Back in the 1960's and 70's, perhaps even the 1980's the provincial newspaper back home (called The Chronical Herald) used to run recipe contests every year. Once the winners had been picked they would publish an insert to the paper containing all of the recipes that had been sent in, along with the prize winners in each category, etc. My mom used to collect the inserts, and I used to copy out recipes that I thought looked delicious into my binder! (No surprise there!)
This delicious recipe was a prize winner one year in the Seafood category. I am sorry that I cannot remember who was the author of it, or even the year that it won. All I can say for sure is that it is a fabulously tasty recipe that I have been pleasing my family with for many years, so it was well worth a first place prize!
A wonderfully crisp and buttery cheese and sesame crust, almost like a savoury shortbread, is topped with chopped onion and fresh fish fillets. I use Cod because that is our favourite fish, but I would think, however, that any mild flavoured fish would work well.
The cod gets sprinkled with more chopped onion and some chopped cucumber along with seasoned fine bread crumbs. You bake it for about 20 minutes in a hot oven . . .
Then you take it out and cover it with a cheese custard sauce, which is made from sour cream, an egg, grated cheese and a packet of dry mushroom soup mix. Just pour this on top and back into the oven it goes for a further 25 minutes.
The end result is really tasty . . . each mouthful bringing you the delicious flavours of that cheesy sesame shortbread crust, the onion and cucumber, that moist flakey fish, and the rich custard topping.
I hope you will try this despite how it looks. I know it isn't very visually appealing, but this is one case where you don't want to judge the book by its cover!
*Neptune's Dinner*
Serves 4
Serves 4
For the base:
201g plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt (divided)
3/4 tsp black pepper (divided)
60g of grated strong cheddar cheese (1/2 cup)
80g sesame seed (1/2 cup)
120g of cold butter (1/2 cup)
For the filling:
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 pound fish fillets (I use Cod or haddoc)
1/3 of an English cucumber, peeled, deseeded and chopped
2 TBS fine dry bread crumbs
2 TBS olive oil
For the topping:
1 large free range egg
120g dairy sour cream (1 cup
1 packet of dry mushroom soup mix (single serving size)
60g grated strong cheddar cheese (1/2 cup)
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Have ready a 12 by 8 inch baking dish. Set aside for the time being.
Sift the flour, baking powder, 1/2 tsp of the salt, and 1/2 tsp of the pepper into a bowl. Cut the butter into cubes and drop into the flour mixture. Rub the butter in with your finger tips until the mixture resembles dry bread crumbs. Stir in the sesame seed and grated cheese. Press this mixture into the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle over half of the chopped onion. Top with the fish fillets. Sprinkle the remaining onion along with the cucumber over top and season the fish and cucumber with half of the remaining salt and pepper. Stir together the crumbs and olive oil and season with the remainder of the salt and pepper. Sprinkle this over the fish. Bake in the heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Whisk together the egg, sour cream, mushroom soup mix and cheddar cheese. Remove the casserole dish from the oven and spread this topping over top. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Serve hot.
All these years later I can't help thinking that instead of the chopped cucumber, you could use chopped blanched broccoli or green beans. The cucumber really doesn't add much in the way of flavour. In fact it has no flavour at all. Other than to update it, I would not change a thing! Bon Appetit!
As you know I am a pasta lover, the Toddster not so much, but one good thing about pasta is that you can often adjust the amounts that you are cooking to just feed one or two. That is what I did today. I had and enjoyed my single serving of this delicious pasta dish and Todd enjoyed a meat pie and mash. I rather feel like I got the better end of the deal, but to each his own.
This is a really quick and easy sauce to make. Simple ingredients cleverly put together . . .
Fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped. Peeling fresh tomatoes is very simple to do. Just cut an X into the bottoms with a sharp knife and immerse into a pot of boiling water for about 60 seconds or so. The edges of the cut skin should just be starting to curl. Remove, dip in cold water and then the peels should just slip off with little or no effort.
Black olives . . . I like the dry cured ones with herbs. They have a lot of flavour. You can use whichever you prefer however. Garlic, shallots, a bit of white wine and cream . . . and you have one of the most delicious sauces. I love, LOVE this.
*Fresh Tomato, Garlic & Olive Spaghetti*
Serves 4
This is a quick and delicious pasta dish with fresh flavours. Simple to make. Sure to become a favourite!
450g dried spaghetti (1 pound)
2 tsp fine sea salt
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
2 shallots, peeled and finely minced
130g of black pitted olives (1 cup) (I like the Crespa oil cured ones)
4 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped (Cut an shallow x with a sharp knife in the bottom of each tomato, and submerge in boiling water. Leave for about 2 minutes before scooping out into cold water. The peel should then easily come off.)
