Maverick Grits from S.N.O.B

O wow ... I haven't touched this blog in awhile. Well, it is the start of a new year! I will be blogging whenever possible. Grad school apps have been quite a pain, but I have been going through them decently.

During the break, my sister, Jennifer, made these awesome grits and shrimp etc. stuff when I came over to her condo. When grits come to mind, I think of breakfast, sweetness with brown sugar and raisins.

On a side note ... COOKING RAGE!! THEY DO NOT HAVE OLD FASHION GRITS IN WESTWOOD!! WHOLE FOODS ... NONE, TRADER JOES ... NONE, RALPHS ... Instant Crap!

I guess polenta, cream of rice from Whole Foods, or instant grits work just as well...
Maverick Grits from S.N.O.B

Ingredients
Grits of not really grits for my case:
4 cups Water
3 tbs Unsalted butter, divided
1 cup Stone-ground grits (polenta, cream of rice, instant grits workish)
3/4 cup Heavy cream

Topping:
2 tbs Unsalted butter, divided
1/4 lb Country ham (1/4 cup)
3 Italian Sauages
20 medium Shrimp
1 tsp Cajun spice blend (recipe below)
1/4 cup Green onion
2 Garlic cloves
2 Vine tomatoes
1 tbs Vermouth

Cajun Spice Blend
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Garlic powder
2.5 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Ground black pepper

1 tsp Onion powder
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp Dried oregano
1 tsp Thyme powder
2 teaspoons salt

Directions for Cajun spice mix:
1. Mix it all together!

Prep work for the main dish
1. Dice ham and place in a container
2. Slice green onions
3. Seed and dice fresh tomatoes
4. Mince garlic
5. Slice sausages into 1/4 in thick rounds
6. Peel and devein shrimp

Directions for cooking the grits!
1. Boil water and add grits
2. Stir until all the grits are incorporated
3. Add butter and cream and cook until desired consistency (Depending on what type of grain your cooking it can take from 3 minutes to 40 minutes)
4. Keep warm until you finish cooking the toppings!

Directions for cooking the topping!
1. Melt 1 tbs of butter in a pan.
2. Add sausages and cook until cooked
3. Add shrimp and cook until almost done (1-3 minutes)
4. Add garlic and Cajun spice blend and cook for 30 seconds
5. Add tomatoes, green onion, and vermouth and cook for 1 minutes.
6. Serve topping over grits.

Enjoy the new year!

Papaya Tilapia

I was watching Iron Chef America the other day, and I wonder why the American version sucks so much compared to the Japanese version. It seems like the iron chefs make the same variation of something they've made in the past. I also don't get why everyone is so obsessed with through in Asian influences here and there. "OH MY GOD! He added Sriracha. Now let's call that dish Asian fusion!"

Anyways, the secret ingredient was papaya. I saw some pretty ripe papayas at Trader Joes the other day and decided to buy a couple because I love waking up and making a papaya smoothie. When I saw it as the secret ingredient on Iron Chef America, the show gave me the idea of adding papaya to my main courses as a flavoring agent.

Papaya Tilapia

Ingredients for the fish
2 fillet Tilapia
1/2 Lemon
Salt and pepper
1 cup Papaya
Salt and pepper

Cooking
1. Marinate the fish with lemon, salt, and pepper for at least 10 minutes
2. Move fish to steamer of this type.
3. Squeeze mashed up papaya on top of the fish
4. Follow instructions of how to use that steamer (I put 3/4 cup water into the steamer before loading the pot in)

Ingredients for papaya sauce
1/2 inch of Ginger
1 cup Papaya
1 cup Milk
1 tbs Brown sugar
Dash of salt

Directions
1. Blend everything
2. Strain and move to a sauce pan
3. Stir and reduce until sauce-like consistency
4. Add sauce to cooked fish and eat it xD

Fish Taco with Mango Salsa

Father's Day was this past weekend. I called home, and like every year, my family has a giant BBQ at my sister's house. This year my sister made some grilled mahi mahi with mango salsa. I figured that sounded quite delicious. I wish I could teleport back home like in one of those lame sci-fi shows and steal all the food that day and bring it back to California. Oh well, I guess I have to conjure up my own fish with mango salsa.

