Creative Cooking Fish and Other Seafood

My daughter knows my passion for cookbooks and recently when we were over for a delicious dinner, she told me I should really write about her favorite fish cookbook. How could I say no, especially since the dish she served was so delicious.

Baked Haddock in Sour Cream.

So I took home her battered copy of Creative Cooking Fish and Other Seafood, and found many a delicious dish to play with, including

Tilapia Chanticleer

And herein lies the problem...Joanna bought her copy way back in 1992, at a local grocery store. She was just new to cooking fish and the fishmonger suggested the book. And while it's true, that it doesn't have photos (I do love cookbooks with pictures to inspire me, and help me get a visual sense of the recipe), it does have simple, easy to follow recipes for fish and seafood - 500 of them, in fact. Unfortunately it's out of print and the publisher listed on the back of the book - Ottenheimer Publishers for Landoll's, seems to have disappeared too.

So you're challenge, if you love a good fish cookbook, is to check out second hand bookshops or perhaps the Internet. It's worth the effort.

Everyday Food Fresh Flavor Fast

Let's face it, Martha Stewart knows her way around the kitchen as well as the boardroom. One of my favorite little magazines (I often pick one up at the checkout line in grocery stores) is Everyday Food. Don't let the size fool you, it's always packed with easy to whip up, inexpensive to make and delicious to eat recipes.

All of which to say, I was excited to get a copy of Everyday Food - Fresh Flavor Fast from Random House Canada. I knew I'd love it and I wasn't disappointed.

The subtitle says it best..."250 easy, delicious recipes for any time of the day". So I thought I'd share a day with you...

Breakfast: Blueberry Banana Yoghurt Smoothie - so good you forget how healthy it is - antioxidants, vitamins, potassium, fibre, calcium, not to mention a perfect reminder on the first "snow day" this winter (that's the snow filled, kid empty school yard next door on the other side of the window)...that Spring and Summer will follow...eventually. I used the wild blueberries picked last August and saved in my freezer for just such an occasion.

Lunch: Quick Navy Bean Stew - because, after all, it is Winter and who doesn't need a hot, filling meal?

Dinner: Asian Salmon Cakes with Chinese Noodles & Sesame Dressing - so you can pretend your at the other side of the equator where it's hot and sunny and there are no snow banks to clear.

I wonder what I'll come up with tomorrow...Walnut & Dried Fruit Granola perhaps or cottage cheese pancakes for breakfast...the BLT Salad looks gorgeous for lunch or the Spicy Black Bean Soup that takes less than 30 minutes to whip up....the Chicken & Basil Stir fry has me drooling for dinner.

One thing in particular that I love about Everyday Food - and this book, filled with so many of the magazine's outstanding recipes - is that it's very clear as to how long a dish takes to prepare and what you need to do to get the job done without any stress. So it's no surprise that there will be a recipe (or two) for roast chicken, or pork tenderloin and then a couple of dishes to make that come from them, but are totally different. So different, in fact, you will never again hear "Leftovers! Not again!" .

Everyday Food Fresh Flavors Fast, is easy enough for the novice cook to follow and great for the cook who needs some variety to add to the repertoire.

Mangia with Quattro

Given that the Winter Olympics are being held in Vancouver and Whistler, I figured this tasty treat should jump to the front of the line... Mangia with Quattro

The recipes are delicious and based on the restaurants Quattro in Vancouver, North Vancouver and Whistler. So for those of you who want a sample of what the book holds and if you happen to be at the games - very lucky you, because
a) ...obviously, you're at the Olympics!!! Did I really have to tell you? I think not.
b) ...you get to eat at Qauttro, although I'm sure they'll be packed, if any of the recipes I've tried are an example.

Quattro is a family affair, from the restaurants to the cookbook, which is peppered with family photos and glimpses of their own Sunday family gatherings. One thing I really like about the book, in addition to very delicious recipes, is the menu section at the back of the book....one example...Family Traditions - figs with goat cheese & prosciutto, meat sauce, Nonno's meatballs with Edith's broccoli, creme caramel. Each menu comes with suggestions of wine pairings.

But lets talk about recipes. Of course there are pasta dishes from the very simple - olive oil and garlic to more elaborate Braised Rabbit Cannelloni and the awesome looking Open Face Scallop & Apple Lasagna. The risottos are high on my list of "must make" dishes - Seafood, Pea & Prosciutto, Italian Sausage, and these cool sounding Beef & Porcini Mushroom Risotto Balls.

You'll find everything from soups, salads and appetizers like Crab & Scallop Cakes, Orange & Fennel Salad ...I'm on a fennel kick these days, so I can't wait to try it, and I'm always on a crab & scallop kick...to glorious mains like ...

Roasted Honey Glazed Salmon...

which was awesome and I had enough glaze left over to do some ribs and chicken breasts.

The desserts look fantastic from simple biscottis to the utterly sublime looking Phyllo, Sour Cherry & Mascarpone Towers.

And since I can't get to Vancouver for a while, I'll definitely live vicariously through the book.

