How To Cook Blackened Redfish With Grilled Peppers And Rice

My grandfather taught me to fish in the “tobacco pond” on his North Carolina farm. Later I taught myself to fish in the mosquito laden coves, Intracoastal waterway, and on the creaking ocean piers of Florida. Those sun washed days of waiting for the rod tip to twitch and bend produced plenty of fish but I never ate any. I'm a fish-o-phobe. Love catching them, hate eating them.
My son, Brett, and his friend took a fishing trip in Florida last week and returned with some fresh redfish. When I think of redfish I immediately think of blackened redfish made famous by Paul Prudhomme. That begs a question: If you blacken redfish (aka red drum) are you supposed to redden black drum?
I took this opportunity to try out a recipe or two from a book I will be reviewing soon, 1001 Best Grilling Recipes by Rick Browne. I took the blackening seasoning from one recipe for salmon and matched it with his Grilled Peppers & Rice.
Blackened Redfish with Grilled Peppers & Rice
4 ea redfish fillets
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp parsley, fresh chopped
4 Tbsp butter
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 2” wide strips
2 medium onions, cliced into ½ inch slices
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 ½ cup cooked long grain rice
½ cup cooked wild rice
¼ cup fresh basil
1.5 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp parsley, fresh chopped
¼ cup roasted red bell pepper
½ tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Start your rice at the same time you fire up the coal for your grill for a direct heat cook at 350f.Mix the salt, pepper, cayenne, oregano, garlic and thyme for the fish seasoning.
Brush the onion slices and peppers with oil and grill 3-4 minutes per side, until the veggies have char marks and are tender.Mix these veggies with the rice, basil, lemon juice, parsley, red bell pepper, salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm.Now put a cast iron skillet or griddle plate on the grill. I was using a Craycort castiron grate so I was able to just switch out one of the grates for a griddle insert. Whatever you use, you want to get it preheated HOT. Real friggin' HOT (technical culinary term)! Place the butter and parsley in a tiny sauce pan.

Provencal Sandwich Recipe

This is a sandwich inspired by the ingredients left-over from the Cheesy Lasagna I made with Natalia the other day…
I discovered Provençal Mushrooms during my trip to Montevideo, Uruguay. I visited for work to shoot a TV commercial there and let me tell you… Uruguay is not a place too welcoming of vegetarians. Just like Argentina, Uruguayan cuisine is filled with “parrilladas” and meat, meat and meat everywhere… what’s a vegetarian girl to do??
These provençal mushrooms were in the menu of El Palenque, one of the most famous restaurants in Viejo Montevideo, next to the Mercado del Puerto. I had them with French fries and the combination of the garlic sauce, parsley, lemon juice was exquisite. I like it so much I went again to the same restaurant to eat the same thing a few times… not out of necessity, but out of gluttony.
When I saw the left-over spinach and sliced mushrooms I decided to combine them into a neat little sandwich inspired by those awesome mushrooms in Uruguay… perfect for a Sunday lunch at the beach.PROVENCAL SANDWICH
¼ cup of defrosted spinach, squeezed dry
2 button mushrooms, sliced
1 scallion
1 small garlic clove, made into a paste with some salt
¼ cubannelle pepper, cut into strips
2 tbs fresh parsley, chopped medium
The juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
2 oz of goat cheese
Handful of organic arugula leaves, washed and dried
Olive oil
1 whole-wheat demi baguette
1. In a small skillet over medium heat, pour about 1 tbs of olive oil and sauté the scallion and the peppers. Add the garlic paste and stir to combine to avoid the garlic to burn.
2. After a few minutes when the peppers have softened, add the mushrooms. Move them around a few times to make sure they cook on both sides and absorb the seasoning. Add a little drizzle of more oil if you find the pan is too dry.
3. When the mushrooms have acquired some color, add the spinach and parsley to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and add the lemon juice. Cook for just a few minutes and turn off the stove. Let the residual heat of the pan finish cooking the filling.
4. Now, cut the demi baguette into two halves and scoop out some of the soft dough inside to make some room for the filling. Drizzle with some olive oil and toast in a toaster oven to your desired crispiness.
5. Spread both sides with goat cheese. Transfer the filling to the bottom bread. Drizzle with a bit extra olive oil. Place the arugula leaves and then cover with the top bread.

How To Cook Oatmeal Crusted Haddock With Dhal?