My mother suggested that I buy fish from Whole Foods because it is that awesome. Apparently, Whole Foods didn't have mahi mahi; thus, I proceeded to get tilapia for $9.99/lb. ZOMG! I am never buying meats or fish at whole foods again. It blew a nuclear bomb in my wallet! On the other hand, I guess the quality of the fish was way better than the one at Ralphs and made my meal quite delicious!

Fish Taco with Mango Salsa

Ingredients for Salsa (Can be prepared ahead of time)
1 ripe Mango (Should come up to be about 1 1/2 cups when cubed into 1 cm squares)
1/2 cup Sweet mini bell peppers (can be substituted with red, yellow, orange bell peppers)
1/2 cup Cherry tomatoes
1/2 small Yellow onion
1/2 Lime
1/2 Lemon
2 tbs Sugar
1 tsp Cayenne pepper powder (or more if you like spicy)
Cilantro ( I had about 1/4 cup, but you can add more or less depending on your preference to cilantro)
Dashes of salt

Prepwork of mass chopping
1. Peel and cube the mango
2. Place in a bowl and add the sugar until mangoes are evenly coated with sugar
3. Cube, onions, tomatoes, and peppers
4. Combine onions, tomatoes, peppers into the mango mixture
5. Add juice from the lime and lemon.
6. Finely chop the cilantro
7. Add cilantro, salt, and cayenne pepper powder into the mix
8. Stir around and taste.
9. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until chilled
If it is too sour, add a little bit more sugar
If it is salty, well that's just too bad. You can try to add more lime or lemon juice.

Ingredients for fish
3 Tilapia fillets
1 Lime
1 Lemon
1 tsp Cayenne pepper powder
Salt and pepper

Prep
1. Marinate the fish in lime and lemon juice for at least 10 minutse
2. Salt and pepper the fish

Cooking or decapitating the fillet in the pan
1. Heat oil in the pan
2. Add the fish when the oil gets hot
3. Cook the fish on both sides for 3 minutes each on medium
4. Shred the fish meat with a spatula or chop sticks (it also checks for doneness too)

Ingredients for taco sauce
1/2 cup Greek style plain yogurt
4-5 Cherry tomatoes
2 tbs chopped Cilantro
Salt and pepper
1/2 Lime

Directions
1. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender
2. Process until smooth
3. Transfer to a pan and heat it up

Combo moves of Ultra killer taco!
1. In a pan, heat up taco skins
2. Spread sauce on the taco
3. Add fish
4. Add the salsa
5. NOM NOM NOM

Beer Batter Peanut Fish

To mark the start of Spring Break 2010, I decided to clean out my fridge to make room for a few exciting projects that I have planned. The fridge had two fillets of mahi mahi, beer, asparagus, and kale. As a college student, the following would wander around in my head: a) Beer? Chug the beer with a bunch of friends b) Mahi mahi? Bake it, easy food. c) Asparagus? Nasty ... my friend says it makes your urine smell worse ... I need more meat.

According to my stomach, the most logical choice would be none of the above. The fact is my tummy has a conscience of its own. "Why not make beer batter fish? While your at it, add some peanuts to it and spiciness."

I guess my stomach will do more of the thinking than my brain during spring break because the brain is undergoing hibernation due to academic stress.

Beer Batter Peanut Fish



Ingredients (batter section)
2 Fish fillets (I used mahi mahi. Tilapia works too or similar white fish)
1/2 cup All-purpose flour
1/2 bottle Beer (I used Blue-Moon)
1/4 cup Peanuts
1 tbs Salt
1 tsp Cayenne pepper (or more if you want spicy)
Black pepper
Extra flour for coating the fish

Prep work
1. Chop peanuts into shreds and set aside in a flat plate.
2. Mix the flour, salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper and well incorporate
3. Pour in beer until it resembles pancake batter

Now time to prep the fish
1. Wash the fish (make sure it doesn't smell like a rotting sea wharf)
2. Pat the fish dry with a paper towel or clean towel
3. Coat the fish in flour so the batter will stick
4. Coat the fish in the peanuts

Cooking
1. Heat up deep fryer (if you have one) or heat up a pan with vegetable or peanut oil
2. Throw in fish for 3-4 minutes
3. Put fish on paper towels to absorb grease (Yum grease)

Enjoy! I was quite surprised the peanuts and the fish turned out well. The texture was nice and crunchy and gave the fish a nutty flavour.

As for the poor asparagus, I boiled it and ate it. Vegetables do taste good seasoned with salt and pepper.

Farfalle with Peanut Almond Sauce and Mahi Mahi (Brain Food!)

