March 13, 2006 09:34 - How Fresh Is Our Food?
I read an article the other day that gave storage times for food - from harvesting to 'going out of date'.
Would you believe that in the major supermarkets, your onions could be as old as 21 weeks?
Potatoes - 129 days (18+weeks) apples - 124 days (18+weeks) fish - 1 week old.
Now we know that vitamins and minerals start to break down after harvesting - the benefits of eating fresh will almost certainly have lessened.
Various gases are used to preserve fruit and veg - we really ought to remember that and always wash fruit and veg before we eat it raw.
The interesting thing from my angle though is the fish - what's the point in buying fish from a supermarket - it goes in and out of the chiller until it goes out of date or you buy it - if you read my 'Buying Advice' page you'll see how cynical I am about it - but here's the proof - it's not just me being critical :-)
If you can't get your fish fresh from the docks, then you really ought to look at mail order - it's bought fresh and packed and sent out the same day - in some cases, you can get it that evening depending if you live in the local delivery area - if it goes by courier, you'll get it next day - it's the only way to get truly fresh fish other than catching it yourself.
March 14, 2006 09:37 - Kid Friendly Seafood Recipe
Here's a kid friendly seafood recipe from my friend Lila - we got chatting over the internet when I started to build my herb website - she's sending me some photos of her mints when they start to grow in the spring.
I love working on the internet - the variety of people you meet and the flexibility of it all - there's some bad ones as well and I've documented some of my experiences on My Journey page - check it out to find out how I finally built a proper business on the internet.
Anyway - here's Lila's recipe - you could easily subsititute tinned crab meat here.
Recipe for Crab Cheese Ball
Ingredients for crab cheese ball
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 bunch green onion, finely chopped
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 strip of green pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of butter , soft
a pinch of salt
6 oz. crab meat , finely chopped
3 sprigs of parsley,finely chopped
3 sprigs of Dill ( or dried dill)
Directions for making Recipe for Crab Cheese Ball
~ mix the cream cheese and onion in a bowl
~ add the worestershire sauce and a pich of salt
~ mix well
~ add the green pepper and soft butter
~ mix until smooth
~ add crab meat to the cheese ball mixture
~ now fold the crab meat into the cheese ball mixture
until all ingredients are welll mixed
~ scoop the cheese ball mixture and form a ball
~ mix the parsley and the dill together
~ roll the cheese ball in the herb mixture
~ put in the fridge to cool
~ serve when ready
recipe by Lila and Maya
LucyLearns.com
That's all for now - this blogging lark's great fun - I'll be back :-)
March 15, 2006 10:35 - Quick Fish Pie Recipe
I looked in my freezer the other day and saw some smoked haddock and thought I'd make a fish pie.
I didn't want to mess about peeling and mashing potatoes - too much washing up :-) - I didn't have any leftover mash nor did I fancy packet potato - yuk.
So I came up with this solution which I'm going to share with you - the lazy way to make a fish pie.
Quick Fish Pie
4 large potatoes - scrubbed
fillet of smoked haddock or fish of your choice
1 pint (700 ml) milk
cornflour to thicken
1 tspn English Mustard
1 oz (25g) butter
black pepper
Bake the potatoes in your microwave for about 20 minutes.
Cut the fish into pieces and put into a pan - pour the milk over it, add the butter, mustard and black pepper. Bring the milk up to boiling point - cover and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
Remove the fish and then thicken the milk with cornflour, arrowroot or whatever method you prefer.
Take off the skin and any bones - flake the fish into the bottom of an ovenproof dish.
Pour the sauce over the fish.
Take your potatoes and cut them into quarters lenghtways.
Slice each quarter into rough chunks - I like the skin so I leave it on.
Pile the potato slices on top of the fish and sauce mixture.
Drizzle some olive oil or put some butter on top of the potatoes - you could top with grated cheese if you like.
Put it into a pre-heated oven - Gas Mark 4 180c or 350f - for about 30 minutes when the potatoes should be golden.
This meal was lovely - we had some frozen peas with it and I decided I'd have a go with some salmon fillets I have in the freezer at the moment.
It was so simple to prepare and so much easier than peeling and mashing potatoes.
March 17, 2006 10:46 - How to Eat More Fish
The doctors say we should eat more fish - but when you've been a meat eater all your life, how exactly do you make that change?
As a simple rule of thumb it's best to eat fish three times a week - it gives you (and your kids) oils that your body needs but can't get anywhere else.
There's been tons of research about developing brains and fish oils - trees have given up their lives for the paper that it's all been written on.
So here's how I do it - in any given week, I'll use tuna to make a tomato pasta sauce once - either poured directly over cooked pasta or made up into a lasagne.
I'll use a can of salmon, sardines or pilchards on toast, make sandwiches or a quiche or salad and I'll cook fish at least once, maybe twice.
I tend to stick to simple methods - poaching in milk, wine or water and then making a fish pie or thickening the sauce and pouring it over potatoes and vegetables - if you wash up straight after eating, the smell of fish will soon go - a dish of vinegar will absorb the smells and I burn an incense stick as well afterwards :-)
It's quite easy to find a seafood recipe on my site here - just click on the navbar at the side and you'll be taken to pages of seafood recipes - most of them very simple to prepare.
Rubio's Fish Tacos This recipe is great - the kids will love it - and it's so easy to get together.
The section on canned fish will give you other ideas - it's very economical as it's tasty, goes a long way and is inexpensive to buy.
Once you get a bit more adventurous, then check out the other sections - fish soups are great - with some warm crusty bread, you've got a good meal for the family.
It is really so easy - give it a go this week and let me know how you get on.
March 19, 2006 13:19 - Canned Salmon Tips
Canned salmon is a great source of omega 3s - but when you open the tin, do you think 'yuk'? It's not quite as appetising to look at as say canned tuna - but you don't get the omega 3s in canned tuna - only fresh - the oils are destroyed by the canning process.
So - I'm going to tell you exactly how I deal with the canned salmon - I've always hidden this from my son - he's a very visual eater and if he sees something vaguely nasty, he won't touch it. :-)
When you open the salmon, you'll see that it's all packed in round skin, bone and juices - get a fork, a plate and a bowl ready.
Turn the salmon out on the plate and carefully break the packed flesh open.
I remove the back bone with as many small bones as I can - my cat, Enoch, watches with interest....
I also scrape away the very dark skin and Enoch is the grateful recipient of all these bits.
Put the salmon into the bowl and mash very well with a fork - the small bones break down and any bits of skin get mixed in.
Add lemon juice, pepper or mayonnaise to taste and mash thoroughly - this makes the most fantastic sandwich with some sliced cucumber or fill vol au vent cases with it.
If you're going to make a quiche with the salmon, then flake it roughly - the flesh separates into lovely meaty chunks - you might need to remove more bones and skin if you have very fussy eaters.
You'll find recipes for using canned salmon on the navbar at the side here - it's such an easy way to get a portion of oil rich seafood and very economical.
