Fiesta Fish

The winter doldrums are setting in.  For those of us lost in a sea of white snow and fog, seed catalogs and light, colorful, summery food can work miracles.

Last night I needed one of these meals.  Good fish can be a challenge to find, no fish monger here. I watch closely for what moves through our markets and when something looks good I nab it.  Fresh, USA wild caught cod fit the bill yesterday! My opinion, humble but all mine, is that you should not worry about what kind of fish to use in this. The MOST important thing here is freshness and quality. I prefer USA wild caught, no color added.  (REALLY - color?!)  If you aren't sure about how to pick out fish, ask. If you are lucky enough to have a fish monger - great! If not, the meat cutter in your grocery store is certainly a good candidate.  Alton Brown has a great 10 minute video that is packed with info: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln-sCyclzJs

I went to the freezer section for some assistance with the "fiesta" aspect of my fish dish and found a great blend of black beans, corn, poblano peppers, red peppers, and onions. Perfect!   I'm out of the store and on my way to a quick, healthy, and warm weather inspiring supper.

Point of clarification.  I am going to use brown rice in my recipe. Brown rice does take a little longer to cook due to that nutritious hull that it has.  I think the extra 10 minutes is completely worth the health benefits and I love the nutty taste. I also added a bit of wild rice (which is actually a grass) for texture and flavor. You can stick with all brown rice or substitute white rice for all of the rice.

Fiesta Fish
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds fresh fish fillets
14 oz bag of frozen black bean and corn blend (Ultimate SW blend from Birds Eye is fantastic)
1 cup brown rice
1/4 cup wild rice
2 1/2 cups water
1 Tablespoon organic no-salt seasoning (Kirkland brand is my go-to blend)
1/2 cup salsa verde or your favorite salsa
Olive Oil for pans
salt and pepper as needed for seasoning

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to a small sauce pan and set over medium high heat. Add brown and wild rice to pan.

3. Add 1 Tablespoon of organic no-salt seasoning to pan.

4. Stir with a wooden spoon to gently toast the grains of rice for about 1-2 minutes.  This adds a nice nutty flavor.  Do not let the rice burn.  Add the 2 1/2 cups of water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover pan with a snug fitting lid.  Careful, the rice is hot and when you add the water it may jump, bubble and steam.   That might make a cool dance.  Set your timer for 35 minutes.

5. Remove your fish from its packaging and blot it dry with a paper towel.  Add a bit of olive oil to an oven proof baking dish.  Add the fish to your dish, gently rolling it over to get a bit of oil on all surfaces of the fish. Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Let your fish rest for a few minutes.

6.  Pour a glass of wine or your favorite beverage and have a seat for a minute. Breathe and smell the wonderful smells coming from your kitchen. Enjoy this moment.

7.  When your timer has about 18 minutes left on it put the fish to the oven and have a seat again.

8. With about 12 minutes left on your timer, add the black bean and corn mix to a microwavable safe dish. Add 1/2 cup of salsa verde and stir to combine. Cover with microwave safe lid and cook according to your microwave's directions. Mine has a frozen veg setting that takes about 10 minutes for a 14 oz bag. Check once during this time and stir to ensure you aren't over cooking. You don't want shriveled up fiesta salsa. That just wouldn't do.

9. Peek at your fish in the oven and see how it is doing. Over done fish is dry and unappetizing. You want it to still be moist.  Test for doneness by poking the fish with a fork. If you twist the fork the fish should flake nicely when it is done.  This may happen before your timer goes off or it may take another minute or two.  Just keep an eye on it.

10. When the timer goes off, the rice should be done. I like to check mine by taking a little bite and making sure it has a bit of firmness left in it but certainly not hard.

11. To serve your lovely meal place a half cup or so of the rice onto each plate, add a piece of fish to each and then top off with a scoop of the bean and corn blend. Tah dah!

Can you see the steam coming off this beautiful dish?  It feels like summer in here!  Enjoy!

What do I see?

Out for a walk, along our country road. Looking down, so I don't slip, of course. Deep in thought.  "I hope our son is doing well.  Am I ridiculous to be resigning from a job in this economy? Oh my gosh, when is the last time I dusted the ceiling fan?"  A sound breaks my train of thought and lifts my head.  I look to the west.