110ml of dry white wine (1/2 cup)
2 TBS of tomato concentrate (tomato paste)
3 TBS butter, in little bits
110ml of cream (1/2 cup)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
(Remember the olives are salty)
75g of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (1 1/2 ounces)
a handful of chopped fresh parsley
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the salt and pasta.
Cook, according to the package instructions, stirring occasionally.
While
the pasta is cooking make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large
saucepan. Once it is hot, turn the heat down to medium low and add the
shallots and garlic. Cook, without covering, for about a minute or so
to soften. Tip in the olives and cook for a further minute. Add the
diced tomatoes and cook until they are softened. Add the wine and stir
over high heat, until the alcohol has evaporated, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in the tomato concentrate and the butter, along with the cream.
Heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Drain
the pasta well, reserving some of the cooking water. Toss it gently in
the sauce to coat. Add a bit of the reserved pasta water if necessary.
Toss with the parmesan cheese and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.
Serve immediately.
Quick, simple and delicious. What more could you want? Bon Appetit!
I love skillet type of meals . . . one dish affairs that you can cook and bake all in one skillet. This Aubergine (Eggplant) Parmesan is a real favourite of ours. It's a meatless dish . . . just the aubergines, cheese and a delicious sauce in this one. It is also a bit lower in calories also as there is no breading and frying involved. The fact that there is no breading also makes it gluten free for those of you who are into that sort of thing.
You start off by creating a delicious tomato sauce . . . using tinned
chopped tomatoes, garlic, herbs, etc. and while that is cooking down,
you slice your aubergines, season them, drizzle with olive oil and roast
them in the oven until they are just beginning to soften and turn
golden brown on the edges.
The roasted aubergine and tomato sauce are layered in a deep skillet,
along with lots of grated cheese and then baked in the oven until the
whole dish is meltingly, oozingly, deliciously melded into something
quite, quite irresistible. I served it with some spaghetti for myself, and the Toddster had his with potatoes. You can lead a
horse to water . . . but you can't always make him drink. This
really is delicious people. I hope you will give it a go.
*Skillet Aubergine Parmesan*
Serves 4
This
is a delicious and easy version of the much beloved casserole. There
is no frying so it is a tiny bit healthier, or at least I like to think
it is.
olive oil
180g of grated Parmesan Cheese (1 cup)
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic. Saute for several minutes until very fragrant. Add all of the herbs, spices and salt. Cook for a further minute then stir in the tomatoes, stock, vinegar, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a very low simmer. Cover and allow to simmer for 35 to 40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Wipe the aubergine with a damp cloth and trim both ends off. Cut into 1/2 inch slices. Have ready a very large baking tray (or two smaller ones) Drizzle the aubergine on both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in a single layer on the baking tray (s). Roast in the heated oven for 30 minutes, flipping them over after fifteen minutes. Remove them from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.
Spoon one fourth of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a medium sized oven safe skillet. Layer on half of the aubergine slices. Spread with another fourth of the sauce and sprinkle with 1/3 the cheese. Top with another fourth of the sauce. Top with the remaining aubergine slices, then the remainder of the sauce and the cheese. Bake in the preheated oven on a centre rack for 35 to 40 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and the sauce is bubbly.
If desired serve with additional cheese, and plenty of crusty bread.
This is really, really good, and if you use low fat cheese, it needn't even be that unhealthy. I always use whole wheat pasta which I love. The Aubergine Parm and pasta together with a salad on the side make for a delicious meal! Bon Appetit!
Not knowing what Ranch Style Beans were had always kept me from making it. I rediscovered this recipe in my files the other day and thought I would do a
search on Ranch Style Beans to see if maybe I could replicate them. I found a copycat recipe for them, created my own Ranch Style
Beans and then made this delicious sounding casserole.
I was very pleased with the way it turned out. It was quite delicious
and even had the household pasta hater going back for seconds! Having
never tasted real tinned Ranch Style Beans, I can't vouch for the authenticity of flavour, but I can tell you that it was really really good. I think I might even dare to say that this version using a home-made
version of the beans is much tastier than any version using a tin of
ready made beans.
It was hearty and filling and quite, quite delicious. I served it to
several hungry missionaries, who were both happened to be American, and I had no
complaints!!! I love it when that happens. ☺
*Three Brothers Casserole*
Serves 6 to 8salt and black pepper to taste
I thought this was really delicious and I was really happy that I had taken the time to find a recipe so that I could make my own ranch style beans, which goes to prove that you should never let a little obstacle as not being able to get a certain ingredient prevent you from trying something. Where there is a will, there is always a way! Bon Appetit!
One of my favourite things about being a food blogger, aside from the cooking and eating aspect of it, is the opportuities I am afforded every now and again to test and try out innovative products. I was contacted by AO a couple of weeks ago and asked if I would like to review an appliance for them. I was really torn between the microwave (in a previous post) and the Nutri Ninja Smoothie maker. I needed a new microwave, but I also really wanted a smoothie maker! I couldn't choose between the two items and asked them to choose for me, and was really pleased and surprised when they told me that I could review both items!
