Friday, November 3, 2023

Nothing fishy about Perfect Fish

 It's such an unassuming little gadget, but with a name that sounds more like a brag than a discription, the Perfect Fish Cooking Time Indicator is indispensable for cooks who love fish. I've had mine for almost as long as it's been available (the patent was issued in 1984), and it lost its plastic part that rested on the fish to get a precise measurement years ago, but the aluminum measuring part still hangs near my stove.

I have looked far and wide for a better-looking and intact replacement, with no luck. The few that have appeared from resellers on eBay and Etsy were snapped up quickly.

If this gizmo sounds like something that would help you from either overcooking or undercooking fish, here's my workaround:

Take a straight-edge metal ruler. Put it next to the piece of fish you will be cooking. Using a non-flexible thin item such as an icing spatula or knife, place it across the fish, perpendicular to the ruler and measure how thick the fish is. Figure 5 minutes of cooking time for every half inch of fish, 10 minutes for 1" and so on. Bake or broil at 450°F ; pan fry or deep fry at 375°F. 

It has never let me down. If anyone hears of a reissue of this useful tool, please let me know!





Sunday, July 23, 2023

Lori K's tip of the day – July 23, 2023

If you're heating soft corn tortillas in the microwave, put a folded paper towel on the bottom first, then the tortillas. This allows the steam somewhere to go, so the bottom tortilla is soft and warm like the rest, not soggy. A minute in the 'wave is all you need.

Lori K's veggie Mexican scramble

Serves 2

Ingredients

Oil

4 oz. soy or other vegetarian chorizo

½ pound of chard or spinach, rinsed and stems removed

2 eggs

Pepper and/or salt to taste

6 tortillas

Instructions

Put a little oil in a large nonstick skillet and turn on the burner to medium heat. Remove the casing from the chorizo, chop it roughly and add to the skillet. Meanwhile put a smooth cotton or linen towel on a large microwave safe plate, pile on the chard, fold the towel over it, and microwave for about 90 seconds until just wilted. Remove from the microwave, and when cool, squeeze out as much liquid as possible (you could save the liquid for vegetable broth; it's very nutritious). Chop the greens, put them in the skillet, and turn the heat down to low. Crack the two eggs over the mixture, season with the salt and pepper, and scramble the mixture until the whites set. Put the tortillas in a warmer (a clean tea towel could be used instead) and microwave for 1 minute.

Plate the scramble and use it as a filling for the tortillas, one at a time, keeping the others warm as you eat them all up.

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Nanner, nanner, banana bread

My mother loved to make banana bread and I loved to eat it. She preferred pecans. but I loved walnuts in it. 

Yet, once the doc told me that I was prediabetic and would need to ease up on the sweets, I knew my days of enjoying this treat would come to an end if I didn't make some changes. Here's my compromise. 

I halved the amount of butter and sugar, and doubled the number of bananas. It worked! 

Lori's Banana Bread 

Ingredients 
1/4 cup butter 
1/4 cup sugar 
2 eggs 
6 bananas (thawed if frozen; mashed if fresh) 
1/3 cup milk, mixed with 1 tablespoon vinegar 
2 cups flour 
1 teaspoon salt 
2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1 cup walnuts (or pecans, or other nuts) 

Instructions 
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer. Add the eggs and bananas while the mixer is going, one at a time until blended, then the milk. 

Remove 2 tablespoons of the flour and mix with the nuts until they are well coated. 

Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together; add slowly to the mixture while the mixer is still going until all is blended. 

Turn off the mixer and fold in the nuts. Pour into a well-oiled loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Turn out on a cooling rack. Serve warm or cold.

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

A more healthful Bite

I love the little oatcakes that are commonly called Aussie Bites, but the sugar and butter calories are pretty daunting for those of us watching our weight, or our sugar and fat intake. 

So here's my attempt to make some with no cholesterol (although it does have saturated fat) and far less sugar. 

I made them in a mini-muffin tin that has 24 indentions; the batter makes 4 dozen, and it keeps well for several days in the refrigerator.




Lori K’s Aussie Bites

Makes about 4 dozen


Ingredients

½ cup coconut oil

½ cup honey

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups rolled oats, uncooked

1½ cups flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup raisins

¾ cup sliced almonds or chopped nuts


Instructions

Mix the first four ingredients until smooth. Add the rest a little at a time until everything is well mixed. Press into mini-muffin cups (24) and bake until golden, 13-15 minutes.

Saturday, May 29, 2021

The "Mav-vita" is born


Ever since Jim's cousin Sarah and her husband Ray introduced us to Mavs at the Bel-Air Bay Club in Southern California, it's been our go-to party drink. A shot of good tequila, a wedge of orange sprinkled with cinnamon, it's heady and refreshing in a single gulp.

But what if you feel like sipping a Mav? Well, you then need a Mav-vita.

Squeeze two oranges (navel or Cara-cara) into a glass with some ice. Add a dash of cinnamon sugar. Pour in a jigger of good tequila. Stir until chilled and serve.

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Tender ribs in under an hour

As I was marinating the mess of pork loin ribs that I plan to freeze and take on an upcoming camping trip, I realized that I had neglected to plan for dinner, which would be happening in about an hour or so. 

So I cut off six big ones and put the others back in the fridge to marinate overnight. I marinated the six for about a half hour, cut them apart, then pulled out the pressure cooker. I put 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan, put it on a medium hot burner and when the oil was slightly smoking, cooked the ribs on three sides, leaving the bone side raw. I then added a mixture of tamari, unseasoned rice vinegar and red wine to the pan after draining out the fat and wiping the inside with a paper towel. I put the ribs in, put on the cover, waited for the steam to build up, then set the timer for 15 minutes. 

I then cooked the corn on the cob in the microwave, and added it to the warming oven, where I had some mac 'n' cheese. When the ribs were done, dinner was served. Easy peasy, and delicious!

Lori K's Hot Rub and Ribs, pressure cooker edition

Ingredients
Two racks of pork ribs
Lawry's garlic salt
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Rub:
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground thyme

Pressure cooker liquid:
3 tablespoons tamari (wheatless) soy sauce
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons dry red wine or dry sherry

Instructions
Rinse and dry ribs and set them meaty side down on a jelly-roll pan. Lightly sprinkle the bones with garlic salt. Turn the ribs over.

Mix 2 tablespoons of oil and the spices thoroughly, then rub into the meaty side of the ribs. Sprinkle the meaty side with garlic salt and let stand for at least a half an hour before cutting off six ribs. (Cover pan in plastic wrap and save the rest for grilling the next day; they freeze well after cooking if wrapped tightly.)

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a pressure cooker (15 psi) over medium high heat. When smoking, add the six ribs to the oil and brown on the three meaty sides. Remove the ribs from the pan, drain the oil and wipe out the pan with a paper towel, being careful not to burn yourself. Add the liquid mixture to the pan, then the ribs, cover and turn up the heat a bit until the pressure comes up. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and when the pan has cooled a bit, release the steam valve and open the cooker. Serve immediately. 

If you prefer your ribs falling off the bone, add 2 tablespoons of water to the liquid mixture and increase the cooking time 5 minutes. If you like them even spicier, add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the rub.



Saturday, May 30, 2020

Dreaming of another trip to Hawaii


Travel will be just a fantasy until we get a vaccine for COVID-19, the Spanish flu of our century. But being in semi-quarantine has provided me with more time for research. Here is a review of a Hawaiian cookbook I wrote 17 years ago I thought I'd share.


"Kona on My Plate" Cookbook review, Sacramento Bee, May 2003 Wed, May 14, 2003 – 57 · The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California) · Newspapers.com