Best Fish PIE

This is a recipe I saw on TV few years ago. It was made by and English chef Jamie Oliver and is still the best recipe I have tried yet for this dish. It was an absolute hit on all parties when I served it and the flavor of it is so wonderful and distinct, you will for sure enjoy it.

It has a lot of little steps in preparation, do not let it discourage you. After making it once you will sure to become a PRO at it!

It is the best made with wild Cod fillets. Wash it, pat dry and cut in a bit size pieces.

Take a large oven proof casserole dish and place fish pieces on the bottom of it.

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

Put piled large 8 Yukon gold potatoes into boiling, salted water and bring back to boil for 2 minutes.Carefully add 3 organic eggs to pan and cook for further 8 minutes until hard-boiled, by which time potatoes should also be cooked. Drain potatoes, and mash it coarsely. Remove eggs, cover with cold water. Once it is cool pill, and quarter it.

Fry one chopped onion and 2 small chopped carrots in oil for 5 minutes, then add heavy cream(1/2 of small pack) and bring to boil. Turn the heat off heat and add one cup of grated Cheddar cheese, juice of one lemon, mustard (best dry English one tea spoon or just a few spoons of Dijon) and one bunch or chopped parsley.

Add one pack of prewashed baby spinach, and eggs to fish in dish and mix together, pouring over creamy vegetable sauce.

Cover with mashed potatoes, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper (I would add some grated cheese on top as well)

Place in oven until potatoes are golden, around 25/30 minutes. Remove from the oven, let stand for 15 minutes and serve. Enjoy!

Arctic Char with Mushrooms and Arugula

The Arctic char is closely related to both salmon and trout and has many characteristics of both. The flesh colour of char varies; it can range from a bright red to a pale pink. It is a wonderful fish that is used to be available only at high end seafood restaurants, now is available at some fish markets more widely. It has a wonderful mild flavor and I highly recommend to give it a try!

As in many instances I mentioned before if you have the freshest and the best quality ingredients, simple preparation is the best way to go to show of the flavor at it's best.

I had purchased 2 fillets with skin on. Wash it and pat dry, double check to make sure all bones are removed by your fish monger. Cut it in desired portion sizes sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Start you saute pan with one part olive oil and one part of unsalted butter, once it is melted completely place you fish skin side down first and pan fry for a few minutes. Then flip to the other side using fish spatula and continue frying for a few more minutes. Remove from the pan and serve right away.

I made mushroom side with it, also using a simple prepraration method and same cooking time. I had one box of sliced baby bella mushrooms and one box of slices shitaki mushrooms. Start a big saute pan with olive oil in it. Once it is hot drop mushrooms in and let it caramilized for about 5-10 minutes. Then stir and cook for additional 10 minutes with salt and pepper.

I served both this items on the bed of fresh baby Arugula. Love Arugula!!! I buy a big box for week of triplled washed baby arugula and use it for salads, pasta or saute lightly. For this I just chopped it and dressed it up with olive oil and a few spoons or rice vinegar.

Quinoa wtih Mushrooms, Bell Peppers, Onions adn Broccoli

This is a healthy goodness in one bowl. I already had some recipes posted with quinoa and it is still my new favourite grain for now! Both my kids like eating it a lot and since it required a minimum time to prepare i do it often now. I try to mix it with different vegetables for a variety and everything i tried so far goes very well together with it. I recommend it highly!!!

Start by cooking quinoa according to package directions. Make sure ti rinse it under cold water for a few times to make sure water runs completely clear. To cook it i used organic chicken stock as a liquid to create and additional lever of flavor.

While quinoa is boiling away start with you vegetables. Wash and cut in slices one pack of Bella mushrooms (baby portabella), two bell pepper, one red onion and one packet of broccoli florets. Make sure all the pieces more or less the same size.

In a large saute pan start a few table spoons of olive oil and start pan frying mushrooms first. Once it is soft, mix it to make sure they don't brown just saute.

Next add onions and bell peppers and saute it with mushrooms for about 5 minutes.

Next move mushroom and peppers to the side of the pan and add broccoli. Let it saute for a few minutes and then add one cup of organic chicken stock to help broccoli steam for a few minutes.

Then mix all vegetables together check for seasons add salt and pepper if needed. I like my vegetable to have a bite to it meaning i don't like for it to be completely soft, make sure you don't over cook it.

Once quinoa is ready it will have the most wonderful shiny little pearl like grains.

Add it to the saute pan with all the vegetable mix it well and serve.

Enjoy!!!

French Style Classic Beef Stew

This is a recipe inspired by Julia Child "Beef Bourgonon" that has a lot of complicated steps. When are you have plenty of time to execute that this is definitely a way to go. However, most of us pressed for time all the time and I had simplified this recipe to have bold flavor with less effort requirements. As always make sure to buy the best quality ingredients as it makes one of a kind flavor dish that will sure to become you staple recipe.

