Paella

At least once a month I make Paella, the Spanish dish that started out as a poor man's fare but are now one of the regions most popular dishes. Why? Because just smelling the paella cooking makes me feel good. Eating it afterwards is even better! I think, hands down, that this Paella is one of the very few things that can make me forget about chocolate. It is actually that good.
I wrote down the recipe from a TV-show long time ago. What show it was, I no longer remember. But, as with all recipes, this one is also best when shared.

Paella

2 tablespoons canola oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 large red pepper, seeded and finely chopped
4 tomatoes, skinned and chopped
3 to 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon sweet paprika powder
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika powder
1 teaspoon saffron
1 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cup rice (Calisparra rice or Arborio rice)
2 quart bullion
3 oz Choritzo (a Spanish sausage), roughly chopped
1 pound cubed fish and/or other seafood like shrimp, lobster and crab meat.
1/2 cup frozen peas
salt and pepper to taste

This dish is best prepared in a large paella pan, alternatively a large wok.

Fill a small casserole with water and bring to a boil. Cut a cross on the opposite side of the stem on the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes in the hot water for a minute or two, until the skin starts to peel off. Lift out the tomatoes, let cool a little and peel off the skin. After the tomatoes are skinned, chop them roughly and set them aside.

Heat the bullion in a casserole. Keep the bullion on low heat once it's warm.

Heat the oil in the paella pan, and add onions and paprika. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt.Sautè for about five minutes.
Add Choritzo, hot and sweet paprika powder and garlic.
Sautè for a few more minutes before you add the tomatoes and the saffron.
NOTE: Add the saffron after the tomatoes, as the saffron burns easily and the liquid from the tomatoes will keep it from burning.

Add the rice and wine.
Let the wine evaporate before you start adding more liquid (the bullion).

Add the bullion a little at a time. I usually add a cup, then I let the rice absorb the liquid before I add another cup.
Let the rice cook for about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the fish and seafood, and let it sit in the paella until it's cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir very gently in the paella at this point so the fish and seafood doesn't fall apart while cooking.
Add the peas, stir gently, and wait another couple of minutes until the peas are heated through.

Serve the paella with a green salad.

Honey Dijon vinagrette

As much as I like a good salad, I love a good salad dressing!
Really good salad dressings are hard to come by. The bottled stuff you buy in the store is okay, but nothing beats a good, home made dressing.

This is one of my favourite salad dressings. It's got tons of flavour, and it keeps for days in the fridge.

I made this salad this morning while cleaning out my fridge. I used lettuce, a couple of tomatoes, two spring onions and salad wheat (-you can use bulgur instead of the salad wheat).

Honey Dijon vinagrette

1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 to 4 teaspoons honey
6 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
black pepper
1/2 cup canola oil

Mix the six first ingredients. Emulsify with canola oil, menaing whisk in a little at a time so the dressing thickens.
Let set in the fridge a couple of hours before you serve it.

Pasta with salmon creme sauce

Some people will tell you that fish and cheese is a bad combination.
I find that to be true most of the time, but in some dishes, cheese gives the dish a wonderful flavour. When I cook this dish, I sprinkle parmesan on top of the fish and pasta. A lot of parmesan! If I ever was addicted to something, parmesan would be very high on my list of addictives.
But, some people prefer to stick to the old advice and keep cheese and fish separated. This dish will also work without the parmesan, but if you omit the cheese, add a little morer salt.

Pasta with salmon creme sauce

1 1/2 pound salmon fillet, cubed
1 1/2 pound spaghetti
1 onion
1 1/2 cup heavy creme
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper to taste
shredded Parmesan to sprinkle on top

Heat oil in a wide pan and cook onion until soft, about five minutes.
Add salmon, and cook for a couple of minutes. Add cream, dill, cayenne and cucumber, and cook for another couple of minutes or until the salmon is done. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook spaghetti according to package.

Serve dish with shredded parmesan.

Baked trout with tabbouleh

Salmon and trout is one of the healthiest choices you can make when it comes to fish. Loaded with healthy Omega 3 and with a delicate taste, it's on top nof my list when I want to treat myself to something delicious.
In this recipe, I serve my trout with tabbouleh, a traditional Middle Eastern salad that goes so well with fish one could think they were made for each other.

Baked trout with tabbouleh

one trout fillet, about one pound.
1 teaspoon canola oil
one lemon
fresh dill sprigs
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 430F.

On a sheet of aluminum foil, brush one teaspoon canola oil.
Place trout onto foil, skin side down.
Slice three to four slices of lemon from the middle of the lemon, leaving full ends.
Squeeze the juice from the lemon ends over the trout. Sprinkle with salt, place dill sprigs on the teout and top with 3 to 4 lemon slices. Close the foil gently around the fish and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until done.

For the tabbouleh you'll need:

1/4 cup bulgur

1 cup finely chopped parsley

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon honey

1 oz chopped unsalted cashew nuts

1/2 cucumber, seeded and finely chopped

1 tomato, seeded and finely chopped

4 green onions, finely chopped

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint

salt and pepper

Place bulgur in a bowl and add 1/3 cup hot water. Let stand 15 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and honey, and leave until done.

If there is still liquid in the bowl when the bulgur is done, strain bulgur before you mix it with the other ingredients.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Place the tabbouleh in the fridge until it is being served. It tastes best cold, and it's absolutely at it's best when the flavours have had a chance to set so you can make it a day ahead.

Chicken curry with cashews

I need to clean out my freezer, and it so happens that my freezer is full of chicken!

As much as I love creamy sauces, I try to stick to more healthy choices during the week. Also, it's easier to use a healthy dinner as an excuse to have some ice cream for dessert!

Tonight I made chicken with a curry and cashew nut sauce. This sauce is so tasty and good, I find myself wondering why I don't make it more often.
This recipe is adapted from a recipe printed in Gourmet, January 2005.

Chicken Curry with Cashews

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 medium onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder

1 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

4 large chicken breasts, cut into one inch cubes

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes

3 oz cashew nuts, finely chopped

2 to 3 tablespoons plain whole-milk yogurt

Accompaniment: cooked basmati or jasmine rice.

Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart wide heavy pot over moderate heat.

Cook onions, garlic, and ginger, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add curry powder, salt, cumin, and cayenne and stir well. Add chicken and cook, stirring to coat, 3 minutes.
Add tomatoes, including juice, and bring to a simmer.

Cover and let simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.

When chicken is cooked through, add finely chopped cashew nuts. They give this dish a delicious nutty flavour.

Add a couple of tablespoons of yogurt right before serving.

NB: Do not let the chicken curry come to a boil after the yogurt is added. The yogurt can separate under high heat.

Garnish with chopped cilantro if you like, and serve.

(Serves 4)