Parchment-steamed Salmon with Tomatoes and Onions

Well, hello again! I am back! I hope.

My intermediate hula classes are done and hopefully, I can get back to a semi-normal routine, whatever that means. I think there are more expectations now from my hula teacher, now that I am officially an `olapa (hula dancer). My martial arts teacher is probably expecting me back too, and of course, there is that day job “work” thing.

Sigh…

I do need to get my blogging legs… err, fingers back. Blogging is one of my creative outlets, and I do enjoy writing. I find by writing more, I get to practice constantly, and my communication at work and life improves (although the style is different). Writing also stirs up the creative juices in my head, and opens up other avenues. Lastly, I get to research the ingredients and methods that I am blogging about, which makes me a better cook.

Enough of blog talk, let's get back to food.

What I would like to share with you is one of my favorite way to cook fish these days. For those who follow me in instagram, you probably know what that is. It’s cooking “en pappilote" in French or “al cartoccio” in Italian or simply “in parchment”.

It’s so easy and involves minimal cleaning. These first two is a huge plus these days.  Most importantly though, the fish remains moist the next day (if it lasts that long). It’s also a low-fat way of cooking since I don’t really need to add oil in the mixture. If I have whole grains cooked for the week, all I need to do is prep a salad or cook some veggies with the fish. Easy!

The other plus is that I found a way to cook it in the microwave (translate: it's fast).  I saw this techcnique while browsing through Shape Magazine. Unfortunately, I could not find that recipe online anymore, but this recipe from SimplyRecipes.com is very close (It also gave me some background on that dish. Merci beaucoup!). I kept the recipe the old-fashioned way: clipping it...does anyone still do that?

I experimented on the ingredients and loved the method.  I would vary the fish and veggies and most of the time the results were good. My only fails so far has been overloading the parchment with veggies. I find that this upset the flavor balance.  

What I am sharing with you is a slight variation of a recipe that I frequently used when I was first starting out. I had a furnished apartment, but almost no cooking utensils. If I remember correctly, the  only things I had were a hand-me-down rice cooker, some spoons, a fork, some plates and a glass. Back then, I did not use parchment and am now quite embarrassed to share what I used. But needless to say, this is a better method of cooking this recipe and sharing this recipe brings me back to those early simpler days.

I do have a one (or two) more Maddification from my that old recipe. In this recipe, I used salmon instead of a lighter fish (like sole or tilapia). My husband always says that salmon is what I eat most of the time (Not true, but it is my favorite fish). 

I also do not remove the skin in this recipe; I just remove the scales. Love the skin! I use my knife to gently remove it. Our fish guy will not do it unless I am buying the whole fish.

Here’s what I have…Hope you enjoy!

Parchment-steamed Salmon with Tomatoes and Onions

Based on the Parchment-steamed salmon with Fennel from Shape Magazine, December 2014

Ingredients:

• 2 six ounce (6 oz) salmon fillets, skinned or with skin (remove the scales, if using skin)
• 1 Roma tomato, sliced (you can use any tomato, about 1/4 cup)
• 1/4 onion (about 1/4 cup)
• Salt and pepper, to taste 
• Special equipment: parchment paper, split (for two servings). Make sure it is enough to wrap the onions, tomatoes and fish.

Directions:

1. Season salmon with salt and pepper.
2. On two pieces of parchment paper, add the onions (bottom), salmon (middle) and tomatoes.
3. Fold sheets over to close, and roll and crimp edges to form sealed packets.
4. Microwave packets on high for 4 minutes. Open  a corner of a packet (carefully, steam can be very hot) and check that the salmon flakes at the touch of the fork. If not, microwave in 25-second intervals until cooked through.
5. Serve with rice or quinoa, and a green salad if you want more veggies.

  

Verdict

I love this recipe. It uses few ingredients and again, simple prep and minimal clean-up. I would encourage you to experiment with veggies, perhaps see what’s in season and see how it turns up. My rule really is to make sure there is sufficient moisture, particularly for microwave cooking.

Just for reference: I also have tried these recipes below. They were delicious!

The original recipe slightly modified: Salmon with Fennel and Lemon

Salmon with Carrots, Potatoes, and olives. I think I based this on a recipe from The Chew, most likely from Mario Batali. I think my husband is right - I love Salmon!

