Hey all- sorry to say our cameras were stolen in Costa Rica and we've yet to replace them but I made a couple of things last night that you might like to try and so sans photos here's the recipes.  First: Cod Cakes or in this case Hake Cakes: 1 1/2 lbs. cod or other white fish, 1/2 lb. cooked, mashed potatoes(boil 2 medium sized), 1/2 cup chopped cilantro,  1 T minced ginger, 1/4 t. cayenne, salt and pepper.  Poach the fish by covering with water in a skillet, bring to a boil, cover, turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes. Mix everything in a bowl and form 8 cakes.  You could brush them with olive oil or peanut oil and broil on each side until nicely browned or you could fry them in a little oil which is what I did. Squeeze some lime over each and they are delicious. Pretty easy but fragile so don't flip them like burgers. Try refrigerating the cakes after forming to firm them up.
Second: Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon and Garlic: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 1 1/2 lbs of sweet potatoes peeled and cut into cubes, 6-10 unpeeled garlic cloves, 3 T olive oil, a couple of fresh thyme branches(or 1/2 t. dried thyme), 1 cinnamon stick broken into pieces, salt and pepper. Mix it all together, spread out onto a baking pan in a single layer and roast for 30 minutes or so depending on the size of your cubes. Squeeze the garlic out of their skins to eat with the potatoes.  This was soooo good. Very simple.  I might add some cayenne next time just to see...

Samless Meal

Barley Salad


1 cup barley
1/3 cup olive oil
3 (at least) garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tbs pine nuts
1 Tbs chopped jalapeno
2 cups chopped spinach
1 Tbs za'atar
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup chopped scallions
juice of 2 limes
2 Tbs chopped parsley
1 cup of feta, crumbled
1 cup finely diced cucumber
1 medium red onion
3 Tbs red wine vinegar
2 Tbs chopped, kalamata olives
2 Tbs chopped mint
salt and pepper

1. Cook barley in alot of boiling water for 40-45 minutes, drain.
2. Saute garlic, jalapeno, and pine nuts for 3 or 4 min. in 2 Tbs. olive oil. Add spinach and za'atar and cook until spinach is wilted, about 3-4 min. over med. to high heat.
3. Combine the remaining olive oil, the barley, spinach mixture, tomatoes, scallions, lime juice, parsley, feta, cucumber, onion, vinegar, olives, and mint ina large bowl. Seasons with salt and pepper.
Trader Joes has a wonderful feta from Israel by Pastures of Eden that is creamy and soft and so much better than anything I've tasted.
Za'atar is a combination of spices the way curry powder is. Google it and you'll get a recipe. I happened to find it at a local store. This salad was really, really good.
from New American Table by Marcus Samuelsson

Sauteed Spinach

3 Tbs olive oil
garlic, chopped-as much as you like- I use 10-12 cloves
lb. spinach, more or less. Baby spinach is easy with no large coarse stems to get rid of

I use a 12 inch skillet but a large pot would be fine. Heat oil and saute the garlic til lightly browned and add spinach a handful at a time til it's all wilted. Add salt to taste. If you like spinach this is a wonderful way to prepare it.

Mahimahi

Salt and pepper fish. Preheat broiler. Heat enough olive oil to coat skillet on high heat and then add fish. Cook for 2 minutes and then put in oven. Cook for 4 minutes and then check for doneness. Keep checking til it's the way you like it. I usually over cook fish but this time it was perfect and manomano it was soo good. Fish isn't easy. Takes practice....

Tiina and Darden

...came over for dinner.


A bad picture for a great meal.


Salmon with Maple-Thyme Glaze

1/2 cup country-style Dijon mustard
4.5 Tbsp pure maple syrup
3.5 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp prepared horseradish
6 8-oz salmon fillets (or one huge one)
1.5 Tbsp (packed) golden brown sugar
1.5 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 350°.
Whisk mustard, 3 Tbsp maple syrup, 3.5 Tbsp water, and horseradish in a small bowl to blend.
Arrange salmon on baking sheet.
Whisk 1.5 Tbsp maple syrup, sugar, and thyme in another small bowl to blend.
Spread thyme mixture evenly over salmon.

Bake until salmon is just opaque in center, about 14 minutes.
Transfer salmon to plates and spoon mustard-horseradish sauce over and serve.


Baked Shrimp with Fennel and Feta

4 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 cups 1/2 inch diced fennel bulb
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, with their juices
Kosher salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
3 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 lbs feta, crumbled (about 3/4-1 cup)
1.25 to 1.5 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined


Preheat oven to 425°.
In a 12 inch oven proof skillet, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the fennel and saute, stirring occasionally until slightly softened and lightly browned, 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, 1 minute.
Add the wine and bring to a boil.
Add the tomatoes and their juices, season with salt and pepper, and stir to heat through.
Spread the tomato mixture into an even layer in the skillet.


