SCHEDULE OF CLASSES AND EVENTS 2010

COOKING ON THE RIVER WITH PHYLLIS SEGURA

SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER, 12, TUESDAYS

COOKING LIGHT CLASS BEGINS AT BOCES W.NYACK

THERE IS STILL ROOM LEFT IN THIS CLASS.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED ACT QUICKLY.

CALL BOCES: 845-348-3500

OCTOBER 14, THURSDAY

COOKING DEMO AT NANUET LIBRARY-FREE

HAZELNUT TROUT AND FLOATING ISLAND

OCTOBER 21- NOVEMBER 4, THURSDAYS

SOUPS CLASS AT BOCES W. NYACK

THIS CLASS IS FULL.

NOVEMBER 3 - NOVEMBER 17, WEDNESDAYS

COOKIES, PIES, AND SWEET BREADS CLASS AT W.NYACK BOCES

THERE IS STILL ROOM IN THIS CLASS.

NOVEMBER 11, THURSDAY

COOKING DEMO AT NANUET LIBRARY-FREE

SAUCES AND DIPS

DECEMBER 1 - DECEMBER 15, WEDNESDAYS

GREAT HORS D’OEUVRE, APPETIZERS AND CANAPES

THERE IS STILL ROOM IN THIS CLASS.

DECEMBER 9, THURSDAY

COOKING DEMO AT NANUET LIBRARY-FREE

STUFFED CHICKEN, SPICY COUSCOUS, AND MORE

MORE DEMOS AND CLASSES COMING IN 2011!!

TRY A PRIVATE CLASSES IN YOUR OWN HOME.

GIFT CERTIFICATES FOR PRIVATE CLASSES MAKE GREAT GIFTS.

PASTE & PESTO

See this stuff? It's jars of herbs that have been washed, dried and pulsed in a food processor with some oil. The one with Basil is called PESTO but this one has no nuts or cheese added. Those can be added later. You can use any of these to add to dishes as you like. Putting the herbs in oil also preserves them. I keep them in the fridge and use until they get moldy. The slightest sign of mold and I toss them out. Here we have Cilantro, Parsley and Basil that have been treated in this manner. I also grow Shiso leaves, or what is called Perilla. They are most commonly used with Sushi but they can also be added to salad or smeared on cooked fish, or whatever imaginative use you may imagine.

Next is a dish I made from whatever was around. I had some eggplant, a strange cheese called Provolone-Mozzarella, left-over lamb balls, a jar of Lidia's Marinara sauce (it's really good and not very salty like a lot of jarred tomato sauces...hurrah Lidia!), the pastes as above, Parmigiano cheese, and olive oil. By the time I thought of posting this dish I had already eaten most of it. So excuse a rather messy photo with poor lighting, etc. Pretty bad, huh?

The big issue with eggplant is how do you cook it without 'so much oil'....Okay, you can slice and bake, slice and steam. When you bake you do need a bit of oil. You can do the usual slice and salt, let sweat for about 30 minutes, rinse and dry with paper towels or with a kitchen towel. What I did was to do the slice and sweat routine, then I sprinkled the eggplant with Wondra flour and grilled them in a cast iron frying pan. I stuck some holes through the slices with a fork to make sure they cooked through. Eggplant does not need a lot of cooking. Just get it slightly grilled and toasty on the outside.

Then I poured some of Lidia's Marinara on the bottom of a small rectangular dish, made a layer of the grilled eggplant, added some grated Provolone/Mozzarella, a layer of the sliced lamb balls, some grated parmigiano, a dab here and there of parsley paste and basil paste, more Marinara, another layer of eggplant, and so on...top with the Marinara, and both cheeses. I think I put a  layer of breadcrumbs on top too...yes, I did. And sprinkled the top with one teaspoon of extra-virgin oo. Put into a  350 degree oven on top of a sheet pan, and bake until bubbly and a little bit browned on the top.

Take out. Cool a little. Gobble up. Your dish isn't going to look any nicer than mine but with any luck it will taste just a good. Instead of the lamb balls, use whatever you have....mushrooms sauteed, grilled artichokes,  leftover potatoes, Bob's your uncle.....

YUM, BLOWFISH!
The other day I browsed the fish counter at my local supermarket and there, much to my surprise, was Blowfish for sale. It is one of my favorites from childhood. I remember my grandmother preparing this fish and how delicious it was. Just like chicken. Of course I thought everything she made was delicious and I don't doubt at all that it was. Searching my memory bank for how she prepared it, I zoned right in. Flour and egg was all she used. And then the fish were fried. I don't eat much fish but I couldn't resist these even at $14.99 per pound. They tasted just as good cold the next day. These were undoubtedly an inexpensive fish when my grandmother purchased them. Everything that was once cheap is now expensive. So when you are told to eat like your grandparents, remember that. But today I did and I had enough to give to a friend. These are not in the market often but when they are there you might want to give them a try. I friend them with an egg batter but you could just saute them with a little bit of oil, salt and pepper.


A bit about Blowfish. It is also called Fugu in Japan. People might remember that as the 'poisonous fish.' But there are 25 species worldwide and the one in my supermarket was probably the kind that can be found off the coastline of New Jersey, yes NJ, and the Carolina's seawater. They are probably Northern Puffers or Sea Squab and they are not poisonous.

 Here are photos of their preparation:

The raw Blowfish in water.

Cut off the whatever it's called on the top and bottom...

Cut off the fins on both sides.

The cleaned fish.

Dip the fish in all-purpose flour that has some salt and pepper added.

Dip in beaten egg.

Dip a second time in flour. And a second time in the egg.

Have a frying pan ready with a thin layer of oil, preferably Grapeseed oil. Don't crowd the frying pan. You can make several batches. Place the double-dipped fish into the hot oil and fry until golden, turn over and fry on the other side until golden. Remove to a plate with some paper toweling. Sprinkle the fish with salt. EAT. or refrigerate to eat cold. There is a center bone but sometimes a few side bones.