"Argh! What was that noise?"   This can be a serious question out here.  "Is it a large beast, stalking me?"  Probably not.  "What do I see?"  Oh my gosh there are a lot of cow pies out there and it's so bland and white. "Look further."  Wow! Notice the graceful, bare branched aspen and cottonwood trees?  "Look beyond that."  The deep green of the ponderosa and douglas fir, the deep blue of a clear January sky. Beautiful!  The cows are all lined up, basking in the morning sun, waiting for the fearless leader to bring their breakfast.

Why are the cow pies the first thing I noticed?  There are always cow pies, is that really what I want to catch my attention?  Of course not.

I will look beyond, look up and let the beauty and wonder in life be that which catches my attention.

Have an absolutely lovely day!

Not so fast, food

I need a satisfying meal to take on the go. Our daughter’s athletic events take us on the road a couple nights per week.  I watched enough of “Food Inc.” to know that I really want to avoid the fast food places. Plus, it gets expensive.  Even when we have done this I think my tongue actually went numb. In general, the quick food out there is not particularly tasty.  I’m sure my college age son would tell me he could eat out with $1.08 at some fantastic Mexi-American establishment and live to see the next day.
  

Tipoff is at 6:00 and the game is an hour from home.  Dinner needs to transport well.  In reality we will either picnic a la Subaru or enjoy our sack supper in the bleachers. Plus, my daughter will need a bit of nourishment after the game.  I swear we eat at the table at least twice per week, really.  Something healthy, simple, and on-the-go is what is needed here.   Am I alone in this predicament?  I think not. 

Alton Brown, my favorite cooking scientist, has a recipe for pocket pies.  Think homemade toaster pastry or Pop Tart.  While these are amazing and have their place, I want something healthier. The premise is good. A sturdy crust, a filling that stays neatly inside and you can hold it in your hand.

Did I mention that one of the members of our extended family seems to have an allergy to gluten? I have tried a gluten free diet in the past and while I don’t believe I have an allergy, it certainly enriched my baking repertoire.  An interesting tidbit, many people who have sensitivities (NOT CELIAC) to gluten can tolerate spelt quite well. No, this is not the newest fad accessory that you wear at your waist with your knee length sweater.  Spelt is an ancient grain that was around way before wheat and has not been hybridized or genetically messed around.  I find it sweeter and softer to work with.

Are you still with me? Back to the recipe… I am going to go with a crust that is more pizza crust (lower fat) than pastry (yummy, but fat).  Spelt will be my grain of choice for this adventure.  

I like to do things from the beginning steps, from scratch.

Spelt berries

Pouring spelt into my grain mill

Tah Dah, spelt flour. I’m magic, huh?  Not really.

Katie’s Savory Hand Pie

Dough:

1 packet of yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons) I use active dry yeast

1 ½ cups very warm water (hot enough, but it shouldn’t burn your finger if you dip it in there)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

3 ½ cups of spelt flour or whole wheat flour

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon each of dried thyme, oregano, and basil

1 Tablespoon honey

Cornmeal for dusting baking sheets or Parchment paper

Fillings:

1 cup of pizza/pasta sauce or ranch dressing, whichever you prefer.

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 - 16 oz package of all natural lunch meat, pepperoni, left over shredded chicken, etc.

Instructions:

1.       Measure your yeast into a small bowl and add the warm water right in there with it.  This will ensure that your yeast is alive and well. Let it sit for about 5 minutes.

2.       The yeast should become foamy.  If it does not foam your yeast is dead and gone and you should replenish it with new yeast.  Sorry.

3.       Pour your lovely, foamy mixture into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer along with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 3 cups of the flour. You will gradually add more flour as you need it.

4.       Add the ½ teaspoon salt to your mixing bowl.  Yeast does not tolerate direct contact with salt very well.  I like to add the salt on top of the flour. Add the dried spices to the mixing bowl. Now, take a minute to enjoy this. Stick your nose down near the rim of your bowl and take a deep breath. Mmmmm, the spices smell good. Can you identify the smell of each one? Can you smell the yeast doing its thing?

5.       Stir the mixture vigorously with your favorite stirring utensil or use the paddle attachment for your stand mixer.

6.       When all the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the wet, take a look.  Is your mixture still pretty wet and sticky? Touch it if you are not sure. If it sticks to your fingers it is too wet.

7.      Ooo, I forgot 1 tablespoon honey, in it goes. Not a big deal.  Mix well to combine and add more flour if you need to.

 8.     As necessary, add more flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until your dough comes together in a soft ball and cleans the sides of the bowl as you stir. The dough should be tacky, but not stick to your fingers.