With my last final being on Thursday, I proceeded to make some brain food. As mentioned in the previous post, I heard that fish can stimulate parts of the brain for creativity and concentration. In addition, nuts, such as peanuts and almonds. Here is a guide to good studying food.

In my pantry, I found that I had some pasta. I decided to do a little experimenting.

Farfalle with Peanut Almond Sauce and Mahi Mahi (Brain Food!)

Sorry readers, no picture today!

Ingredients
1 cup Farfalle pasta or any type of pasta
1 Mahi mahi fillet
1/4 cup Peanuts
1/4 cup Almonds
1/4 cup White wine
1/4 Onion
1 Garlic clove
2 tbsp Maple syrup
1 tsp Fennel seeds
Salt and Pepper
Corn starch for coating fish

Prep work
1. Slice the onion
2. Chop the garlic
3. Chop peanuts and almonds
4. Chop fennel seeds
5. Cut mahi mahi into squares
6. Toss the mahi mahi into the corn starch to coat
7. Salt and pepper the fish
8. Boil water and toss pasta in the pot

Cooking (About 5-7 minutes)
1. Heat pan with olive oil
2. Throw in onions, fennel seeds, and garlic until translucent
3. Toss in mahi mahi and cook for 1 minute
4. Throw in white wine, syrup, nuts, and stir
5. Cover for 3-5 minutes or until the fish is flaky
6. Pasta should be ready (make sure by tasting)
7. Strain pasta into a boil and toss 1 tbsp of olive oil in it
8. Pour sauce in and mix

Good luck on finals for those who are students reading this post!

Mahi Mahi Marinated in Lemon and Dill

The worst of my finals are over now. I have only one final left and that is my structures final; a subject that I am good at doing. Since my final is on Thursday, I decided to cook some mahi mahi in order to stiulate brain activity because I hear that fish is good for the brain.

Mahi Mahi Marinated in Lemon and Dill



Ingredients
1 Mahi mahi fillet
1/2 Lemon (the juice)
1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
2 Garlic cloves (chopped)
1 tbs Dill
Salt and pepper

Prepwork
1. Throw and mix all the ingredients together
2. Marinate for more than one hour

Cooking

Option 1 (The Grill)
Grill the Mahi Mahi for five minutes on each side

Option 2 (The Oven)
1. Preheat the oven at 350F
2. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until fish is flaky

Sauce (optional)
The fish is pretty good alone, but I think a sauce is good too

Ingredients
1/4 cup white wine
1 tbs Butter
1 Clove Garlic
Salt ande Pepper

Cooking Direction
1. Heat up oil in a pan and add garlic until browned
2. Add in white wine and reduce 2/3 of the liquid
3. Turn heat to low and add butter
4. Mix quickly and reduce until sauce-like consistency
5. Salt and pepper to taste
6. Add with the fish and enjoy

I ate the fish with kale. I think I am one of the rare people in the world that eat kale because I never see people buying it at Ralphs.

Anyways, I'm off to study my other final now. To my readers, I'll be back soon!

Somen Noodles with Miso Tilapia

Because I am too poor to afford black cod... once again, I have tilapia, which I have to say is my new favorite fish as you can see from my previous posts. It's cheap and delicious ><.. I probably should be concerned with the amount of mercury, lead, and various toxins from this "previously frozen in China" fish. I guess I'd have to go to Whole Foods for the good stuff, but heck I am a college student and do not have that kind of money for organics. I guess this will be as bad as eating instant noodles or even worse ... because at least in instant noodles, I know what chemicals I am consuming, while for this lump of fish, I have no clue what toxins have been in its system. Enough talk about organics and what is healthy. This dish was probably one of the fastest or least time consuming dishes I have ever made. Hope you enjoy it during the finals stress.

Somen Noodles with Miso Tilapia



Ingredients
1 Tilapia fillet
2 tbs White miso paste
1 tbs Sugar
1 tsp Sesame oil
1 tsp Soy sauce
1 Green onion
1 Batch somen noodles

Prep Directions
1. Mix all those ingredients together
2. Pat the rinse and pat the tilapia dry
3. Evenly pat the miso mixture on the fish
4. Marinate for about 3 hour (I would marinate it for a day)

Cooking
1. Preheat the oven for 375F.
2. Place fish in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
3. Boil water and throw in noodles.
4. When noodles are done, pour a tsp of sesame oil, soy sauce, and black vinegar and mix with the noodles.
5. Put some bonito flakes or favorite seaweed topping over the noodles and serve with the fish.