Engineererd as a system, this innovative nutrient and vitamin extractor helps to produce nutrient rich beverages to support a healthier lifestyle.
The set includes a Power Pod base with a powerful 700 watt motor and patented stainless steel Ninja blade, two "single-serve" blending 470 ml Nutri Ninja cups along with two "to-go" lids. The Ninja's extraction blades are designed to make light work of blending the chunkiest, hardest pieces of food. Whether you are blending raw fruit for a healthy smoothie, or chopping through root vegetables to make a hearty soup, the crushing power of the Ninja's power blades can create the consistency you need in just a few seconds.
Here you can see I have put in some fresh raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, orange juice, half a sliced banana and a dollop of plain yogurt into the cup.
You screw on the extractor blade and then invert the cup onto the power base, clicking it into place. Once you've done this you simply press down for short intervals and let this powerful blade do its stuff, blitzing until you have the consistency you desire. This handy pulse system gives you complete control over consistency. Another plus. Very simple.
It is rather noisy, but it does a fabulous job of grinding your ingredients down. This only took about four 20-second pulses.
As you can see the end result was very creamy and smooth. Delicious actually. I had also done a spinach one with apple and ginger, etc. earlier, but we were not overly fond of that one.It will be very much trial and error on our part and I am sure with time we will have our favourites!
I came with an in-depth owners guide and an inspiration guide with 30+ recipes to get your started on your smoothie journey!
The "to-go" lids make it very easy to carry your smoothie with you as you go about your morning duties, sit at the computer, etc.
I prefer to drink mine from a glass, but that is just me. The cups, lids, blade are dishwasher safe as well, which is another plus. Another thing I really like is the compact size which means that it is easy to store and doesn't take up a lot of storage space in our kitchen.
You can also use it to prepare frozen cocktails and frappes, iced coffees, crushed ice, etc. It is a very powerful machine and comes with a 1 year manufacturer's warranty.
To find out more details do check out the AO site. Delivery can be as soon as tomorrow and a finance plan is also available.
Many thanks to AO for sending me the Nutri Ninja Smoothie Maker. I think that this is a quality machine and something which we are going to be getting a lot of use out of over these next months. What a fab, delicious, quick and easy to way to get in some of your five a day! I love it!
If you want to check out me using it in real time, make sure you take a peek at my You Tube Review of this brilliant machine! I had so much fun doing it. What you actually see is about my 10th attempt at doing the video! I never knew it would be so hard, but I learned a lot about what you can and can't do when making a video! I need to get a stand to hold my phone so that I can do them totally hands free in the future! Try not to laugh too much! Todd says its great, but he's my biggest fan! 👍
Disclaimer - Although we were sent the Nutri Ninja smoothie maker free of charge for review purposes we were not required to write a positive review. Any and all opinions are our own and honest.
This is my fool-proof method to cook chicken breasts for use in other recipes, which results in perfectly cooked, moist and tender chicken breasts each time.
Its something which I started doing when I worked at the Manor. The microwave is perfect for cooking them and cooks them quickly and perfectly and its such an easy method to use.
You simply put your chicken breasts into a micro-wave safe dish, thick ends at the outside, smaller ends towards the middle . . . season them as you desire, add a small amount of liquid . . .
Cover them and then microwave on high for a specific time. You can also use plastic cling film if you want, or even greaseproof paper. All work well. If you are using plastic cling film, leave a corner open for venting.
They come out perfectly cooked and ready for other uses. I like to check the internal temperature just to make sure they are cooked through properly with a meat thermometer.
*Microwave Poached Chicken Breasts*
Two
tasty ways to poach chicken breasts in the microwave. Both work very
well, giving you delicious and succulent cooked chicken ready to use in
a multitude of chicken casseroles, etc.4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T chicken broth, white wine, citrus juice or water
Trim the chicken breasts; place in a microwave-safe 9-inch glass pie plate, and arrange them with the thicker portions toward the outside of the dish. Drizzle with the chicken broth. Cover with microwave-safe plastic wrap. Make a vent for the dish by turning a small section of plastic wrap back on itself, leaving a slender vent on one side of the plate. Microwave on high for 6 to 8 minutes, turning after 4 minutes. Let stand covered until ready to serve.
Method Two:
60ml orange juice (1/4 cup)
2 TBS butter
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
In an 8 x 8 inch microwave safe baking dish, mix orange juice, butter, pepper and salt. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Place chicken in baking dish. Spoon liquid mixture over chicken and cover dish with wax paper. Microwave on high for 12 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
You can of course use other seasonings and liquids. The secret is to have the tight cover so the juices do not evaporate in cooking.