Going simple: Tilapia with Lemon and Grape Tomatoes. I put fresh parsley to finish.

Bon appetit! 

Misua Soup with Meatballs, California style

Blogger’s Note: Apologies for the long absence. I’ve been meaning to write this for a while now but my intermediate hula classes, some travel, and life was taking up most of my time. However, I am determined… yes, determined to write my soup post before the weather become warmer. So here goes…

I finally found a blog-worthy recipe and had time to write! Hooray! It was about time since the weather is getting warmer and I still want to write about soup. I feel that my year needs a soup post or two.

I was finally able to make a successful Maddification of one of my favorite soups. I actually saved this one for last because I thought this would be the easiest (and I obviously overestimated my cooking abilities). I really should have started with this.

I found a really good base in PinoyCookingRecipes.com for Misua Soup with Meatballs. Misua are very delicate wheat noodles used in the Philippines mostly for soup. You can find these in Asian grocery stores. There really is no good substitute for misua in our regular grocery stores, unless you find one with an extensive Asian section. You may be able to substitute pho noodles, but its not quite the same.

The soup contains pork-based meatballs and noodles: fairly straight forward. However, part of my goals was to make misua soup healthier. The base recipe has very little veggies and of course, I wanted to add nice veggies in it. The misua that my grandmother used to make usually has patola but I could not find it here in California (in spite of the huge Filipino community). I could not even find it in the Filipino store. Also, when I lookup what patola is, the translation is zucchini. I don’t think that is correct… the consistency is not the same. Even though it’s back in season, I refuse to add zucchini. I feel that it is a cop out.

Because of my dilemma, I decided to healtify the meatballs instead. Mushrooms were the most obvious choice to add because since they have a consistency similar to meat. It's filled with Vitamin D and we can always use more of that. I chose some nice portabella mushrooms to add to the pork.

Looking at the fridge, I was inspired to add kale. It would give the meatballs an additional nutritional boost and texture. It would not be made in California without kale, right?

The last unintended upgrade was to use shallots instead of onions. We thought we had onions, but did not find it. By using shallots, we have more antioxidants. iron and potassium. They also have a milder flavor than onions.

Here’s what I have. As always, let me know what you think.

Misua soup with Meatballs, California-style

Based on Misua Soup With Meatballs in PinoyCookingRecipes.com

Ingredients

Meatballs:

• 3/4 lb of ground pork
• About 1 cup of kale, minced
• 1/4 cup portabella mushrooms, minced
• 1/4 cup scallions, minced
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper to taste
• flour for dredging
• cooking oil for frying 

Noodles, broth and garnish:

• 3 cups of water
• 100 grams misua noodles (Half the package)
• 1/2 tsp fish sauce
• green onions, sliced for garnish

Directions: 

1. Combine pork, kale and mushrooms, and 1/8 cup of the shallots and eggs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Shape into 2" balls and roll in flour.
3. Fry until brown. Set aside the meatballs. 
4. Remove excess oil from the pan. Leave at least 1 Tbsp of cooking oil.
5. Saute garlic and remaining onion. 
6. Add the water and let it boil.
7. Add the fried meatballs, fish sauce and misua noodles.
8. Cook for until noodles are soft (about 5 minutes). 
9. Serve hot and garnish with green onions, and enjoy! 

Verdict

I really love this soup. Even with the Maddifications, the original flavor, I think, was not really sacrificed. It still reminded me of the misua soup that my grandmother made. The fact that it is healthier is a big bonus! Maybe I can add zucchini next time… in the meatballs.

The green onions also added a good layer of flavor. But perhaps because of my exposure to Vietnamese soups, I added some lime and yes, Sriracha. That took it up another notch!

One tip though: Because misua is extremely delicate, I would suggest only cooking the noodles that you will be enjoying. When stored, the noodles do not maintain the same consistency and can be a bit (ahem) unappetizing. I think this explains why my grandma kept the broth and meatballs in the refrigerator... and why some of the meatballs disappeared (Hey, I also had several cousins living with us).

Hope you try this and enjoy.

