Garlic Tomato Cod Fillets

 

In the spirit of eating light I've made a really delicious and easy cod dish. It's filling for a fish dish because the cod is quite meaty and has an insanely bright topping of tomatoes, roasted garlic, feta and fresh herbs that is painfully mouthwatering!

Ingredients:
4 cod fillets cut in half
5 roma tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
a handful of chopped parsley and basil
2 tablespoons feta
1 tablespoon red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

Method:
Heat oven to 375.

Put oil and garlic in  a small sauce pan and cook on a low heat until the garlic softens. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Score the tomatoes with a little 'x' on it's bottom. Place them into the pot for about a minute. You don't want them to be mushy, you just want the skin to loosen so you can peel them with ease.  Peel, seed and dice the tomatoes.

Mix the tomatoes, softened garlic chips, 1 tablespoon of the garlic olive oil, chili flakes, red onion and herbs together. Add some salt and pepper to taste.

Place the fish on a grill pan covered with tinfoil and bake for about 7 minutes. Remove and top with the tomatoes. Sprinkle the feta and cook for another 5 minutes or until just about cooked. Lastly, broil them on high for 1 minute.

Serve with some veg and call it a day!

Blistered Tomato Pesto Pasta

I made pesto salmon the other day and had quite a bit of pesto leftover:) So I bought some fresh spinach tortelllini, grape tomatoes, a bell pepper and called it a day. I love making my own pesto sauce because it's tailored to me and has ZERO preservatives or other suspect substances. Some days I want it more spicy, citrusy, nutty, herby and I can easily do it as i please:)

I love this dish because the earthy rich pesto coats everything so beautifully while the blistered tomatoes and roasted bell pepper add a freshness that just can't be beat!

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh basil leaves that have been washed well

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (or less, depends what consistency you're after)

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano

1 red bell pepper

1 pint grape tomato

whatever pasta you like- I also like spaghettini!

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 420. Wrap a red bell pepper in tinfoil and bake for 25 minutes or until soft when pierced. When cooked, discard the seeds and cut them in a large dice. Meanwhile put the basil, pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, parm cheese and a pinch of salt together in a blender and blitz until it's a consistency that resembles pesto- since you're making it you can have it thicker or runnier:) Reserve.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta. In the meantime, put a saute pan on high heat with just a touch of extra virgin olive oil (about 1 teaspoon) and add your grape tomatoes and cook them until they start to blister, sweat and char slightly (about 4 minutes). Add the bell pepper and cook for another minute. Lower the heat to medium, add the pesto and 1/2 cup pasta water. Boil and reduce slightly- want to cook the sauce down so it's less runny. Toss in the cooked pasta and cook for another minute, making sure you toss everything well so it's all mingled. Serve with freshly grated parm cheese!

Korean Short Ribs

Ok, I almost had the building evacuated when I made this. I moved into a new apartment with UBER sensitive fire detectors  that I knew nothing of until I made my most delicious Korean short ribs... I was really in the groove of things, getting them so perfectly crisp when I was rudely interrupted with a very aggressive "Fire/Siren/Fire" warning. However, the crisis was averted with my husband's incessant fanning and the opening of every single window!

These ribs are out of this world fantastic. They're sweet, sour, perfectly salty- I couldn't have prayed for a better result. The only thing you must do to get them to perfection is char them- the must be BBQ'd or put on an extremely hot grill pan... If you do this at home, open all your windows and pray for breeze!

Ingredients:
2 pounds short ribs cut into portions (use the bones as your guide)
1 pear cut into cubes
5 scallions cut on a 2 inch bias
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup filipino vinegar (I would use less if you don't have this on hand and are substituting with white vinegar)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon chili paste (I use sambal)
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Method:
Mix all the ingredients together in a large saucepan and let sit at least three hours in the fridge (preferably overnight).

Bring the ingredients to a boil and simmer for 1.5 hours. Remove the short ribs from the marinade and reserve. Boil the marinade down until it becomes a thick sauce (try to mash up the pear so it can be part of the sauce and help sweeten it). You want it to reduce A LOT. Once it's thick and glossy but still a bit runny you'll know it's ready. While it reduce, taste it...is it sweet? Salty? If it's too sweet, add a bit of soy sauce and water. If it's salty add more white sugar... remember things can easily be remedied!

Heat your grill on high. Toss the ribs in the reduced cooking liquid and grill for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until they get beautifully charred on each side. Put on a serving plate and top with more sauce!

Sprouted Quinoa Salad

I served this salad with my pesto salmon and it was just superb! It's packed with delicious flavour and is extremely good for you. My very dear culinary companion Leeana has braved a raw food diet and insists that sprouted quinoa is a delicious alternative to cooking it. It is delicious- it adds an interesting texture and nutty flavour. I will probably revise the recipe and make it with 75% cooked 25% sprouted quinoa for more depth. Regardless if you sprout or cook, the delicious play of crunchy bell peppers, cucumber, asparagus and red onions when contrasted with the sweet potato and tangy mustard vinaigrette is to die for!

Ingredients:
1 cup sweet potato cut into bitesize pieces
1/2 cup quinoa
7 pieces of asparagus
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 cup red bell pepper, large dice
1/2 cup cucumber, large dice
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 sprig of dill
1 handful of parsley
1 handful of basil
2 ounces feta cheese

Method:
5 hours prior to cooking, wash quinoa and cover them with cold water. Plastic wrap and let sit for 5 hours. Preheat oven to 420 and line a baking tray with tinfoil.

