Stripped Bass

Striped Bass

Striped Bass.

Put ginger, oil, Curled parsley, garlic, green onion and some spices.

Mix and spread on the fish.

20 minutes at 300 F

and voila.
Tasty fish.

Cooking Fish on St. Barts island

Fresh fish

 Alright.
Fresh fish on the island.
Make sure to get some local beer.
In this case Carib. Light and tasty.

 The fish monger.
In this case they are open from 6 AM to 6:30 AM
If you are late, then it is the frozen fish aisle.
They are not flexible there and they do not speak English . So use your hands to point and ask combien ?? how much  (mine were 2 fish for 10 Euro which is 12 dollars)

 You can go for Mahi Mahi or tuna if you want the simple fillets. In my case I went for the colorful local fish, don't ask me the name.

Y

 This is the carribean style one, I ground ginger, curled parsley butter and spices.

 The other guy was done a la Mediterranean .
Lots of herbs stuffed inside and I cut a few deep cuts on the fish side and stuffed the cuts too.
I wrapped it up in tin foil to keep the moisture.

T

 Yes, the fish has a scary jaw. The cheeks are delicious and beware of the bones so be patient.

I added some Bulgur

 Make sure to have the right attitude as you are grilling.

 The local desserts are delicious so simply use them, along with a complimentary rum and coke.

 This is the harbor where the fisherman sell their wares.

This was the dining room. It helps if you have a view.


What ever you do COOK, the restaurants are not as good as home cooking!!!!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala

 Went to Eataly. As you can see I guess Pat shops around for Eataly. He must do a good job as their meat and poultry are very good.
The chickens are Mammonite or Amish
the line is always short or non-existent because everybody thinks Eataly is expensive.

 Alright, squeeze two limes and add 1 tsp of paprika. Chop up the chicken to bite sizes and add to the mixture. I used 3 thighs which was not enough I would try 6.

 Chop 2 shallots, add 4 garlic cloves, ginger add 2 chillis (I got small ones) and mix in the food processor for 1 minute.

 1/2 tsp garam masala
1.5 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander.

Here you can see that not having a mortar and pestle should not stop you from working with seeds and force you to work with powder only.
I also recommend frying the spices for a minute to get the aromas going and spice them up.

Mix everything with the yogurt and coat your meat of choice  (Chicken) leave it over night or if you are hungry cook it in a hurry like I did.


Very simply.
sear the meat on high heat for 10 minutes.
Drop 400 grams of chopped tomato and a cup of chopped Cilantro.
Cook till meat is soft. I did 20 minutes as I was hungry. Which means you have time to make your rice.
10 minutes before serving you can add 1/2 and 1/2 or some cream  1/2 cup is enough or you can skip this if you are not on speaking terms with Jim.

It's all in the spice.

Ossobuco light

Ossobuco light

 Alright.
Ossobuco Milanese.
I guess being the major city of commerce in Italy does have it's advantages. In this case it will be this delicious stew.

The ingredients are simple enough. The main item is the meat. Specifically a beef shank. I went for beef as I don't like eating veal I prefer they grow and have a life. Yes, I am a sissy boy.
The cut is easily available just ask any butcher for it or ask for meat for ossobuco. They all know it.
I got 2.5 lbs but you can get more or less depending on your lightness. I went for grade 5 of whole foods. Basically an animal that had a happier life.

Simply put it in the dutch oven with some olive oil and braise it for 10 minutes.
The recipe calls for flouring it. I skipped that as this is the diet "light" version.

Once you are done simply put it to the side. Then chop 3 carrots, one onion, scrape one orange for its zest and then chop some garlic.

Add the onion, add the carrot, add water (1 cup) cook for 10 then add the tomato can, 12 oz
add the zest and the garlic. Immediately add the meat and cover with more water till it reaches the level of the meat.
Then move the dutch oven to the oven itself.
I did 300 F but you can do more if you are hungry.

  

 This is the Gremolata.

 Simply chop parsley, grind lemon zest and chop some garlic. This mixture will be used to decorate and add taste to the dish when it is done.

Don't forget to wash the curled parsley so you won't get the sandy taste.

Alright, add some rice scoop some on the plate and drizzle with the Gremolata.
Enjoy.

E qui, il Ossobuco

Rome Apple

Rome Apple


Pretty neat.
So it does not taste sweet
Tastes a bit floury
The skin is thick

All in all this is a baking apple as it will keep its shape and texture.
However I like to eat it straight up.

Duck Moo Shu

Duck mooshu

 Alright, buy some duck thighs and legs that way you don't get stuck with the duck breast. Season it with salt and pepper.

 Put it in the cast iron dutch oven or in this case I used my lodge pan which has a lid. Leave it in the oven for 3 hours at 250F.

 This is what it should look like cooked to the right level.

 This is the shell you use for wrapping the duck meat. You buy it at chinese stores. You simply heat them up with steam or on a pan.

 These are the skins, when you are done roasting the chicken you can remove the skins and set them on tin foil to give them an extra crisp.

 These are the duck pieces with out the skin, they are also getting a quick 10 minute finish for some extra color once the skin is gone.

 This is the lodge pan, they are dirt cheap.

I make my duck Mediterranean style so I make a pesto sauce.
Its basil, garlic, olive oil salt pepper. Grind grind grind 

 Pesto sauce.

 Alright, some green stuff for the health.

 Break up the duck meat with two spoons and remove the bones and gristle.

  

 Moo shu wraps.

 Steamed for 40 seconds.

 Set it all up.

  

This is the wrap before folding.

 Fold it.

Happy wife

Sprouted bean salad

 For this you will need to sprout some beans.
Simply place them in water over night.
The next day lay out a pan and cover it with paper towels.
Leave the beans on it and moisten the towel. Every 12 hours add some more water.

 Depending on your beans it will take a while for them to sprout and grow. Let them grow as much as you feel like. The green is edible and the roots are too.  This example is 3 days.

 In order not to sog them down, I steamed them in my steaming pot which is basically a pot that holds a steam pot and then is covered by a lid. I steamed them for 3 minutes then tasted to make sure the bean had a nice softness but still had a little crunch.

 While that is happening I chopped up some items for the salad. Basically use whatever you have. I used tomatoes, cucumber, green onion, avocado and then chopped some Cilantro for the added freshness. I also grated some carrot since I had some.

 The sprouted beans come out a little soggy, so I quickly flash fried them to dry off the water. When you are done either leave it to cool in the freezer for a cold salad or simply add it hot for a hot salad.
Throw it all around with some fresh lemon/lime juice, some salt and spices.
For an added kick you can add some tabasco? or Cholula or nothing more.

Fresh salad with a side of Orange Juice.