Pasta Et Cetera a la di Stasio

I've written about Josee di Stasio before. Her book a la Distasio is awesome. It's still one I turn to often for tasty, simple to do and simply delicious to eat dishes. So naturally I was excited when I was offered a review copy of her latest book Pasta Et Cetera a la di Stasio.

After all, I've been cheerleading Presto Pasta Night Roundups for 150 weeks! How could I pass this up! The book is filled with great pasta dishes which are awesome and easy to whip up (one reason I love Josee di Stasio) with lots suggested variations for most recipes.
And I did whip up this simple and ...simply divine Lemon Pasta which would have been fantastic with any of the variations - asparagus, seafood or onion, but I went for plain...wrong word...way wrong word, because there is nothing "plain" about this dish. Tangy, cheesy, and peppery from the basil and freshly ground black pepper. It's just one of the bazillion that all look delicious. Imagine - there are eight different tomato sauces alone, including one with ginger!

No matter what your pasta preference, this is the book for you. lasagna, quick toss with herbs, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, mushroom, sausage...are you getting the picture?

Yes, the pasta recipes are amazing, but there is more than just pasta in her latest book...

Antipasti and Minestre, which includes everything easy to serve before the main course -
...Antipasti which include these crispy, salty Salami Chips. I made mine with some very thinly sliced smoked Chorizo salami, next time Soppressata - Calabria or some other Italian salami. Actually we had a lovely lunch on the weekend of crunchy baguette, some tasty cheeses to go with the salami chips...perfect nibbles for a weekend afternoon or as munchies for drop in guests.

...Ministre like soups from the simple Tortellini in Brodo to the more sophisticated Fish Soup with Orange and Fennel or the Salads, like Market Fresh Carpaccio, no meat required, just some thinly sliced fennel root, cucumbers, olives and some radishes for bite and a hint of color drizzled with lemon juice, olive oil and Pecorino Romano or Parmesan shavings seem a perfect beginning to any meal.

But pastas and antipasti are not the only dishes to savor in her book...there are some wonderful desserts as well.
I fell in love with the Lime Budino, which was tangy and creamy. My Honey on the other hand would much prefer the Coffee Budino...next time, I promise.

I think Josee di Stasio says it best "Italian cooking makes you happy!" Certainly true if you follow her advice...serve tasty, convivial and uncomplicated cuisine, remembering the seasons so your ingredients are fresh and flavorful.

Everyday Easy One Pot

On my bookshelves are two really great cooking "primers" and I've written about both of them - The Illustrated Kitchen Bible and The Illustrated Quick Cook already. So when I was asked to review Everyday Easy One Pot, based on recipes from both of those, I knew it would be a winner, not only for the beginner cooks, but for cooks who've run out of ideas, and cooks who are too frantic to think about a kitchen full of pots and pans, not to mention the work required to get the food onto the table. while juggling work, school, kids...
After a very quick scan at 4:30 one afternoon - given that my tummy was already rumbling and I hadn't done any grocery shopping either and was too beat to head out shopping, and too brain dead to come up with something other than pasta - I spotted a lovely looking Chicken & Chickpea Pilaf and I had all the ingredients on hand. It took about 20 minutes to prepare and was delicious.

But let me back up a bit....like The Illustrated Kitchen Bible, the first sections focus on useful info like equivalents - volume, weight, temperature and moves into techniques - with photos so one really sees the process, from dicing to removing seeds from peppers.

If you're like me, there are times when I refer to cookbooks because I want to make "X" with a new twist. That's easy here, because I have a bazillion cookbooks. But there are other times when even that is daunting, so it's lovely to have a section at the front of the book called "Recipe Planners" that has photos of dishes - with their corresponding page numbers and you can let your eyes decide on dinner. This week I know I'll be making the Puy Lentils with Goat Cheese, Olives and Fresh Thyme, so I'll keep you posted.

The main recipes are divided into five sections - Budget (although they look and, I'm sure, taste spectacular), Hearty (many of those look pretty economical as well), Healthy (seriously - they all look healthy - like the lentil dish I mentioned) and Impress (that's the one specifically designed to show off your food to friends and family).

Some of the recipes I have earmarked - Roast lamb with White Beans from the Hearty Section. Thai Green Chicken Curry from the Super Quick looks awesome. A couple from the Healthy are Carrot & Orange Soup plus Lentil Salad with Lemon & Almonds. The Impress section has at least five, but I'll start with either the Spicy Shrimp Gratin o Beef Daube with Wild Mushrooms (stew with flair).

One pot cooking at its best - easy to prepare...even the ones that simmer for a long time, perfuming your home all day, which is a destresser if ever there was one...easy to clean up after...and most of them with ingredients you probably already have.

The New Book of Soups

First off, I must say that I love every book I've seen that's put out by The Culinary Institute of America (The other CIA) and own a few of them myself. You can read about each of those....The Culinary Institute of America Cookbook which is a fantastic primer; The Flavors of Asia so good, my daughter has "borrowed" it; A Tavola! for a great taste of Italy; and Bistros & Brasseries for French cafe food to life right in your own home.

