Category Archives: Fish

Tuna Steaks Braised with Radicchio, Chickpeas & Rosemary

Recipe from: All About Braising (By Molly Stevens)

tuna steak braised with radiccio chickpeas and rosemaryI would assume a variety of content is critical to have an awesome blog and increase readership especially when you are starting out. So, obviously, I was planning to post something else this week as I knew I shouldn’t keep cooking chickpeas and fish even though it’s not that far from the reality. But then I went to grocery shopping and found thick, red, perfectly-sized sashimi grade ahi tuna steaks (on sale!) so I had to drop everything and buy them to make this dish because that’s what I do now if I come across a good-looking tuna steak. This is such a recipe. It’s a game changer.

It comes from All About Braising, an award winning cookbook by Molly Stevens. I ordered it when I got my first set of Le Creuset simply because I just wanted to make sure I get most out of those heavy pots as they were quite an investment. Soon the book arrived – And it completely floored me with my economically-motivated intentions by opening up a whole new world of cooking possibilities.

Not only is it a collection of great recipes, some of which I can no longer live without, but also her precision and accuracy in describing both principles of the technique as well as subtle details of each steps are MIND-BLOWING. You are guaranteed to be successful if you do exactly what she tells you to do. I do just that, and let myself indulge in a fantasy of being a domestic diva as I take out my prized Le Creuset from the oven and witness complete transformation of what’s inside from assortment of ingredients to an amazing meal. I might even throw an apron on. All that while I am developing some serious muscle. Fantastic. Continue reading

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Puerto Rican Fish Stew

Recipe slightly modified from: http://www.eatingwell.com

Puerto rican fish stewI will be honest; I am not familiar with Puerto Rican cuisine. Actually, I haven’t even been to a Puerto Rican restaurant. I only decided to try this recipe because it has avocado in it, and I had a big jar of pimento-stuffed olives I bought by mistake that I didn’t know what to do with. I’m aware the statement is wrong in so many ways that it is making my qualifications as somebody who writes a cooking blog even more questionable. But all I have to say is that I’m now finishing the third jar of pimento-stuffed olives, and they are solely used for this dish in my house.

Rewound to a few months ago – I really didn’t expect much from this dish. Sure it includes a couple of things I didn’t think about adding to “stew” such as olives and capers. But other ingredients are fairly basic – Garlic, onion, tomato, pepper, and fish. Only spice/herb listed in the recipe are oregano and cilantro, while usual Latin American heavy hitters like cumin, chilli powder, or cayenne didn’t seem to have made the cut. I was skeptical but then thought: How bad could it be? I mean, you can’t possibly go THAT wrong with these. Plus it’s from eatingwell.com, so I get to be skinny at least (Isn’t that how it works?).

Shame on me.

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Macrobiotic Salmon Soup

Recipe slightly modified from: Mayumi’s Kitchen – Macrobiotic Cooking for Body and Soul (by Mayumi Nishimura)

macrobiotic salmon soupNot many people know this, but I am following Madonna’s footsteps in many ways. I mean, a few ways. Okay, maybe three. What I’m trying to say is I enjoy yoga (both actually doing it and the thought of doing it), own Tracy Anderson’s exercise DVD (very strange but surprisingly effective… a long story) and have been enjoying cooking from a cookbook by a Japanese Macrobiotic chef, Mayumi Nishimura, who was Madonna’s personal chef for a long time.

Without going into too much details as I’m by no means an expert in Macroiotics – I have always been in general agreement with its concept of eating seasonal local produce and less processed foods, not necessarily because they are healthier but because I think they taste great that way. Plus I adore M cafe, one of well-known Macrobiotic establishments in Los Angeles, and used to go there for lunch quite often while I worked in Culver City. So when I got a new job in the valley, I thought I would try cooking some Macrobiotic foods myself. Continue reading