Friday, March 22, 2013

Clear Fish Soup with Greens & Ginger



By: Miriam Borys

Yield: 6


Ingredients:
8 cups fish & veggie stock ( or stock of your choice)
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (from a tetra pack)
1  cup broccoli - diced small
1 1/2 cups spinach - fresh
1 cup peas
½ cup green onions or fresh chives - diced into ½ inch 
pieces
.5 kg talapia fillets (500g or 3 small fillets)
1/4 cup Tamari soy sauce
1 tsp. fish sauce
2 tbsp. ginger - grated
cracked pepper


Procedure:
Make fish & vegetable stock first by adding vegetables and any fish bones to a large pot. Cover vegetables with cold water and bring up to the boil. Reduce heat and cook for another 45 minutes at a high simmer.
Strain stock, and reserve all the liquid to add to a large soup pot.  Add 2 more cups of chicken stock or any stock you have on hand as you will need a minimum of 10 cups of broth/stock for this soup recipe.
Bring 10 cups of stock up to a rapid boil. 
While the stock is heating rinse fresh fish under cold running water first to remove surface pathogens and then cut into large chunks.
Add fish, diced broccoli, spinach, peas, green onion or chives, and grated ginger  to the stock and bring back up to the boil. This takes about 4 minutes. 
Add cracked pepper, a few dashes of fish sauce and the soy sauce.
After it comes back up to the boil, turn heat off and serve immediately as the fish and the vegetables will be perfectly done. Add a dash of soy sauce to each bowl of soup as it is served.

Chef Miriam Little Borys, B.Ed., MA.
'Cooking Uncovered'
http://www.youtube.com/user/mlborys?feature=mhee
blog: www.cookinguncovered.blogspot.com
Website: www.miriamborys.com

Monday, March 11, 2013

Popcorn - how to make great popcorn at home



By: Miriam Borys

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon grape seed oil
½ cup popcorn kernels 
Salt (if desired)

  1. Heat medium sized pot on the stove.
  2. Add oils and 2 corn kernels only and continue to heat.
  3. Once the two kernels have popped add the ½ cup of corn to the hot oil and immediately cover.
Continually move the pot back and forth with the lid on and listen to the popping. When it sounds like 
most of the kernels have popped, carefully remove the lid and 
pour hot popcorn into a large bowl.
Garnish with salt if desired.
This is a great snack to take in the car when commuting or travelling 
on holidays.

Chef Miriam Little Borys, B.Ed., MA.
'Cooking Uncovered'
http://www.youtube.com/user/mlborys?feature=mhee
blog: www.cookinguncovered.blogspot.com
Website: www.miriamborys.com

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Creamy Seafood & Mushroom Pasta Casserole, made with a basic Béchamel Sauce.



Creamy Seafood & Mushroom Pasta Dish
By: Miriam Borys

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
3 cups dry pasta of choice (in this video I am using Cellentani  Italian Pasta) par boiled, drained & held for later use
2 tablespoons butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups diced mushrooms ( king oyster, crimini & beech [brown and white] were used for this recipe)
3 anchovy fillets
½ green chilli
1 recipe of béchamel sauce (see recipe below)
1 ¼  cup seafood medley (including 1 tallapia fillet) [I buy a bag of 'seafood medley' from the local Asian grocery store...very convenient & a great price to keep in your freezer]
1 cup parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. chives - fresh for garnish
½ cup flat leaf parsley or cilantro
1/2 cup pasta water if needed


Procedure:
Cook pasta until el dente (just done). Drain (reserving some of the pasta water) and hold.
In a sauté pan melt butter in olive oil.
Chop mushrooms and add to butter mixture to sauté until slightly browned. 
Dice up anchovies & chilli and add to mushrooms.
Sauté for 1 minutes to help infuse the flavours.
Add béchamel sauce and continue to heat until white sauce is hot. Do not overcook at this stage or the bechamel sauce will burn. 
Add ½ of parmesan cheese, seafood medley & flat leaf parsley and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes.
Place cooked pasta to the bottom of a greased casserole dish.

