With the New Year upon us, we once again look forward to many delicious meals afloat. Start 2006 with easy to prepare, healthy, dishes. Enjoy this very special time with family and friends. Remember to keep in touch throughout the year. Sharing your joy, doubles it. Sharing your sorrow, halves it. Happy New Year!
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Tom Yum Soup
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Spinach Salad with Yogurt-Poppy Seed Dressing
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Flash-roasted Fish with Pesto on a bed of Ribbon Zucchini
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Couscous Supreme
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Amaretto Apricot Ginger Parfait
Preparation:
1. Make the dessert and chill
2. Make Yogurt Poppy Dressing
3. Assemble ingredients for soup ready to be cooked.
4. Prepare the fish ready to cook. Have pesto and peppers ready.
5. Prepare spinach salad
6. Cut the zucchini into ribbons using a food processor, or slicer. Blanch zucchini for 1 minute, then refresh in cold water. Drain.
To Serve:
1. Heat the soup broth and add the other ingredients.
2. Roast the salmon and serve
3. Salad and Couscous
4. Toss the zucchini in butter or olive oil
5. Dessert
TOM YUM SOUP
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 6 minutes
Serves: 4
2 cans Chicken Broth plus water to make 6 cups (or 6 cups homemade chicken stock)
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tsp. dried chili flakes
1/4 cup fish sauce
4 Bay leaves
1 lb. of medium-size shrimp, peeled
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
Simmer everything except shrimp and coriander for 5 minutes, add shrimp and simmer 1 minute more. Mix in fresh coriander. Let stand 1 minute before serving. This Thai favorite makes a quick, light first course. Serve with a dry white wine.
SPINACH SALAD WITH YOGURT POPPY SEED DRESSING
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4
Salad:
1 Orange (fresh) or can of Mandarin oranges
1/4 lb spinach leaves, washed and trimmed (5 cups)
1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
Yogurt Poppy Seed Dressing:
2 Tblsp. plain nonfat yogurt
2 Tblsp. nonfat mayonnaise
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tblsp. honey
1 tsp. grated orange rind
1 tsp. poppy seeds, toasted
Peel, seed and section the orange. Place spinach leaves on serving platter. Arrange orange sections in a circular pattern on spinach. Combine water chestnuts and green onions. Place in center of salad. Top with dressing.
Hint: You can substitute romaine lettuce for spinach
FLASH-ROASTED FISH WITH PESTO ON A BED OF RIBBON ZUCCHINI
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 6 – 8 minutes
Serves: 4
4 (7 oz.) fresh salmon fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup herb pesto
Garnish: strips of roasted red pepper
Preheat oven to 475 5 degrees F. Place the salmon in a lightly oiled baking dish. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bake 6 – 8 minutes until fish shows no resistance when pressed Do NOT overcook – the fish should be slightly translucent in the center. Transfer to (warmed) serving plates, on top of zucchini. Spoon on a dollop of pesto. Garnish to strips of roasted red pepper. Serve with a nice Chardonnay.
Note: Any other moist dense fish will respond well to this easy treatment. The key is in choosing thick fillets and not overcooking. This is a good recipe for a crowd – allow 1 fish fillet, 1 Tblsp. pesto and a few strips of roasted red pepper per serving.
PESTO:
2 packed cups seasonal fresh herbs; basil, oregano, parsley, etc.
1 or 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup good quality olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup toasted pinenuts or walnuts
Place all of the above ingredients in a food processor and puree until they form a smooth paste. Spoon a dollop on each salmon fillet and store the remainder in fridge or freeze in small contain
COUSCOUS SUPREME
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 4
3/4 cup finely chopped carrot
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 Tblsp. less-salt soy sauce
2 Tblsp. + 2-1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup couscous
Garnish: Fresh parsley springs
Saute finely chopped carrot, onion, and celery in soy sauce and 2 Tblsp. vegetable stock. Add 1/2 cup stock and cook until tender. Add remaining 2 cups stock; bring to a boil and stir in couscous. Cover, let sit for 5 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Stir and fluff with fork.
This Moroccan pasta dish is a great substitute for rice or potatoes. It goes great with salmon or lamb, and looks pretty too!
AMARETTO APRICOT GINGER PARFAIT
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Chilling time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4
1 good cup of heavy whipping cream
8 oz. dark chocolate, diced
4 oz. glace ginger, finely chopped
4 cooked apricot halves, pureed
1 pkt. gingernuts, broken into bits
About 1/2 cup Amaretto
Garnish: chopped toasted hazelnuts, dried apricots and ginger
Whip the cream and fold in the chocolate, ginger, and apricot. Dunk the gingernuts in Amaretto and fold into the cream. Pile into tall glasses and garnish with apricot, ginger and hazelnuts.
Editor’s Note: Capt. Jan Robinson is author of the Ship to Shore Cookbook Collection. She holds certificates from the Culinary Institute of America, The Ritz Cooking School, and the Cordon Bleu.
Available at your local marine or bookstore. Website www.shiptoshoreINC.com. Email CapJan@aol.com or call 1-800-338-6072. Mention All At Sea to receive your special discount.