Today we have a recipe for you that makes a great finger food for older babies coping well with texture – and makes a delicious meal for mummy and daddy too!

It’s also perfect for those doing baby led weaning.

This dish is a family favourite in our household. Not only is it packed with nutrients (whole grain oatmeal, protein- and calcium-rich lentils, mineral-rich fish etc etc!) it’s also EASY to make and tastes absolutely wonderful.

If you can’t get hold of haddock, you can use another white fish (cod, pollock, grouper, mahi mahi… we’ve made this with whatever white fish we’ve had available, with equally yummy results!).

1/4 cup lentils olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 to 1 1/2 cups water
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ground coriander

We sometimes use red lentils to make dhal because they go very mushy – but for this recipe we used brown. They don’t break down as much and have a little more texture – our little ones enjoy picking them up and eating them individually once they’ve developed their ‘pincer grip’!

Heat a little oil in a small saucepan and gently cook the onion for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and ginger.
Cook for 3 minutes more.
Add the spices and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Pour in 3/4 cup of the water and add the lentils.
Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover.
Cook gently for around 30 to 45 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Check the pot often and add more of the water if the mixture appears too dry.

Stir Fry Chicken With Hot Chilli

Chinese have a saying that people living in Chongqing is not afraid of spicy taste.So this dish is a famous dish in Chongqing Province.The real method of this dish is to be more chili than chicken.All in pursuit of fun is search for chicken in the chili.Of course,if you don’t like spicy you will put some less chili.
Ingredients:
Chicken
Wild pepper(1 tbsp of)
Dry chili(1 cup of)
Sesame(2 tbsp of)
Ginger
Green onion
Garlic
Marinades:
2 tbsp of Chinese rice wine
2 tbsp of light soy sauce
2 tbsp of starch
2 tsp of salt
Seasoning:
2 cup of oil
1 tsp of essence of chicken
1.5 tsp of sugar
Methods:
1.Clean chicken and cut it into pieces.Put the cutted chicken in the marinade and mix them about 30 minutes.
2.Slice ginger,garlic and green onion.Cut dry chili from the incision in the middle.
3.Deep fried the cutted chicken until its seemed golden then drain oil.
4.Heat up with 3 tbsp of oil in the pot and fried ginger,garlic,dry chili and wild pepper until fragrant.
5.Add in chicken and fried until well done.
6.Pour in all seasoning and green onion ,go on cook about 2 minutes then last pour in sesame,dish off.
Attention:
When you fried dry chili,wild pepper and chicken ,you should use low heat. Otherwise they coked.

Yangzhou Morning Tea Is A Good Choice For Those Who Have Lots Of Free Time

The Huaiyang-style cuisine is ranked as the top of all eight famous Chinese cuisine styles, with pastry and snacks being the key components. The cuisine is best known for its long history, elaborateness, diversity and good taste. It is a custom for Yangzhou people to have morning tea in teahouses, which is part of Yangzhou culture and also an indication of rich Chinese food culture.                                  
The typical eight snacks of Yangzhou morning tea include Crab Yolk Bun (Xiehuang bao), Huaiyang Bun (Huaiyang bao), Three-Dice Bun (Sanding bao), Red Bean Paste Bun (Xisha bao), Dried Vegetable Bun (Gancai bao), Crab Yolk Bun in Small Steamer (Xiehuang Xiaolongbao) and Glutinous Rice Shaomai (Nuomi Shaomai, a traditional Chinese dumpling). The Crab Yolk Bun is the best of all snacks. It’s stuffed with pork, crab meat and yolk. Thus, both the freshness of crab yolk and the tenderness of pork are added to the bun. And Three-Dice Bun is a famous snack in Yangzhou. Its filling includes chicken dices, pork dices and bamboo shoot dices, hence the name of “Three-Dice Bun”. The bun stands out due to the perfect dough fermentation and fine stuffing.
Yangzhou morning tea is a good choice for those who have lots of free time. It’s great fun to spend some time by sitting in a tea house, drinking tea, chatting and sampling the delicious snacks. The perfect combination of gourmet food and leisurely life is where the cultural charm of Yangzhou morning tea lies.
The snacks of Yangzhou morning tea are widely known across China. The famed Buddhist master Jianzhen brought lots of sesame cakes, steamed cakes, thin cakes, fried dough twists and cream cakes etc as food on his way to Japan. The pastry and snacks in the Huaiyang-style cuisine have become a key style in the pastry food industry of China, with a widespread influence in areas like Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Beijing and Sichuan etc.In the past decade or so, with the increasingly frequent catering exchanges between China and other countries, Huaiyang-style pastry and snacks begin to enjoy fame in the world, as the well-known Fuchun Teahouse has set up an outlet in Japan and quick-frozen Yangzhou buns have been exported in batches to areas like southeast Asia and Japan, where they are well received.

