Hi Everyone,
This is a fresh column. It is the first for 2011 but I do not plan to bandy words such as vegetables, vegetarian, diet and healthy. Heaven knows you’re getting enough of that with all the calls for New Year’s resolutions. Resolutions, resolve! Those are hard sounding words to start a new year. I think I want a different word to help us start 2011 – fresh. Fresh sounds… well, refreshing. Think about it, fresh makes you feel new, light even. And when it comes to food, fresh is appetizing, fresh is inviting.
Come with me. Let your mind wander and engage your senses. Let freshness reign.
Fresh produce – fruits and vegetables – a kaleidoscope of colours and textures. Some so fresh, the morning dew is still on the leaves or droplets of water still lingering from their shower. See how green the spinach is? Look at how shiny and purple that eggplant is; marvel at how the end curls naturally. The bananas are firm and yellow.
The fresh herbs are stunningly green. They perfume the air as you walk by. You stop for a moment just wanting to grab a bunch of basil, thyme or rosemary and inhale deeply. It’s like aromatherapy. It’s so fresh.
Fresh seafood – the fish still breathing, the skin glistening. The shrimp so plump and shiny that it slides as the vendor tries to bag you some. Think of how excited you are to go home and cook, to cook fresh food to nourish you.
We’ve just come out of the holidays full of rich, heavy, delicious rib-sticking food. Perhaps a number of our holiday meals were leftovers that we have been reheating for days. Our taste buds are begging for something light and fresh. We are looking for food to cleanse and wake up the palette. Let’s face it, we are looking for a fresh start. It is for this reason that people make resolutions, particularly about food and eating. They are looking for a fresh approach to food.
A fresh approach would be to open our minds to trying new ingredients, new methods of preparing food and to new cuisines in general. Another fresh approach would be for us to cook more at home. This way, we know what we are putting in to our bodies.
For the upcoming year, I promise to do my best to present you with fresh ideas of things to make for you and your loved ones. In many cases you’ll realize that you already make a version or versions of a particular dish, sometimes it will be altogether new and at times it will be a twist on an old favourite.
Let’s start with a fresh light fish soup that’s sure to cleanse the palette.
Vietnamese Fish Soup
(Adapted from Luke’s Vietnam)
Ingredients
6 – 7 sprigs celery
5 stalks whole green onions (shallots)
4 cups vegetable broth (substitute with chicken broth or with water and 2 Maggie cubes)
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 bird peppers, crushed
1 (3lb) fresh red snapper, clean and cut into steaks and the head cut in half (substitute with your favourite firm white fish)
2 ripe tomatoes cut into quarters
Fish sauce to taste (substitute with salt to taste)
Juice of 1 lime
Directions
1. Remove the stems of the celery, bash them to bruise lightly and reserve. Separate the leaves and set aside.
2. Cut off the white part of the green onions, crush lightly with the back of your knife and set aside. Cut the green blades into 2-inch pieces.
3. Add the broth to a large pot, cover, set on high heat and bring to a boil. As soon as the broth comes to a boil, add the celery stems, the garlic and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and let cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the fish to the broth along with the white part of the green onions and let cook for 4 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes, celery leaves and fish sauce or salt to taste, stir gently and let continue to cook until fish is fork tender. Toss in green onion, and lime juice, stir and serve immediately.
Cynthia
Cynthia@tasteslikehome.org
www.tasteslikehome.org
