Category: Gluten free

Fish Pepperard

Fish Pepperard

Christians are now in the liturgical season of Lent, a time of reflection, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial.   

As a child I learned that during Lent we should give up something that we really liked.  At one time or another I tried giving up school, shoveling the paths to the woodshed and chicken coop, and taking cod liver oil.   Instead my parents suggested that I give up reading comic books, eating candy bars or listening to the Lone Ranger on the radio.  With choices like these, Lent was a very long season.

Most of my Catholic friends did not eat meat on Fridays, so school lunches those days tended to be things like macaroni and cheese or tuna hot dish.  During Lent school lunches included a meat-free choice every day. As a Lutheran I could eat meat every day, but sometimes I enjoyed with my Catholic friends a steaming bowl of chowder or a plate of baked fish and vegetables.

We ate a lot of fish when I was a kid, and I still like it.  So does Jerri, whose father loved catching catfish from the pond in their pasture.  When Jerri and I were first married, we lived in Virginia.  There was a fish market just a few blocks from our apartment where we could buy ocean perch for just pennies a pound.  

Jerri found this recipe in a magazine at her doctor’s office during those early years when our son was getting ready to explore this world.  I was already showing the results of her excellent cooking, and she thought a low calorie main dish was in order.  And since we were on a very limited graduate student budget, the obvious economy of the recipe also appealed to her.  

Though I feel that many low calorie dishes should better be reserved for medical diets, this combination of fish, green pepper, tomato and yogurt is excellent.  Serve it during Lent or any time you want a delicious and inexpensive seafood dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

12 oz. fish fillets (ocean perch or pollock work fine)

1 or 2 T lemon juice

1 or 2 T butter

1 small onion (2” diameter or so) chopped medium

1/2 to 3/4 green pepper chopped medium

1 medium or 2 small tomatoes, cut in eighths

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. salt

Dash or two of fresh ground black pepper

1/2 to 2/3 cup plain yogurt

PROCEDURE:

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Rinse the fillets and place them in a shallow oven proof pan that has been lightly greased or sprayed with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with the lemon juice and bake for twenty to twenty-five minutes.  Use a fork to test for doneness after the fish has baked twenty minutes.  If it flakes, the fish is done.  If not, bake it another few minutes.

While the fish is baking, melt the butter in a small frying pan and sauté the onion until it is translucent.  Add the green pepper and tomato and sprinkle with the oregano, salt and pepper.  Simmer for about five to seven minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for a minute.  Add the yogurt all at once and stir well.  Spoon the sauce over the fish.

Serve with white rice and a garden salad.  Makes two generous servings

NOTE:  You can double or triple this recipe without any trouble.

Red Beans and Rice

We ate a lot of beans when I was a kid.  Baked beans almost every week in the winter, bean soup at least once a month, and bean salads when Mom found a new recipe in Woman’s Day.  In the summer we took canned beans along on picnics.

But I never tasted red beans and rice until long after I had left home.  My introduction to this creole staple was on a trip to New Orleans and after about two spoonfuls I was hooked.

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of recipes for red beans and rice.  I have enjoyed versions in Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee, but the best ones have all been in Louisiana.  Some recipes call for andouille sausage or ham in addition to the smoked hock, and some even add shrimp, but they all taste good.

Food historians tell us that the recipe for red beans and rice was probably brought to New Orleans from the island of Hispaniola by slaves of French planters during a slave rebellion in Haiti.  In any case, a pot of red beans slowly simmered with a smoked pork hock, onions and peppers and ladled over a serving of fluffy white rice is a wonderful example of comfort food.   Here is my recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups dried small red beans
2 – 3 quarts water
1 meaty smoked ham hock
1 large or 2 medium onions
1 green bell pepper (3 inches in diameter)
2 or 3 stalks celery
4 bay leaves
1/8 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. hot sauce
4 or 5 green onions
Salt and pepper
Chicken and/or beef bouillon if needed
White rice, salt and water

PROCEDURE:

Wash the beans in a pot, drain in a colander and pick out the bad ones or gravel that you sometimes find.  Put the beans and pork hock in a Dutch oven or soup kettle that will hold at least 4 quarts.  Cover with water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer.  Peel and chop the onion.  You should have about 2 cups to add to the simmering beans.  Add them along with the bay leaves, thyme, hot sauce and about 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper.

The beans should simmer at least 3 hours.  Stir the beans occasionally and add water if necessary.  About an hour before serving the beans, remove the top, seeds and membrane from the pepper, and wash and clean the celery.  Chop the pepper and celery into 1/2 inch pieces and add them to the beans.  Bring back to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove the pork hock and allow it to cool enough to handle comfortably.  Separate the meat from the bone, fat and skin, chop into bite-sized pieces and return the meat to the beans.  Clean and chop the green onions into about 1/4 inch pieces and add them to the pot.

Simmer a few minutes, then taste the beans and broth.  At this point, you may want to add salt or a bouillon cube or two along with some more hot sauce and black pepper to adjust the seasoning to your taste.

Prepare the rice according to the directions on the package and serve the beans over the rice in shallow bowls.  A green salad and some good bread makes this dish into a fine meal.

NOTE:  I sometimes add some slices of smoked sausage along with the meat from the ham hock.  You might want to offer the hot sauce to guests who like a spicier dish.  For traditional New Orleans beans and rice you can mash some of the beans with a wooden spoon to make a creamier sauce, but I like it just the way it is.  It’s your choice.