Fish Tacos

Makes 8 tacos

I have recently discovered the joy of eating fish tacos. The crunch of the warm fish contrasted with the cold creamy cole slaw makes it an unbeatable combination. I could not resist giving this an Italian flair.

Ingredients

Vegetable Oil Cooking Spray

1 lb Cod (or other thick mild white fish)

2 C Buttermilk

2 tsp Hot Sauce

2/3 C grated Parmesan or Roman cheese

½ C Italian Style Bread Crumbs

¼ C Corn Meal or Polenta

1 tsp Kosher Salt

1 tsp Dried Parsley

½ tsp Garlic Powder

1/8 to 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes*

Canola Oil for frying

8 Tortilla Shells

2 C Cole Slaw *

1 C Italian Salsa *

In a large bowl mix the buttermilk and hot sauce until thoroughly mixed. Cut the fish into ¾” strips (about the size of the fish sticks you ate when you were a kid) and place the fish strips in the buttermilk.  Let them marinate for 15 to 60 minutes.

In a medium bowl mix the grated parmesan, bread crumbs, corn meal, salt, parsley, garlic powder and red pepper flakes.  Remove the fish, one piece of fish at a time and place it in the breadcrumb mixture. 

Fill a medium skillet to ¼ inch and heat over medium high heat until the oil shimmers. Sprinkle a few breadcrumbs into the oil. If they bubble the oil is hot enough. Place the fish sticks into the hot oil using tongs. Turn them when they reach a golden brown and brown the other side. Place on paper towels to drain.

Place a tortilla on a plate. Spread 2-4 tablespoons of cole slaw down the middle. Place 1-2 strips of cooked fish on top of the cole slaw. Top with 1 tablespoon of salsa. Wrap and consume with gusto and an optional Corona or Peroni.

Cole Slaw

While you can use any cole slaw for fish tacos, the slaw in this recipe has an Italian flair with the addition of some fresh Italian herbs and the sharpness of the horseradish that accentuates the flavors of the fish and salsa.

* Pronto Substitutes

Red Pepper Flakes – If you are serving this to children you may want to skip the red pepper flakes.

Cole Slaw and Salsa – the Italian style cole slaw and salsa from the Italian Pantry section of this cook book is best but you can substitute any creamy cole slaw or your favorite salsa.

To print copies of this recipe go to Fish Tacos.

Cole Slaw

Cole slaw is essential to many American dishes.  This version has an Italian flair with the addition of some fresh Italian herbs and the sharpness of the horseradish.

Makes 8 cups of slaw

Ingredients

8 C Cabbage (finely chopped)

¼ C Carrot (shredded)

1/3 C Sugar

½ tsp Table Salt

5 grinds Black Pepper (or 1/ tsp ground)

¼ C Whole Milk

½ C Mayonnaise

¼ C Buttermilk

1 ½ TBS White Balsamic Vinegar

2 ½ TBS Lemon Juice

1 ½ tsp Prepared Horseradish

¼ C Fresh Parsley (finely chopped)

Grate the carrot and cabbage (you can use the food processor for this). In a large bowl mix the sugar through the horseradish, beating until smooth. Add the cabbage, carrots and parsley. Mix until thoroughly mixed. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Cole Slaw.

Zucchini Relish

Every summer we would have a garden and it always contained lots of tomatoes and zucchini.  Inevitably a week would go by when we'd forget to pick the zucchini.  What we would find was the biggest zucchini know to man, well at least to Italian men.  We would call it a "gugutz" and we would make relish, zucchini bread and zucchini chocolate cake all from the same zucchini.  Once my wife tasted this relish she will no longer eat any other kind.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Servings: 5 Cups of Relish

6 C of Shredded Zucchini

2 ½ TBS of Kosher or Sea Salt

½ TBS Dry Mustard

1 ¼ C White Wine Vinegar

1 ½ C Sugar

¼ Tsp Pepper

½ Tsp Corn Starch

½ Tsp Turmeric

½ Tsp Nutmeg

¾ Tsp Celery Seed

½ Red Bell Pepper (diced small)

2 C Yellow Onion (diced small)

5 8 oz. (1/2 Pt) or 10 4 oz. Ball/Kerr canning jars and lids

In a large bowl, sprinkle the salt over the zucchini and mix well.  Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator overnight.  In the morning, drain the zucchini.  If you did not do this you would end up with a soupy mess instead if relish.

Place all ingredients in a large pot and bring it to a boil.  Lower the heat to a simmer (medium-low) so that is it barely maintains a light boil for 30 minutes.  Stir frequently.

