Welcome to the new and improved version.  Now I bake the fish in the oven, which reduces the oil use but still leaves it crispy, and cuts the time I spend in the kitchen way down.  Plus now I can make 4 meals at once.

Just like before, you want to choose a flat boneless fillet.  I’ve tried several, but really can’t get better than dover sole.  It’s reasonably sustainable, wild caught, sold boneless, and cheap.  I usually buy it at Costco (can’t vouch for all branches, but mine has a excellent fish counter).

Dover sole washed and drying

The basic directions are to take fresh (or defrosted) fish that is reasonably dry (I always rinse fish before using), coat it in flour, coat it in “egg,” and coat it in flour again.  It really makes a big difference to do the double coating, so I recommend you don’t skip it.  I use the same container of flour for both dips, you could do different ones if you wanted…some people do a fine flour for the first dip and a coarse one for the second.  Use a large roasting pan for the flour.  The 2-3″ lip helps keep the mess down and the large size lets you work with 7 or 8 pieces of fish at once.

It helps a lot to have a wet hand and a dry hand.  I use my right hand to lay the fish on the flour and turn it over, then I use my left hand to dump more flour on the fish to make sure it’s fully coated as I pile them up to one side of the container.  You can follow my suggestions of plates from my old recipe, but I’ve found that to be an unnecessary step.

Next I use my right hand to dip each piece one at a time in the “egg” and let it drip before laying it in the flour and turning it over.  The dry left hand piles flour on top to make sure everything is coated.

The Flour:

In the past I used half soy flour and half brown rice flour plus salt (a tsp or two for every 3 cups) and pepper.  The soy cuts down on the carbs but is too heavy alone.  Brown rice works well but is very carby.  This makes a nice but thin coating.

Then I started using cornmeal, the standard fine grind from Arrowhead or Whole Foods.  Because it isn’t as fine as flour, I do 3 parts cornmeal to 1 part brown rice flour.  Plus salt and pepper.  This batter is slightly thicker and has a nice flavor.

Azure Standard sells a corn flour which turns out to be an actual flour grind.  It gives a thin coating to the fish and isn’t very good on its own.  They also sell a medium grind cornmeal which turns out to be pretty coarse.  Not quite as coarse as polenta but way beyond “meal.”  My last fish batch was about 3 parts medium cornmeal and 1 part corn flour.  Came out thick and very good.  And the “scones” I made with the leftover flour was fabulous.

Do experiment with flours if you don’t like, or can’t have, my choices.  Heck, even wheat.

I’ve changed my seasoning too.  I still use salt and pepper but add cumin powder and paprika.  You can’t taste them in the final product but it gives it a depth and richness it lacked before.

The Egg:

You can use real egg here if you want.  But we use flaxseed, which works very well.  Heat up water and add well ground flax seeds (I use a way oversized glass measuring cup in the microwave).  Stir and let cool.  The standard amount is 1/3 cup water to one tablespoon of meal equals one egg.  I usually make a bunch of eggs worth and then add more water as I get down to the bottom.  I find that a thinner “egg” coating works better on the fish.

Amounts:

Plan on around 1/2 pound of fish per person (measured before coating).  This is an average for children and adults.  A group of just adults will eat more.

It’s very hard to give the amount of flour mix because it varies so much based on how thick the fish fillets are (it’s surface area that counts, not weight), how coarse your grains are (coarser ones weigh less per cup due to more airspace and also make a thicker batter), and your technique.  Count on at least 3 cups of flour mix per 5 lbs of thin fish.  But I add extra to make hushpuppies with.

About 6 eggs or egg equivalent will do 5 lbs of thin fish.  For flax I usually use 6-8 tablespoons of flaxmeal to 2 cups of water, then add 1-2 cups as I go along.  Since I like it thinner, this is enough for 7-9 lbs of fish.  Plan to have extra for hush puppies.

I like to make 9 lbs of fish at a time.  It’s not that much more work than making 4 or 5 lbs but it’s about all I can handle.  Fried this would be way too hard, but baking makes it easy.  I generally bake up 1/4 of it then freeze the rest, for an additional 3-4 meals for 3 people (each time we usually have a serving or two leftover for lunch the next day).

Ingredients:

Dover sole fillets
Seasoned flour mix
Beaten eggs or flax goo
Oil for baking (I use olive)

Baking the Fish:

Coat the fish in flour, dip in egg/flax, coat again in flour, shake off excess and put on a cookie sheet with a good deal of olive oil on it (just enough that it moves around when you tilt the pan).  Do not use baking pans.  The fish will not crisp up.  Use sheets that are flat or have a lip no higher than an inch.

Bake at 400*F until the bottom is browning nicely.  Flip fish over and brown the other side.  Take care not to burn it or let it get too brown.  But you want it crispy.

Freezing the Fish:

Coat the fish in flour, dip in egg/flax, coat again in flour, shake off excess and put on a cookie sheet or baking pan with a piece of parchment or waxed paper on the bottom.  Do not use oil.  The fish can touch but should not overlap.  You can make 3-4 layers of fish as long as there is parchment or waxed paper between each layer.  Stick in freezer.

In theory, you can move the fish to zipper bags once frozen, but we’ve never bothered.  You will want to do this if your freezer gets freezer burn easily though.

When you want to cook them, just remove from freezer.  No need to defrost.  Put the fish (minus the paper!) on a well oiled cookie sheet and bake at 400*F as per above.

Frozen battered fish, direct from freezer (right) or ready for the oven (left)

Leftover Batter:

I’ll make a separate hush puppy post at some point.  I make mine more like scones and they are fabulous.  Mix the leftover flax goo or egg with the leftover flour mix.  Add water or milk (I’ve used soy milk to good effect) or more flour until the batter is thick enough to only partially hold its shape on a pan.  Add more seasoning (dill weed, dill or cumin seeds, chipotle pepper powder are all good) and a pinch of baking soda.  Bake on an olive oil coated pan until fully cooked but not too hard.

