Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Sieze the season!!!!


We're deep into summer, the time of year that farms are cranking out more produce than they know what to do with. And this is the time to pass up the grocery store and find the closest farmers' market.
One trip will have you thinking differently about produce. Now is when all the time sensitive stuff is at its best. Some of the fruits and vegetables that are exploding now, like corn, berries, broccoli and even potatoes are the ones that have a tendency to change once they're picked. Nutrition is lost, enzymes shut down, and sugars turn to carbohydrates. If you can score these f0ods close to the source, its like heaven in a bite.
For other produce that ripens further once picked, such as tomatoes and peaches. You might be fortunate enough to snag a varietal that has NOT had that trait bred out of it. Conventional peaches have been bred to ripen very slowly {if at all}, making them suitable for a long car ride or say, a game of stick ball. Your typical tomato is picked green and gassed for color, but not much flavor. There is no substitute for a truly vine ripened tomato!
What you can find in a farmers market right now will remind what real produce is (or isn't), not to mention the socio-economical benefits of supporting your local farmers.


Thursday, July 2, 2009

I love fish, but I've been relying too much on Salmon recently, and getting burned out. Any suggestions for some unique fish recipes?

It's definitely important to mix in some different fish and utilize some different cooking methods. So you don't get totally tired of something that's good for you. Try out some white fleshed fish; catfish are easy to come by, and even farm raised wall eye (which is delicious) it turning up in some markets.

I have a good recipe for you. It's quick and easy to pull off; it's also a people-pleaser.

In this recipe I call for flounder but you can really use any fish. I've done it with catfish and even fresh sardines
Here we go:

Potato Chip Crusted Flounder

2 flounder filets (aprox. 12-16 oz. total)
1 bag kettle cooked chips (approx 2.5 oz.)
¼ cup of your favorite herbs, chopped (rosemary, dill, cilantro, parsley etc.),

1. In the bag, crush the potato chips to roughly the size of large breadcrumbs.
2. In the bag, shake in the chopped herbs along with cracked black pepper.
3. Season the flounder filets, lay them out on a baking sheet. Sprinkle a healthy coating of the potato chips over the fish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.


Of course I messed up my own recipe and bought the wrong potato chips. I didn't get the thicker kettle cooked ones, further proof that it does make a difference. They stay crunchier through the cooking process.
For my herbs I used a little medley from my window box:parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (or the Simon & Garfunkel as i like to call it) Any combo or just individual herb would do.


When you season your fish, just remember that the potato chips probably already have a fair amount of salt on them, so pace yourself.

I love this with a squeeze of lemon.
Enjoy!
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