From the Health Meals series - Pad Thai

A few of my Healthy Meals clients have requested some of my recipes.  So we will be posting some of them occasionally.  These meals are all based on whole grains, low fats, nothing artificial, and whenever possible I use organic and locally sourced food.

Some of these recipes will have two ingredient options, one is from the detox meals (the italics and bolded ingredient) we did which was a very restricted diet the other is still healthy just not quite as restricted.

Pad Thai

The easiest way to do this recipe is to cook everything separately then toss all together.  You don’t have to use separate pans, using the same pan – cook then set each item aside until ready to combine.

This recipe can easily be adjusted, if you like more shrimp or chicken go for it!

You may use a wok or a large sauté pan.

1 lb Pad Thai rice noodles

8 shrimp

1 chicken breast

3 eggs

2T+ chili oil

1/4C+ sesame oil

4 T fish sauce

1/3 c low sodium soy sauce or plum coconut vinegar

salt & white pepper

olive oil

¼ c peanuts or cashews

scallions

bean sprouts

lime

Soak Pad Thai noodles – found at an Asian market for cheap or in a supermarket, usually in with the Asian foods – drain when pliable

Peel and devein shrimp, sauté in light olive oil with a dash of chili oil (set aside).

Cut chicken breast into 1-inch strips, sauté in light olive oil with a dash of chili oil (set aside).

Whisk eggs with a dash of chili oil, pinch of salt and white pepper. Grease pan with a little olive oil over medium heat, pour eggs in and allow to cook like a pancake. Remove when cooked and slice into strips.

Chop nuts.

Now time to assemble:

With pan on medium heat add low sodium soy sauce or plum coconut vinegar-(available at Whole Foods), ¼ C sesame oil, fish sauce 2 Tbls chili oil, whisk then add the noodles – cook for 5 minutes tossing to coat noodles, then add rest of ingredients toss to mix cook for approximately 5 minutes till everything is warm. Garnish with sliced scallions, bean sprouts and lime wedges.

Italian ricotta cake with stawberry sauce

This ricotta cake recipe comes from Chef Paolo Labao whose cooking class I attended in September at Arte Italia in Reno. He calles it a cake, but I consider it more of a tarte. It is simple, delicately sweet and goes well at an end of a heavy meal. If you want to sample the Chef's fare for yourself, you can visit his
restaurant Farina in San Francisco.

Ricotta cake

300gr/10.5 oz OO flour

200gr/7 oz butter

1 egg

100gr/3.5 oz sugar

pinch baking powder

lemon zest from one lemon

Using two fingers, mix above ingredients together (do not over mix)

Line a spring form pan with parchment paper

Push dough into pan to form crust

320gr/11.2 oz sheep’s ricotta

120gr/4.2 oz sugar

lemon zest from one lemon

½ tsp vanilla

2 egg yolks

1 whole egg

Mix together until thoroughly blended

Pour into crust

Bake at 360º for ½ an hour

2 C sliced strawberries

1 Tbls powdered sugar

½ Tbls lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a blender

Blend on slow then high till smooth

Strain through fine sieve strainer

To plate:

Put a couple of Tbls of sauce on plate, place a slice of cake on plate, sprinkle powdered sugar over top  

Genovese-style swordfish with truffle

Saltimbocca di Pesce Spada con Speck, Salvia al Tartufo Nero

(Swordfish wrapped with sage, truffle & speck)

Once again must thank Chef Paolo Laboa and Arte Italia for these wonderful recipes.  Often called the steak of the sea, swordfish is a versatile tasty treat and when you prepare it in this classic Italian style you can’t go wrong.  Of course you will need a great dessert, so stay tuned for a post on a delicious and light ricotta cake.

Carrots

Celery

Onion

(above all large diced approx 1 ½ C of each)

1 bay leaf

1 medium sprig sage

1 Tbls chopped garlic

2 Tbls olive oil

5-6 oz piece of veal or veal bones

2 Tbls flour

1 C white wine

In an oven safe sauce pot add carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, sage, garlic and olive oil.

Caramelize then add a piece of veal and cook for approx 10 min on medium high heat.

Stir in flour then deglaze with white wine.

Transfer to 375º oven, cook till dark in color.

Remove from oven, add water to cover then reduce down on stove top till thick and dark in color, strain set aside.

Veal piece may be reserved and used in another dish; ravioli, pasta, soups

Truffles like these can cost hundreds of dollars an ounce,
but cans of shaved truffle can be found at much lower prices.

4 to 6 oz swordfish filets

Black truffle, shaved

Sage leaves

Salt

Thin sliced speck (similar to prosciutto but smoked and herbed)

olive oil

butter

white wine

layer on fish: truffle, sage, a little salt, wrap with speck flap on bottom

Fish pieces with truffle and sage before being wrapped in speck

Heat a large sauté pan with 2 Tbls oil, 1 Tbls butter and 3 sage leaves till butter begins to brown.

Add fish with flap side down.

Once pan is warm again, deglaze with white wine.

Cook fish to medium–it cooks fast.

Boil fingerling potatoes (quantity dependent upon amount wanted) in salted water till soft or able to pierce with a fork.