Recipe for Tarter Sauce:

Relish (I prefer dill but sweet is fine)
Veganaise or mayonnaise (1-3 times the relish)
A squeeze of fresh lemon
A bit of salt

Serving the Fish:

Serve with tarter sauce and lemon slices (or catsup if you’re like my daughter).  The fish is delicious with coleslaw but goes well with a wide variety of vegetables.

Leftover fish is great cold or heated.

Oven Fried Dover Sole with tarter sauce and roasted vegetables

©2012 Norwitz Notions. All Rights Reserved.

I got my chance May 8, 2009.  I announced the meal as vegan and gluten-free (the other meals there are vegetarian or vegetarian plus some fish), planned a menu, and set to work.  I quickly realized that, while my cooking skills are pretty good, my catering skills are quite lacking.  It didn’t help that we were never sure exactly how many people would show up (RSVPs are due two days before, but they’re flexible).

I planned for 20, got 18 (equivalent of 15 since several were small children), and cooked enough for 30.  Whoops.

A few folks lingering over dinner

After many years of cooking Passover Seders for upwards of 20 people, I have learned the trick of saving complex or new recipes for smaller venues.  Everything I made was simple to moderate and something I’d cooked many times before.

The Menu:

Chili-Cornbread Casserole
Roasted vegetables (red beets, golden beets, rutabaga, & leek with rosemary)
Green salad (romaine, cherry tomato, daikon radish, carrot, orange cauliflower, & mustard balsamic dressing)
Fresh strawberries with cashew cream
Challah (from masa) with sesame seed & oatmeal

Chili Cornbread Casserole

The good news is the food all came out fabulous.  No mishaps at all.  I can’t tell you how relieved I was about that.  The bad news is we had some disasters with the timing.  One of the disadvantages to cooking a large meal outside of your home is that you tend to forget things.  Well, Michael and I left a box of miscellaneous items behind.  Unfortunately, they were essential items for both of the dishes I had to finish up and bake in the synagogue kitchen.

Michael running home to get it set us back about 45 minutes, and we were already running 15 minutes late.  So everything was pushed back an hour (which means at least my time estimates were dead on).  The challah also took longer than expected, even though I had deliberately made them thinner than usual so they’d cook faster.

Salad and strawberries

All in all, I’d call it a success.  The next time I get the chance to cook for a crowd, I’ll have a clearer idea of amounts.  And hopefully the timing will work out better.

Roasted root vegetables

For anyone interested in the amounts of ingredients I used and what it all cost, check out my blog entry Catering Lessons: The Cost of Cooking for 30.

©2012 Norwitz Notions. All Rights Reserved.

Another little known fact is that criminis are nothing more than portabellas picked early.  They don’t have the same rich flavor a portabella has but they still taste like something (unlike the bland white ones).  Portabellas run about $2 more per pound than criminis.  Except the other day when they were on sale for the same price.  So I snagged a bagful.

I often use criminis to make pesto stuffed mushrooms but I wanted to use these portabellas for a main dish.

So, I washed them, carefully pulled off the stems (rock them back and forth), cut the ends off the stems (only necessary if they aren’t trimmed before arriving at the store…the difference is easy to tell: untrimmed ones have dirt on them) and threw the stems into the food processor.

I put the mushrooms cap down on a dry baking tray and popped them in the oven at a medium temperature (300*F or so).  Then I turned back to the food processor.  I put in some leftover pan-fried tofu (I would have used fresh tofu but we had a big container of the cooked), a couple stalks of celery, and a large portion of sun-dried tomatoes in oil.  I had to add a fair bit of water to get the consistency right.  Then I salted to taste (do this after adding water).

At this point, 10-15 minutes had gone by so I took the mushrooms out of the oven and picked them up one at a time to fill (this is why I said a dry tray).  After you fill them, put some oil on the tray and place them back, cap up, for baking.

Stuffed portabella mushrooms ready for baking

Pop them in the oven (about 300*F) and cook until the top is slightly brown and the mushrooms are soft.  The time will vary by the size of the mushrooms and the filling but these took around half an hour.

Now, if you’re thinking…but I don’t like sun-dried tomatoes, but I’m allergic to soy.  Don’t worry.  This is a very flexible recipe.  If you can call it a recipe.  Use whatever you like.  Meat, cheese, nuts/seeds, or something that doesn’t have protein if it’s a side dish.  Olives would be nice, or fresh herbs, or vegetables. The filling should have good strong flavor to complement the mellowness of the mushrooms.

Just make sure it’s thick enough to hold its shape with baking and serving but thin enough to spread.  And the filling should be fully cooked.  It only goes in the oven long enough to heat through and to set (or for cheese to melt).

While these were in the oven, I made a quick salad with chopped romaine lettuce, cucumber, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

They were delicious.  Great cold the next day too.

Portabellas with salad

©2012 Norwitz Notions. All Rights Reserved.

The original comes from Victoria’s Health and uses eggs.  I’ve made the recipe twice now with flax goo (for 2 eggs: 2 tablespoons ground flax and 1/2 cup water in a large glass cup, nuke for 1-2 minutes, let cool) instead of eggs and it comes out great.

Nut Burgers

1 cup of walnuts or pecans (I used walnuts)
1 cup of sunflower seeds
½ cup sesame seeds or hemp seeds (I used hemp)
½ cup flax seeds (whole or ground, I used whole)
½ cup oats
One bunch fresh parsley
1 tablespoon soy sauce (tamari)
2 eggs or egg equivalents
2 cups cooked beans (I used 1 1/4 cans of various types including black, kidney, and garbanzo)
2 tablespoons tahini or nut butter (I used cashew butter the first time and left it out the second)

The recipe also calls for 3 cloves of garlic, which I leave out, and suggests optional additions of cooked vegetables or rice, which I haven’t tried.

I add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon or so of chipotle powder for flavor.

Recipe makes about 14 burgers, which is perfect for 2 big dinners for 2 adults and a small child.

The actual making of the burgers is quite simple (assembling the ingredients is the hardest part): dump into a food processor and push the on button.  Form into patties.  Cook that day or freeze on a cookie sheet for later use.

