Scrambled Eggs & Fish

Quick and healthy – lots of lean protein! Use the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch site to find information on how to purchase the most sustainably caught or raised small-flake mild white fish available (bass, snapper, tilapia, etc. – avoid the large-flake, oily fish such as cod).

I posted this recipe earlier (see Stirfried Fish with Eggs), but have been working on it since and have tweaked it a bit for better results.

ingredients:

• 4 eggs, preferably from pastured hens
• 2 tsp Shaoxing cooking wine
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger root, grated and juiced
• 1 tsp cornstarch (rice, potato, tapioca flour will also work)
• 4 oz white fish fillet, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 T oil
• 4 scallions, chopped

method:

1.  Separate the eggs, yolks into 1 bowl, 3 whites into another, 1 white into a third.
2. Whisk 1/2 of the wine and 1/2 of the salt into the egg yolks.
3. Whisk 1/2 of the wine and 1/2 of the salt into the 3 egg whites.
4. Whisk the ginger juice and cornstarch into the 1 egg white, then add the fish pieces and marinate 10-15 m. When ready to cook, drain off as much of the marinade as possible.
5. Heat a wok over medium high heat, then add 1 T oil and heat just until it shimmers.
6. Stirfry the fish just until cooked through 1-3 m, then remove to a plate.
7. Heat 1 T oil, stirfry the egg whites quickly, then remove to the same plate.
8. Heat 1 T oil, stirfry the egg yolks, then remove to the same plate.
9. Return everything to the wok for a quick stir, add the scallion, adjust the seasoning and serve.

variation:

To make this dish even more quickly, simply separate out 1 egg white for the fish marinade. Scramble the remaining yolk and eggs together with the entire amount of salt and wine. Stirfry the fish as in steps 5-6, then stirfry the eggs together before returning the fish to the wok.

Stirfried Broccoli with Crab

We were lucky enough to be given the gift of some delicious crab legs – thanks, Oran! – something we rarely buy but greatly enjoy. I often hesitate to buy crab for reasons of sustainability, but if you visit Monterey Bay’s Seafood Watch, you will find that there are some good alternatives.

Because we started with uncooked legs, I give instructions for cooking them, but you can start with any cooked crab meat – better if it’s leg or lump, not all stringy, though.

ingredients:

• 1 lb king crab legs
• 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets, stems reserved for another dish
• 2 T oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt, to taste (you may not need any)

method:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch and shock the broccoli just until crisp tender, gently squeezing out any excess moisture.
2. Rinse the crab well, then steam for 15 m. Crack open the shells and remove the meat, cutting it into 2″ segments.
3. Heat a wok over medium high heat, then add the oil, just until it shimmers.
4. Explode the garlic just until fragrant, then add the broccoli and crabmeat, stirfrying until heated through.
5. Season to taste (the crab may be salty enough that you don’t need to add any salt), and serve.

do ahead:

The crab and broccoli can both be prepared up to a day ahead of time, making this a super-quick stirfry to serve company - keep refrigerated until about an hour before you are ready to stirfry.

Food in the News and on the ‘Net

Happy to see the White House working on some very important issues close to home and close to my heart:

Presidential Memorandum – Establishing a Task Force on Childhood Obesity

Let’s Move

Fun updates on the Obamas and food issues at Obamafoodarama.

And who knows – maybe Oprah can do the same for the “real food” movement that she did for Obama’s campaign? Glad to see her take up this issue before she retires: Food 101 with Michael Pollan Here’s a clip from the show on Civil Eats (video closest to the bottom). Be sure to listen to the end for the “radio silence” comment from Oprah on the subject of beef!

Some fun and education movies can be found at The Meatrix.

And finally, another site to help you support your local food economy: Local Dirt

Braised Winter Vegetables

Although the original recipe calls for potatoes, carrots, and Chinese cabbage, a variety of vegetables would work well in this dish. The finished dish has a sort of sweet and sour flavor – you can play with the amount of sugar and the amount and type of vinegar to get the flavor you like best. Black vinegar will affect the color but has a stronger, almost smoky flavor. Rice vinegar will make it milder and will not change the color of the dish. Use a waxy variety of potato rather than a starchy baking potato – we like Yukon Golds for this.

ingredients:

• 1 T light soy sauce
• 1 T vinegar, either rice wine or black
• 1 T raw cane sugar, or to taste
• 1 c water, stock or broth
• 1/4 lb carrots, peeled and cut into approximately 1/2 x 1/2 x 2″ lengths
• 1/4 lb stem ends of bok choy or the core of a napa cabbage, cut into 1/2 x 2″ lengths
• 1/2 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into approximately 1/2 x 1/2 x 2″ lengths
• 2 T oil
• 1 scallion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 slice fresh ginger root, minced
• 1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil, or to taste

method:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, blanch the carrots; then blanch and shock the cabbage separately and set them aside.
2. While the water boils for the carrots and cabbage, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and water in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Heat the wok over medium high, add 1 T oil just until it shimmers.
4. Add the potatoes and stirfry just until lightly browned in places, then remove from the wok and set them aside.
5. Add 1 T oil to the wok and again heat just until it shimmers – it’s fine if there are bits of potato stuck to the wok.
6. Explode the scallion, garlic and ginger just until fragrant.
7. Add the vinegar mixture, bring to a boil, then add the vegetables to the wok. When the liquid returns to a simmer, keep the heat low and braise just until the vegetables are the doneness you prefer.
8. Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt, vinegar, and sugar, then drizzle with sesame oil before serving.