Carefully pour the mushroom seafood cream sauce over the pasta. Add 1/2 cup if of pasta water.
Garnish with the rest of the cheese and chopped chives.
Pre-heat oven to 350 F degrees (175 C).
Bake pasta casserole for 20 - 25 minutes. Serve hot.






cellentani cork-screw Italian pasta














Béchamel Sauce - How to make a  basic white sauce. (click here to go directly to my YouTube video of this recipe) 
Yield: 3 cups 
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour ( gluten-free flour would work too)
1 shallot (diced small)
4 cups milk
Salt & pepper to taste  (approx.. ½ teaspoon each)
Procedure:
In a pre-heated sauce pan melt better completely.
Sauté shallots until transparent.
Add flour to make a roux & cook for 2 minutes to cook the flour.
Add milk and whisk while milk heats up.
This sauce takes about 10 minutes to come up to the boil.
Reduce the heat and continue to cook while whisking to prevent burning.    
If a smooth sauce is desired, strain through a wire mess strainer. 
This is a perfect sauce to pour over steamed potatoes for scalloped potatoes, or for a home-made macaroni & cheese dish (just grate cheese into the sauce and stir until melted), or to garnish poached fish or steamed vegetables. 

Chef Miriam Little Borys, B.Ed., MA.
'Cooking Uncovered'
http://www.youtube.com/user/mlborys?feature=mhee
blog: www.cookinguncovered.blogspot.com
Website: www.miriamborys.com

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Béchamel Sauce - How to make a basic white sauce.



By: Miriam Borys

Yield: 4 cups 

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour ( gluten-free flour would work too)
1 shallot (diced small)
4 cups milk
Salt & pepper to taste  (approx.. ½ teaspoon each)


Procedure:
In a pre-heated sauce pan melt better completely.
Saute shallots until transparent.
Add flour to make a roux & cook for 2 minutes to cook the flour.
Add milk and whisk while milk heats up.
This sauce takes about 10 minutes to come up to the boil.
Reduce the heat and continue to cook while whisking to prevent burning.    
If a smooth sauce is desired, strain through a wire mess strainer. 
This is a perfect sauce to pour over steamed potaoes for scalloped potatoes, or for a home-made macaroni & cheese dish (just grate cheese into the sauce and stir until melted), or to garnish poached fish or steamed vegetables. 

Chef Miriam Little Borys, B.Ed., MA.
'Cooking Uncovered'
http://www.youtube.com/user/mlborys?feature=mhee
blog: www.cookinguncovered.blogspot.com
Website: www.miriamborys.com

Clear Fish Soup with Greens & Ginger


Recipe Title:  Clear Fish Soup with Greens & Ginger (click here to go directly to my YouTube video of this recipe) 

By: Miriam Borys

Yield: 6

Ingredients:

8 cups fish & veggie stock ( or stock of your choice)
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (from a tetra pack)
1  cup brocolli - diced small
1 1/2 cups spinach - fresh
1 cup peas
.5 kg talapia fillets
1/4 cup Tamari soy sauce
1 tsp. fish sauce
2 tbsp. ginger - grated
cracked pepper


Procedure:
Make fish & vegetable stock first by adding vegetables and any fish bones to a large pot. Cover vegetables with cold water and bring up to the boil. Reduce heat and cook for another 60 minutes at a high simmer.
Strain stock and add to a large soup pot.  Add 2 more cups of chicken stock or any stock you have on hand as 8 cups isn’t enough stock for this recipe.
Bring 10 cups of stock up to a rapid boil. 
While the stock is heating rinse fresh fish under cold running water first and then cut into large chunks.
Add fish, diced brocolli, spinach, peas, and grated ginger  to the stock and bring back up to the boil. This takes about 4 minutes. 
Add cracked pepper, a few dashes of fish sauce and the soy sauce.
After it comes back up to the boil, turn heat off and serve immediately as the fish and the vegetables will be perfectly done.

Chef Miriam Little Borys, B.Ed., MA.
'Cooking Uncovered'
http://www.youtube.com/user/mlborys?feature=mhee
blog: www.cookinguncovered.blogspot.com
Website: www.miriamborys.com