Nut Burgers formed and waiting to be cooked or frozen

There are a few bumps though.

I have a pretty rocking food processor but it’s just a bit too small for the entire recipe.  The first time I made it, the parsley didn’t get processed very well and I had to pull out strands of it and some of the beans stayed whole (you can see this in the picture above).

The mix from the top half of the processor formed easily but the bottom half was insanely sticky.  I tested them carefully though and found no difference in how they cooked or tasted or in the final texture.

The second time I made them I added a bit more liquid and pulled out processed parts into a bowl to make room for more ingredients and mix later.  The bowl was great but the liquid was a mistake.  The burgers were even stickier than before and didn’t form nicely into patties, though they were still okay.  The taste wasn’t as intense but they were still good.

I like to cook them with plenty of oil on medium high heat, so the outside browns a little.  I was afraid the inside would be gooey but it was really good and the whole thing was quite similar in texture to the Amy’s Bistro burgers we often have.  When Michael cooks them, he prefers less oil on low heat.  The insides come out the same as mine but the outsides are like the insides and not browned.

Frozen burgers came out just as well as fresh ones, so this is a good recipe to make ahead.

Variations:

This is a pretty adaptable recipe.  You can make all sorts of changes and still have it come out good.  The original author recommends dried parsley if you don’t have fresh, or you could use another herb.  If you can’t eat nuts, try pine nuts instead of walnuts/pecans.  If you want it 100% soy-free, use any salty sauce in lieu of the soy sauce, or try water and salt.  To lower carbs, you can use edamame instead of beans, or use a cooked vegetable to round out the texture.  I don’t know what would happen if you left out the oats but I suspect the answer is not much.

Serve:

I like my burgers on a plate with mayonnaise, mustard, avocado if available, and plenty of pickled and/or cooked vegetables.  Michael skips the mayo and uses plenty of spicy mustard.  Miriam sometimes likes hers with catsup and prefers her burger cut and and her condiments on the side so she can dip.  Then of course there’s the usual burger in a bun.

I’m very happy with this recipe and it will be one of our staples for a while I’m sure.

Burgers dressed & on a plate

©2012 Norwitz Notions. All Rights Reserved.

This recipe disappears fast and gets raves (even from the meat-eaters).

I originally made it with red bell pepper and I love it that way, but I can’t justify buying bell peppers when they’re not in season. They’re very expensive, imported from far away, usually not organic, and rarely any good. So I use red cabbage as a substitute. It works well and provides a nice color contrast.

Recipe:

2 bags frozen shelled edamame (32 oz)
3 red bell peppers or 1/2 large red cabbage
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar (estimate)
3 Tablespoons very good extra virgin olive oil (estimate)
Handful of fresh herbs, minced
Salt and pepper

To spread out the workload, you can make the vegetables the day before and leave them in a cold oven until you’re ready for them.

Peppers: Roast washed peppers whole in a 350*F oven for about an hour, turning several times. When peppers are cool enough to handle, remove seeds and stem and cut into strips, about 1″ long.

Cabbage: Cut cabbage in half, remove core, and slice in to long thin strips, then cut the strips in half so they are 1-3″ long. Roast dry (or with a touch of olive oil) in a 350*F oven until very dehydrated but not brown.  Stir often.

Slicing raw cabbage

Boil the edamame according to directions, drain.

While still hot, toss the soybeans in a bowl with olive oil, then vinegar, salt and pepper.  Add the vegetables at any point.

Cool edamame on counter then add finely chopped herbs, I used parsley, sage, lemon thyme, and oregano.

Put in fridge, serve chilled.

Nutritional Information:

The edamame alone is:
120 grams protein
96 grams total carbs
60 grams fiber
36 grams usable carbs

The rest of the ingredients will add basically no protein and a small number of carbs (maybe 10g at most). This recipe makes enough to serve a dozen people at a potluck. If we take that to mean there are 12 servings total, each serving has 10 grams of protein and 3-4 grams of usable carbs.

Edamame salad with roasted cabbage

An earlier version of this recipe with red peppers was posted to my lowcarb website December 1, 2003. A version of the recipe with red cabbage was posted January 24, 2004.

Note: Recipe rewritten with new pictures 12/08.

©2012 Norwitz Notions. All Rights Reserved.

Start with fresh masa if you can get it.  Reconstituted masa harina if you can’t.

Grab a chunk, roll it into a ball, then flatten by hand into a thick oval tortilla.  Place your hot dog on top, making sure the tortilla is large enough to cover the dog on all sides.

We used a LightLife Tofu Pup.  Not because it’s the best vegetarian hot dog out there (trust me, it’s not) but because it’s the only one I know of that is even halfway like a hotdog but is vegan and gluten-free.  Miriam had been asking for hot dogs and this package was a treat for her.  Feel free to substitute any hot dog or sausage of your choice.

Hot dog placed on top of masa

Now, roll the masa around the dog, seal the edges and crimp the ends.  Pull off any excess masa.

Note: I haven’t tried this on a stick but the time to do it is before you put the hot dog on the masa.  Wrap the masa around the hotdog end of the stick.

Corndog ready for frying

Fry in a hot cast iron pan (or anything else that won’t stick) without any oil.  With tortillas, the pan should be hot enough to sizzle water, but here you want it on the low end of that because the masa is thicker and you want it to cook through without burning the outside.

Cook until browned on all sides.  That means about 6 turns (it’s round, not a square) and don’t forget a few seconds on each of the ends.

Corndog with Catsup

Serve with the condiments of your choice.  For Miriam, that’s catsup.

Miriam adds catsup to her dog

Three years olds often take some time to warm up to new foods, even ones that become their favorites later on.  Not in her case…  “I LOOOVE this!!”

Half eaten corndog

©2012 Norwitz Notions. All Rights Reserved.

Chimichurri Sauce Recipe

2 bunches fresh herbs (any combo of parsley, cilantro, or mint)
Juice of 3 limes
Salt
Seasonings as desired (hot pepper, garlic, etc)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Take any parsley or cilantro bunches you’re using, twist off the bottom half of the stems and discard into the compost.  Then wash the remainder very well (cilantro in particular tends to hold dirt) by swishing and lifting out of a bowl of clean water, three times.  Pull mint leaves off and discard stems.

