needs to be turned.  When it's done, the escarole will be nice and soft.

Wash and cut the sprouts in half.  Smash a couple of cloves of garlic and put into a pot with some olive oil and salt.  Brown the garlic and oil and add the spouts and a little water, ( about 1/4 cup ), salt, cover and cook over a low flame.  The sprouts are done when you can push a knife through  easily.  Do not over cook them.  It only takes a few minutes.  Be gentle.  They will be succulent. 

I don't bother cooking fried tofu in anything but a caste iron pan.  I've learned through experience that the tofu will be an oily mess if I use a regular fry pan.  So keeping that in mind...  Slice a cube of FIRM tofu into slabs about 1/4" thick.  Cover the bottom of the pan with cooking oil ( I use corn or peanut ) and place the slabs in the pan.  Cook over medium heat.  Do not turn the slabs until they turn easily and do not stick.  If they are sticking, wait and let them cook longer.  When ready, turn and let them cook on the other side.  They will be golden and crisp when done.  Close the flame and when the oil stops frying, sprinkle the slabs with tamari or soy sauce.  mmmmmmmmmm enjoy!

Hi Everyone!

I've decided to write this blog because I love to eat and my friends and relations enjoy my cooking.  My Sicilian-american grandmother taught me how to cook when I was a little girl.  As a young woman I became a vegetarian and got into macrobiotics which, to be brief, is a philosophy of eating and cooking based largely on what is fresh and local.  These days, I combine my Grandma's cooking with my own.  I do eat seafood, fish , dairy and occasionally a free-range bird. I'll be posting what I'm eating for dinner with the recipe for the meal.  

Whenever someone asked Grandma how she cooked something she always said, "First you take a pot."  So here we go!

Broccoli Rabe and Fried Oysters:

The rabe is best when it has a lot of flower clusters.  Wash it and tear it into smaller pieces. Tearing is a lot gentler than cutting or chopping.  Saute a couple of cloves of garlic in a tablespoon or so of olive oil and add salt.  I like to smash the garlic using a knife and the palm of my hand.  When the garlic is browned a little, add the greens, a little water, pinch of salt, cover and cook over a low flame for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

So much has been written about the oyster, the taste of the ocean!   I resolved to eat more oysters this year because I love them, and it's working out.

I eat 1/2 lb myself, and prefer larger plump ones for frying.  Dredge them in the flour of your choice.  Corn meal is good too.  The most important thing is getting the oil really hot.  Use corn or peanut oil.  Use enough to cover the bottom of your pan thoroughly.  A note about frying pans:  nothing beats a seasoned caste iron fry pan.  Your food will fry beautifully and NOT stick.

OK, back to the oysters.  Drop them into the very hot, but not smoking oil.  They should begin to brown after a few seconds.  When they look browned on one side turn them over.  If the oil is hot enough they will not stick.  They should cook about a minute on each side.  The should be crispy on the outside and juicy in the middle.  mmmmmmm, enjoy!!