Tilapia with White Wine Sauce

Yesterday, when I poached my tilapia with white wine, I proceeded to leave one of the fillets in the pan, while the other more fortunate fillet would be paired with the orange sauce. My apartment buddy decided to taste the lonely fillet in the pan and said it was delicious. At first, I thought it would be bland, but it turned out to be quite savory. The fish melted instantly in my mouth and swam down my throat.

Too bad there isn't a picture for this one because it got destroyed because everyone was digging into it at the stove. There goes my lunch...

If you are short on time, this is a very quick fish to make!
Time: approx 10 minutes

Tilapia with White Wine Sauce

Ingredients of simplicity
1 Tilapia fillet
Salt and pepper
Enough white wine to barely cover the fillet

Prepwork of one step (maybe two)
1. Salt and pepper fillet after drying it.

Cooking up a storm (not really xD)
1. Put olive oil in the pan.
2. Sear the fish for 10 seconds on each side.
3. Turn the heat to low and add in the white wine.
4. Allow the white wine to simmer and not boil!
5. Cook for about 10 minutes on one side or until fish flakes.
6. Remove fish and reduce the white wine until 2 tbs of liquid is left..
7. Drizzle white wine sauce over the fish.

Tilapia with Orange Sauce

Man, I love fish! It was once again on sale at Ralphs. I got 3 fillets for $1.50. You might say it sounds fishy about that price, but the fish tasted excellent and was fresh. On my little break from studying, I made orange sauce and poached two fillets with white wine.

I have dinner for 12 strangers later, so I might post what I had for dinner depending on what they make for us ^_^.

Tilapia with Orange Sauce



Ingredients for fish
2 Tilapia fillets
1/2 cup White wine (or enough to barely cover the fish for poaching)
Salt and pepper

How to cook the fish
1. Oil a pan and sear fillets for 20 seconds each side
2. Salt and pepper the fish while your doing the searing
3. Add in white wine and turn heat on low so it is simmering
4. Cook until flaky (About 10 minutes)
5. Make sauce while fish is cooking

Ingredients for orange sauce
1 Orange
1 tbs Orange zest (I took the zest from the entire orange)
2 tbs Butter
1/4 cup White wine
1 tbs Sugar
1 tsp Ginger (1/2 in of ginger)
1 Green onion (for garnish, about 2 inches)

Prep work
1. Julienne ginger and green onion
2. Zest the orange (should be about 1 tbs) set aside tsp for garnish
3. Squeeze all the juice from the orange

Creating the sauce
1. Add in orange juice in sauce pan until boiling/simmering
2. Add in sugar, zest, ginger and stir and reduce to 1/2
3. Add in white wine and reduce 2/3 liquid
4. Turn heat on low and add butter and stir quickly so it becomes sauce-like

Plate the fish and sauce and throw green onion and zest on top and pour sauce.
Yum yum... enjoy!

Tilapia with Cheese Topping

Ahhhh. FINALS WEEK is approaching.... Doom is about to approach. I haven't had any time to cook and have been eating out or precooked foods from my freezer. I went to sleep at 6am today and got woken up at 9am by the fire alarm because some idiot in my apartment burned his soup and then proceeded to open the front door, which caused the whole apartment's fire alarm to be set off.

Anyways...
Tilapia is on sale at Ralphs for 1.70/lb. Surprisingly, one fillet was only 80 cents! This week shall be fish week for me as I prep for finals. I heard fish is brain food ^_^.

I decided to experiment a little today because the fish was so cheap. No picture today because I got back at 9:30 pm and was very very hungry.

Tilapia with Cheese Topping
2 Tilapia fillet (I got 1/2 lb)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 Lemon
1/4 onion
5 White mushrooms
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tsp Thyme powder
1 tsp Paprika
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
White wine

Prep work
1. Preheat the oven for 375F
2. Dice onion
3. Dice mushrooms and cook in butter until cooked state
4. Put cheese, lemon juice, mustard, thyme, paprika, mushroom, salt and pepper in one bowl
5. Blend in food processor or mix together
6. Wash and pat fish dry.
7. Oil up fish and salt and pepper
7. Place mixture on top of the fish

Directions
1. Put fish on aluminum foil and sheet pan
2. Pour white wine over the fish fillets (about 1/4 cup)
2. Put fish in the oven for 10 minutes on middle rack
3. Move fish to the top rack and broil at 475F for 2 minutes or until flaky state and the cheese is browned (means its done)

Results of my mad creation!
1. Needs a balance to the mustard, such as mayo
2. Different cheese should be used such as mozzarella
3. Garlic should be used ... too bad I didn't have any :(
4. Pretty good and filling, yet not the best thing I've made. Tasted normal like something I would order from a chain restaurant like Red Lobster.