 9.     When it looks and feels right, pull the dough out of your mixing bowl and put it in a lightly greased, medium sized bowl. Swirl the ball of dough around in the bowl to coat it with a little oil. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or a piece of plastic wrap.  Let it sit in a warm place for about an hour or until the dough is about twice as big as it was.

It is winter here and cold, so sometimes I put my rising dough right by the wood stove.  I have never been really picky about the rising of pizza crust dough. I know this step builds great flavor and texture in the dough.  But sometimes a girl wants fresh pizza dough but doesn’t want to wait for 2 hours or more.  The nice thing about pizza crust is that you are not depending upon dough that raises high like a loaf of bread. Please don’t hold this against me. This is still going to taste way better than just about anything pre-made.

10.   When your dough is ready, grab it with one hand, in the bowl, and gently push down, roll it over, push down, again, maybe five times. You are de-gassing your dough by breaking up those big air bubbles that the lovely yeast created. Let your dough sit for a minute and relax while you get out a rolling pin and mat to roll out your dough.

11.   Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and prepare two baking sheets with either a sprinkling of cornmeal or a piece of parchment paper to prevent sticking.

12.   Dust a little flour on your mat or counter top and place the dough on the surface.  Add a little flour to the top of the dough.  Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 20” x 15”.

13.   Cut the rectangle into 12 – 5” x 5” squares.

14.   Add your toppings on to one half of each square: sauce, meat, cheese, maybe even sneak in a couple spinach leaves.

15.   Gently, pick up one edge of the dough and stretch it up and over the toppings to the opposite edge.  The un-sauced edges are easier to seal.  If the toppings are trying to sneak out, just poke them back in there. Place each folded hand pie on to prepared baking sheet.

My dough is a little sticky, so I added flour to my finger tips to help with the situation. They do not need to look perfect.  They do not need to look perfect.  (I realize I said this twice, I’m reminding myself)

16.   Brush each pie with just a bit of olive oil or spritz with a little olive oil non-stick spray.

17.   Put the pans in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes. The hand pies should be lightly browned and fully baked on the bottom. Peel one up and thump the bottom of one if you are unsure. It should feel like a well baked pizza crust.

18.   Let the hand pies cool for at least 15 minutes before trying to eat them. The filling is VERY hot and will scorch the roof of your mouth.   

19.   You can now store your delectable treat in the fridge for later use or wrap it up in foil or a paper towel for a meal on the go.

20.   ENJOY!

Ahhh, a slow, quiet morning

OK, it's early, I know. But just look at this.  Steam lazily rising from the surface of the dark, mesmerizing liquid.  I take a deep breath in through my nose, filling my lungs and senses with that deep, nutty, roasted smell.  Ahhh, morning. Start the day off on the right foot. I will slow down and enjoy my first cup of coffee without running around the house making sure my child is ready to go to school.  Without getting caught up in the pan that is left in the sink from last night's dinner. More importantly I won't let any of those thoughts disturb my breathing and coffee sipping.  Good morning!

Finding My Whistle

I use to whistle all the time.  I think “Strangers in the Night” was my favorite when I was in college. I’m not really sure why, just a fun one to whistle, I guess.  I never thought about whistling. In fact, sometimes someone would just ask “hey, what’s that you are whistling?” I wasn’t even aware I was whistling! Ha!

I was young, met my love and I literally whistled while I worked. My supervisor at Whitworth University use to get a good chuckle out of me, I’m sure. “Ah, young love, youthful joy.”

We married, moved, moved again, started climbing the corporate ladder, moved yet again – two or three times, chased success.   I don’t think I ever saw what I was chasing.  All the while, raising two amazing kids.  We started out with very little money but we were really happy. Life was simple.  No debt, living on a family ranch, surrounded by mountains and forests.  “Maybe we should try something else”, we said.  Moving, chasing, not whistling.

We have overcome many challenges, bumps in the road, we have grown, gotten a little gray.  At least I have.  Darn him!  Life moving fast and chasing that thing was making me cranky and tired.    I really want to catch myself whistling again.

It’s time to slow down. I finally realize that. I wish my husband would have told me this, years ago. OK, so he did.  I MIGHT be a little OCD, maybe.  I MIGHT have a tendency to over think, overdo, and delegation might not be my greatest suit. 

So, here it begins. I will slow down. I will let it go (“LIG” says my mom).  I will live in the moment.  I am on a journey, finding my whistle.