Shake or spin dry the herbs and put most of them (maybe 3/4) into the food processor.

Add the lime juice and some salt.  Note that the amounts given here are approximations.  Bunches vary in size and so do limes.  Each of them vary by water vs flavor.  There is just no way to know exactly how much lime juice or seasoning you’ll need.  So start with 3 limes and add 1 or 2 more if needed after you taste.  Start your salt amounts on the low side too.

I like a teaspoon or so of cumin (the seeds are best but powder is good too) and some mild heat.  Sometimes I use chipotle powder, other times I use chili flakes.  All depends what I’m in the mood for and what’s on hand.  If you want garlic, use fresh peeled cloves.  Rough chopping will help your processor out but is optional if you have a good one.  I’d use 2-6 cloves in this recipe, depending on how much you like garlic.

Process until smooth and taste.  Adjust lime juice, salt, and seasonings.  Repeat until it’s perfect.

Now, drizzle in the olive oil and process lightly.  Use more or less if you wish.

Finally, add the leftover herbs and pulse the processor so they are well chopped but still have texture.  If you’re using a processor that can’t do this well, or you are using a blender, then do the chopping by hand and add the minced herbs at the end.

Squeezing limes for chimichurri sauce

This sauce lasts several days in the fridge and you can use it to punch up just about anything.  It’s great with mashed avocados, browned extra firm tofu slices, firm white fish, or on crackers.  But one of my favorite ways to use it is in a bean salad.  Here are two different recipes.

Black Bean & Lentil Salad with Chimichurri Sauce

I used black beans and lentils in this dish, but you can substitute any legumes you wish.  Be sure to cook them so they are done but still firm. If they are mushy, you’ll end up with bean dip, not bean salad.

2 cups dry black beans, soaked overnight and drained
2 cups french green lentils, rinsed in water
4-5 small bell peppers

I cooked the beans and lentils separately (though in the same pot) so I wouldn’t risk having to overcook one. Feel free to cook them together if you’re better with timing than I am. Cook until done but firm, drain well (liquid is great for soup stock (freeze it) or put on plants outside).

Cut peppers in half, remove cap and seeds and slice into thin strips (cut in half if more than 3″ or so). Put on baking dish with a touch of olive oil and bake until soft. I did 25 mins at 350*F in a convention oven. If you use a regular oven, stir them every 5-10 mins.

Add peppers to beans, stir lightly, and add the chimichurri sauce.

In a blender, put the following (these are approximate amounts):

Mix in sauce. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Variation: for a bit of spice, make some of the peppers medium heat ones and cut fine (leave some peppers large and mild) or add hot pepper to the sauce.

Black Bean, Cucumber, & Tomato Salad with Chimichurri Sauce

Black beans (measure as 2 cups dried or 3-4 cups cooked, drain before using)
1 medium cucumber
2 large tomatoes, preferably heirloom

Dice the cucumbers and tomatoes and add to the beans.  Add the chimichurri sauce.  Mix and serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Black bean salad with chimichurri sauce

©2012 Norwitz Notions. All Rights Reserved.

Chili and Corn-Biscuit Casserole
The Voluptuous Vegan
by Myra Kornfeld and George Minot

Their version was already vegan but not gluten-free.  The book has some fabulous recipes but not ones designed for quick meal prep.  Their version used a blender, food processor, skillet, pot, and several bowls.  I replaced the seitain with tofu to eliminate use of the food processor (and because seitain is wheat gluten).  I also made a few other changes here and there to save time and for personal taste or ingredient availability.

I almost always double the recipe, so I provide both sets of measurements here.

The Chili

Start soaking the beans the night before or early morning the day you are making this recipe.  If you don’t have time, try to soak them for an hour and then pressure cook them.  After soaking (6-8 hours or more is best), drain out the water and use fresh water for cooking.

Any combination of beans will do.  Kornfeld and Minot like anasazi (picture), but they aren’t exactly supermarket beans.  I like adzuki and black beans, but I’ve used a variety of different kinds.  If you use canned or pre-cooked, double or triple the amount and measure the beans drained.  The amount isn’t critical.

For the veggies, chop them fine and use any combination that you have on hand that you like.  The original recipe calls for lots of garlic which I leave out, as I’m not fond of it.  But you can include as much as you want.  I’ve made this recipe many times with no onion or garlic and it’s delicious.  Just be sure to use more than one (3 is good) vegetable.  Put them in a large measuring cup as you cut them.  If you end up with too many of one, transfer them to a bag or container and refrigerate or freeze for your next saute or soup.

I use fresh oregano since that’s what I have on hand.  1 teaspoon dried is about equivalent to 1 tablespoon fresh.  If you prefer different spices, use them instead.  Kornfeld and Minot are real big on their chili varieties (it’s actually a complaint about their book) but it’s not necessary to use them all.  Just throw in what you have and like.  Whole, flakes, powder. I left out the chili in the cornbread.

The original recipe calls for dry sun-dried tomatoes but I use olive oil packed ones instead.

If you don’t want tofu, you can use tempeh, or seitain (wheat gluten), which is what the original recipe called for.  Or you could even use browned ground meat.  Or leave it out entirely and just make the chili thicker.

Chili Directions:

Cover the beans with 7 cups water and simmer until tender (about an hour, sometimes two). Add salt to taste after they are done.

If you are using whole chilies, remove the stems and seeds and soak them in boiled water for 15 minutes.  If you are using dry tomatoes, add them as well.

Saute the vegetables in olive oil on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stir often.  Add the herbs and cook for another 5 minutes.

Sauteing red onion, carrot, and celery

Put the chilies and tomatoes, along with the soaking water, into a blender and process until smooth.  If you need more liquid, use the rice wine and/or lemon juice.