While the relish is cooking prepare the jars for canning.  This is an important step since food spoilage occurs easily if the canning is not done properly.  I suggest you go to your favorite source to find out what the best practices are for canning, such as www.homecanning.com. Follow the directions for high-acid foods exactly. 

The relish will keep opened in your refrigerator for at least two weeks.  If you don't eat a lot of relish I would recommend that you use the small 4 oz. jars so that they are open the least amount of time.  This also means that when you give a jar to a friend you are only giving them half as much, leaving more for you.  After all you did all the work.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Zucchini Relish.

Red White & Green Pasta Salad

Summer is here along with picnics and barbecues where food is left out of the refrigerator for long periods of time. It’s critical that you always focus on food safety. One way to do this is to stay away from salads that use mayonnaise which can go bad very quickly in the heat. My red, white and green pasta salad will deliver a salad that is the equal of any mayo based salads with a taste that is reminiscent of an antipasto. This pasta salad takes full advantage of the fresh herbs of summer to create an essential side dish for a picnic, barbecue or as a side for a sandwich.

Fresh Herb Dressing *

1 TBS Fresh Basil (chopped)

1 TBS Fresh Parsley (chopped)

½ tsp Fresh Thyme (chopped)

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

¼ C Extra Virgin Olive Oil *

1 TBS White Balsamic Vinegar *

¼ tsp Kosher Salt or 1/8 tsp table salt

2-3 grinds of Black Pepper

Other Ingredients

1 Lb uncooked Orzo Pasta

2 TBS Kosher Salt

½ C Stuffed Green Olives (chopped) *

1 C Roasted Red Peppers (diced) *

Cook the orzo according to the package directions.  Make sure that you add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt to the water before adding the pasta.  Cook until aldente, firm to the bite.

While the pasta is cooking, coarsely chop the fresh basil, parsley, and thyme. Place the fresh herb dressing ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse 10 times.  You want to have visible pieces of fresh herbs in the dressing.

Dice the olives and roasted red peppers.

Drain the pasta, place in a large bowl and mix immediately with the dressing, diced roasted red peppers and olives. Refrigerate until served.

Alternatives

This dish can have as many variations as your imagination or pantry has ingredients.  You can add a can of olive oil packed tuna to make it a main course or choose your favorite olives in place of the stuffed green olives called for in the recipe.  You can even add some toasted almonds or pine nuts to add some crunch.

* Pronto Substitutes

Fresh Herb Dressing – Use ¾ C of your favorite vinaigrette in place of the fresh herb dressing.

White Balsamic Vinegar – Use any good quality balsamic vinegar or distilled white vinegar.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – The taste of the olive oil is an essential element in this dish.  Only use top quality extra virgin olive oil.  You will taste the difference.

Green Olives – You can substitute any olive.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Red White & Green Pasta Salad.

Zucchini & Carrot Sauté

Coming up with new ways to fix vegetables has always been a challenge to me. I’ve always loved zucchini baked, grilled or stuffed but I was stuck on how to create something new. My inspiration came from a side dish I had while eating at Carrabba’s Italian Grill. It’s a wonderful combination of zucchini, and sweet carrots balanced by the acidity of plum tomatoes and the tang of garlic. It just feels good in your mouth and enhances any dish that it’s served with.

Ingredients

2 tsp Olive Oil

2 medium Zucchini (julienned ¼ inch) *

2 Lg Carrots (julienned 1/8 inch)

2 Cloves Garlic (minced)

28oz Can Whole Plum Tomatoes (drained)

¼ C Grated Parmesan Cheese

2 TBS Fresh Parsley (chopped) *

Salt & Pepper to taste

Cut the ends off of the zucchini and julienne them into ¼ by ¼ by 2 inch pieces. The easiest way to do this is with a mandolin. Try to cut the as evenly as possibly to ensure that they all cook at the same time. Next julienne the carrots 1/8 by 1/8 by 2 inches long, about the size of a long match stick.

Drain the plum tomatoes and roughly chop them into small chunks. Mince the garlic and chop the parsley.

Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan with a cover. Add the carrots and cook them for 5 minutes with the cover on, stirring frequently. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, and garlic – stir frequently. Continue to sauté until the zucchini and carrots are tender crisp. Add the parmesan and parsley. Taste for salt and pepper. The amount of salt will vary according to the saltiness of the cheese.

NOTE: Get out your ruler for this dish!

* Pronto Substitutes

Zucchini – If you prefer you can substitute yellow squash for zucchini. 

Fresh Parsley – You can substitute 2 teaspoons of dried parsley for the 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Zucchini & Carrot Sauté.