Stir-frying brings out the full flavor of a saute without the high calories of other frying methods. Less oil is needed due to quick cooking. Stir-frying is usually done at high heat in a wok, because it conducts heat quickly and evenly along all surfaces. Well-seasoned woks require only a little oil to prevent food from sticking.
During stir-frying you should toss the food using a wooden spoon or spatula.
Heat a small amount of oil and 1/4cup of wine or sherry in the wok or skillet. Use high heat when stir-frying. Then add the strongest-flavored vegetables (such as onions) and quickly toss with the cooking liquor to coat completely. Add other vegetables when the onions soften.
If you stir-frying vegetables with meat or fish, cook the meat or fish first; then remove from heat while vegetables finish cooking. Finally, season the stir-fry. The successful stir-fry has a bright appearance, a crisp texture, and plenty of seasoning.
The most important fact in choosing fish is freshness. A fresh fish will not smell fishy; a fishy smell means improper handling. A fresh fish has a mild odor, firm flesh, clear eyes, pink gills and shiny scales. When you buy steak or fillets look for flesh that is not yellow and brown around the edges. If you buy frozen fish make sure you don’t buy anything that has been defrosted for more than two days. It is better to buy frozen fish and defrost it at home.
There are two categories of fish: lean and oily. Lean fish has a mild flavor, white flash and contains 5% or less fat. Sole, flounder, turbot, cod, Pollack, sea bass, rock fish, snapper, drum, bass are examples of lean fish.
Continue reading…
When you are cooking every day you might run out of interesting recipes. These days markets offer a huge variety of vegetables. Among them are vegetables that you have never tried or considered to try. Sometimes I want to eat something new but have no ideas how to cook it, or serve it, or store it. Well, sometimes it worth to spend some time and find out. It may be very surprising to discover that you can change the flavor simply by cutting and cooking vegetables in a different way. Did you know, for example, that you can add extra sweetness to the carrot by cutting them in small pieces and frying in a pan with a spoon of both butter and water? Do you want less oil in your eggplants? Easy - just grill them and you will get rich, caramel-like taste.
Continue reading…
Bring Paris to your kitchen with this excellent dish. You will like thin crepes rolled around an unusual filling of tomatoes, eggplant and pepper. Make crepe batter with whole wheat and add low-calorie cheese and reduce calories. You will need about an hour to prepare the dish from scratch. But crepes can be made ahead and frozen, and filling might be kept in a fridge for about a week.
Continue reading…