Crumble the tofu with your hands into small bits.  Put the tofu in a pan with the chili-tomato puree and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Cooking tofu with tomatoes and chilies

If your beans have excess water, pull it out with a cup.  Add the tofu to the beans.  Add the rice wine and lemon juice, if you haven’t already.

Vegetables and tofu added to the beans with some extra salt

Simmer the beans for 15-20 minutes as needed to thicken.  Add back some of the bean water if it gets too thick.  You want the beans to be pourable but thick enough to stay on a large spoon.

Taste and add more salt if needed.

The Cornbread

The original recipe called for wheat flour with the cornmeal but I changed it to be gluten-free.  If you don’t want the soy, go ahead and use twice as much brown rice flour (or white) or sub the gluten-free flour of your choice.  I use soy to boost the protein content and lower the carbs.  The xanthan gum is needed to help the gluten-free flours rise.  You can use guar gum instead but I’ve never tried it.  If you’re not gluten-free, you can use wheat flour and drop the gum.

Cornbread Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Lightly oil a deep 7×9″ baking dish (for single recipe).

Get out two bowls.  One for dry and one for wet.  Use the bigger one for dry and make that mix first.  Note that you can make everything for this recipe well ahead of time except for mixing the wet and dry cornbread bowls together.  That needs to be done at the last minute.

In the larger bowl, mix the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In the other bowl, mix the vinegar, soy milk, oil, and water. Use a whisk to thoroughly blend and emulsify (or use the blender). Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together with a spatula just until the ingredients are fully moist, but do not over-mix.

Spread a thin layer of batter on the bottom of the baking dish.  Sometimes it spreads better than other times.  You can add a bit of water if you wish, but don’t overdo it and don’t mix too much.

Spreading the cornbread on the bottom of the pan (it needs more water)

Pour the chili on top, even it out, then add the rest of the batter, getting it as even as possible.  I was a bit tired and rushed when I made it this time.  I really should have added more water to thin out the batter.  But the dish was still quite good when it was done.

The casserole fresh from the oven

The original recipe calls for 45 minutes of baking.  But I never found this to be enough, especially not when I double the recipe.  Check it after 45 minutes but pull it out when the cornbread on top is lightly browned and no longer has a raw taste.  Give the casserole at least 5 minutes to cool before cutting.

This is delicious served with a chopped/sliced lettuce salad with a tangy vinaigrette.  Or with any other raw salad of your choice.  Also with salsa or guacamole.

Finished casserole ready to eat

©2012 Norwitz Notions. All Rights Reserved.

Pupusa stuffed with leftover veggies and burger

I won’t purport to have an authentic version but, so far, I’m doing pretty decently with the tortillas and am still working on fabulous fillings (cheese is easy but not on my diet). Since I can’t have most breads either, these have been like a sandwich substitute for me. I have to go easy because of the carbs, but they make wonderful treats.

You can make pupusas out of any type of masa, even masa harina (flour). But they are truly wonderful with fresh, unpowdered, masa (ground corn soaked in lime–that’s calcium carbonate, not citrus). I’ve been using Primavera’s organic masa. Just don’t try to make pupusas from pre-cooked tortillas. It won’t work.

Start with your fillings. For this recipe, I finely chopped some onions and sauteed them to remove water and add some carmelization. Then I sauteed some mushrooms, added salt to pull out water, and cooked them down.

Cooked onions next to cooking mushrooms

Next, I processed some leftover fresh tomato and basil leaves and added it to the mushrooms.  Then I mixed everything together in a large bowl.

Mushroom/onion filling for pupusas

I also sliced up some bell peppers and sauteed them in oil with some salt and a large amount of hot pepper flakes.

Spicy hot bell peppers

I rolled the masa into balls and pressed them one at a time in-between dinner plates that were inside gallon zipper bags (see my post about making tortillas for technique details).  The tortillas went down on a dry cast iron griddle in a single layer.  Then I put a spoonful of canned beans (not my first choice but no time to make anything else), some of the peppers, and a bit of the onion/mushroom mix.  Another tortilla went on top of each one, and I crimped the edges by hand, with a butter knife, or with a fork.

Cooking pupusas on a grill

Wait until the pupusas have cooked enough to release easily, then flip them.  Press down to make sure the top touches the griddle as much as possible.  You won’t get it all but you do want to avoid raw spots.

Finished pupusas cooling

After they cooled, I wrapped each one in foil and placed into a zipper bag then into the freezer.  I’ll let you all know how well they freeze and reheat.  So far I have heated a refrigerated foil-wrapped pupusa in the toaster oven and it came out great.

Some of my favorite fillings for quickie pupusas have been leftovers.  Use your imagination.

Pupusas stuffed with whole red beans, onions, and leftover tofu

©2012 Norwitz Notions. All Rights Reserved.

“Using masa harina [masa flour] is like making mashed potatoes from a box.”

So says Karen Waikiki, owner of Primavera, the Sonoma company that makes masa, tortillas, and tamales from organic stoneground corn. And she has a point. Though the tortillas I made from masa harina were way better than the store-bought tortillas I’ve had and were definitely worth making as an alternative to them (a million times cheaper too).

I’ve used Primavera masa before. I got it from the Berkeley Farmer’s Market and froze it because the guy at the booth said I could to preserve it. Karen says no no don’t freeze it. I chronicled my adventures using the defrosted masa when I made tortilla pie. The short version is: they still tasted great and worked in larger applications, but I couldn’t make tortillas that didn’t fall apart.

I’ve been trying to find Primavera masa to try this again with the fresh stuff. But no store carries it. I can find the tortillas and tamales easily enough though. So I called Primavera and Karen called me back. Because the masa is more perishable than the finished products, it’s not currently sold in stores. My choices were to go to Farmer’s Markets in Berkeley, San Francisco (Ferry Building), or Sonoma, or to their shop in Sonoma (the closest but still about 40 mins each way).

Or I could special order it. I decided to have them send a bag to the Petaluma Whole Foods. Karen sweetly offered to comp it for me, since I told her I had blogged about them. I said I wanted to get it regularly so I didn’t mind paying.

