Category: Dinners

These are some of the dinner that Grandpa serves to his guests or to his lovely wife. They are, however, recipes that you will feel good about serving.

Fish and Chips

You will need peanut oil for frying

INGREDIENTS: CHIPS

  • 2 large russet potatoes
  • salt

INGREDIENTS: FISH

  • 4 fillets of white fish ( cod, haddock, halibut, Tilapia)

INGREDIENTS: BATTER and DREDGING

  • 3/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 3/4 C AP flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp corn starch
  • 3/4 C ice water
  • 3 TBL beer
  • 1 egg, plus 1 yolk – whisk together in Bowl 1
  • 2 egg whites, plus 1 white – in Bowl 2
  • Peanut oil for deep frying

SIDES

  • Salt
  • Malt vinegar
  • Ketchup
  • Pickled onions
  • Cucumber slices – Slice extremely thin
  • Lemon wedges

STEP BY STEP

  1. Preheat oven to 300º
    FISH
  2. Cut fish into 2 – 3 inch pieces across the fillet
  3. Season fish generously with salt
    – set aside
    CHIPS
  4. Slice potatoes lengthwise into quarters
    Rotate and cut into quarters again, creating square logs
    NOTE: Some recipes have you par boil the potatoes in salted water for five minutes
  5. Put on paper towel to dry
    – set aside
    BATTER
  6. Make batter in a large mixing bowl
  7. Mix flour and salt
  8. Whisk in egg from Bowl one, water and beer
  9. Whisk until completely smooth
    – set aside for bubbles to subside
    BACK TO THE CHIPS
  10. In a large cast iron skillet, place potatoes in a single layer
  11. Cover with COLD oil by an extra inch
  12. Turn heat under skillet to high and let oil come to 250º
    – Be sure that you have an instant read thermometer
    – A splatter screen will help too, as it will spatter as the heat increases
  13. Continue cooking until oil comes up to 350º
    – Meanwhile prepare a baking sheet lined with newspaper, with a cooling rack on it.
  14. When heat reaches 350º turn heat to low, and continue cooking potatoes for another 2 minutes or until potatoes are golden
  15. Turn heat off and immediately remove potatoes to drain on the cooling racks
  16. Place in the oven at 300º to keep warm
    BACK TO THE BATTER
  17. In a large clean mixing bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy, but not stiff
  18. Whisk both mixing bowls together
    PREPARING YOUR FISH
  19. Spread flour on a large plate
  20. Dredge fish lightly with flour and put onto a rack for later use
  21. Reheat oil over high heat to 360-365º
  22. Using fork, dip piece of fish in batter until well coated
  23. Shake off excess batter
  24. Carefully put fish into oil, no more than four pieces at a time
  25. Fry until golden brown – About 3 minutes per side
  26. Transfer fish to a drying rack or newspaper to drain
  27. Fry other fish pieces in the same manner
  28. If you are fixing a fair amount of fish, every 4-6 pieces, put it into the oven to keep warm
  29. Serve at once with chips and sides

Eggplant Medallions

We spent three months in Istanbul, Turkey. Constantinople, as sung in the old song.

Eggplant (or Patliçan, in Turkish – said “Paht luh jahn”) figures into many meals there. Here is my personal Turkish recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1 eggplant
Cheddar cheese (grated)
Mozzarella cheese (grated)
Marinara (red) sauce
2 eggs
Bread crumbs

STEP BY STEP

Peel eggplant
Cut into 1/4 inch medallions
Beat the egg well
Dip medallions into egg, then bread crumbs
Fry over hot skillet in just a bit of oil
These can be stored for up to a week
When you are ready to cook, put aluminum foil onto a baking sheet, and place 3 medallions for each person on the foil
Spread a spoonful of marinara sauce onto the medallion
Put grated cheeses over top of the sauce
Bake about 10 minutes at 350 or until starts to brown
A GREAT side for this is Cacik (a cold Turkish yogurt/cucumber dish)

SPECIAL TIPS

Female eggplants generally have smaller seeds than male. Look for an eggplant with a smaller dimple on the end.

OTHER COMMENTS

When purchasing, an eggplant, it should be firm to the touch, but dimple slightly.

Tomato Salad

This simple garden salad is easy enough for a beginner, but complex enough that it could be served at a high-end restaurant.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  •  TBL red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 sprinkle garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp teaspoon salt
  • a pinch of teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 roma tomatoes, chunked
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, chunked
  • 1-2 scallions (green onions), sliced
  • several sprigs chopped fresh basil

STEP BY STEP

  1. In a large bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, sugar, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper
  2. Whisk well
  3. Add remaining ingredients and gently toss until evenly coated.
  4. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

NOTES

  • Tomatoes are at their tastiest when eaten at room temperature.
  • If you’re assembling this salad in advance and refrigerating, just let it sit out on the counter for 30 minutes or so before serving.
  • Serve with French bread. Sop up oil from the bottom of the bowl.

Güveç a traditional dish

Chicken güveç with mixed vegetables

This recipe is from my friend from Istanbul, Mevlüt.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 chicken (tavuk)
  • medium onion (sogon)
  • 1/2 C grams of green beans.
  • 2 medium potatoes
  • 1 eggplant (aubergine)
  • 1 squash
  • 6 mushrooms
  • 2 green chilies
  • 1/2 C grated cheese
  • 3 medium tomatoes
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

STEP BY STEP

  1. Wash the chicken and cut into medium-sized pieces.
  2. Dice the onion and halve the mushrooms
  3. Peel the eggplant, potatoes and squash and cut into medium-sized pieces.
  4. Cut the chilies and beans into small pieces, and cut the tomatoes into thin, round slices.
  5. Grease the pan(s) you will use for baking.
  6. Place all the vegetables in the pot except for the tomatoes.
  7. Arrange the chicken evenly over the vegetables.
  8. Add about half a cup of water and salt and pepper to taste.
  9. Top with the tomato slices, then with cheese
  10. Cover tightly and bake for one hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or 180 degrees Celsius.
  11. Serve hot and bubbling.

VARIATIONS

  • This can be made in one large dish, or several small ones for individual servings.
  • You can use any type of meat.  Lamb is also popular.

 

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