“When you feel neglected, think of the female salmon, who lays 3,000,000 eggs but no one remembers her on Mother’s Day” – Sam Ewing

As most of you know, salmon has always been associated with a healthy diet. You know, its full of that “good fat” omega-3. Long known for its positive benefits for fighting heart disease, new studies have know shown that high consumption of omega-3 fatty acids can also reduce the risk of several cancers including breast and prostate. So bottom line…eat your salmon!!! Here’s an Asian inspired recipe that I’ve created. It’s healthy, full of flavor and super easy to make.

Soy and Ginger Salmon, with Soba Noodles and Asparagus

Ingredients for 2 portions:

- two wild salmon fillets

- vegetable oil, one tablespoon

- light soy sauce, three tablespoons

- ginger, two inch piece grated

- one lemon, sliced in half

- two Thai chilies, finely chopped

- soba noodles, 1 bunch

- sesame oil, one tablespoon

- three to four green onions (scallions), finely shopped, white part only

- one bunch asparagus

Directions:

Place fillets in a shallow bowl. Mix oil, soy, ginger, the juice of half a lemon and chopped chilies into a small bowl. Pour over the filets. Marinate in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Fill medium pot with water, add a sprinkle of salt and bring to a boil. Chuck in your asparagus and cook for three to four minutes. Remove asparagus and cool in a bowl full of ice and cold water. Set aside. Add soba noodles to boiling water and cook until soft, about five to six minutes. Strain through a colander and immediately rinse with cold water. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the sesame oil and green onions, a splash of soy sauce and a few cracks of black pepper. Set aside.

Remove fillets from the fridge. Preheat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan. Season fillets on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the salmon in the pan, flesh side down, and cook until it is nicely browned and caramelized, about four to five minutes. Flip over, lower heat to medium-low and cook on the other side for about three to four minutes until cooked through. Season asparagus with salt, pepper and a squirt of lemon juice.

Place everything on a few plates and serve it up.

Stay hungry and stick a fork in it, cancer!!!

JS

I just had lunch at one of my favorite spots here in London, Phat Phuc Noodle Bar (http://www.phatphucnoodlebar.com/index.htm). I always order the same thing, Pho Ga, which is basically a chicken broth soup with some veg, noodles and sliced chicken breast. How can something so simple be so good? Then I realize, it’s the stock, stupid. I immediately have flashbacks to my first few months at the French Culinary Institute, sweating over massive pots of newly made stock while my instructor screams at me, “zis is za foundation of all good food…za building block of food zat you don’t deserve to cook!!!”
Anyway, years later, I realize he was spot on…but if stock is so important why don’t more people make it? Writing a blog about stock might not be the most exciting of reads but it should be one of the most valuable. Making your own stock is dead easy and essential to fine home cooking. Post Thanksgiving I dumped the turkey carcass along with some vegetables into a large pot of water and simmered for a few hours. Skim, strain and cool…it’s that easy. I now have a great turkey stock for Mrs. Steadman’s turkey chili. Continue reading →

My wife and I recently returned from Egypt…yes Egypt. Fortunately we spent most of our time in Sharm El Sheikh, however, we did end up in Cairo on the eve of the riots and quickly left on the last British Airways flight out of the country hours before all hell broke loose.  Back to Sharm El Sheikh…not that you would right now but if you are looking for a great hotel on the Red Sea, I highly recommend the Four Seasons (http://www.fourseasons.com/sharmelsheikh/). The facilities are amazing, as is the staff. My only complaint was the food…needs some help.  As a result, my wife had the same lunch five days in a row…chicken schawarma. The good news was it was amazing so after our last meal I asked the chef for the recipe. There are a lot of ingredients but its worth it. Here goes…

Chicken Schawarma

Ingredients

- three chicken breasts chopped into bite sized pieces

- 1 cup yogurt

- 1 cup orange juice plus grated zest

- juice of 1 lemon plus grated zest

- 1 teaspoon cardamon powder

- 1 teaspoon coriander powder

- 1 teaspoon allspice

- 1 teaspoon ground cloves

- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- 1 teaspoon tumeric

- 1 teaspoon chili powder

- 1 bay leaf

- 4 garlic cloves, chopped

- 1/4 cup white vinegar

- salt and pepper

- vegetable oil

- half a red onion choppped

- 2 pickles chopped

- pita bread (wholemeal if you can…white flour is not good for you)

Directions

Mix all the ingredients up to the vinegar in a zip lock bag and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or up to overnight.

Heat up non stick frying pan and add the oil. Remove the chicken from marinate bag and season with salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat until no longer pick…about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the red onion and pickles.

Spoon mixture into the pita and chow down. Its that easy.

Stay hungry, stay foolish and stick a fork in it cancer!!!

I love this dish because its so versatile. The basic recipe is vegetarian but feel free to add shrimp, chicken or roast pork. As far as the veg goes, add whatever is in your fridge. bean sprouts, sugar snap peas, carrots, cabbage…whatever you have.

At the risk of sounding like Rachael Ray, this is a great dinner party dish. Cook your shrimp, chicken and pork separately…set aside in individual bowls and have your guests simply add what they want to the basic recipe.

