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Recipe of the Day
Jun. 17th, 2010 06:33 pmTo get my some cooking practice before I move into my apartment for next year - and because my dad likes to have someone else around to do the work - we decided that I'm going to do most of the cooking and meal planning during the week this summer. Which sounded like a bit of a chore when we were first discussing it, but now is starting to seem like it could be pretty fun. It at least gives me something to do aside from laying about all day in my pajamas watching football (not every day! Sometimes I go to my mom's and hang out with the horses, and today I cleaned out my grandma's pantry, and eventually I'm going to get back to writing. But this week, when I've been home alone all day, has been...quiet). It's definitely a learning experience - I know a lot of the basic methodology and some simple dishes, and I can follow a recipe fine, but I'm used to cooking just for special occasions or as part of a larger meal. I'm not used to having to plan out meals, or figure out how to coordinate everything so it's all done at the same time, or to cooking without my dad over my shoulder supervising. Very weird. :)
This was last night's dinner (from here):
Topping
1-inch cube fresh gingerroot, finely chopped or grated
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped or grated
2 green onions (green part only), finely chopped
Fresh chile to taste
1 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 tbsp grapeseed (or safflower) oil
Dash of toasted sesame oil
Dash of soy sauce
Dash of fish sauce
4 tsp dark maple syrup
4 fillets (4 oz each) fresh tilapia (or other firm-fleshed whitefish)
4 large banana leaves (or unbleached parchment paper)
Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine all topping ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place a fillet on each banana leaf and divide topping evenly among them, spreading it over the top. Fold each banana leaf over to form a packet around each fillet and seal the edge of each packet with a small piece of aluminum foil, crimping it tightly. Place on a baking sheet and bake 25 to 30 minutes.
My dad doesn't like cilantro, so I left that out and added a little more green onion. We didn't have fresh chiles or maple syrup, so I subbed in chile bean paste and honey instead, and I think that actually worked better than the maple would have, although it could have been a little spicier - next time I will probably use more chile paste. Or, you know, actually try to have fresh chile around. That said, it was delicious, flaky and just the right side of sweet, with a nice ginger flavor. Definitely putting this one in the keep file.
This was last night's dinner (from here):
Topping
1-inch cube fresh gingerroot, finely chopped or grated
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped or grated
2 green onions (green part only), finely chopped
Fresh chile to taste
1 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 tbsp grapeseed (or safflower) oil
Dash of toasted sesame oil
Dash of soy sauce
Dash of fish sauce
4 tsp dark maple syrup
4 fillets (4 oz each) fresh tilapia (or other firm-fleshed whitefish)
4 large banana leaves (or unbleached parchment paper)
Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine all topping ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place a fillet on each banana leaf and divide topping evenly among them, spreading it over the top. Fold each banana leaf over to form a packet around each fillet and seal the edge of each packet with a small piece of aluminum foil, crimping it tightly. Place on a baking sheet and bake 25 to 30 minutes.
My dad doesn't like cilantro, so I left that out and added a little more green onion. We didn't have fresh chiles or maple syrup, so I subbed in chile bean paste and honey instead, and I think that actually worked better than the maple would have, although it could have been a little spicier - next time I will probably use more chile paste. Or, you know, actually try to have fresh chile around. That said, it was delicious, flaky and just the right side of sweet, with a nice ginger flavor. Definitely putting this one in the keep file.