I went to Whole Foods and ordered it and, a few days later, they called me to say it was in. And there was a big “no charge” label on it. I went to pick it up that afternoon and oh my God, the shock when I saw the bag.

10 lbs of Primavera Masa

That’s with some already used up. We’re talking 10 lbs of masa. Not the 2 or so lbs I had gotten before. What on earth was I going to do with it?

Well, over the next week I made some pupusas.

Pupusas

I made some tortillas and tortilla pie.

Hand-shaped tortilla pie stuffed with veggie burger and vegetables

And I generally tried to just use it up. But I was barely making a dent. So, finally, I decided to do a giant batch of pupusas. I made 16 of them (that’s 32 tortillas) and was too tired to go on (4 for our tummies and 12 for the freezer). But the bag isn’t empty yet.

Pupusas cooking on the griddle

With all that, the masa is holding up incredibly well. In the beginning, I only used clean spoons to pull out masa, not my hands. So it would last a long time. And it has. It’s been 10 days since I bought it and it’s still fresh.

In the first few days, the masa was like heaven. It rolled out into perfect discs with either a press or my hands. It never stuck to anything. Now it has dried out ever so slightly and the tortillas are starting to stick and crack a bit. I added some water which helped but nothing brings back the super freshness I started with. Even so, it’s amazing stuff. Puts that powdered business to shame.

Next time though, I’m going to specify the small bags.

Foods I’ve made with masa (fresh or flour):

1. Tortillas
2. Omelet stuffed tortilla pie frittata
3. Pupusas
4. Cornbread Challah
5. Corn Dogs

©2012 Norwitz Notions. All Rights Reserved.

Challenge #1: Prepare a 30 second promo for what could be their new show. Unlike in previous versions of this, each promo was carefully scripted (including wardrobe) by the Food Network and the contestant had a fair amount of time to do it, with multiple takes, a director, and rehearsals. Each promo was broken up into 2 or more mini-scenes.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t done completely fairly. Aaron just had to walk down a hallway then he had to say something before throwing dice down a craps table. Adam had to stroll along a stage with a showgirl on each arm, with some closeups. But Lisa was harnessed to a rig where she went up a couple of stories, grabbed a bottle of wine from a shelf, and had to say her lines in multiple locations along the way. Needless to say, the quality of the promos was inverse to the difficulty.

Challenge #2: Prepare a buffet for 50 guests (the selection committee, hotel chefs, and Vegas performers). They had a reasonable 6 hours to cook and a $1000 budget. The buffet was supposed to be “over the top, Vegas style” and they had to do an “entertaining” intro before the service. Although they didn’t state any rules for the foods, each contestant appeared to have 3 main courses, one vegetable side dish, and a dessert.

How did things go? My favorite, Aaron, did the best with his promo but totally bombed at the buffet. His intro was embarrassingly bad and all three of his main courses were pasta (the reviews of the food were that it was okay but not great). Lisa did so-so with the promo (hard to do when dangling 15 feet in the air), fabulous with the buffet intro, and well with the food. Adam did decently with the promo, well with the buffet intro, and was the runaway favorite with the food.

It’s been obvious that the selection committee loves Aaron, likes Lisa but has reservations, and isn’t too fond of Adam. But because they traditionally gave immunity to the person who won a particular challenge, they couldn’t get rid of Adam. And they didn’t want to dump Aaron for having one bad week. So they wimped out and are bringing all 3 contestants to the final episode this Sunday. At least it’s in New York.

So, enough of that, what the heck would I make if I were feeding 50 people? The budget isn’t an issue, even with expensive items, because everyone ate all 3 buffets, so portions were small. $1000 is $20/person and you can do a lot with that (catering budgets include labor, not just ingredients, and they weren’t serving alcohol). I’d want to be true to my personal food restrictions, at least the basic ones.

Main Courses:

Sweet peppers stuffed with shrimp paste with a hoisin sauce (hot)
Grape leaves stuffed with fish (cold)
Vegan soup, maybe chickpea with Georgian Walnut paste (hot)

Vegetable/Side:

A beautiful raw salad (cold)

Dessert:

Mango sorbet topped with pine nut cream and toasted almonds (cold, but with hot almonds if possible)

The shrimp I envision is the kind you get in dim sum restaurants stuffed into tofu. You take raw shrimp and process it with some other ingredients. I’ve made it before but it was years ago. I’d add spice and something to bind it, egg or flax goo. Maybe peas or something like that for texture and a fresh flavor. Stuff into those gorgeous colored sweet peppers that are 1-2 bites each. Roast. Serve with a salty intense dipping sauce based on hoisin.

The grape leaves came to me as a great choice but, if I were really in a competition, I might swap them out since I don’t have much experience with grape leaves. I’d cook a mild white fish like halibut and mince (not process) it well with a lot of fresh flavors like parsley then either add chutney or use similar flavors.

I’ve made the soup before from one of my favorite cookbooks, Olive Trees & Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World, and it’s simple but really good. The walnut paste has a unique flavor and is used regularly within the country of Georgia.

The raw salad would have no lettuce but lots of carefully cut items to make it special. Lots of long thin strips like noodles. Avocado, some more of the sweet peppers, pea pods, bean sprouts, specialty mushrooms. I’d have to see what looked good in the store and went together. A variety of colors. Served either with a chimichurri sauce (lime juice, parsley, mint, cilantro, very good olive oil, and garlic) or something else with an intense flavor that would pull all the other ingredients together.

Mango sorbet is very simple, which is the best way to do it. Take very ripe mangoes, remove the skin and pits, and puree them. A touch of salt, a squeeze of lime, some vanilla is all you need. It’s plenty sweet enough. Most people would add simple syrup but mango doesn’t need more sugar and all that water will just dilute the flavor.

I’d serve it with some vanilla bean pine nut cream (because you don’t have to soak pine nuts) and some toasted almond slices on top. If the kitchen didn’t have an ice cream maker, I could freeze half the puree in ice cube trays and then blend it up and then freeze again (watching it carefully so it doesn’t get too hard).