Drain, add finely chopped sage, salt (to taste), olive oil (approx ½ Tbls per 1 C potatoes) and mash lightly (do not over mash).

To plate:

scoop of potatoes on plate, lay fish on top grate truffle on top of fish, drizzle veal sauce around fish

Preparing Genovese-style Italian food

Chef Paolo Laboa and Ivano Centemeri

Once again I had the opportunity to attend a cooking demonstration at Arte Italia. Returning chef Paolo Laboa, ably aided by Reno's Ivano Centemeri, cooked and served four fabulous courses and this week I’ll share the Antipasti and Primo Piatto courses.

The mission of Arte Italia is to bring Italian art, food and culture to Reno and I feel they are succeeding. I also love the fact that all the proceeds from the classes are donated to St. Vincent’s right here in Reno.

My mother and sister attended the class with me and we enjoyed a fun night out. Chef Laboa has a restaurant in San Francisco called Farina that we hope to visit soon. If it is half as good as the dishes he prepared for us, we can’t go wrong.

Antipasti

Brandata di baccala con panissa alla savonese

Dry cod served in Savonese style fried chick pea polenta

300gr/10.5oz dry salt Cod

50gr/1.75oz white onion

1 Tbls Pinenuts

1 potato

1 bay leaf

approx. 1 C white wine

olive oil

Put a pot on the stove with water and bring to a simmer.

Rinse the salt cod in water.

Add the rinsed cod to the simmering water till softened.

In sauté pan on med high heat drizzle olive oil, add pine nuts, bay leaves, thinly sliced potato, white onion.

Once hot, deglaze with white wine, add the salt cod to the sauce pan cook low and slow 20 to 25 minutes (potato cooked till almost melted) covered.

Remove bay leaf, mix all in Quisinart until consistency of mashed potatoes, may need to add water if to dry to puree.

250gr/8.75oz chickpea flour

1 ltr water

pinch of salt

oil for frying

Bring water and salt to a boil, whisk in chickpea flour, cook 20/25 minutes medium high heat cooked to a consistency of polenta.

Swirl a little water around a bowl add cooked chickpea mixture, cover with plastic wrap place in refrigerator to cool.

Once cool, cut into “steakcut size French fries” approx. 2 ½” long ¼” thick.

Deep fry in oil, till crisp on outside and still soft inside.

Salt

To plate:

Form the Cod mixture into quenelles (football shaped) using two spoons.

Put 2 to 3 chickpea fries on a plate, place quenelle on top drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with fresh ground pepper garnish with a parsley leaf.

Primo Piatto

Testaroli della lunigina con fungi porcini

Genovese style crepe served with sautéed porcini mushrooms

Semolina flour 35%

OO flour 65%

Water (enough to make a crepe batter/thin pancake batter)

2 Tbls extra virgin olive oil

mix thoroughly in blender

Use 8” to 10” non-stick, oven safe pan.

Heat pan on stove top till very hot.

Pour batter into middle of pan, swirl around to create a thin crepe. It will be holey.

Once it begins to brown, finish in oven.

Crepes may be made in advance, just cover and refrigerate. To reheat, cut crepes into rustic shapes, 6 to 8 pieces per crepe, warm again by dipping in boiling salted water for a few seconds, do not try to re-warm with a dry heat.

fresh porcinis (if not available chantrelles work well also) thinly sliced approx. 4C

porcini powder 1 to 2 Tbls

whole garlic cloves 2 to 3

salt pinch

extra virgin olive oil

white wine approx.1 C

pepper

parsley  approx. 4 Tbls 

butter

parmesan cheese

In a sauté pan warm olive oil and garlic cloves.

Add mushrooms.

After mushrooms cook about halfway, add white wine, finely chopped parsley and porcini powder.

Remove garlic.

Warm sauté pan with olive oil and a bit of butter.

Drop rustic cut crepes to warm, sprinkle with parmesan cheese

To plate:

Place a couple pieces of crepe in bowl, add mushroom mixture on top.

Next week: Secondo Piatto and Dessert

Cannoli with pistachio mascarpone

These Pistachio cannoli are fabulous! Very impressive looking and not hard to make. Don’t be afraid to get creative with the filling, just substitute the pistachio paste for another flavor. I love a walnut filling with ends dipped in chocolate shavings or vanilla hazelnut.

As you get invited to holiday parties, keep these in mind. You can make the shells in advance, cool, wrap really well and freeze. To thaw, unwrap and lay out on paper towel (prevents condensation and helps to keep crisp), once thawed seal in airtight container till ready to be used. Your treat will be the hit of the party!

Cannoli croccanti con mascarpone e pistachio

Cannoli with pistachio mascarpone

For the cannoli shells:

Forms - copper piping works well 1 inch diameter approximately 5 inches long

Flour double oo (fine) 600 grams / 1.32 #

Sugar 100 grams / 3.52 oz

Butter 100 grams / 3.52 oz @ room temperature

White wine 15 ml / 1 Tbls

Marsala sweet wine 15 ml / 1 Tbls

Lemon rind of two lemons microplained

Mix ingredients together; soft cookie dough consistency. Do not over mix. Cover and put in refrigerator for at least one hour to allow dough to “relax”.

