Prudent Foodie

Seafood

As I've mentioned in the past, I don't eat things that know their mommies.  However, I do like seafoo; it's tasty, fast to prepare, and really good for you.  I'm a runner, and it's hard to get enough protein on a vegetarian diet without actually turning into a block of tofu.  And although I like it, and regularly consult with the goddess of vegetarian cooking Deborah Madison on this topic through the medium of her fantastic cookbook "I can't believe it's Tofu" you get to the point where you need something else.

But seafood is an ever more perilous enterprise for those of us who try to combine social or environmental concerns with our eating.  There's the whole fisheries collapse issue, and then there are concerns about fish farming and environmentalism, and then we have to worry about working conditions in third world fish farms, and it gets hard to know from day to day what kind of seafood one should, or should not eat.  And then the price has shot up in the last year or two - another issue for us Prudent Foodies to consider.

Nonetheless, I do eat some fish - both because I love it, and because it is so good for you.  Right now, you can't get fresh wild salmon, so frozen is often a good and healthy option.  Here is a really, really easy recipe that produces a mild flavor even in frozen salmon.  And did I mention how quick and easy it is?

Salmon Poached in Milk

2-4 salmon steaks, or 1.5 lbs of filets. 

3 cups of 2%, whole milk, or whole milk combined with half and half

1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese (I like the american Amish buttermilk for flavor and low price)

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Place the salmon in a baking dish that doesn't leave too much extra space in the pan, but doesn't force you to overlap the fish either.  Grind salt and pepper on the the fish.  Pour in the mild, until it is about 3/4 of the way up the fixh, but doesn't cover it.  Sprinkle the blue cheese crumbles on the exposed salmon.  Bake for  30 minutes.  Remove, serve with rice or mashed potatoes and salad.  You can use the remaining mild for a sauce.  Adding a bay leaf or a couple cloves of garlic to the milk will enhance the flavor too if you like. 

DeeDee

Pot Roast

Usually thinking of something to say is easy - I just write about what I've been cooking this week.  Unfortunately, this has been a bad week for prudent cooking - we pushed the boat out last Sunday having Easter dinner with our friends Dave and Gloria (that's Gloria of the Short Ribs), and there wasn't much prudent about THAT meal; although it was amazingly good!  And the rest of this week I didn't do a whole lot of cooking - we had a lot of late evenings, and rushed meals I wouldn't want to wish on anyone.  So, I'll hearken back to something I threatened to write about some time ago - pot roast. 

As I think I mentioned, I never liked pot roast, but my husband and lovely daughter do - and who am I to complain, since it's dead easy and cheap to make; the very definition of the prudent foodie meal!n So, my mom actually gets all the credit here, because I make it just like she did - and just from watching her do it.  Boneless chuck was on sale at Whole Foods last week, so that is what I am going to use when I make it tomorrow, but brisket, top round, shoulder cuts, bone in chuck, etc., etc., will all do.  Just don't buy anything expensive for it!    Also, you'll want a cut of meat that's 1-2 inches thick.  I couldn't find a picture of a pot roast in a cast iron skillet, so here's the skillet, I'll take a picture of mine to replace it later!

Mom's Pot Roast

1/3-3 lbs beef - use an inexpensive cut a couple inches thick

1 onion

2-3 carrots

2-3 potatoes

1 stalk celery

1 clove garlic slivered coarsely (optional)

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

Salt and pepper one side of the meat.  If you are feeling motivated, insert the garlic slivers here and there in the meat.  Heat a heavy bottomed stew pot, or cast iron skillet or dutch oven that is enough bigger than the cut of meat to fit the vegetables in there around it.  I prefer cast iron for sentimental reasons.  You can use any good quality pan - be careful not over heat. Put a little oil in it - but not much, and then throw in the meat peppered side down.  Salt and pepper the exposed side.  Let brown for 5 minutes or so.  While it is browning, peel the onion, carrots and potatoes. Cut the onion in half, and the carrots, unless they are short.  Also cut the potatoes in halves or quarters. 

After five minutes, turn the meat over to brown the other side.   Let it cook for a couple minutes, then arrange the vegetables in the pan around it (not on top, you want the veggies to brown a little on one side too).  After two or three minutes, add 2 -3 cups of water - enough to come part way, but up the meat and vegetables but not enough to cover them (or even get close to the top).   Add the bay leaf to the liquid.  Cover, turn down the heat to simmer, and let cook for an hour or two.  

When you are ready to serve, put the meat and vegetables on a platter and keep warm.  Add to the juices in the pan 1 1/2 cups water with 2-3 TB of flour shaken up in it.  Pour the water and flour mixture in slowly, while stirring rapidly, and continue stirring over low heat until the gravy thickens.  Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve with gravy, and a nice green salad. How much easier can it get?

Something else wonderful about pot roast is that you can cook it, and then reheat it later.  For example, I will probably make a pot roast tomorrow night (Monday) and serve it on Tuesday.  After it's done braising, I will leave it covered, and refrigerate overnight.  Actually, since Monday night is supposed to be cold, I will probably leave it on the back porch!  I'll reheat it on Tuesday night, and then make the gravy fresh.  The flavors will be richer from sitting, and I'll have dinner on the table a little sooner, so we can get to trumpet lessons on time!  DeeDee

Couscous Fritters for Dinner

"It's not a threat - it's a promise."  I guess that makes me the Dirty Harry of Michigan Lady Food Bloggers :-)    I said I'd talk about fritters again - and I here I am serving it up so to speak.  I think that's a pretty good trick - a simultaneous IT and food pun.  And like all good punsters, I had to point it out to you. 

