London's Calling: Fish and Chips

So I am officially in London. I just moved into my new Flat/ Residence Hall and am currently stopped at an Internet Cafe while running some errands to make said flat livable. In honor of this exciting new location of mine I am offering to you this London inspired recipe...

You see, this Christmas Eve, my family started a new tradition- a british pub christmas. We decided to stereotype and make fish and chips- served with English Ale of course. The whole affair was even complete with "crackers" the little things you pull at both ends and pop, spilling out confetti and other fun goodies.

So, with all of the other Christmas cooking and baking we bought the "chips" instead of making them- please forgive me! But the fried fish we did make and after a few test runs this was my favorite recipe. A lot of it doesn't involve exact measurements because you really just have to play with amounts and consistencies.

The Fish of "Fish and Chips"

Ingredients

6 Tilapia Filets (or one for each person)

1 cup Bob's Red Mill pancake mix

1 egg

1 bottle of gluten-free beer (I used a sorghum beer)

garlic powder

gluten and dairy free panko style (or regular) breadcrumbs

sea salt

First, heat a skillet with about an inch of canola oil or another vegetable oil.

Next, mix together the pancake mix and egg in a medium-sized bowl. Now add in the beer a little at a time, stirring constantly, until you get a pancake batter consistency (probably thinner rather than thicker). Now add in garlic powder- exact amount doesn't matter, it depends on your tastes.

On a separate plate lay out a thin layer of the bread crumbs.

Take each salmon filet and cover it on both sides with the batter. Then roll the batter-covered fish in the bread crumbs.

Now, my dear friends, it is time for the frying. I just feel even more southern tossing something into a skillet of hot oil and hearing it crackle. I start talking in a southern drawl and begin coating everything in butter, channeling Paula Deen the whole time. Ok, not really, but frying anything does take me back to that good ole southern comfort food feeling.

Carefully drop the filet into the hot oil and cook on each side for about 3 minutes. This will vary based on the thickness of your fish. It is also important to make sure that your oil is not too hot. Overly hot oil will lead to burnt breading and raw fish. yuck. You want a light bubble and crackle without splattering oil and hissing. Just play around with it until you get it right.

When the fish is done frying, move it to a piece of brown package paper, a brown paper bag, or newspaper to drain off some of the excess oil. Also, while the fish s still hot and oily, sprinkle on a little bit of salt. And Voila! You have the Fish of Fish and Chips :)

Now all you have to do is grab your favorite beer and enjoy your British pub night!

And now I am in London where I no doubt will be introduced to new foods, ingredients, and ways of cooking and you, my lovely readers, will get to travel alongside me as I update you on my new inspirations. People always talk bad about British food but I am determined to find the good in it and absolutely cannot wait to try the infamous Indian food in London.

Wrap it Up!

So, I am not really a big meat eater. Fish? Always! Chicken? Not a huge fan. Red Meat? Sometimes. Turkey? Ew. In fact, I used to be pescatarian, meaning the only meat I ate was fish. I did this for many reasons. Some due to my freakishly high cholesterol, some due to the hormones put in meat these days, and some due to the oftentimes disgustingness of the large meat-packing corporations. My allergies have left me needing meat, otherwise there wouldn't be much else to eat a lot of the time. I am still not a big fan of most meats though.

One meat I have always been a fan of and will always be a fan of, however, is bacon. And lately I have been craving bacon. And I've been in to wrapping things in bacon...

Here are two recipes for things wrapped in bacon. I used the same sauce for both as well because why change what works, am I right?

First up we got some veggies...

Green Bean Bundles:

Ingredients:

Green Beans or Hericot Verts

10 slices of bacon, cut in half lengthwise

1 stick vegan butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 cup brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Next, cook the green beans. You can do his by steaming them on the stove or my favorite way is to be the steam in bag kind and do all the work in the microwave.

After the beans are cooked, wait for them to cool a little bit then gather them in bundles of 6-8. Wrap each bundle with a piece of bacon, wrapping it together in a kind of knot.

Place each bundle, knot-side down on a baking sheet sprayed lightly with cooking spray.

Now that the bundles are prepared, it is time to make the sauce. Combine the minced garlic, butter and brown sugar on the stove over medium heat. Melt the butter and stir everything to combine. Cook until it starts to resemble cooking caramel, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Once the sauce is ready remove it from the stove and pour it over the bundles.

Bake the green bean bundles for about 35-40 minutes until bacon is crispy.

These are a staple for holiday meals and special family dinners. No one ever complains. Unlike me, my family s full of major meat eaters.

And next at bat we have a little seafood...

Bacon-Wrapped Scallops

Ingredients:

12 scallops

6 slices of bacon, cut in half lengthwise

12 skewer sticks

1 stick vegan butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 cup brown sugar.

First set your oven to broil.