For the filling:

Marscapone 1 kilo / 2.2 #

Confectioners sugar 100 gr / 3.52 oz

Pistachio paste 200 gr / 7.05 oz (available in specialty stores, ice cream ingredient or make your own by pureeing till paste)

Whipping cream 200 gr / 7.05 oz

Gelatin leaves 4 - soak in water

Mix;

Marscapone, sugar, pistachio paste and whipping cream (reserve approximately ¼ cup). Once all ingredients are well mixed together take gelatin leaves out of water, squeeze excess water out, warm reserved cream in sauce pot add gelatin leaves till dissolved, then mix into filling.

You can add nuts, dried fruit etc.. to mix if you desire.

To make the cannoli shells using a pasta machine, work the dough through the machine till it is on number one.  Lay out on a lightly floured surface cut out rectangles that leave approximately ½ an inch on each end of form and just overlap by approximately a ¼ inch seal with an egg wash.

Cook in an oil with a high smoke point - peanut or lard (the best). Cook till golden brown. Remove from oil place on paper towel lined sheet tray and slide off of forms.

To assemble:

Fill a wide tipped pastry bag with filling. Pipe into cannoli shell from each end.

Set on sheet tray, dust with confectioners sugar

To plate: place red raspberries on plate 3, put a cannoli in center of plate   

Multi-Layer Chocolate Cake

Do you have some extra time on your hands? If you spend it making this cake you will not be sorry. Now the question, how many layers can you make? 12, 14, 16? To make the process a bit easier, gather at least 6 9-inch cake pans. 

This is a sweet dessert so one cake serves 15 to 20. Good luck and have fun!

Chocolate layer cake

1 ¾ C butter (3 ½ sticks), 1 C @ room temperature

5 oz (5 squares) unsweetened chocolate melted

7 C sugar

2 ¼ C (18 oz) evaporated milk

3 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbls instant French roast coffee granules

6 large eggs, room temperature

2 C plus 1 Tbls milk

4 C self-rising flour

Non-stick baking spray

Make the cake glaze first.  In a large saucepan, melt ¾ C of the butter and mix it with the melted chocolate and 4 ½ C of the sugar.
Stir in the evaporated milk, 2 tsp of the vanilla, and the instant coffee.
Cook the glaze over medium-high heat until it boils.
Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 20 minutes. Remove the glaze from the heat.
When cooled a bit, return to low heat as needed, as the glaze must be warm to spread on the cake layers.

Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray using non-stick baking spray or grease and flour at least four 9-inch cake pans.
Cream the remaining 1 C butter and remaining 2 ½ C sugar until smooth.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition just until blended.
Mix the remaining 1 tsp vanilla with the milk (2 C plus 1Tbls) and add alternately with the flour, beginning and ending with flour.

Put a very thin layer of batter -about 7 Tbls- in each pan, shaking the pans to distribute the batter to the edges.
Bake the layers for 11 to 13 minutes.
Remove the layers from the pans and frost (a combination of drizzle and lightly spreading works) immediately with the warm icing. Continue baking layers with remaining batter at least twelve!

Hopefully this will become a family favorite.

Savoring Late Summer's Tomato Bounty

Well they are finally here. After wind storms, drought, extreme heat, and even a little plague, the extremely desirable ripe-off-the-vine garden tomato is ready for the picking.
So how does one enjoy these beauties? Well, if you don’t eat them right of the plant standing in your garden, there is a multitude of ways to enjoy this summer harvest. Here are a few of my favorite summer tomato recipes:

Caprese Salad
(Figure 3 to 4 slices of tomato per person)
Fresh tomato
Fresh basil
*Balsamic vinegar
Fresh mozzarella (buffalo is best)
Sea salt

Slice your tomatoes and mozzarella about ¼ inch thick.
Layer tomato slices, mozzarella then basil drizzle balsamic over them.
I like to serve the salt on the side
*You can buy a really expensive balsamic or reduce down a decent one to make it thicker and concentrate the flavors. Simply put 4 cups in a sauce pot on medium high heat. Cook until it is reduced down to 1 to 2 cups depending upon how thick you like it. If you like a sweeter balsamic add a little sugar or better yet some honey as it reduces.

Tomato Tarte
Puff pastry (one 17.3 oz package thawed or feel free to make if you have the time)
Fresh tomato
Parmesan cheese
Egg (beaten)
Fresh mozzarella
Fresh basil
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400º.
Lay out one sheet of pastry, brush with egg wash.
Cut other pastry into thirds, attach one section to end of pastry sheet, brush with egg wash.
Cut remaining 2 sections length wise into 1-inch strips, lay them along edges of long pastry sheet creating a crust, brush with egg wash and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake in oven till golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
(This step may be done 2 to 3 days in advanced then wrapped tightly and stored till needed.)
Reduce heat to 325º

Take sliced tomatoes and lay them on the cooked tarte, then layer sliced fresh mozzarella drizzle olive oil put in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes till mozzarella is melted before slicing tear basil and drop all over the tarte, serve warm or at room temperature.