Food & Recipes: February 2011 Archives

Tuesday February 22, 2011

Fish & Chips

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Homemade French Fries

I read about a different technique in an old issue of Cooks Illustrated, and streamlined it a little - I didn't measure my oil, nor my potatoes. I cut two unpeeled potatoes (you could of course cook as many as you like) into even sticks and put them in a pot, then covered them with canola oil. I covered and brought the pot to a boil, which took about 5 minutes, but then I took the lid off (there's condensation there - you don't want that in your oil) and let it bubble away. As instructed, I didn't touch them for at least 10 minutes, then gently gave them a bit of a stir.

In about 20 minutes they were beautiful and golden, and I took them out to drain on paper towels and showered them with salt.

Battered Fried Fish (for Fish & Chips)

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided

1 1/2 lb cod or haddock filets, skinned

1 12 oz. bottle cold beer

canola oil, for cooking

coarse salt

Put 1/4 cup of the flour into a shallow dish. Cut the fish filets diagonally into 1-inch wide strips.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, a pinch of salt and the beer - you should have a mixture with the consistency of pancake batter.

In a shallow, heavy pot, heat a couple inches of oil until it registers 375°F.

Pat fish dry with paper towels and dredge in the flour, shaking off the excess. Coat a few pieces at a time in the batter and then into the oil. Cook, turning as needed, for 4-5 minutes, until deep golden and cooked through. Transfer to paper towels to drain and cool, then sprinkle with salt. Serves 4-6.

Categories: Columnists, Food & Recipes

Tuesday February 8, 2011

Bean expertise

Julie Van Rosendaal tells us everything you ever wanted to know about beans. Recipes to come.

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Categories: Columnists, Food & Recipes

Tuesday February 1, 2011

Celebrating the Year of the Rabbit

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Ginger Beef

If you can find thinly sliced beef for rouladen or bolgogi beef, it's an easy start. Adapted from the Best of Bridge.

1 lb. sirloin steak or any other cut you like (I used eye of round)
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. wine (red or white - optional)
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
pinch red chili flakes
1/4 cup grated fresh ginger
4-5 garlic cloves, crushed
canola oil, for cooking
1 small red pepper, sliced
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
2 green onions, chopped

Thinly slice the beef into strips a few inches long and about 1/4-inch wide. Toss with eggs in a medium bowl. Stir together the cornstarch and water and add to the beef; toss to blend well.In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together the sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, wine, sesame oil and chili flakes. Stir in half the ginger and garlic.

In a wok or heavy pot, heat about an inch of oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Drop the strips of beef into the oil using a fork, chopsticks or tongs, keeping them from clumping together and cooking in batches so the beef doesn't crowd the pot. Once golden and crisp, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or sheet. Pour the oil out into a jar (or start with a fresh pan or wok with a new drizzle of oil) and add the pepper, carrots, green onion and remaining ginger and garlic to the pan. Cook for a minute or two, then pour the sauce overtop and heat through. Put the beef in a shallow bowl, pour the sauce over top and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Potstickers

1 lb. lean ground pork
1/4 cup finely chopped mango (optional)
2 green onions, finely chopped
1-2 Tbsp. soy sauce (or to taste)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 pkg. wonton or gyoza wrappers, thawed if frozen
canola oil
chicken or veggie stock, or water

In a medium bowl, stir together the pork, mango (if using), green onions, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar and sesame oil and mix it all up with your hands.

To fill wontons, place a small spoonful of filling in the middle of each wrapper; moisten the edges with water (just use your finger) and fold over, pressing the edge tightly to seal. Place seam side up on a cookie sheet, pressing lightly to flatten the bottom. Cover with a tea towel to prevent them from drying out. (Dumplings can be prepared up to this point, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours or frozen.)

When you're ready to cook the potstickers, heat a drizzle of canola oil in a largeish skillet set over medium-high heat. Place half the dumplings at a time in the skillet and cook for a minute or two, until deep golden brown on the bottom, shaking the pan a few times to keep them from sticking. Don't crowd the pan too much.

Pour about 1/4 cup stock or water into the pan. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes - this will allow them to steam, cooking them through.

Makes 2 - 3 dozen potstickers.