Sweet And Sour Tofu With Vegetables

You've ever had a sweet and sour dish at a Chinese restaurant and wondered how they made it, this recipe is for you! Sweet and Sour Tofu with Vegetables is an easy to prepare recipe that will have your family thinking you picked up Chinese take-out! Serve over prepared rice. If you like sweet and sour tofu, you might also want to try this recipe for sweet and sour tempeh.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cup vegetable broth
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 14 oz package of firm or extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1 inch cubes
Preparation:
In a large bowl, mix together the cornstarch and vegetable broth, then add the vinegar, sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, ginger and cayenne pepper until well mixed. Set aside.
In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry the garlic, onion, and carrots in vegetable oil about 5 minutes, until carrots begin to soften. Add the pepper and mushrooms and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the vegetable broth mix to the veggies and cook until mixture thickens, about 5-7 minutes. Add tofu and allow to cook at least 5 more minutes. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Dumpling Is A Sort Of Traditional Food In China

Dumpling, or "Boiled Dumpling", is a sort of traditional food in China. It originated in the Southern and Northern Period and has a history of over 400 years. Many customs regarding eating dumpling have been prevailing in China since ancient times, for example, eating dumpling at the New Year's Eve and on the midwinter day; eating dumpling is prevalent in many regions in North China during the festivals or on family-reunion occasions.
With unique fabricating craftwork, dumplings are usually made by poaching stuffed flour peels. Flour peels are prepared by means of five working procedures: dough mixing, dough rolling, filling mixing and stuffing. Dough mixing is usually done by using cold water and the well-mixed dough is then rolled to dumpling peels which are thick in the center and thin in the rim; filling is usually made of pork, beef, mutton, or egg and various vegetables; stuffing is done to form various shapes of dumplings such as roundness, flatness and crescent. Dumplings are prepared after poaching them in boiler until they float on the surface. In addition, dumpling peels can be made of steamed dough, short paste or rice flour; the filling can be made of meat or vegetables with sweet or salted savor; and cooking methods also include steaming, baking in pan, frying or deep frying.
Chinese families are accustomed to making dumplings with the participation of all family members. Some of them are responsible for mixing dough, some for rolling dough, and others for stuffing. They would like to have a chat while making dumplings, presenting a happy and harmonious atmosphere as well as intense atmosphere of festivals and reunion. Accordingly, dumplings are both food and a cultural tradition in the eyes of Chinese.

Steamed Rice Wth Pineapple

Pineapple is a fruit, rich in many nutrients. It’s sweet and sour taste,so children and women like to eat this.Cook this for your friend is a wonderful thing.Pineapple contains a proteolytic enzyme bromelain, which breaks down protein. Pineapple juice can thus be used as a marinade and tenderizer for meat. The enzymes in pineapples can interfere with the preparation of some foods, such as jelly or other gelatin-based desserts. The bromelain breaks down in the canning process, thus canned pineapple can generally be used with gelatin. These enzymes can be hazardous to someone suffering from certain protein deficiencies or disorders, such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Pineapples should also not be consumed by those with Hemophilia or by those with kidney or liver disease, as it may reduce the time taken to coagulate a consumer’s blood.
Consumers of pineapple have claimed that pineapple has benefits for some intestinal disorders; others claim that it helps to induce childbirth when a baby is overdue.Pineapple is a good source of manganese (91 %DV in a 1 cup serving), as well as containing significant amounts of Vitamin C (94 %DV in a 1 cup serving) and Vitamin B1 (8 %DV in a 1 cup serving).
Ingredients:
Pineapple 1300g
Glutinous rice 200g
Seasoning:
1/3 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of sugar
1 tbsp of honey
Methods:
1.Steep all glurinous rice in the water for one day.
2.Clean pineapple and cut into two parts then remove pulp
.3.Juice half of pineapple pulp,chop other half of pineapple pulp.
4.Pick soaked rice in the pulp juice and mix them with chopped pulp.(stuffing)
5.Fill pineapple skin with stuffing, fully assembled in two parts.
6.Steam it at least 50 minutes,dish off.