Mackerel Poached in Wine

Here's an easy way to cook mackerel that doesn't leave a smell lingering for days.

You need:

A couple of Mackerels - must be filleted
1 Red Onion.
1 clove of Garlic.
A piece of ginger - about the size of your thumb.
White Wine - good enough to drink.
Olive Oil

Slice the onion up fairly coarsely. Slice the garlic up as finely as you can manage and chop up the ginger. Add them to a nice big frying pan with a generous dose olive oil and fry them very very gently until the onion looks softened and caramelised.

When they look done take the pan off the heat and add a little white wine, then place the mackerel fillets in the pan and add more wine until it's almost, but not quite covering them.

Place the pan back on a gentle heat and let them poach for about 5-10 minutes. It'll depend on you pan, cooker etc so just take them out when they look done.

When you remove the fish leave the remaining wine, onions etc in the pan and wack the heat right up to boil the wine off leaving you with a kind of winey, onion jam type stuff - you still want it to be slightly liquid, don't let it burn! When it looks reduced enough turn off the heat and pour it over the fish.

This is quite rich in flavour so it goes really well with something mild like mash potatoes.

The mackerel has to be really fresh - make sure the eyes are clear, NOT cloudy, and the skin taught and shiny. If you don't know how to fillet one it's easy to learn from a book (you need something with pictures) so long as you've got a really sharp knife.

Oh and drink the rest of the wine!

Banana Pancakes

So I made these for dinner recently, my oldest son asked for pancakes and this is what I whipped up. Damn, I'm good. These came out great, I felt like a kid again as I ate eight pancakes! It's pretty easy to make pancakes from scratch, and you know what they say, "Once you go scratch..."

This recipe will make 16 pancakes:

2 c all purpose flour
2 tbls sugar (rounded)
1 1/4 tbls baking powder, divided
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 c milk (plus a little more if needed)
1/2 c butter, melted (1 stick)
1/2 tsp vanilla
dash of cinnamon
1 fully ripe banana (not too green, not too brown)
1/2 c chopped walnuts (if you are the type who likes nuts. I don't)

Directions:
1. Mix dry ingredients in medium bowl, hold 1/4 tsp of baking powder.
2. In a separate bowl, add remaining baking powder. Stir in milk. Add eggs, butter, and vanilla.
3. Using a spoon (not a mixer) stir wet ingredients into dry until moistened.
4. Chop banana into 1/4 inch pieces (break out the calipers. I'm guessing about the 1/4 inch pieces. Cut lengthwise, turn over, cut lengthwise again, chop)
5. Pour using 1/4 cup onto hot griddle (grease if you need to grease), turn when bubble form on top.
6. Butter and serve with syrup.
7. Eat

Crazy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love baking, well, I love the results of baking. These cookies are wonderful. Everyone's tastes are different, I like my cookies not too crispy and not too fluffy, and these are just right:

1 1/2 c butter, softened (not melted) or butter flavored shortening
1 1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
4 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 c all-purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur brand)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder (for thinner, crispier cookies eliminate baking powder and increase baking soda to 1 1/2)
2 c chocolate chips (I like to mix semi-sweet and milk. There are a couple options these days)
1 c chopped walnuts (optional. I am not a fan of nuts in my cookies)

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Cream butter and sugars.
3.Add milk and vanilla, beat with electric mixer untill fluffy.
4.Blend in eggs, one at a time. Mix well after each addition.
5.Add dry ingredients and mix well, then add chips and walnuts (ew)
6.Drop about a tablespoon (use a teaspoon and heap moderately well) of dough onto greased baking sheets and bake 8-10 min (if you prefer crispy cookies 10 - 12 minutes)
7.Eat, with milk ;)

Pasta with Sausage in A Tomato Cream Sauce

I made this recently and sort of guessed and hoped my my through it, but it came out great. I cook almost everything in a large frying pan (14"). This goes well with a good crusty bread.

3-4 Sausage (your choice, I generally use a poultry-based)
olive oil (enough to just cover bottom of pan)
pasta (again your choice. I use stuff that is easily picked up and eaten by a toddler)
sauce (1 jar, nothing too complex. Prego Tomato Basil, or Roasted Red Pep. and Garlic)
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. coat bottom of pan with olive oil
2. cook sausage until nearly done
3. remove sausage from pan, reduce heat to low and add tomato sauce to the pan.
4. cut up sausage, add back to pan.
5. while heating sauce/sausage cook pasta very al dente (shorten cook time by about 2 minutes)
6. add heavy whipping cream to sauce/sausage, blend in.
7. add pasta to the mix, cover, cook about 5 more minutes
8. eat.

Cheesy Turkey Loaf

This is one of our favorites. It's a bastardization of a recipe from an old Armour's MEAT Cook Book. Serve with mashed potatoes. Enjoy:

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 c dry bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 c milk
1/2 c chopped bell pepper (any color, we like orange)
1/2 c chopped onion or celery (or both)
1 c shredded cheddar, divided (I frequently use cheddar blends)
dash of celery salt
dash of paprika (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Mix all ingredients, but reserve 1/4 c cheese.
3. Shape into loaf in loaf pan.
4. Bake for 45 minutes.
5. Top with remaining cheese, bake for 10 additional minutes.
6. Eat.

Shepherd's Pie v1

We like Shepherds pie 'round here, so I'll probably post a few varieties. This one is pretty simple and quick. I like quick. Good helps too, as well as easy. This recipe fits two out of three. I'll let you decide which.

Shepherd's Pie v1
~1 lb ground meat of choice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 can condensed vegetable soup
Season to taste (thyme, parsley, pepper, celery salt, lay off the salt)
3 Cups mashed potatoes (instant works fine)
1 cup shredded cheese (Colby, Jack, Cheddar, a blend perhaps)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2 quart baking dish.
2. In a large skillet over med-high heat, cook meat, onion, and celery, drain.
3. Pour meat into baking dish with soup and seasonings, stir together well.
4. Spread mashed potatoes on top.
5. Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on, and bake 5 more minutes.
6. Eat

A Few Of My Favorite Things

Custard, Cheesecake, Fresh Baked Bread, mmm. I will post recipes that I like here. You will not get my cheesecake recipe, well maybe, but I'm gonna hold onto it for a while. Some of these recipes will be from other sources, I will try to credit the author when able. Some of these will be my own (usually modifications I've found that I like), and some family recipes (thanks Moms).
As this is a secret blog I don't expect many visitors, but if by some bizzare twist of fate you find a recipe and try it, let me know what you think.