Paz for Prez - The Coolest Cookies on the Planet!

May 30, 2006 | Filed Under Cookies | Leave a Comment 

New York Monday #26 - Memorial Day

May 29, 2006 | Filed Under New York Monday | Leave a Comment 

Fish Salad with Forbidden Rice

May 23, 2006 | Filed Under Salads, Rice, Seafood | Leave a Comment 

Some time ago, Helen of Beyond Salmon came up with a well-rounded meal from the leftovers in her fridge, which enticed me to try.

The ingredients included fish, asparagus, onions, avocado and something I’d never heard of or tasted before – Forbidden Rice.

The name alone captured my interest. Also known as Black or Purple rice (obviously because of its color), an interesting myth surrounds Forbidden rice. It was considered “forbidden” because it was supposed to have mystical powers to advance long life. As a result, only emperors were allowed to eat this special rice.

Luckily, since times have changed, those of us not born under official emperor lineage are no longer forbidden to eat this rice. Anxious to taste it, I looked for it when I went shopping and to my surprise, found it at Citarella’s, one of the food markets where I do my shopping.

I prepared the meal according to Helen’s instructions and found the rice to have a unique taste. I would agree with Helen’s description of its taste – like wild rice with a deep, almost sweet flavor. The rice tasted unusual to me but it’s definitely something I’ll eat again in the future (Hey, I wanna live to the age of at least 106!).

I liked the entire meal combination of the asparagus and avocado (more foods I never liked until recently), with the fish. Like Helen, I used strip bass but as with all her fish recipes, she gives suggestions for fish substitutions. The dressing brought everything together. Delicious!

This may have been a meal from left over foods, but as I ate, I certainly felt like an Empress, in my own right, dining at a banquet table. Thanks, Helen!

Paz

Ed. Note: I’ve been asked where I got the legend information on Forbidden Rice (as well as the name). It’s printed on the back of the rice package I bought. The rice is imported by a company called Lotus Foods. According to Helen’s post, she found her information at the same place. This is what’s printed on my package:

Legend tells us that Forbidden Rice was once grown exclusively for the Emperors of China to enrich their health and ensure their longevity.

Today, this heirloom rice is prized for its fragrant aroma, nutty taste, eep purple color and nutritional value. It pairs beautifully with fish, meat and colorful vegetables. An everyday favorite — use steamed, in pilafs, stir-fries, and salads.

* Cooks in 30 minutes
* Gluten free, wheat free
* High in iron
* A whole-grain rice
* Non-GMO

Package of Forbidden Rice
CLICK ON PHOTO FOR LARGER IMAGE

 

Helen’s Fish Salad with Forbidden Rice

Fish substitutions: any fin fish or shell fish leftovers. Hey, this can even work with chicken!

Serves 4

For the salad:
1 cup your favorite interesting rice (purple, wild, or brown)
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 Lb asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1 inch lengths
1 Lb leftover fish fillets, skin removed and flaked
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 avocados, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup chopped parsley, cilantro, mint, or basil

For the dressing:
2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
2 anchovy fillets, mashed to a paste (optional)
3 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook rice according to package instructions. Cool completely.
2. Set a large skillet over high heat. When preheated add oil and asparagus and cook stirring occasionally until tender, but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Take off heat and cool.
3. In a large bowl combine rice, asparagus, fish, onions, avocados, and herbs. The salad can be prepared up to this stage a day in advance, covered, and stored in the fridge.
4. Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Season to taste with salt and pepper and mix well.

 

Asparagus, onions, avocado, cilantro

Cooking the asparagus

New York Monday #25 - East Side

May 22, 2006 | Filed Under New York Monday | Leave a Comment 

Pollo Con Prezzemolo - Parsley Chicken

May 16, 2006 | Filed Under Poultry | Leave a Comment 

I like simple recipes with ingredients that I don’t have to go shopping all over the place to buy. Ilva of Lucullian Delights shares many simple, yet tasty recipes and Pollo Con Prezzemolo (Parsley Chicken) falls under that category.All I needed was chicken, parsley, lemon, garlic, and olive oil. What more could I ask for an uncomplicated recipe.

My chicken turned out delicious, even though it looked more like green chicken instead of chicken with a hint of parsley. I had wanted to use up my leftover parsley before it spoiled. So, I used way too much parsley (half a bunch) — more than what the recipe asked (a few tablespoons).

As my sister ate, she kept repeating “Green Eggs and Ham, Green Eggs and Ham,” in reference to the children’s book by Dr. Seuss.

However, she and everyone else ate the overly green-looking chicken with gusto.

