Help The Students Event: Day 1

Welcome to the kick off of Help the Students event.  For the next month you will be seeing recipes that are student friendly.  Recipes that use simple, easy to find ingredients.  Recipes that are straight forward and easy to prepare.  You will also find tips, tricks, shopping ideas, economical ideas and special guest posts from fantastic food bloggers.

I thought I would kick off day one with a simple homemade oven fries recipe.  This guys are so versatile and great at anytime of the day.  Yes you read it right!  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner – these are a hit!  My Dad used to tell me growing up that fries in brown paper bags are the best.

I have had them a few times at restaurants and I do agree with him.  A fun novelty that you can for sure create at home.

Ingredients

• 3-4 Baking Potatoes (sliced)
• 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1 Tsp. Garlic powder
• 1 Tsp. Salt
• 1 Tsp. Black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line cookie sheet with parchment paper
2. Slice potatoes and then rinse well and pat dry with paper towel.
3. In a large bowl add potatoes, olive oil, salt, garlic, black pepper and mix well
4. Pour out on a cookie sheet and bake 20-25 minutes turning occasionally until golden brown.
5. Remove from oven and serve on plate or in a brown paper bag.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Ensure the potatoes are very dry before starting the baking process.  If any amount of liquid is present, the potatoes will steam and not become crispy.  Once they come out of the oven and screaming hot… hit them with a little bit of salt.

Freestyle Variation: Add some heat if you are in the mood by tossing with a little cayenne pepper or a few dashes of hot sauce.  A nice finishing touch is to add Parmesan cheese with about 5 minutes to go in the cooking process.

I hope you enjoyed Day 1 of Help The Student event.  Feel free to send along your recipe or tips if you would like to be featured this month.  Students all over the world will benefit from your experiences.  Have a super Wednesday.

Take care

zesty

Happy Monday!  How was your weekend?  Mine was very nice and relaxing.  The birthday celebration was very good.  I had 3 bowls of ice cream over the weekend complimented with great food as per usual.  The birthday presents were very well thought out as you will see below.

Before we get to the birthday present pics I wanted to share with you the details on the Potato Crusted Halibut that John Pritchard and I cooked as part of my visit to his kitchen.  When I think back of this dish I have to hold myself back from drooling at the thought of the crunchy fish outside complimented by the sweet fragrant tomato jam.  The smells in the kitchen while this was happening was nothing short of amazing.  I still remember the photographer saying “WOW this smells really good guys,  it is around supper time and this is not helping me.”

Take a detailed look at the recipe.  There are a lot of ingredients and a lot of steps to make it happen but the steps are not complex and the ingredients are common for the most part.

Potato Crusted Halibut

Ingredients

• (4) 6 oz portions of halibut fillet (off the skin)
• 4 med russet potatoes, peeled
• 2 eggs
• Hint of cream
• 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
• Salt & Pepper
• Oil for pan frying

Method

1. Grate potato and cover with a little water….drain and pat dry on a towel.
2. Pat dry the halibut, season with Salt & Pepper.



3. Dust fillets with flour and dip into the eggs (beaten with the cream).
4. Let any excess egg drip off.
5. Take ¼ of the grated potato and cover all sides of the fillet and gently apply pressure to ensure that the potato sticks.



6. Repeat with the remaining fillets.
7. Season with Salt & Pepper and chopped thyme.
8. In a med hot pan, add enough oil to just cover the bottom of the pan (cast iron works well).



9. Add fish and cook until just becoming golden,turn fish over and then place pan in a 385f oven for approx. 10-12 minutes.

Sauteed Cabbage

Ingredients

• ½ fresh green cabbage
• 2 med shallots sliced thinly
• 2 cloves garlic chopped finely
• 4 slices of bacon
• fresh chopped thyme, tarragon and parsley
• 1/8 Cup sugar
• ¼ Cup white wine or champagne vinegar
• 1/4 Cup chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• Salt & Pepper

Method

1. Slice bacon thinly, add to sauté pan and cook until just taking colour.





2. Add thinly sliced cabbage, shallots and garlic and saute until softened and fragrant.



3. Add remaining ingredients and increase heat to high, stiring frequently until most of the liquid had been evaporated.
4. Check seasoning and add butter;stir and serve.
5. ENJOY!

Tomato Jam

Ingredients

• 2/3 Pt cherry or grape tomatoes
• 3 shallots finely shopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 Tsp. chopped fresh ginger
• 5 cardamom pods
• 3 whole cloves
• A pinch cinnamon
• ½ Tsp. garam masala
• ¼ Cup sherry vinegar
• ¼ c light brown sugar
• Salt & Pepper

Method

1. Add sugar and vinegar in a small sauce pan over med heat.



2. Let sugar caramelize slightly (not too dark…stop before sugar smokes),add garlic,shallots and spices and let cook over med heat for a couple of minutes
3. Then add the tomatoes and cook until softened and a jam-like consistency is achieved





4. Season with Salt & Pepper…you can also adjust the sweet and sour balance with more sugar and/or vinegar.
5. ENJOY!

Zesty’s Birthday Presents

This year’s presents are exactly what I needed.  I have been wanting a nice pan with handles that I can sear on the cook top and then pop in the oven to complete the cooking and now I have one.  Whoooo Hooooo thanks Mrs. Zesty.

The kids made me a couple of paintings as well as junior built me a stairway car with lego.  I also got a pastry cutter, chop knife and scoop, a cheese grater and a very cool cookbook.

Oh I also got some cash!  Alright I have to do some work.  Have a super Monday and we will talk again on Wednesday. What is your favorite Birthday present ever? Tell me in the comments.

Take care

zesty