Recipe Review from 9/7/2020

Fall has arrived!  The leaves are starting to change color - the Balm of Gilead turned bronze and now yellow, the first maples are showing their reds and oranges, and the first tamarack are losing their green hues. We've also had our first frost this past week - very light one, just nipped the summer zucchini leaves and we covered the butternut squash plants. And the squirrels and mice are getting into everything.

A 'salty' came in while I was on my noon walkabout.

The Meal Plan
Sat (L) Sandwiches (S) Dinner with family
Sun (L) Zucchini Noodles (S) P- Pizza
Mon (L) Pizza and salad (S) Fish tacos
Tues - Fish Tacos
Wed - Za'tar roasted chicken and zucchini
Thurs (yoga) chicken and salad
Fri - chicken and salad


Lunches - sandwiches, fruit, nuts


This week's recipes are from the Milk Street Tuesday Nights and Falastin cookbooks. I'm going to point you in the direction of your library for these - while fabulous, fairly simple recipes, they are just too long to type out. I would much rather be enjoying our beautiful fall weather than sit inside on the computer. So, check out these cookbooks!

Fish Taco's (Milk Street Tuesday Nights) Serves 4

I forgot to take a picture. Which is not unusual - I frequently forget to take a picture. Mostly I didn't take a picture because I was so flustered from the damn fish failure that I just wanted dinner on the table.

First, these were good. The sliced jalapeno's spiciness was mellowed in fresh lime juice, the jalapeno's spiciness tamed in the "tartar sauce", the crunchy cabbage and crisp radishes - yum yum yum.

Cooking the fish was the disaster. You HAVE to have a non-stick skillet to make this as written, which is - coat your cod in cornstarch and lightly fry in your non-stick skillet. I do not own a non-stick skillet, so I tried to modify and failed. Absolutely failed. My fish stuck to my skillet better than any glue I own. I baked the remainder and let me tell you, cornstarch coated fish is not the most appealing baked.

The next evening I made the last two fillets "Minnesota" style - which was I heated some oil in my cast iron skillet, coated the fillet nuggets lightly in flour seasoned with salt and pepper, and proceeded. Worked perfectly.

So, these are good but be aware, if you don't have a good non-stick skillet, cook the fish another way. I will make these again, but I'm making the fish ala "Minnesota" style.


Za'tar Roasted Chicken (Falastin) Serves 4-6
Similar to my Fish Taco fiasco above, you need one of those really sturdy baking sheets for this. Not your standard cookie sheet. Which is what I have and in hindsight, I should have just used my stainless steel skillet. Hindsight is always 20/20 (grumble).

This was, despite my cookie sheet, outstanding. Like I would make it again next week outstanding (I'm not going to, but it's that good). Incredibly easy to assemble and that was with quartering my own chicken! Go me! Season chicken, but on baking sheet (or your sturdiest oven-safe skillet), bake. While chicken rests, make the sauce and serve! There is time to clean up and make a side.

I'm making this again. Recommended.

Zucchini Salad (Falastin) Serves 4-6

Garden season is starting to come to an end here in Minnesota, which means we're getting creative with how to use the plethora of zucchini we end up with. This cookbook has been a great resource for new zucchini salads, and this one was quick, easy, and tasty. I served this alongside the Za'tar chicken and later, with sandwiches.

Zucchini is thinly sliced - either with a mandolin, a vegetable peeler or the flat blade on a spiralizer - into long very thin "noodles". This is topped with a lemon-oil style dressing and grated Parmesan cheese. Not a salad you can make ahead, best combined right before serving and don't plan on saving leftovers. This is bright, a tich creamy, and very refreshing. I would make this again.