They're really quite easy to prepare for cooking. You need to
first take a sharp paring knife and strip
away the stringy bit on the join at either side of each bean.
If you are
lucky enough to have one you can then feed
them through a bean slicer. If you don't have a bean slicer you can do
the same thing with a sharp knife. It will just take you a lot longer
to do it!
It doesn't work cutting them into cubes or diamonds.
If they're simply chopped into little diamond shapes, the skins take
longer to cook than the insides and they end up being either grey and
overcooked, or undercooked and tough.
I
came up with this delicious side dish when I was gifted with a nice bag
of runner beans and was trying to figure out something tasty to do with
them besides just boiling them.
a package of runner beans
(about 10 or so of them. If you don't have runner beans,
you could use a small packed of frozen french style beans)
1 medium leek
Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter a 2 litre casserole dish very well.
Begin by layering in the bottom with a layer of the sliced potato and topping that with a layer of the bean and leek mix Sprinkle on some salt and pepper and flour and some of the grated cheese. Repeat the layers until all the potatoes and runner bean mixture are used up. You should have a bit of cheese left to sprinkle on top of the final layer. Top with crushed cracker crumbs and dot with butter.
Carefully pour the milk into the sides of the dish until you can just barely see the milk under the surface. You don’t want it to completely cover the potatoes. I use the tip of the knife to kind of lift the edges a bit as I am pouring it in. You want it to come up about ¾ of the way.
Cover loosely with foil and bake for about 45 minutes, then remove the foil and continue to bake until bubbly, the top is golden brown and the potatoes are tender (about half an hour longer).
Remove from the oven and let set a few minutes before serving.
I do hope you will give them a try and that you enjoy them as much as we did. If you can't get runner beans, then feel free to use regular haricot verts, or string beans. The taste difference would be negligible if there was any at all. Bon Appetit!
I cut mine by hand into long strips. I didn't simply want to steam them
however, I wanted to try to incorporate them into a tasty vegetable
bake.
I looked online to see if I could find anything there . . . but
everything I found used tomato sauce or tinned tomatoes. That did not
appeal to me in the least.
.
I wanted something rich and indulgent, and filling. I will admit, I
have gone a little bit off meat lately for some odd reason. I am
wanting vegetables and lots of them.
I have always enjoyed my veggies, and I love potatoes and so I decided
to incorporate the beans into one of my all time favourite potato dishes
. . . Escalloped Potatoes.
Layers of potato and onion cooked in milk
until meltingly knife tender . . .the potatoes absorbing the milk for
the most part, the rest becoming a butter sauce when the flour and
butter you also layer with the potatoes melds together.
A bit of cheese and seasoning and they get even tastier. I thought
adding a layer of runner beans and some leek (instead of onion) would
result in a really delicious vegetable bake!
I was right. This was fabulous. Todd had his with some sliced turkey.
I enjoyed mine on their own with some sliced ripe tomatoes on the side
and was as happy as happy could be!
*Escalloped Runner Beans and Potatoes*
Serves 4
Serves 4
a package of runner beans
you could use a small packed of frozen french style beans)
4 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
Flour
Flour
240g of grated strong cheddar cheese (scant 2 cups)
Salt and pepper
Butter
cracker crumbs
Whole fat milk
Butter
cracker crumbs
Whole fat milk
First
prepare your runner beans. De string them, then cut them into 3 inch
lengths and slice them lengthwise into thin strips. If you are lucky
enough to have a runner bean slicer, you can use that. Trim the dark
green and root end from your leek. Wash it carefully and cut it into
thin rounds.
Cook the runner beans in a pot of lightly
salted water for about 6 minutes, adding the leeks for the last
minute. Drain all very well.
Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter a 2 litre casserole dish very well.
Begin by layering in the bottom with a layer of the sliced potato and topping that with a layer of the bean and leek mix Sprinkle on some salt and pepper and flour and some of the grated cheese. Repeat the layers until all the potatoes and runner bean mixture are used up. You should have a bit of cheese left to sprinkle on top of the final layer. Top with crushed cracker crumbs and dot with butter.
Carefully pour the milk into the sides of the dish until you can just barely see the milk under the surface. You don’t want it to completely cover the potatoes. I use the tip of the knife to kind of lift the edges a bit as I am pouring it in. You want it to come up about ¾ of the way.
Cover loosely with foil and bake for about 45 minutes, then remove the foil and continue to bake until bubbly, the top is golden brown and the potatoes are tender (about half an hour longer).
Remove from the oven and let set a few minutes before serving.
I do hope you will give them a try and that you enjoy them as much as we did. If you can't get runner beans, then feel free to use regular haricot verts, or string beans. The taste difference would be negligible if there was any at all. Bon Appetit!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons