Fish with Green Mango Sauce

My son's friend Andrew is an avid fisherman. On occasion we are treated to  his catch. Sea bass, tender clams and the most recent... delicious sheepshead fish. An ugly looking fish with the sweetest of flesh! 

Thoughtfully cleaned and fileted by Andrew,  the fish has a delicate taste, making it the perfect foil for a spicy, sour coconut sauce. Seasoned fish is lightly floured and shallow fried. Onions, green mango pieces, ginger, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, and a green curry sauce make a base for the fish. A base of hot cooked rice gives the dish a good balance. Sheer bliss!

FISH WITH GREEN MANGO SAUCE

Serves 2-3

5-6 Fish Filets

Kosher salt

White Pepper Powder

AP Flour

Canola Oil

1/2 Onion, sliced thinly

1/2 cup Green Mango pieces

2 tablespoons minced Garlic 

2 tablespoons minced Ginger

3-4 Makrut Lime Leaves

1 teaspoon Green Curry Paste

1/2 cup Coconut Milk

Cilantro

Hot cooked Rice

Rinse filets and pat dry.

Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat a little oil in a nonstick saucepan.

Lightly coat filets in flour. 

Fry filets till golden brown on both sides.

Keep aside.

Add onion, ginger garlic, mango and makrut lime leaves to oil. Saute for 3-4 minutes. 

Add green curry paste and coconut milk to onions.  Bring to a simmer. Add a little water if neccessary. Simmer for 4-5 minutes. 

Plate some rice. Pour ladlefuls of sauce on rice. Top with fish. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Thank you Andrew! The fruits of your labor are delicious, delicate morsels we enjoy!

 

Fig Clafoutis

I am still drowning in figs! We've sampled them in so many delectable ways from procuitto and goat cheese wrapped figs, hot honey figs, a gamut of salads, several bottles of jam and now its time for dessert.

Clafoutis it is! Easy to whip up, it is a fast bake in a hot oven. A batter of eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, flour and baking powder is poured over halved figs and baked. The clafoutis is both cake-like and custardy and this French confection neber fails to please.

 FIG CLAFOUTIS

Serves 4-6

12 small Figs

Butter

3 Eggs

3/4 cup Milk   

3/4 cup Cream

1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 cup AP Flour

1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

Confectioner's Sugar

Heat oven to 350F/180C.

Grease a 9'x9' baking dish with butter. I used a 10 inch oval.

Cut figs in half and place in buttered dish, cut side up.

Whisk eggs, milk, cream and vanilla.

Place flour sugar and baking powder in another bowl. 

Add egg mix to flour stirring till there are no lumps. 

Pour the batter carefully into baking dish. The figs might sink into the batter , but they will rise as it bakes.

Bake for 40 minutes. 

Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve warm.

Ooooh la la...perfection!

Figs with Hot Honey

We have a bumper crop this year! Even after we give away bags and bowls of figs, I am left more than we can eat. I am still pouring over books and scrolling the internet for inspiration. This appetiser/salad is a composite of several recipes. Lets see!

Whipped goat cheese and sour cream make the base. Halved figs pose atop the base. Honey and Sriracha is vigourously stirred and then drizzled over the figs. A fork is all you need!

FIGS WITH HOT HONEY

Serves 2

8-10 Figs, halved

1/2 cup Goat Cheese

1/4 cup Sour Cream 

3 tablespoons Honey

2 tablespoons Sriracha

Whisk goat cheese and sour cream till smooth.

Mix honey and sriracha in a bowl.

Use a spoon to spread goat cheese in a layer on a plate. 

Arrange halved figs over goat cheese. 

Drizzle with hot honey. 

Enjoy as an appetiser or first course.

One more easy peasy fig salad!

Fig and Beet Salad

When you have over five hundred figs on youe tree and you cannot give them away fast enough, you have to come up with different ways to eat them every day. Today's version is a simple salad. Halved figs. Chopped beets. A bed of salad leaves. Crumbled goat cheese. A balsamic and olive oil dressing. Five components to a simple but delicious plate.

FIG AND BEET SALAD

Serves 2

6-8 fresh Figs

1 Beet, boiled or roasted

2 cups Salad Greens

1/4 cup Goat Cheese crumbles

3 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Fresh cracked Black Pepper

Cut beet into small chunks. 

Halve figs.

Arrange salad leaves on a platter.

Nestle beets and figs in salad leaves. 

Scatter goat cheese over figs and beets. 

Whisk balsamic and oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle dressing over the salad.

Enjoy.

Simple flavors make for a delicious dinner. 