We liked it so much that I made it again. This time, instead of chicken breasts, I used chicken wings because that’s all I had. I didn’t use a lot of parsley, the second time. My chicken tasted just as good as the first time.

Thanks for the simple and tasty recipe, Ilva!

Paz

Chicken breast strips

Too much parsley, onions, garlic in food processor
Chicken marinating in the parsley mixture

Chicken in frying pan

Ilva’s recipe:
Pollo Con Prezzemolo (Parsley Chicken)

500- 600 gr chicken breast

1 big bunch of parsley, about 4-5 tbsp when chopped
2-3 slices of lemon
1 small onion, preferably fresh
1 clove of garlic
Salt
Olive oil

- Cut the chicken breast into strips and put them in a bowl.

- Run the parsley, the onion and the garlic in a blender or chop them very well.

- Cut the lemon slices into smaller pieces and mix these, salt and the parsley mixture with the chicken strips. Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge to rest for at least 2-3 hours.

- Take out the bowl and let the chicken warm up a bit before you fry it in some olive oil in a skillet. If you don’t like fried lemon, take away all the pieces before.

- Fry or saute (what’s the difference?) until completely cooked and serve.

Parsley chicken wings

New York Monday #24 - Some pizza

May 15, 2006 | Filed Under New York Monday | Leave a Comment 

Happy Mother’s Day! (and WHB - Tulip)

May 14, 2006 | Filed Under Weekend Herb Blogging | Leave a Comment 

The tulip is a type of flowering plant in the Lily Family (Liliaceae).

Although not native to the Netherlands, tulips are closely associated with that country. Instead, tulips are native to southern Europe, north Africa, Asia (Anatolia, Iran, northeast China and Japan).

To read more about the tulip, go here and here.

It’s Mother’s Day in the U.S. and some other parts of the world. I want to wish all mothers, mothers-to-be, and all women, everywhere, a Happy Mother’s Day!

Best,
Paz

*One can blog about herbs, plants, vegetables, or flowers for Weekend Herb Blogging (WHB). To see the list of other interesting WHB posts, go to Kalyn’s Kitchen, Sunday afternoon.

Mashed Avocado on Toasted Bread

May 9, 2006 | Filed Under Vegetables | Leave a Comment 

The title reads ‘Mashed Avocado on Toasted Bread.’ However in my case, it’s ‘Mashed Avocado on Toasted Bagels.Isil from Veggie Way made this simple meal, which grabbed my attention immediately — especially since I had two ripe avocados waiting to be eaten.

She didn’t give specific quantity ingredient instructions, but it’s easy to guess: Basically, you mash an avocado, add some lemon juice, a few drops of olive oil, chopped greens (like parsley or dill), and salt to taste. Mix and then spread the mashed avocado over toasted bread.

Isil also adds that if you have any leftovers, you can add it to your next salad meal.

Not bad. Not bad at all! Thanks, Isil.

Paz

 

 

 

New York Monday #23: City sidewalks

May 8, 2006 | Filed Under New York Monday | Leave a Comment 

You can find almost anything in New York City — from big stores to small boutiques, to popular grocery markets, to the sidewalks. Here are two things you can find on the streets — books and fruits.

Have a great week!

Paz

Farmers Market International Parade Event

May 6, 2006 | Filed Under Farmers Market | Leave a Comment 

Cooking Diva and El Amor por la Cocina are hosting an event called the Farmers Market International Parade. This is my submission.You are asked to blog about the market where you like to shop (or wherever you buy your food). “It could be any kind of market: fish market, meat market, fruits and veggies market, supermarkets, even handcrafts market if they create cooking tools and plates, for example.”

Here are the complete guidelines in English and in Spanish.

I shop at several different grocery stores, in my neighborhood, for different food products. However, when I buy fish, I usually go to Citarella, a food store that has branches all over the city. I have mentioned Citarella before, here. In addition to fish, they sell meats and a few other grocery products — fruits, vegetables, baked goods, chocolates, cheeses, etc…. They have even started to sell flowers, which you see when you first walk into the store.

I like that the fish sold at Citarella is fresh and clean and I haven’t had any problems with what they sell to me, so far.

When I walked into the store, I started to take photos. A few minutes later, one of the staff members came to me and told me that I wasn’t allowed to take photos. I said okay but when he left me, I took a few more photos. Oh, what I go through and risk for my blog and my readers.

Here are a few photos of what one may find at Citarella’s.

So, where do you do your grocery shopping? Blog about it and let Cooking Diva know.

Paz

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