Halibut Poached in Red Curry Broth 07/02/2009
 Whenever Eric and I make Thai or Indian food, we always forget to start the rice. We usually realize it about 10 minutes before the rest of dinner is ready, causing us to swear profusely and throw the rice and water in the rice cooker. Because we prefer brown rice over white, forgetting usually sets our dinner back a good 30 or 40 minutes. Recently I bought some pre-cooked frozen rice that’s been waiting in the freezer to rescue us from our tragically delayed dinner. Oddly, its presence seems to serve as a reminder to me to put the rice in the rice cooker and I haven’t needed to used the frozen rice. I say all this as a way of leading into my point: make sure you start the rice before you do anything else for this dish. It holds well and you can’t hurry it. Poaching is a great treatment for fish, especially fish that has a tendency to get a bit dry. The small amount of fat in the coconut milk keeps everything lovely and moist, and as long as you cook at a simmer rather than a boil it you will be hard-pressed to overcook it. The broth is fragrant and full of flavor, but not too spicy to serve to your Aunt Edna who gives you a shifty eye when you mention Thai food. The best part is that it all comes together in about 20 minutes. Provided you start the rice on time, of course.  You will need: Method: START THE RICE. Place 1 1/3 cups rice along with 2 2/3 cups water and a heavy pinch of salt into a rice cooker and turn it on to cook.  Pour about 1 T olive oil into a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots until they begin to brown and smell really good. Stir in the curry paste and cook briefly, about 30 seconds, until it smells incredible. Whisk in the coconut milk and then the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.  While the poaching liquid is heating up, place the spinach into a large glass bowl. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and microwave for a minute on high. Remove the spinach from the microwave, stir or toss it a bit, then microwave for another minute. Divide into four bowls and set aside.  When the poaching liquid is hot, place the fish fillets in it. Put the lid on and simmer until the fish is cooked through, 7-15 minutes depending on size and thickness of fish. When fish is just cooked through, stir in green onions and lime juice then remove from heat.  Scoop about 1 cup of cooked rice into each of the bowls, then place one cooked fish fillet on each bed of rice and spinach. Ladle the poaching liquid over the fish, about 1 1/3 cups per bowl. Garnish with minced cilantro and serve immediately.  Leftovers keep well in the fridge for a few days, but should be re-heated in the broth. Homemade Chicken Stock 04/08/2009
 While typically I use packaged chicken stock, I like to take advantage of all the leftovers when I roast a chicken and make homemade stock. It really doesn’t compare to commercially available stock. It’s rich, flavorful, and has incredible body and mouthfeel. You will need:  Put the chicken into a pot and pour in 4 cups of water. Take note of how far up the side of the pan the water comes. Pour in another 2 cups of water (6 cups total). Simmer over very low heat, partially covered, until the stock reduces to 4 cups. This will take 2-3 hours. If the stock reduces too much, just add more water and simmer for at least another 30 minutes. Strain the solids out and let the fat rise to the top. If you have a fat separator, use it to separate the fat from the sock. If you don’t have a fat separator, pour the liquid into a tall, narrow container. Refrigerate until the fat is solid, then remove it with a fork.  This chicken broth makes wonderful chicken soup. Just add shredded leftover chicken and cooked egg noodles. Chicken Almond Soup 04/06/2009
 One of my favorite things about living in London was the food. This surprises most people when I tell them, but it’s true! There has been a revolution in British cooking over the last generation and it’s no longer tough, overcooked meat alongside mushy, flavorless vegetables. In many English homes you’re as likely to find a curry for dinner as you are bangers and mash. The English also make incredible soups and sandwiches – I loved going into Marks and Sparks or Pret A Manger to pick out a sandwich for lunch. What incredible choices! I don’t know who first thought cheese and chutney would be delicious together, but it was a stroke of genius.  You will need:  Begin by cutting up your vegetables. Leeks can be a bit sandy, so you’ll want to wash it out. The best way I’ve seen to do this is to first cut the dark green from the light green and white part, then to make two long cuts 1 inch from the root end toward the top. You should end up with long strips of leek attached at the root. Holding the root end UP, rinse the leek under running water to make sure any sand or dirt are removed. If you hold the root end down the water will drive any dirt between the layers. After washing cut the leek into ½ inch pieces.  Rinse the carrots, then cut off the top and bottom and discard. There is no need to peel the carrot as long as it’s been washed. Cut each carrot in half longitudinally, then into narrow 1/8” half-moons.  In a saucepan, melt the butter. When the pan is hot and the butter is bubbling, add the leeks, carrots, ginger, and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the leeks and carrots are moderately soft. Add the garlic and 4 ounces of almond butter and stir. Cook for 1-2 minutes more.  While the leek mixture is cooking, cut your chicken into small pieces.  When the leek mixture is soft and smells delicious, scrape it into a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the cilantro to the mixture and process until everything is in very very small bits and is an even consistency. Meanwhile, put the pieces of chicken into your saucepan and put the lid on. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through.  Tip: Use a Sharpie to mark on the chicken broth carton how much is remaining. Because this carton holds 4 cups and I used 2, I know that there are 2 cups remaining. Then remember to put the leftover chicken broth in the fridge, because you’ll feel dumb if you come downstairs in the morning and you’ve left the carton of chicken broth you so carefully marked out on the counter all night long. Not that I would know anything about that.  Once the chicken is cooked, pour the contents of the food processor back into the saucepan, taking care not to dump the blade into the pan and splash soup all over yourself. Not that I’ve done that or anything.  To vegetarianize: replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth or water. Omit chicken or replace with fake chicken. | Emily90% of my emails were recipes, so now I blog instead. ArchivesFebruary 2010 CategoriesAll |
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