Corn and Potato Soup

Sometimes a recipe reads like a charm and drives you into the kitchen that instant. That being the case, I use the recipe as a launch pad for my experiment. The original reads like a chowder, albeit with coconut milk. I follow the path but tweak in some eastern flavors with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil and lime. How good can this be? Try it!

CORN AND POTATO SOUP

Inspired by Sarah Jampel from New York Times

Serves 4

1 small Onion

3 Garlic cloves

2 Ginger slices

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

2 Green Chiles

2 Lemongrass stalks

2-3 Kaffir Lime Leaves

3 small Red Bliss Potatoes

1 cup fresh or frozen Corn

1 14oz can Coconut Milk

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Fresh ground Black Pepper

Garnishes

Fried Onions

Thai Basil Leaves

Cilantro

Lime Juice

Chop onion roughly.

Slice garlic cloves. 

Slice 1 green chile thinly.

Cut lemongrass at the root ends. Remove outer leaves and cut the stalks into 2 inch pieces. Slit them partially.

Heat oil in a deep saucepan. 

When it shimmers add onion, garlic, ginger and sliced green chiles. Saute till onion is traslucent.

Wash potatoes. Dry and slice into thin half moons.

Add corn.

 Add potatoes into the pan, Saute for 30 seconds. 

Pour coconut milk into the pan. 

Drop lemongrass and kaffir lime to pan.

Fill the can with water and add to pan.

Slit remaining chile lengthwise in half and add to soup. 

Season with salt and pepper. 

Bring soup to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Fish out the lemongrass, kaffir lime and the whole green chile.

Use an immersion blender to roughly puree the soup. Thin the soup with water if you want to. Season again if you do. 

Heat the soup again.  

Serve the soup garnished with fried onions, herbs of your choice and large squirt of lime juice.

Lighter than the usual chowder, the soup is a good pick me up!

Alebele or Coconut Pancakes

 

I make a last meal for Prassy before she leaves. Another request, coconut stuffed pancakes. We reminisce about ones we have eaten in the past. We remember that delicious flavor and we set about making these rolled beauties.

Egg, butter, coconut milk, flour, baking powder and a hint of salt make up the pancake batter. Unusual in style, an egg is beaten and then whisked with soft butter. The coconut milk gives it a different taste. The filling is shredded fresh coconut and sugar stirred till the sugar melts. Simple Goan nuances in a small package.

ALEBELE OR COCONUT PANCAKES

Makes 8

1 Egg

1 teaspoon soft Butter

1/2 cup plus a little more Coconut Milk

1/2 cup AP Flour 

1/8 teaspoon Baking Powder

A pinch of Kosher Salt

1 cup shredded fresh Coconut

3 tablespoons Sugar

Break egg into a bowl. Whisk till well beaten.

Add butter to egg and whisk well till butter is mixed in. The butter will break up into small flecks.

Add coconut milk in and whisk again till batter is smooth.

Add flour in small batches till all of it is mixed in.

Add baking powder and salt. 

Set batter aside for 1/2 hour. 

Heat a small 6" nonstick pan on high heat. 

Brush the pan with a little butter.

If the batter seems a little thick, thin it out with a little coconut milk.

Pour a ladleful into the pan and swirl pan to spread batter. 

Cook for 2 minutes on one side, flip and cook the other side for 30 seconds. Remove from pan ans stack on a plate.

Repeat until all the batter is finished.

Make the filling in the same pan. Place shredded coconut and sugar in the pan. Place over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring often till sugar melts. Cool and keep aside.

To assemble, place a heaping spoon of coconut along the center of the pancake. Roll and keep aside. Make the rest of them the same way.

Serve at room temperature.

These pancakes are a pleasure to make and make for a pleasurable dessert!

Shrimp in Tamarind Sauce

As the light fades, the patio becomes a gathering place. Drinks are mixed,  we nosh a little ,the table is laid and we dine with the fireflies. My sister's visit has culminated in a flurry of cooking. Cornbread is requested. Garden beefsteak tomatoes, basil and buffallo mozzerella is our salad.  Shrimp with a tamarind sauce rounds off the meal.

I make a sauce with tamarind, sugar, sambal olek, star anise and fish sauce. Sliced onions, chiles, garlic and cashews are stir fried till light brown. Shrimp get a quick saute in the pan. The tamarind sauce is poured in. A quick stir and we eat sumptuously in the fading light of day.

SHRIMP WITH TAMARIND SAUCE

Serves 4

1 pound Shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/2 teaspoon Chile Powder

1 teaspoon Paprika

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

2 tablespoons Canola Oil

1 large white Onion

5-6 Garlic cloves, minced

3-4 Green Chiles, sliced

1/2 cup unsalted Cashews

1 cup thick Tamarind water 

1/2 cup Brown Sugar  

1/2 cup Fish Sauce

2-3 tablespoons Sambal Olek

1 Star Anise

1/2 cup Water

Cilantro

Marinate shrimp in chile powder, paprika and garlic powder for 5 minutes. 

