Day Nineteen

She Said:

Much cooking and prep work was done today. Mostly by He. I was sort of a slug. I did the shopping this morning and then I had to run around to a few other places (including a butcher) to get the things I couldn't find at Wegman's.

Did you know that beef shoulder is bolar roast? I didn't but I learnt that at the butcher today. Interesting!

So, Day Nineteen of our own Julie/Julia Project consisted of two recipes from Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman and one from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten. All were delicious!

First, the ones that count toward our project.

Tzatziki

6 cups quartered and thinly sliced cucumbers (peeled and seeded if desired) - we actually diced them, as we expect for tzatziki
1 teaspoon salt, or more as needed
2 cups Greek yogurt or sour cream (we went with the Greek yogurt)
2 garlic cloves, minced
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine the cucumbers and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a colander and toss to mix. Let drain for 30 to 60 minutes. Transfer the cucumbers to a clean kitchen towel and pat dry.

2. Combine the cucumbers, yogurt, and garlic in a large bowl. Season generously with the pepper and more salt, if desired.

3. Set aside at room temperature to allow the flavors to develop for at least 30 minutes before serving.

That last step is essential. You truly need to marry these flavors to get the full enjoyment of this dish. We sampled it today but plan on snacking on it tomorrow with some fresh naan. We LOVE naan!!

And now the second recipe from Serving Up the Harvest.

Roasted Green Beans

2 pounds green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse-grained sea salt or kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 450℉. Lightly grease a large sheet pan or shallow roasting pan with oil.

2. Arrange the green beans in a single, uncrowded layer on the prepared pan. Drizzle the oil over the beans and roll the beans until they are evenly coated.

3. Roast for about 15 minutes, or until the beans are well browned, shaking the pan occasionally for even cooking.

4. Transfer the beans to a shallow serving bowl or platter and sprinkle with the salt. Serve immediately.

These beans were a side dish to the recipe that we made from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, which was this recipe.

Mustard-Roasted Fish

4 8-ounce fish fillets such as red snapper (we halved this recipe and used the two halibut fillets we had in the freezer)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces crème fraîche
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons drained capers

Preheat the oven to 425℉. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. (You can also use an ovenproof baking dish.) Place the fish fillets skin side down on the sheet pan. Sprinkle generously with the salt and pepper.
Combine the crème fraîche, two mustards, shallots, capers, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoons pepper in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish fillets, making sure the fish is completely covered. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it's barely done. (The fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it's done.) Be sure not to overcook it! Serve hot or at room temperature with the sauce from the pan spooned over the top.

This was delicious! A wonderful sauce for any kind of fish or even chicken. And, following Ina's suggestion, we served the fish with steamed new potatoes and the above green beans. We tossed the potatoes with a little butter, kosher salt, and chopped fresh chives. Excellent meal!

Day 19/365:Recipes 14 and 15/175

Posting while the internet is still here!!

She Said:

Day Fourteen of our own Julie/Julia Project was a left-overs day, so no new cooking. But we did pick up again last night. This is from Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman.

Day Fifteen

Snapper on a Bed of Leeks, Provençal-Style

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 large leeks, white part only, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups seeded, peeled and diced fresh or canned tomatoes (we used canned)
2 teaspoons dried herbes de Provence
1½ pounds snapper or other firm white-fleshed fish (we went with halibut)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup niçoise or other black olives, pitted (we just used your standard black olives and rough-chopped them)
1/2 cup dry white wine
Hot cooked rice, to serve (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425℉. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or large casserole dish with oil.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the leeks in the oil until slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute longer. Add the tomatoes and herbs and simmer while you prepare the fish.

3. Wash and pat dry the fish. Season the fish on both sides with a generous sprinkling of salt and a few grinds of pepper.

4. Transfer the leek mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with the fish, arranged in a single layer. Sprinkle the olives over the fish. Pour in the wine over the olives.

5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the fish flakes easily.

6. Serve hot on a bed of rice.

This was such a delicately flavored meal - really light and healthy-tasting. I was planning to serve this with a salad of just spring mix and a classic vinaigrette, but I'm feeling a bit under the weather and didn't feel up to making the dressing. So we just went with the recipe as it was. Really nice!

Day 15/365:Recipe 10/175

Disappointing Day Three

She Said:

Well, we made two recipes for dinner last night and didn't particularly care for either of them. I think it may have been the cilantro (not really a fan) but I don't know. I'll put the recipes here in case anyone would ever want to try them. When you read the recipes, you'll think that they should be fabulous but it just didn't work out that way.

These are both from Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman and are part of our own Julie/Julia Project.

Day Three

Oven-Steamed Chinese-Style Fish With Scallions

6-8 scallions, julienned
1 piece fresh ginger, 2 inches long, julienned
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine (I misread this before I went shopping and thought it said rice wine vinegar, so we used mirin since we didn't have rice wine)
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2-2 pounds firm white fish fillets, such as cod, halibut, tilapia (we used tilapia)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 450℉.

2. Scatter half the scallions, ginger, and garlic in a shallow roasting pan.

3. Stir together the soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, sugar, and black pepper in a small bowl. Pour half into the roasting pan.

4. Arrange the fish fillets in the pan. Cover with the remaining scallions, ginger, and garlic. Pour the remaining steaming liquid over the top. Seal the pan with aluminum foil.

5. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the fish flakes readily with a fork.

6. Scatter the cilantro on top and serve hot.

Sesame Broccoli Noodle Salad

Salad
1 pound fresh Chinese noodles or 3/4 pound angel-hair pasta (we used dried Chinese noodles)
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 pound broccoli (1 large head), stem peeled and diced and florets broken into small pieces (about 6 cups)
1 cup julienned baby carrots or 1 red bell pepper, julienned (we chose the pepper)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Sweet Soy Dressing
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sherry or Chinese rice wine (we used sherry)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil

1. To make the salad, cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until just done. Drain and rinse well to cool. Transfer the noodles to a large salad bowl and toss with the sesame oil.

2. Steam the broccoli over boiling water until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain, plunge into cold water to stop the cooking, and drain again.

3. Add the broccoli and carrots (or pepper) to the noodles and toss again.

4. To make the dressing, combine the vinegar, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sherry, cilantro, if using, garlic, and ginger in a small bowl. Whisk in the sesame oil until well combined.

5. Pour the dressing over the noodles and vegetables and toss. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the salad and serve.

The fish cooked quite nicely by using this method and I don't think it's a bad technique to have in your back pocket. But the flavors just didn't mesh well. I'm not quite ready to give up on the noodles yet. They were cold - VERY cold. I think I would have liked them better if they were warm. And, since we have about a ton left over, I'm going to try heating them up for lunch and see how that goes.

But these are two recipes we probably won't be making again, sadly.

Day 3/365:Recipes 3 and 4/175