Steamed fish wrapped in wax paper

Today is Friday. Our main course for dinner is fish. Instead of pan frying the fish, I had it steamed. I first learned this recipe from my older brother. He often cooked this during his university days. He wrapped the fish, salt and butter with aluminum foil and cooked it in the oven and had the lemon juice squeezed on the fish right before eating. The taste is simply delicious.

We bought a bottle of McCormick Lemon spice (with no MSG and no artificial flavor) a couple of weeks ago, no regrets, the spice is not only good on fish, it is also good with chicken and salad. I use the Mc Comick Lemon Spice instead of lemon juice. Additionally I added some cheese and parsley. 

3 pcs Fish, I used whiting fish fillet

3 tsp Lemon Spice, I sprinkled directly from the bottle

2 tbsp Butter, divided and cut into slices instead of cubes for easy arrangement

2 tbsp Shredded Cheese, I used Kraft Italian 6 cheese

2 pcs Waxed paper, enough to wrap the two portions of fish

Cut two pieces of waxed paper 12" x 12" or enough to wrap the fish. 

In a frying pan pour in about 1 inch of water. Cover and let boil on medium heat.

Wash and cut each piece of the fish into half for easy wrapping. Divide the fish into two portions and set aside. 

In the middle of the waxed paper, place a few slices of the butter. Sprinkle some lemon spice. Place the first piece of the fish on the butter and sprinkle some lemon spice. Repeat with other pieces. Sprinkle some more lemon spice on top of the last piece, then follow with cheese, butter and parsley (optional, I ran out of parsley). See picture on the right.

  

To wrap the fish, fold together the waxed paper, press to secure the fold. On the two ends, fold tightly as shown in the picture. You have to seal it tightly to avoid the water from the pan going into the pocket. Repeat the second portion in the same way. See picture on the left.

The water in the pan should be boiling by now. Place the two wrapped fish into it and cover. Depending on the size of your fish, steam for 5 to 8 minutes. Serve hot.

Collard Greens with Black Truffle oil

I was very curious about this vegetable. It is called Collard Greens. Last week it was on sale and we bought some. I immediately looked for Collard Greens recipes when we got home. All the recipes that I read had it cooked over an hour. It was too late to try any of those recipe as dinner time was near. So I cooked it like my mother cooks her green vegetables, the Chinese way. Instead of using garlic and canola oil, I use Black Truffle oil with no garlic. I don't want the taste of garlic to overpower the truffle flavor. Well, it turned out good and is easy and fast.

 
1 lb Collard Green, wash and cut into 1/2" strips, discard the stalks (the leafs are really big, you might want to cut it smaller)

1 1/2 tbsp Black Truffle oil

3 tbsp of water (don't use too much water as the vegetable retains some water from the washing)

Salt to taste



These few things must stay near the frying pan before you start to cook: Pan lid, vegetable, water and salt. 

Heat a cast iron frying pan or stainless steel pan on high heat. Once the pan is heated add oil. The oil should look runny in the pan, if not your pan is not hot enough. Add the vegetable into the pan and cover it immediately, wait for 30 seconds.

Uncover and use a spatula (I use chop stick) to stir the vegetable, at this point, vegetables on the top should look green and the bottom ones should have already changed color. Turn the vegetables upside down, work fast, add water and quickly cover the pan again. Wait for a minute or until the vegetables are cooked through. Add salt to taste and serve hot. 

Tips:

It is a bad idea to use non stick pan for high heat stir fly or deep fry. Even though the manufacturer stated the pan can stand up to 500°F, I had a painful and expensive experience. I now use a cast iron or stainless steel pan for high heat stir fry and deep fry.

This one is from my sister. One day when I was cooking, she saw me splatter the vegetables outside the pan. The Chinese saying is "chicken hand duck leg" hahaha. She told me to have the fresh vegetables placed into the pan cover instead of another plate. Once the pan is heated, drop the whole thing onto the pan. Isn't this a good idea? You might have some pieces of vegetable sticking out from the cover after you drop in the vegetables. Leave it, don't try to push it in or what ever, by doing so you will lose a lot of heat. After the first 30 seconds, you can stir in the rest.

Chocolate Cappuccino Marble Cake

My husband loves dessert. He likes chocolate and coffee. I like both chocolate and vanilla with a touch of coffee. This cake is a good combination for us.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp instant cappuccino or any coffee of your choice
1/4 cup boiling hot water

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 2 8" x 4" bread pans.

In a bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and set aside.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add vanilla, mix well and add eggs one at a time, scraping down the side of the bowl when needed. Beat until well combined. Add flour mixture in three batches alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do not over mix or your cake will become tough.

In a medium bowl mix together cocoa power, instant cappuccino and boiling water. Pour in 1/2 of the cake batter and mix well.

Spoon the batter into the pans, alternating the vanilla and chocolate coffee batter. Run a knife ( I use a chop stick) through the batters in a swirling motion to create the marbling effect.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Serve once it is cooled.

Moroccan Tagine Chicken

I wanted to try Moroccan Chicken with preserved lemon for a long time. The spices used in the recipe look delicious. We finally brought a Tagine over a month ago, I can't wait to try the recipe but cannot because I couldn't find preserve lemon anywhere in the nearby supermarkets. Out of frustration I made my own. The lemons are supposed  to be preserved for at least a month. I couldn't wait and used it after a week hahahah... and it turned out fine. I have made another patch after that, this time I will wait for a  month at least, anyway you can use fresh lemon, I haven't tried that yet. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do. This is another delicious comfort food that we love.

Ingredients:

1 tsp Cumin

2 cardamon

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon powder

2 tsp ground paprika

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 of a chicken, cut into medium size

1 tsp fresh ginger, I used a microplane to grate

Salt

1  medium Onion, chop 

2  clove garlic, chop

1 preserved lemon, rinsed, (discard pulp) and cut lemon into thin strips

1/2 cup olive, pitted
1/2 cup water

1/4 cup sour cream

fresh cilantro or parsley or both

Method:

1. Grind cumin, cardamon and pepper in a grinder, place in a small bowl, add in the rest of the spices, mix well and set a side.

2. Wash chicken with cold water, pat dry with paper tower and cut into medium size pieces, rub oil, ginger, salt (hold your horses on the salt here, as the preserved lemon has a lot of salt) and the mixed spice over the chicken and marinate for at least 2 hours or over night.

3.  Heat oil in a tagine or a heavy pot, on medium high heat, lightly brown all sides of the chicken, once ready add onion and garlic, stir well, add water, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Turn chicken, add sour cream, olives, preserved lemon and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked (about 30 minutes). Add salt to taste.

4.  Skim oil, mix in fresh parsley and serve hot with rice or couscous. 

Note: Tagine may crack with sudden change of temperature, If chicken is marinated in the fridge overnight, let the chicken sit in room temperature for a while before cooking.