Heat tamarind water, sugar, fish sauce, samabal olek star anise and water in a saucepan. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.

Heat oil in a nonstick saucepan.

Drop onion, cashews, garlic and green chiles in hot oil and saute till light brown. 

Push veggies to the outer rim, add a teaspoon more of oil and drop the shrimp in the center of the pan. 

Cook shrimp on high for 2 minutes each side. 

Pour tamarind sauce into the pan. Stir to coat.

Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or 
tortillas. 

The sauce has a mouthful of zing and a forkful of zest! Happiness on a plate!

Croatian Tomato Salad

I eat a remarkably fresh salad on my European travels. The idea of eating this salad in this phenomenal heatwave in the US is temptation enough for me to source the ingredients. 

Backyard cherry tomatoes, orange and yellow peppers, red onion, feta and a slew of pomegranate arils are doused in an orange lemon vinaigraitte. Find a fork and dig in!

CROATIAN TOMATO SALAD

Serves 4

1 heaping cup of Cherry Tomatoes, halved

1 mini Yellow Pepper, seeded and chopped 

1 mini Orange Pepper, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup thinly sliced Red Onion

3/4 cup Pomegranate Arils

1/4 cup Feta, crumbled

Basil Leaves

1/4 cup Orange Juice

2 tablespoons Lemon Juice 

4 tablespoons extra virgin Olive Oil

Kosher Salt 

Ground Black Pepper

Place the tomatoes, peppers, onion, pomegranate and feta in a bowl. 

Whisk orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil and a little salt to amke a dressing.  Pour over the salad. 

Garnish with basil leaves and serve. 

It is amazing that this salad is so refreshing! The heat goes on the backburner!

Mexican Lobster Salad

Lobster is still on the menu! This recipe is rooted in the delicious camepchana Madeleine treated me to many moons ago. Goode and Co makes a pile-high version. Mine takes some of the goodness from their recipe. It echoes the same flavor palate with some amendments. 

Cooked lobster chunks are mixed with Clamato, ketchup, fresh chiles, onion, cilantro, parsley, avocado, olives, cherry tomatoes and lime juice. Clamato is a clam and tomato based juice. Use regular tomato juice if it is hard to find. Yes.. there are a slew of ingredients, but the reward is quite something!

MEXICAN LOBSTER SALAD

Serves 4

2 cups cooked Lobster meat

1 tablespoon finely chopped Red Onion

10 pitted Castelveterano Olives

6 Cherry Tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons chopped Cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped Parsley

1 Red Chile, seeded and chopped

1 Avocado, cubed

1/3 cup Clamato

3 tablespoons Ketchup

10-15 splashes of Tabasco

1 Lime, juiced

Kosher Salt

Ground Black Pepper

Mix all the above ingredients in a large bowl. Stir carefully. Cool in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. 

Serve with toasted pita chips or tortilla chips.

 This salad is a summer delight! A surefire appetite pleaser!

Loaded Lobster Tails

I write after an age, dusting the rust of my trusty laptop. I am cooking after an age, dusting the cobwebs off my idle fingers. The way to step back into my kitchen is with a bang...so lobster it is. 

Lobster tails are cooked in a briny broth. The meat is chopped into bite size pieces and sauteed with onions, garlic, shimegi mushrooms and creme fraiche. The filling is spooned into the empty tails, topped with a grated gruyere and baked till melty. 

My sister drools and gets the biggest one.

LOADED LOBSTER TAILS

Serves 3

3 Lobster tails

1 Onion

3 Garlic cloves

1 cup Shimegi Mushrooms

1 tablespoon Butter

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 cup Creme Fraiche

Kosher Salt

Fresh ground Black Pepper

2 tablespoons chopped Parsley

Gruyere Cheese, grated

Dunk the lobster tails in boiling water for 8-10 minutes. Remove them and put them in ice cold water. When they have cooled, remove the flesh from the shells. Leave the shells intact. 

Chop the lobster meat into bite sized chunks.

Mince onion and garlic finely. 

Heat butter and oil in a saucepan. 

Add onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes till soft.

Drop mushrooms into the saucepan and cook till soft. 

Add lobster chunks, salt and pepper. 

Saute for a few minutes before adding the creme fraiche. Mix well. 

Add chopped parsley to sauce.

Heat oven to 350F/180C.

Pile the lobster sauce evenly between the lobster shells. 

Place shells in an oven proof dish. 

Cover the shells with gruyere.

Bake for 10 minutes till bubbling.

Serve with a flourish!

Empty shells tell it all......