Next take the half slices of bacon and pre-cook them a little in the microwave. I zapped mine for bout a minute and a half. You still want the bacon to me easily bendable.

Wrap the slice of bacon around each scallop and stick a skewer through to hold it all together.

Once all of the scallops are wrapped and skewered, it's time to make the sauce. Start by combining the butter, brown sugar and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook until it starts to look kind of caramely, stirring almost constantly.

When the sauce is done, remove from the stove and pour slowly over the scallops. spoon any sauce that fell to the bottom of the pan back onto the scallops.

Broil the scallops for about 6 minutes, or until bacon is crispy.

Yum Yum Yum it's BACON (please tell me I am not the only one who has seen that dog treat commercial?)

Langostino Scampi Pasta

The other night my roommate Morgen and I wanted to make shrimp scampi for dinner, so after we picked up FREE cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes (yes, you should be jealous). We stopped by Marvelous Market to get sourdough bread and then Trader Joe's to get the rest of the things we needed.

While we were looking around TJ's we saw frozen cooked langostino, and they looked good, so we decided why not just try that. Then, I became curious about what a langostino is exactly so I consulted the ever-useful Wikipedia when we got back to the room. They are small lobster or crawfish like animals and apparently what the original scampi was made with- Perfect!

Langostino Scampi Pasta

1 pound brown rice linguini or spaghetti

4 tablespoons vegan butter (Earth Balance)

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 large shallot, finely diced

5 cloves garlic, sliced

pinch red pepper flakes, optional

1 pound cooked langostino tails (can easily be found pre-cooked and frozen)

salt and pepper

1/2 cup white wine

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves

To start the pasta, bring a large pot of water to a boil then add salt and pasta. Stir the pasta to separate then cover the pot. Once the water comes back to a boil, cook for about 6-8 minutes, until the pasta is not quite done. Drain the pasta and reserve a cup of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter with 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Then add the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes and saute until shallots are translucent (about 3-4 minutes). Season the tails with salt and pepper and add to the sauce to heat and absorb the flavors (about 2 minutes). Remove the tails then add in the lemon juice and wine. Bring to a boil then add the remaining butter and oil. Once the butter has melted, add the tails back in as well as the parsley, pasta, and pasta water. Stir well and season with additional salt and pepper.

**This post was edited on 12/12/10 to make it gluten and dairy free.

Inspired by Italy: Mediterranean Salmon and Herbed Polenta

My friend Nathan came over for dinner tonight and since D.C. looks more like the north pole than the mid-atlantic right now I thought that a mediterranean meal would be a nice escape from the cold. The salmon recipe was given to me by my mom and polenta has been something I have wanted to try. I had never made polenta before, in fact I had never even eaten it, but I saw this recipe from Giada and thought I'd give it a try. I have now decided that Polenta may be one of my new favorite foods. It reminds me of a mix between mashed potatoes and grits- two of the most comforting foods. Both recipes are pretty quick and easy as well, and cooking the salmon in foil means easy clean-up after!

Mediterranean Salmon

4 salmon fillets

3/4 teaspoon lemon pepper

3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes

2 oz reduced-fat basil and tomato feta cheese

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place each fillet on a greased piece of aluminum foil. Sprinkle each with lemon pepper, dill, and salt. Top with the remaining ingredients. Fold the aluminum foil into packets and place on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes. For a more rustic dinner you can serve straight from the foil or you can remove onto a plate.

Parmesan and Herb Polenta

6 cups water

2 teaspoons salt

1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal

3/4 cup grated Parmesan

3/4 cup whole milk

6 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

2 tablespoons chopped rosemary

2 tablespoons thyme

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Bring water to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons salt. Gradually whisk in cornmeal, then reduce to low and cook until thick and tender (about 15 min). Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan, milk, butter, herbs, and pepper.

Pseudo Gourmet: Salmon Croquettes

Here's a recipe that can be served as fancy (at least in my definition of the word) appetizer or if you make them a little bigger a nice entree. The best part about these croquettes is that they are made out of common and cheap ingredients. I can also confirm that they refrigerate well and taste good as leftovers. So whether you want a casual dinner for yourself or something to serve as cute party food this recipe works well.

Salmon Croquettes

1 (7 oz) can salmon

2 green onions, chopped fine

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

2 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cup corn meal breading or gluten free bread crumbs

olive oil, for sauteing

In a large bowl, combine the salmon, onions, dijon mustard, eggs, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup gluten free crumbs. When adding the salmon, drain the juice and flake with a fork.

Form the mixture into 10 rounds and set on a plate or baking sheet to rest for 15 minutes.

Heat up enough olive oil to cover a pan over medium-low heat to a simmer. Add the salmon croquettes a few at a time, frying on each side for about 3 minutes.

Once fried, remove onto a plate covered in paper towels to drain some of the grease.

**This post was edited on 12/12/10 to make it gluten and dairy free