I left off the other day saying that I'd been inspired by the idea of couscous fritters - so of course I had to go off and try it.  And, I think I was right - couscous may be the perfect base for fritters.  It''s light and fluffy, comes in white and whole wheat, and has a mild flavor that lets the additions shine flavorwise.  I made some the other night, and served them with pork tenderloin, which is another Prudent Foodie favorite due to its low cost, great taste, flexibility, and lack of fat, bone and other waste. One of these days I'll do a post on it.  See above, to be sure that I mean it!

So, here is the picture of our beautiful dinner - this is a big deal - first photo in Prudent Foodie of an actual dish!  And I think it looks good enough to eat. 

 

I mentioned some ideas about how to do this in an earlier post, like beating the egg whites first to have soft peaks - then adding the yolk to the couscous and other ingredients, stirring it to blend and then folded the couscous-yolk mixture into the beaten whites.  I tried two different cooking methods; pan frying and oven frying.  Both came out well, and each has it's advantages and disadvantages.   The main thing to be careful with in this recipe is not to let the couscous sit too long after cooking - it will start to stick together and your fritters will be heavier and a bit lumpy. They will still taste good though!

Oven frying takes longer, but it uses less oil and gives the lightest, fluffiest fritter.  Pan frying is fast, and you get a crispier crust (and more calories).  Up to you, dear reader, to decide.  To oven fry, heat your oven to 400F, put a glass dish with a little butter or olive oil in it in to heat up, then remove, spoon in the fritters and put back in the oven.  After 12 minutes turn over the fritters and cook for 8-10 more minutes.  If you are here, you probably know how to pan fry :-)   I recommend using olive oil, although if you opted for an asian style fillings, peanut oil would make a great change.

So the great thing about a fritter is its amazing versatility.  The starch - in this case couscous - is like a blank canvas to paint the flavors on. I've tried two versions - one with parsley, green onions and shredded mozzarella, the other, shown in the picture, with goat cheese, beets, parsley and green onions.   However, I can imagine a lot of other options

• diced cooked chicken, chopped red pepper, chilli powder

• chopped or popcorn shrimp, chopped red or green pepper, minced onions and cajun spices
• chopped or popcorn shrimp, chopped cilantro, a little ginger and lemon grass, green onions, fry it in peanut oil
• chopped sundried tomato, fresh mozzarella diced, cooked chicken

and on, and on, and on.

Here is how I made them last week - in quantities to serve 4-6, but as I mentioned above, many, many variations are possible.  Make one up and send it to me - I'll post it! 

Couscous Fritters with Beets and Goat Cheese

2 cups couscous - I prefer whole wheat, but white will do

4 cups boiling water

2 eggs, yolks and white separated

6-8 small, young beets, boiled, steamed in microwave, roasted, or whatever, and peeled and dice

4 oz fresh goat cheese frozen

2-3 scallions chopped, or 2 TB fresh chives, chopped

3TB fresh chopped parsley

2 TB butter

Put the couscous in a medium sauce pan and add the boiling water.  Cover and let rest, then allow to cool somewhat until warm and not sticky.   Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Put the butter in a 9x3 or larger glass baking dish, and let melt.  Dice the frozen goat cheese into small cubes.

Beat the egg whites in a large bowl to form soft peaks.  Beat the egg yolks and mix with the beets, diced goat cheese, scallions and parsley.  Add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.  Add the mixture of egg yolks, beets, cheese and herbs to the couscous and stir to mix thoroughly. Then pour into egg whites and FOLD gently to mix.  Drop large spoonfuls of the fritter mixture into the sizzling butter in your preheated glass dish and return to the oven for 8-10 minutes.  Remove, turn over, and cook for 4 more minutes.  Remove from oven and serve.  A little dab of sour cream on top with some sprinkled chopped parsley makes a nice garnish.  Serve with other wonderful things and enjoy.  Dee Dee.

Beet Greens and Cauliflower Indian Style

Beets and their early tender greens have been in the Farmers Market for a couple of weeks now. Along with some swiss chard and kale, they are the first fresh local food of the new eating season.  I'm especially partial to beets as I've already mentioned - at least partly because they are such a good deal, and you can eat both ends - a true Prudent Foodie quality. 

As you might imagine, we have been eating a lot of beet greens lately.  So, it's always a challenge to think of something new to do with them.  In addition to it being the first weeks of new local food, I also still have frozen food from last season that I got at the market and froze for myself, as well as some Locavorious products that need to be used.  I decided that the challenge du jour would be to make something new with beet greens AND some of my frozen food. 

I love Indian food, and have done a post that talks about indian grocery stores, but never an indian recipe - in fact the aforementioned post includes a recipe for vegetarian chili.  So, it seemed like a good time to include one.  Indian spinach (Saag) is one of my very favorites, and cauliflower features in many curry recipes as well.  So, I decided to substitute beet greens for spinach, and include cauliflower.  It turned out really, really well, and here is the recipe. Best served with basmati rice, but you can use other types as well.

Curried Beet Greens and Cauliflower

2 bunches beet greens, stems removed, washed and chopped

1 medium onion diced

8-12 oz frozen and defrosted roasted cauliflower (or use fresh litely boiled or steamed, or roast some frozen Locavorious cauliflower if you have it)

1 small can diced tomates

2-3 TB Patak Brothers Garam Masala curry paste (use more if you like it hotter, less if you prefer mild)

1-2 cups water

Some cooking oil (canola, olive, corn, etc will all do)

Saute the onion in a little oil, until is softened a bit.  Add the curry paste with about 1/2 cup water and stir to dissolve the curry paste.  Add the beet greens with a little more water and let reduce. Add in the can of diced tomates, and some more water, and simmer gently, covered, for 30-60 minutes, adding water if needed.  Let sit until about 15 minutes before you plan to eat it.  Add the cauliflower to the beet greens and reheat gently.  Add additional water if required.  Serve over rice.   DeeDee