This recipes required apple smoked beacon. Of course if you are a household where beacon is not consumed just omit this step and start with olive oil. Preheat a dutch oven or any oven prof pot and start preheating a table spool of olive oil in it. Cut 3 bacon strips into bite size pieces and start Browning in the pan. Once all fat is rendered remove beacon pieces from the pan.

Start with premium cuts of beef stew size pieces. Wash it and pat dry with bounty sheet sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the same pan where you browned beacon and brown to seal all juices inside the meat. Do not overcrowd the pan and work in batches. Meat has to brown on all sides then remove from pan.

Next add chopped onions, carrots and celery to the pan and sweat it for a few minutes. Then add one table spoon of garlic paste and one table spoon of tomato paste. Sweat it together with vegetables.

Add a couple of sprigs of THYME and red wine you will be serving with this dish to cover the meat. Return the beacon and browned meat to the pot. Bring the pot to boil, then place it in the preheated to 375 degrees oven for 2 hours.

When the meat is almost ready to come out from the oven take you Bella mushrooms (baby portabello), clean it with wet bounty sheet and slice. Start a saute pan with a little of olive oil and pan fry mushrooms in it for a few minutes till it is soft all the way through, but not cooked. Remove the stew pot from the oven, add mushrooms to it and cook another 15-20 minutes on the top of the stove on simmer.

All flavors will come together by then and meat will be super tender. If you want to make it with a side dish i recommend mashed potatoes or any soft noddles.When are you ready to serve I like to toast a large piece of a rustic country bread and place it on the side of the big deep bowl. Then ladle your stew there and Enjoy it.

Chicken with Broccoli and Sugar Snaps Stri Fry

This is another very easy dish perfect for a week night diner that comes together in minutes. It is loaded with protein from chicken and all best green vegetables to create a healthy delicious alternative for your diner repertoure that you will for sure want seconds of!
I start with one pound of organic chicken strips, cut them in small bite size pieces. Star with a large saute pan with olive oil and saute chicken pieces on high for a few minutes on each side until it is no longer pink.




Then chop one small read onion and saute for a minute until soft. Next move the chicken to the side of the pan and add broccoli florets and sugar snap peas and sauteed it for a few minutes, keep stirring. After that half of a cup of organic chicken stock and let vegges and chicken steam for a few minutes.



If you would like to add some Asian flavour to this dish you can add soy sauce or I had wasabi oil that I drizzled on top of vegetables and chicken. Done in less then 15 minutes all together.




I served this on the bed of brown rice cooked in organic chicken stock to created an additional layer of flavor.

Serve hot and Enjoy!

Parpadelli Pasta with Vegetable Medley

We all like to eat pasta a lot here! I make it at least once and week and thankfully this is an item that variations on it are endless and you will not have to eat the same thing twice. I buy many different pasta varieties as far as different grains it is made from, different shapes and authenticity as it inspires a lot of sauce ingredients.

Today I made Italian semolina parpadelli pasta with garden vegetables medley. This is a thick flat noddle that is excellent with any hardy sauce (which I'm not making today). Cook pasta according to the package direction drain and add to the sauce pan. I cook pasta al dente which still has a little bite to it as I don't like it to be too mushy.

For the sauce I used organic frozen vegetables medleys with includes cut string beans, carrots and sweet corn (great item to have on hand). Add olive oil to a large pan and add frozen vegetable to it. Add salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.

By this time it will be completely defrosted and cooked to perfection. Add drained pasta to it mix it all together serve and enjoy.

Today I made it as a side dish to a baked wild cod (following recipe). It was excellent together. However it can be an excellent dish by itself. Enjoy!

Baked Wild Cod Fish

This is a very fast dish full of flavour that is very good for you! Benefits is eating wild fish are widely known and it is available in most grocery stores year around. I always buy flash frozen wild fish that can be cooked in minutes. Trader Joe's as well as Costco are good places for look for wide variety of it. This buy was made at Costco-Wild Alaskan Cod.

It came packed individually in vacuum sealed packs, which just adds convenience of serving desired number of portions without getting messy with prep work for it.

I start by defrosting fillets in warm water in the sink for 1-2 hours before cooking it. Take a large sheet pan or any oven proof casserole dish and drizzle a little olive oil on the bottom. Wash fillets thoroughly and pat dry with bounty sheet. Place fish fillets there then sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and top it with a table spoon of you favourite jar marinara sauce- that's it!!!

Place it in the preheated oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes for medium. I like fish not to be well done, but to still have a great texture to it and to be moist inside. You will end up with most delicious flaky white pieces.

As a side serve with any of your favourite grain or vegetables it will be great with anything. I'm serving it with Italian semolina parpadelli pasta with a garden vegetables medley. Enjoy!