Well off to do my lab reports yay! Civil engineer fun time!

Red Snapper with Beurre Blanc Sauce

Another Friday! Time for a fun filled weekend ...
Not! I have several reports due next week, and I desire to finish them early. As for cooking, this week has been quite busy, so I find Friday the only time I can actually cook.

I went to Ralphs and purchased Pacific red snapper because it was on sale. One fillet was only $1.60! I should consume more seafood often. When I got back to my apartment, I had the idea that I should poach the snapper and conjure up a beurre blanc sauce. Just like how the French do it, or how Julia Child would. Because I had some leftover mushrooms and basil, I decided to add my own twist to the sauce.

Red Snapper with Beurre Blanc Sauce



Ingredients
1 fillet Red Snapper
5 Mushrooms
1/2 Brown onion
1/4 Lemon
1 cup White wine (split)
2 tbs Butter
2 Garlic cloves
3 or 4 Basil leaves
Salt and pepper

Preparation for swimming with fishes
1. Slice mushrooms thiny
2. Slice brown onion
3. Cut lemon wedge
4. Pat fillet dry
5. Salt and pepper fish
6. Smash garlic and peel

Poaching instructions
1. Add some oil ( I use butter) in a pan
2. Add onions until translucent
3. Line the fish fillet on top of the onions
4. Add 1/2 cup (more or less) white wine until it covers the fish
5. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side

Sauce instructions
1. Add oil (I used butter), mushrooms, and garlic; cook until soft
2. Add in lemon and 1/2 cup white wine in a sauce pan
3. Reduce 3/4 of the liquid
4. Turn heat on low and add in the butter
5. Stir quickly until butter is incorporated as a sauce-like consistency
6. Shred basil into the sauce
7. Pour sauce on top of the fillet

Voila and Bon Appetite! I served mine with asparagus beacuse it also tastes good with asparagus!

Scallops with Parmesan Basil Sauce

Today, my professors announced that the midterms scores were up online...
My heart skipped several beats after hearing the words: midterm, score, online.
I knew that I made several careless mistakes and received something around average or below average...

To my surprise, I did pretty decent and way above the average, so that means it is time to celebrate!

I saw that scallops were on sale for 6.99/lb at Ralphs and acquired 3 big round disks of deliciousness after getting into a long conversation with a woman waiting in the seafood department asking me if I knew how to cook scallops. I eventually zoned out and only heard "college student, cooking, mess up".

Anyways enough of my blabbing of my boring life ...
Time to get started and finish my 10 page essay after cooking.

Scallops with Parmesan Basil Sauce




Ingredients (sauce)
1 1/2 cup Milk
1 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded on reserve)
2 tbs Butter
1 tbs Flour
1/4 cup Basil
salt and pepper

Prepwork
1. Wash the basil and set aside
2. Get your station cleaned and ready

Intructions
1. In a sauce pan, melt the butter and stir in flour until roux is formed
2. Add milk until all the roux is encorporated
3. Wait for a simmer on low heat and keep stirring (DO NOT GO TO SUPER BUBBLY STATE)
4. Slowly spoon in cheese one spoon at a time and keep stirring as you add the cheese
5. Keep adding until you get thick sauce consistency. (You may need more or less than 1 cup of cheese)
6. Cut the basil into thin strips (roll the basil up and cut, it's easier!)
7. Throw basil, salt, and pepper into the pot
8. Taste


Scallop portions

Ingredients
3 Scallops
3 tbs White wine
1 tbs Butter or oil

Cooking Directions
1. Heat the oil
2. Sear the scallops 3-4 minutes on each side or until both sides are brown
3. Throw in white wine and cover for 1 minute
4. Voila! serve with sauce

On a side note... I spent a long time trying to figure out an Asian style sauce for scallops and ended failing : (. Somehow I am Asian, but I can not successfully create a good Asian dish :(. Oh well, I guess people have their strengths and weaknesses xD.