In the meantime, place asparagus and sweet potato on the tray. Toss with salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Bake the asparagus for about 10 minutes or until they're nicely cooked (taste it and see if it's to your liking). Remove the asparagus and cut into bite sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Add the red onion, quinoa, bell pepper and cucumber to the bowl as well as a rough chop of the herbs.

Whisk the mustard's, lemon juice and oil together with a good pinch of salt and toss into the bowl. Crumble the feta over the contents. Check if the sweet potato is cooked through (it should take about 40 minutes). Once it's to your liking toss it with the rest of the salad and ENJOY:)

Pesto Salmon

It's swimsuit time my friends... the days of warming stews and comforting deep dished wonders are out.. I like having lighter food that still fills me up and this is such a delicious main. It's crisp yet flaky, light yet filling and most importantly- super duper delicious! I recommend making your pesto from scratch but if you're cramped for time just use bottled!

Ingredients:
4 salmon fillets
2 cups fresh basil leaves that have been washed well
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Preheat the oven to 420. In the meantime put all the ingredients (apart from the salmon) together in a blender and blitz until it's a consistency that resembles pesto- since you're making it you can have it thicker or runnier:) Reserve.

Line a baking tray with tinfoil. Heat extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan. When hot, add the salmon and skin side down. Cook for two minutes and gently turn over for one minute. Once it develops a golden crust place the fish on the baking tray (skin side down). Generously spread the pesto on top of the fillet and bake for 2 minutes or until cooked to your liking.

Audry's Ecuadorian Spread

My sister Audry is quite simply, a kitchen goddess who whips up the most fantastic food with effortless flair.

I come from a big family and even though I LOVE NYC I miss everyone so much.... but when I really miss them I bring them into my home with nostalgic favourites. Today I made one of Audry's famous spreads- delicious pan fried fish, Ecuadorian style lentils and red onion salsa. It's such a wicked combination of crunchy and soft, tangy and sharp.. so so insanely superb! Every bite is the perfect bite when it comes to this. And now my home has the smells of Audry's home cooking:) It's amazing how sensory food is-if I didn't have it, my bouts of homesickness would be incurable!

Fish:

2 fillets cod
1 teaspoon goya seasoning
3/4 cup flour
salt and pepper
a mixture of olive oil and canola for shallow frying
1 clove garlic with the skin on

Method:
Cut fillet into four portions. Season with goya, salt and pepper. Coat in flour and fry on medium-high heat until it's lovely and golden brown. Place on towel paper and serve hot (you can sprinkle some kosher salt while it's fresh from the pan..or not:)

Lentils:

1/2 cup green lentils
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green pepper
1 small onion finely diced
1 garlic clove smashed
1 teaspoon goya seasoning (it's the one with cilantro in an orange packet)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 kettle boiling water
salt and pepper to taste
a handful of fresh chopped cilantro

Method:
Heat oil in a medium sized saucepan. Add the onions and peppers- cooking on low heat until they're soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook until it's tender. Add the lentils and goya seasoning, stirring well to incorporate all the flavours. Add enough boiling water to cover the contents by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and simmer. Taste and season with salt and pepper. If the lentils are absorbing the liquid quickly add more water (a little at a time). After 40 minutes the lentils will soften and the liquid will thicken, it will be thick but slightly runny. Top with fresh cilantro.

Onion Salsa Ingredients:
2 medium sized red onions
5 limes
1 lemon
1 large tomato
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Method:
Slice onions as thinly as possible. Soak them in salted cold water for 10 minutes. Rinse and drain. In the meantime, juice the limes and lemons. Cut the tomatoes in half, seed them and finely chop it so it's more of a liquid state than a chunky one. Add the onions, salt, olive oil and cilantro. Mix well and cover for at least one hour before serving. This will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or so. I can't stress how delicious this is and how splendidly it goes with fish, meat and poultry!

Grilled BBQ Chicken

mmmmmmMmmmmmmMmmmmm! I love perfectly charred grilled chicken!

This dish is surprisingly easy... You see, I've been moving to a new apartment over the past couple of days and haven't been able to make anything too labour intensive. I decided to make this super delicious grilled chicken with my favourite store bought BBQ sauce (GASP!)....

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
1 container of your favourite barbecue sauce
1 head of garlic cut in half
1 cup of water

Method:
Cut chicken on the back cavity (not where the breast is) with a pair of kitchen scissors. This should happen with ease with the scissors are sharp!

Slit the drumsticks of the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Place in a baking dish with your favourite BBQ sauce and garlic, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425. Remove the plastic wrap and add water to the sauce. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 1 hour-1.5 hours or until the temperature reaches about 150 on a meat thermometer (we want it just under fully cooked). Preheat a grill pan or if you're blessed with an actual outdoor BBQ, heat that up because properly BBQ'd is best! The chicken will be so tender at this point that you may want to disjoint the thigh and drumstick from the main cavity.

Remove the chicken and grill until the skin has crisped and charred. In the meantime, transfer the sauce to a small saucepan and reduce on high heat until it's delightfully thick and syrupy!

Serve with all the bits of soft garlic:)