My meal could be done by 2 people (each contestant got a former contestant as a sous chef) in 6 hours with no problems. Granted, it did take me a few days to come up with the dishes, instead of near instanteneously like the contestants are forced to do. And I might not be able to get every ingredient I needed (in January, in the middle of the desert…oh, they’d all be in the store, just not at their peak). But hey, I’m a blogger in front of a computer, not a trained cook trying to smile for the camera. I get to imagine success.

©2012 Norwitz Notions. All Rights Reserved.

Recipe:

4 stuffing peppers (any kind you like, even bells), core
15 oz very firm tofu
A couple leaves of something firm and green (I used bok choy)
1 bunch fresh basil (leaves)
1/4 cup pine nuts
Salt & pepper to taste

Food process the tofu, greens, basil, and seasoning until fairly smooth. Add the pine nuts and process until chunky.

Stuff the peppers well with a spoon until full. I like to put a toothpick across the top to help keep them closed, though I’m not sure how much good it does. The middle pepper with the extra toothpicks had a bad bottom I had to slice off.

Tip: when you cut off the tops to prep the peppers, save the ring of flesh around the stem. Chop finely and save in fridge or freezer for future stir-fries.

I had leftover filling, so I grabbed a couple of mushrooms, removed the stems, and stuffed them too. Those are large criminis by the way, not small portabellas. What’s the difference? about $3/lb.

It was the tail end of our recent heat wave, and I didn’t want to waste energy either, so I baked these in the toaster oven (larger style convection oven). 350*F for 30 minutes (turning peppers over every 10 minutes) then 10 minutes at 300*F. The details aren’t important…just make sure the peppers are soft but not falling apart and don’t let them brown too much.

I served it with a quickie salad. Sliced romaine lettuce (fine to cut with a knife if you eat it right away…it makes for a different mouth feel), hemp seeds, and a simple vinaigrette.

Aside from the over-abundance of green, it was a fast and lovely meal.

©2012 Norwitz Notions. All Rights Reserved.

Recipe:

(Makes enough for 8-10 people, or 5 adults/children for two meals)
About 5 lbs of fish fillets
About 3 cups of flour (I use half soy and half brown rice flour)
Teaspoon or two of salt
Black pepper
6 eggs (I use 6 TB flax meal in 2 cups hot water, add more water as needed)

Start with fillets (defrosted if previously frozen) of your fish of choice.  They must be free of bones and fairly thin, in the neighborhood of 1/2″ is good.  I like Dover Sole.  Talapia is good too.  Cod works well if you get the right thickness and there are no bones.  Cod is the traditional fish and chips fish, but remember that thicker cuts need a deep fryer to cook all the way through without ruining the crust.  2 lbs of fish works well for 2 hungry adults, one fish-loving child, and lunchtime leftovers.  Trader Joe’s is a good source for less expensive frozen fish of good quality (I only buy wild fish from them).  Costco has excellent fresh, wild Dover sole at a great price.

Wash the fish if needed and lay on paper or cloth towels to get excess moisture.  Partially frozen fish is okay if it’s thin and you get the ice off the outside.

Make the egg substitute (or beat several eggs if you prefer).  1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal, ground fine in a coffee grinder or other machine, in 1/3 cup of water equals 1 egg.  (Store flax whole in a cabinet then grind a bunch and stick in the freezer for easy access without anything going bad.)  Put flax and water into a container that is 3-4 times the volume and nuke for a minute or so.  Let cool to warm or room tempature.  Mix with whisk or fork.

Mix in a flat bottomed container with sides.  A baking pan is great and those plastic boxes 1 lb of salad comes in works well too.  I like half brown rice flour and half soy flour.  This reduces the high carbs of the rice and adds some protein.  The soy alone is too heavy and the rice is too light, so this is a nice balance.  I’ve also made it with 100% corn flour (fine cornmeal) and with half rice and half corn.  These are fine but cornmeal has a distinctive texture and flavor so it’s personal preference if that is what you want.  Add salt and pepper to the flour mix, stir with fork.

Coat fish with flour mixture, put aside on plate.  I have done it without this initial coating several times and it really does make a difference.  The finished breading not only is a bit thicker (this is not a thick commerical breading anyway) but it stays on the fish better.

Dip fish in egg or flax goo.  Let excess drip off but make sure all sides are well coated.

Dip again in the flour mixture and coat well.  You can pile flour over the fish to ensure full coverage; don’t just dip lightly.

Fry fish in oil (I use extra virgin olive oil, but others are fine) at medium to medium-high heat.  Too low and the breading gets really oily; too high and the breading browns and burns before the inside of the fish is done.  Fry to golden brown on each side, adding more oil as needed.  I use a 12″ cast iron pan which works very well.  You might want to have two pans going if you’re doing a lot of fish.

Remove finished fish to a plate with a paper towel to soak up excess oil.  Do not put fish on top of other fish, even with paper towels between them.  This will make the breading soggy.  You can use the microwave to warm fish or to finish cooking fish in the middle, but it will ruin the breading.  You can use the oven for the same purpose but watch for burning.

Mix the leftover flour into the leftover egg, adjust with water or flour to make a very thick pancake batter.  Add more salt if desired and some seasoning (I like an Italian herb mixture).  Fry until light brown on the outside and set in the middle (I turn the heat off under the cast iron pan after the first flip).  Good warmed up the next day.

Serve the fish with condiments of your choice.  I like fresh lemon wedges (not slices) and vegan tartar sauce.  My niece uses catsup and turned Miriam on to it too.  I usually serve with vegan coleslaw.

Recipe for tarter sauce:

Relish (I prefer dill but sweet is fine)
Veganaise (2-3 times the relish)
A squeeze of fresh lemon
A bit of salt

Leftover fish is great cold in a sandwich or wrapped in a tortilla.  Or just as is.  I always make extra because the leftovers are so good.

Tip:

I bought way too much fish and foolishly used only one pan, so I got sick of cooking and just took the floured fish (no batter) and lay them in a single layer in a baking pan with olive oil on the bottom.  Then I baked it while we ate dinner.  Although not as flavorful as the fried fish it was still delicious (had it cold for lunch the next day and warm for dinner, with tarter sauce & lemon)

(My brother Mike, Michael, Miriam, and my niece Stephanie)

©2012 Norwitz Notions. All Rights Reserved.