In a small bowl, stir the breadcrumbs, parsley, feta, the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil, and salt (about 1/2 tsp) and pepper to taste.
Arrange the shrimp in a single layer on the tomato mixture, and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.
Bake until the shrimp are cooked through and the cheese is melted, 12-15 minutes.

Served with rice.

From Fine Cooking Magazine



Pan-Roasted Carrots

2 Tbsp olive oil
16 long, thing carrots, peeled and trimmed
salt and pepper
4 rosemary sprigs
4 tsp honey
1 Tbsp butter

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over low heat. Add the carrots and salt and pepper to taste.


Cook, turning the carrots occasionally, until golden brown on all sides, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the rosemary during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Just before serving, add the honey and butter and mix well.
Serve hot.

From The 150 Best American Recipes


Panna Cotta

2 Tbsp cold water
1.5 tsp unflavored gelatin
3 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar, or more to taste
Pinch of salt
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (an 8-oz container) sour cream

Put the cold water into a small cup, and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let it stand for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a 3 quart saucepan, warm the cream with the sugar, salt, and vanilla over medium-high heat. Do not let boil. Stir in the gelatin mixture until thoroughly dissolved. Take the cream off the heat and cool for about 5 minutes.
Put the sour cream in a medium bowl. Gently whisk in the warm cream, a little at a time, until it is smooth. Taste the mixture for sweetness; it may need another tsp of sugar. Turn the panna cotta into a serving bowl or into eight 2/3 cup ramekins, custard cups or coffee cups, filling each one 3/4 full with the cream. Chill for 4 to 72 hours.

From The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper

Healthy

As the winter sets in, it gets more dark, and people become less active, it's important to try and make meals healthy. I always kind of feel that I am ok with a less healthy dinner if the rest of my day consisted mostly of fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc. However, after long vacations (like down to Florida) keeping dinner as healthy as possible seems essential for the time being.

Soup, fish, salad...well, and a new beer.

Cauliflower Soup With Dry Roasted Almond and Pepper Relish

Kosher salt

1.75 lb (6-7 cups) cauliflower florets (from one medium head)

You can use white, but orange gives it a nice color.

4 Tbs unsalted butter

Pepper

1/4 cup dry roasted, salted almonds, finely chopped

1/4 cup red roasted peppers from a jar, finely diced

2 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs thinly sliced fresh mint

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a 4 quart pot. Add 1 tsp salt, then add the cauliflower and boil until very tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the cauliflower in a colander set over a large bowl to catch the cooking liquid and let the cauliflower cool slightly.

Working in 2 batches, puree each batch of cauliflower with 2 cups of the cooking liquid and 2 Tbs of butter in a blender until very smooth. Season to taste with salt.

In a small bowl, combine the almonds, mint, peppers, oil, garlic, and pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When ready to serve, gently reheat soup. Garnish each serving with a spoonful of the almond relish.

From Fine Cooking Dec 09/Jan 10

Grilled Blue Fish

Blue fish

onions, diced

Dijon mustard

olive oil

Brush the fish with oil and place it on aluminum foil. Brush the fish with the mustard and cover the upper surface with the onions. Grill the fish on high for about 12 minutes. Serve with mustard on the side.

Fish Tacos

For the third Thursday in a row, it is fish taco night. The first week we used flounder, last week we used cod, and this week it is catfish. The flounder tacos turned out better than the cod, so we'll see how something new is tonight.


Fish Tacos

Plain looking, all white, but very tasty.

For the Fish:
1.75 lb fresh fish (serves 4 people, 2 tacos each)
1 cup flour
2 tsp salt

pepper
canola oil

In a paper bag (not plastic) mix the flour, salt, and some pepper. You can also experiment with putting other spices, such as curry, into this mix. Adding cornmeal also works. A couple of pieces at a time, shake the fish around in the bag until well covered. You can also just roll it around in a bowl with the mix.

Using an electric skillet, heat up the 1/4-1/3 inch of canola oil (you can also add peanut oil to this) at a high heat.

Cook the fish until both sides are browned.


For the Creamy Slaw:

1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp sour cream
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1.5 lbs green cabbage, thinly sliced (6 cups)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion

Make this ahead of time to let it sit a bit at room temp. for the cabbage to wilt slightly (~30 min).
Whisk together the mayo and sour cream in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in vinegar, salt and pepper. Add remaining ingredients and toss well.

Note: you might think about adding some ketchups to make it a little sweeter.
From the Gourmet Cookbook


Finally: Put the fish and slaw into a slightly warmed, soft tortilla and try adding things like lime juice and hot sauce.


Fried Potatoes

...potatoes will be needed for this.

Boil some potatoes. Cut them into smallish pieces. Put them into the pan with the oil used to fry up the fish, and cook them until crispy.

I don't think that these are what most people would eat with tacos, but we've gotten into the habit, so we're sticking with it.