Cioppino

Cioppino is a fisherman's stew. Make a tomato base. Add fresh fish. Serve with sourdough bread (traditional) or with pasta (if you're married to Mr. Dr. Sue). Feel free to improvise. The only caution is not to overcook the fish.

Tomato Base
Olive oil
Chopped onions
Minced garlic
Chopped celery
A few dried red peppers if you like spicy
2 bay leaves
1 can tomatoes in puree or good quality tomato sauce without sugar
1/2 - 1 cup red wine (or white)
Salt and pepper to taste and herbs if you wish

Saute vegetables in olive oil until tender. Add tomatoes and wine. Season to taste. Simmer for about 1/2 hour.

The Fish - choose your assortment. For example:
1/2 - 1 pound fresh firm white fish such as cod
1/2 - 1 pound hrimp with shells removed, tail on OK
Frozen calimari rings
Can of clams with juice
12 Fresh mussels and white wine for steaming or
Frozen mussels in sauce

Cut the fish into chunks. Scrub mussels. Add the fish to the tomato base. Cook until almost tender. Add calimari and cook until heated through. Add shrimp and cook 5 minutes more. Add can of clams with juice. Heat through.

Mussels: Throw away any open mussels. Put the scrubbed mussels in a frying pan with a lid. Pour in some white wine. Steam for about 2 minutes until mussels open. If using frozen mussels prepare as directed, then add at the end.

Add mussel juices. Taste for seasonings. Add a pat of butter to thicken if you wish. Arrange the mussels on top. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Fast Food Jacques Pepin's Way

I discovered the DVDs of Jacques Pepin's cooking show at the public library. Jacques introduces each segment with a recipe that he explains and executes in under a minute. I learned how to make this easy appetizer just in time for our OTBN dinner. Jacques reassured me in that knowing French-chef way that it was perfect for serving with an aperitif and could be whipped up quickly when company comes.

Mozzarella Crostini

Slices of rustic day-old bread
Olive oil
Good mozzarella (not the hard rubbery kind)
Oil cured black olives
Parsley or fresh oregano

Heat the oven to 425. Pour olive oil into the bottom of an oven proof baking dish. Coat the bread slices with the oil on both sides. Top each slice of bread with a slice of the mozzarella. Bake until bubbly - about 5 - 7 minutes. Take out of the oven. Put oil cured black olives on top and sprinkle with fresh parsely or other fresh herbs. Serve hot right out of the oven.

Wehani Rice, BBQ Chicken and Coleslaw

The description of wehani rice developed by Lundberg Farms says that the rice tastes like "hot buttered popcorn." Irresistable.

If you can't find wehani rice in your grocery store, you can order it from Amazon. I can't vouch for how it cooks on a stovetop. On your next birthday, you too may need to ask for a rice cooker.

This is an easy meal to prepare for 2 - 3 people - and scalable for a crowd.


Wehani Rice
1 cup Wehani Rice
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt

Cook in Rice Cooker at "Brown Rice" setting. Start it in the afternoon. Mine took close to 2 hours to cook. While it was cooking I went for a long walk, watched the evening news, and prepared the rest of dinner.

BBQ Chicken Thighs
4 Chicken Thighs
Kansas Style BBQ Sauce (I used Trader Joes)

Put chicken in baking dish. Pour BBQ sauce over chicken. Bake at 375 for about 1 hour.

Cilantro Coleslaw
Shredded cabbage about 2 cups (for a speedy, easy meal, buy shredded cabbage in a bag)
Shredded carrots about 1/2 cup (you can buy these already shredded too)
Olive oil - a few tablespoons
Lemon juice or cider vinegar - about a tablespoon
salt - to taste
chopped fresh clilantro - to taste.

Mix cabbage and carrots. Sprinkle with salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and chopped cilantro. Taste for the right proportions of seasoning. The flavors meld together in about 10 minutes.

How Did I Ever Live Without My.......



ZOJIRUSHI RICE COOKER


My family asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I don't exactly know why but I answered, "A rice cooker." I had heard about them and it certainly met the criterion of a birthday present - something I wouldn't buy for myself.

Little did I know what I was missing all these years. Look at this photo of my Zojirushi Rice Cooker. It's so adorable. It plays a little tune when it starts cooking and another little tune when the rice is finished...finished to perfection. The booklet explains that the Zojirushi uses fuzzy logic. It comes with measuring cups but I was given the advice to make rice with the usual proportions - 1 cup rice to 2 cups of water and a bit of salt. For brown rice I add an extra 1/2 cup of water for each cup of rice.

After the rice is cooked the device keeps it warm and fluffy. Brown rice is amazing. My other birthday presents were little bags of exotic rice - white, brown, wild, and wehani. We've cooked them all. The brown rice is the best of all. It doesn't taste like health food. It tastes like a treat. "Doo doo do do do doo do dodododo doo," sings the rice cooker. Happy Birthday to me!