One of the the best places to get a great plate of pad thai here in London is a restaurant called E&O. If you’re not able to stop in, do the next best thing and buy the cookbook. It’s full of great photos and recipes.

http://www.amazon.com/Eastern-Oriental-Cookbook-Will-Ricker/dp/1740666143/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1294134770&sr=8-2

Here’s the E&O recipe for pad thai

Pad Thai

Ingredients

- 220g rice stick noodles

- vegetable oil for frying

- 250g firm tofu, cut into 2 cm squares

- 2 shallots, sliced

- 4 long red chillies, seeded and finely sliced

- 4 spring onions, sliced

- 2 eggs beaten

- 1 tablespoon tamarind water (1 tablespoon tamarind pulp soaked in 1/2 cup hot water for 20 minutes)

- 1 tablespoon brown sugar

- 1 tablespoon fish sauce

- 2 cups bean sprouts

- 2 limes, cut into wedges

- handful cilantro leaves

- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, crushed

Directions

Soak noodles in cold water for about 10 minutes, or until soft. rinse and drain.

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a wok and fry the tofu until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towel. If you want to add a protein, nows the time. Fry until cooked through and remove.

Add shallots, chillies and spring onions…stir fry briefly. Add the beaten egg and cook for 15 seconds stirring continuously. Add the rice noodles to the wok, pour in the tamarind water and stir in the brown sugar. Now add fish sauce, 1 cup bean sprouts and reserved tofu to the wok. Cook over medium-high heat until heated through…keep stirring.

Tip onto a serving platter and scatter remaining bean sprouts, cilantro and peanuts over dish. serve with lime wedges and dig in!!!

Stay hungry, stay foolish and stick a fork in it!!!

Spelt is an ancient grain that was once a staple for the Roman army. Grown mostly here in Europe its recently gaining popularity in the States. Why should you care? Because spelt is packed full of nutrients including vitamin B2, manganse, niacin, thiamin and copper which means its helpful with migraine headaches, atherosclerosis and diabetes. As far as cancer goes, a recent UK Women’s Cohort Study has concluded that pre-menopausal women eating the most fiber (>30 grams daily) more then halved their risk of developing breast cancer, enjoying a 52% lower risk of breast cancer compared to women whose diets supplied the least fiber (<20 grams daily).

My wife and I have a tradition now to have lunch at our local Italian restaurant, Lucio (http://www.luciorestaurant.com/#http://www.luciorestaurant.com%23), post my chemo. Its my last chance to enjoy a good meal before my chemo side effects kick in, which unfortunately reeks havoc on my taste buds. Yesterday, we tried their minestrone bean soup, which included spelt. Here’s my version…

Tusan bean and spelt soup

Ingredients

- 2 1/2 cups spelt

- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

- 1 onion, finely chopped

- 2 celery stocks, finely chopped

- 1 carrot, finely chopped

- 1 teaspoon dried oregano

- 1 teaspoon dried basil

- 3 garlic cloves

- 8 cups vegetable stock

- 4 tomatoes, peeled, finely chopped

- 1 cup frozen peas

- 1 can cannellini beans

- 4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Soak spelt in cold water for at least 6 hours or even overnight. Drain and set aside.

Add oil to heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot. Saute until veg has softened, about 10 to 15 minutes. Toss in oregano, basil and garlic. Saute for 5 more minutes.

Pour in stock. Add tomatoes and spelt. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in peas and beans and simmer for 20 more minutes.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve

Stay hungry, stay foolish and stick a fork (or spoon) in it!!!!

I know red meat isn’t that high on anyone’s health food list but if consumed in moderation its fine. This time of year, stews and braises are ideal. Caraway seeds and paprika are the key ingredients in this recipe and for all you health nuts out there, paprika is packed full of vitamin C…up to 9 times as much as in a tomato! It also has many anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and is known to lower the risk of cancer.

Ingredients 

- 3 red bell peppers

- 4 slices bacon, chopped

- 3 pounds stewing beef

- 2 tablespoons flour

- 2 medium onions, chopped

- 1 carrot, chopped

- 3 garlic cloves, minced

- 2 tablespoons tomato puree

- 2 tablespoons paprika

- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds

- 6 cups beef broth

- 1/2 cup sour cream

- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

Directions

Roast red peppers over open flame until the skin of the peppers are fully charred. Place peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let them steam for at least 10 min. Peel off charred skin, remove seeds and finely chop. 

Pre-heat oven to 350f. Fry bacon in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Remove to a paper towel. Now add beef to the pot and brown on all sides. Remove meat and set aside with bacon. Add onions and carrot to pot. Saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes (you might need to add a little vegetable oil if there’s not enough fat in the pot). Add garlic and saute for 5 more minutes. 

Add bacon and beef back to pot. Sprinkle in flour and stir to dissolve any clumps. Season with salt and pepper. Toss in tomato puree, paprika,caraway and red peppers. Continue to stir. Add broth and bring to a boil.

Cover pot and place in oven. Cook for 2 1/2 hours. You’ll know its done when you can break apart the meat with a fork. Stir in sour cream and garnish with parsley. I like to serve the goulash over boiled egg noodles. Try it!!!

Stay hungry, stay foolish and stick a fork in it!!!

I just wanted to thank everyone for their feedback so far. For the most part, its been pretty positive. However, you can't please everyone. One concerned customer has let it been known that as nice as these recipes look, they have way too many ingredients. Well, since the customer is always right, I've decided to confront this problem head on…and here it is. For all my American friends out there, this recipe is actually a UK classic…

Beans on Toast

Ingredients

- one can baked beans (organic of course)

- 2 slices of bread

- 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

open can of beans and place contents in a dish. Microwave for 1 minute.

place bread in a toaster. toast.

evenly spread butter on toast. Spoon beans over toast. 

There you go Jackie…Bon Appetit!!!

Stay hungry, stay foolish and stick a fork in it!!!