This is only the second time we’ve made gefilte (gelfilte, gelfelte, gefelte) fish. The stuff in jars is pretty good (some people hate it but I grew up on and adore the stuff) but every last brand has eggs in it. And pretty much all have gluten (matzoh meal), many have MSG, and some even have preservatives. The eggs make it forbidden food in our house.

For Passover 2006, we used a recipe I adapted from two found online:

Yahoo Food
About.com Home Cooking

We used 3 lbs of halibut (I made the mistake of getting it on the bone–what a pain!–though it did mean we had skins for the stock) and simmered it in stock for a couple of hours. It came out well, with good texture (not as compact as the jarred kind, but still firm) but quite bland. With extra seasoning and horseradish, they were quite acceptable.

I would have liked to use carp, but the only decent source is 45 mins away and we didn’t have time. So this year I decided to use rockfish. Partly because it has more flavor than halibut and partly because we were serving halibut for the main course.

I used less fish because it was boneless. And I doubled most of the seasonings.

Gefilte Fish Recipe:

2.5 lbs fresh fish fillets (you can use any white fish or even non-white; we used 2.57 lbs of rockfish
6 large carrots
4 large onions
4 eggs or flaxseed goo replacement (we used 4 TB flaxmeal in 1 1/3 cups water, heated
8 TB almond meal
3 TB salt
1.5 TB white pepper
3 TB sugar
3/4 cup ice water (or as needed)

Bone and skin fish, if necessary (save for stock). Food process carrots and onions until fine, transfer to large bowl. Gently pulse fish in small batches. You don’t want total mush but it should be chopped well. Add seasonings in with a fish batch to distribute them more evenly.

Add the almond meal and cooled flax goo to the bowl and mix well with a pastry blender to break up chunks. As you mix, add the water as need to make the consistency right. Don’t add it all unless you need it.

Get the stock going (we didn’t have stock prepared so we used plain water). Then form the mix into small firmly packed ovals.

Gently drop into the simmering water.

Okay, so now you simmer (meaning medium-low heat, no boiling) for 2 hours, remove with a slotted spoon, and chill completely before serving. Easy, right?

Well, no. Our balls totally and utterly fell apart. I figured out that much of the problem was that the water got up to boiling and the pressure of it (all those bubbles) destroyed the fragile balls. But what made them so fragile?

I have a few theories

1. I made Michael a cup of water (chilled in the fridge), with strict instructions to add a little bit at a time, as needed, and not use it all. He misheard me and dumped it all in at once.
2. The almond meal was homemade (most of it went into the dessert) and pretty coarse. Almond flour would have been better.
3. Maybe there were too many carrots and/or onions.

Whatever the reasons, we had fish soup on our hands. Even the best balls were a mess. So I decided to try straining the fish (with pressure on it to squeeze out as much liquid as possible) and sticking it in a mold to chill. I saved the fish broth and froze it.

Guess what? it worked! I would have loved a pretty mold, but couldn’t find one (aside from a plastic Christmas mold I have no idea how I got). So I used a glass Pyrex baking/storage dish and cut the gefilte fish into squares.

It came out pretty good. Decent flavor and texture. But next year I’m going to stuff it in a mold and use the water bath method to cook it. Without eggs and wheat (and fancy machinery), it is always going to be a delicate dish.

Serve with plenty of fresh horseradish.

©2012 Norwitz Notions. All Rights Reserved.

Primavera
17070 Sonoma Hwy. (Hwy. 12)
Agua Caliente, CA
(707) 939-9350

Some good articles:
Tortillas a mano
Rancho tamales are a family affair
Primavera in the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market
Tortilla Spat: How Mexico’s iconic flatbread went industrial and lost its flavor

The seller told me it would keep in the fridge for a few days but I could freeze it too. I didn’t get to it right away, so I stuck it in the freezer. Between then and now, I had my tortilla-making adventures using masa harina (flour you mix with water). I defrosted the Primavera masa about a week ago.

Various articles I’ve seen talk about how it freezes well (both the dough in general and Primavera’s in particular), but mine didn’t fare as well. When I tried to form it, it was both soggy and dry. Tortillas made with it came out tasting good, with decent texture, but they are very thick (not a bad thing!) and fall apart.

I had better luck adding a bit of water and kneading the dough for a minute or two, as if it were being made from flour. Then letting it sit for a couple minutes. It still sticks to the tortilla press (despite using plastic covers) and falls apart, but not as badly.

So, tonight, I came up with a different plan. I added water to the rest of the masa, kneaded it, and set it aside. Then I divided it in two for top and bottom. The idea? a giant pupusa.

First, I sauteed some sliced onions (on a mandolin) in olive oil. My original idea for the filling was to saute onions and also fry up some tofu bits with curry. But I forgot and was too tired, so it was just onions.

Next, I put oil, then some cornmeal, in a hot cast iron pan, and plopped in half the dough, flattening it the best I could with the spatula.

Topped it all with a healthy dollop of onions.

Then added the rest of the dough on top, spreading it out first with the spatula, then with my fingers.

As I took pictures, I kept thinking that I should post it all anyway, as an example of failed meals. I get ideas in my head and, trust me, sometimes they come out pretty awful. I was sure this was another of those times.

Then I realized I needed to turn the pie over. I cut it in quarters (chop hard to get through the onions) and flipped them one at a time, adding more olive oil underneath. I stood back and looked and knew I had made something good.

Yep, these taste as good as they look. You can use any filling you want. The plain onions were a bit bland, though savory. Cheese would be amazing, if you eat it. You could make this a main dish by adding meat or tofu or another protein.

Serve it for breakfast…for the first time in 2 years, I felt like I could have omelets again. This is the closest I have come without actually eating eggs. It would be fabulous brunch food too. But I enjoyed it for dinner, with a big salad.

©2012 Norwitz Notions. All Rights Reserved.