P.S. I did the meaty part of the writing in the Philippines while I was visiting my Dad. I had more time then, because we spent a lot of time just hanging out at home. Perhaps, I was inspired... even though I was just writing on my smart phone.

It’s not always as easy as it seems: Reflections on testing new recipes

I have been on an unintended hiatus from blogging recently. Yes, things have been busy. Yes, I added one more thing on my plate (but also cut down on some). But that was not the reason…

Since it is the middle of winter, I had plans on blogging on soups from the Philippines. I remember enjoying a lot of soups when I was growing up. My mom would make soup in the afternoon, and I would sample it until dinner. Loved it!

I wanted to recreate two or three of my favorites this month, Maddify it, then blog about it. It turns out that these soups can be more complicated than expected. Also, if you modify it a bit, the flavor may change – a bit or a bunch. It was not bad, just different.

I also wanted to work on some Filipino sweet goodies. Again, similar result: the flavors are right, the consistency is not exactly correct. I guess the practice makes perfect applies here.

So, instead of blogging, I decided that I need to develop these new recipes and make it blog-worthy.  That may mean that I need a bit more time… good thing about being my own boss (at least as far as this blog is concerned), I set my own deadlines.

My boss can be demanding though…

Here’s my current hit list. If you are familiar with these recipes, please give me some suggestions on how to improve it or make it healthier, and I’ll incorporate it in my Maddification.

Pansit Molo: A light chicken broth based soup with pork or chicken wontons. I remember my Mom making these and there would be wontons lined up for the soup. Oh, the anticipation… I’d sneak in a wonton or two (after it’s cooked, of course) before dinner: really yummy. This brings me back to Mom’s kitchen.

What I came up with: Leek, Kale and Mushroom Soup with Pork Dumplings. I think the mushrooms added earthiness to the dish, which was not in the original. This soup was good and I will definitely make it again. If I make it like Pansit Molo, I would not add mushrooms in the broth to retain the original flavor. The dumplings have kale and mushrooms though, and I can still taste the pork.

Working with new ingredients also inspired me to make variations. Working with wontons also inspired me to make wonton "raviolis" with cream cheese, kale and quinoa. I've seen these before in cooking shows, and I have always wanted to try it. I would have used ricotta, but this was a last minute inspiration.

Misua with Meatballs: Very delicate noodle soup with meatballs often made with a Filipino vegetable called patola. I have not seen patola (yet) here in California, so I may opt for a local alternative (or what I am calling Kale-lifornication).  The meatballs often suffered the same fate as the wontons from the Pansit Molo, i.e. some of them become my appetizer before dinner. Maybe that is why Mom made extras. It helped growing up as an only child (No! I am not spoiled!)

What I came up with: Lots of ideas but nothing tangible yet. I think I am leaning towards a quick and easy version for weeknight cooking and a more involved one for the weekend.

Bibingka: Sweet coconut cakes served with butter, salted egg, cheese or any combination of thereof, popular around Christmas time (or the Holidays, if you prefer).  I’ve seen a recipe using wheat flour, but I truly believe this should be made with rice flour. 

What I came up with: Something close to it. My first attempt was made with glutinous rice flour, but the cakes did not get the browning that I was expecting. Since baking is right in my wheelhouse, I am planning part two soon, and hopefully a blog post (Whew).

To add to this, my husband said he wanted to make samosas from scratch. I forwarded him a samosa recipe, and now he is having second thoughts. I did say that I will help. Making samosas sounds really exciting.

Through this experience, I learned that things are really not as simple as it looks, and it makes you appreciate the effort that went into these recipes. Before this, I had dreaded making pansit molo because of the thought of folding all those wontons and sure enough it did take time, but it was not as bad as I thought. I am also dreading the effort in making the meatballs from scratch, but am looking forward to the results.

I also may be a bit homesick since I’ve been focusing on recipes from my childhood.

It is also very enlightening to work with ingredients that one is not used to. For this adventure, I worked with wontons and glutinous rice flour. In my day-to-day cooking, I also worked with Marsala wine, rapini, oyster mushrooms and possibly 2 or 3 more that I had forgotten.

So, watch out for a new post (hopefully) soon… I want to give my readers something really good, so I am becoming really picky.

Meanwhile, I’m still eating and experimenting, so follow my tweets and instagrams.