All that to say how excited I was when I got my review copy of The New Book of Soups, especially because this time of year I'm addicted to body and soul warming soups. Not to mention that I've been suffering with a bad head cold and want nothing better than a healthy, simple to prepare cure...with things I happen to have on hand, like squash and the last of my carrots, celery, onion and an orange. So before I even begin to talk about the book...I flipped to find this glorious looking Butternut & Acorn Squash Soup....well I didn't have butternut squash, but I did have lots of another kind of winter squash (not sure what exactly) and I somehow felt the need to squeeze some of the orange juice after zesting my last orange....and came up with

Squash Soup with Ginger & Orange

It was perfect. And although I'm all set for my next venture...Black Bean & Butternut Squash Soup, it's only half done...the black bean soup part. The rest will have to wait a day or two until I venture out. I can't wait to see how the savory black bean soup with cumin, chipotle chili and oregano combine with the sweet butternut squash with cinnamon, honey and allspice. You make the soups separately and then ladle equal amounts of each, side by side in a bowl and use a toothpick to swirl them together. Doesn't that sound perfectly awesome?!

I am jumping ahead of myself a bit though. As in every CIA book, the first chapter is dedicated to providing all the basics for making the perfect soup...whatever that might look like to you, from clear to thick to pureed...starting with ingredients - main flavor, liquid base, and supporting flavors and seasonings; the equipment; options for finishing soups and some amazing time saving tips. It's perfect not only for the beginner, but for long time cooks who can always do with a little more insights.

There's even a table that shows the ingredient from fruit to seafood to herbs, dry goods and cheeses and more, along with the amount and what that's equal to...

Example: an apple...don't you find it frustrating when a recipe just says the number of apples? Some are bigger than others, denser than others, so what does ONE really mean? Well, CIA says 1 lb equals 3-4 medium apples or 3 cups sliced.

The second section is all about broths..the liquid base for every soup and there are two pages at the beginning that guide you through the basics. Then there are the four classic broths - chicken, beef, fish and vegetable followed by a huge selection of broth with veggies, fish, meat, chicken...pasta... the list is impressive.

Now my Honey is not really a broth fan. In fact, he thinks he doesn't like soup, but place in front of him a hearty soup with lots of ingredients to chew - like Cioppino or Udon Noodle Pot, Minestra Mariatta...OR a heavenly stew (there are so many great choices, I hardly know where to begin) like Crawfish Etouffe, Lamb Khorma, Catalan Beef Stew and the classic Cassoulet... OR some creamy soup, like my personal favorite - Cream of Mushroom that sounds awesome...OR pureed soups, my Honey's all time favorite type and he did give a two thumbs up to the Squash Soup.

The New Book of Soups is definitely a keeper!

Ciao Italia: 5 Ingredient Favorites

For those of us who love the notion of spending hours in the kitchen, slowly combining a million ingredients and using every pot we own, but, unfortunately often don't have the time or energy...Ciao Italia Five-Ingredient Favorites: Quick and Delicious Recipes from an Italian Kitchen is the book for us.

Perhaps it's just me, but there are days when MORE than five ingredients on a page stops me in my tracks like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. I freeze, and I'm exhausted at the thought (ridiculous as it is) of being able to collect them all from my cupboards and fridge.

So when I was approached to review a copy of Mary Ann Esposito's latest book, I jumped at the chance and I'm so glad I did for a couple of reasons. One...the obvious...the recipes are delicious and two...even more important for someone like me...they're a great inspiration point. And what do I mean by that, you're wondering.

Imagine being brain dead at the thought of making dinner, your sense of creativity and adventure in cooking is in a deep coma. Open the book and within minutes you've found a recipe that you have all the ingredients for. You could make it just as it's presented, but here's what I found. As the first two ingredients delight you with their wonderful aroma, your mind wakes up and you think of one or two other ingredients you can add as well.
My example...Tuscan Bean Soup It would have been perfectly delicious if I had simply followed the recipe. That said, it's due to the recipe that I was inspired to add a few things of my own. I'm not saying that my version is better, just that it was a great feeling to come alive while cooking.

One thing is for sure...two actually...

One: I already have a bunch of ohter easy, tasty recipes earmarked...Lentil, Ditalini & Sausage Soup - I know this is going to be a long, cold and dreary winter; Mushroom, Spinach and Cheese Tart - the perfect easy Sunday morning brunch; Grilled Salmon with Red Onions & Oranges - to impress guests, without breaking into a sweat...there are too many to list.

Two: l'm ashamed to say, that before receiving this book, I never heard of Mary Ann Esposito. If you're like me, that can be rectified quickly. She hosts PBS Ciao Italia where you can find lots of her recipes (some with video instructions) and writes a her own blog where get her take on everything food from how she chooses restaurants and even more seasonal recipes.

I'm off to get the other Mary Ann Esposito cookbooks -
Ciao Italia Slow and Easy: Casseroles, Braises, Lasagne, and Stews from an Italian Kitchen

Ciao Italia in Tuscany: Traditional Recipes from One of Italy's Most Famous Regions

Ciao Italia--Bringing Italy Home

and what I assume is the first...Ciao Italia