Recipes

Fish in a Bag

4 fish filets (Tilapia)

1 sweet yellow onion, sliced into thin strips

20 baby carrots, sliced length-wise in half

1 medium red or orange bell pepper, sliced into strips

1 handful fresh parsley or about 8 full sprigs, leaves stripped from stems

8 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 t. dried thyme

2 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 t. kosher salt

1 t. freshly ground pepper

1/2 c. dry white wine, such as chardonnay or savignon blanc (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place four sheets of aluminum foil about 12 X 16 inches in size each on countertop, with the shorter side running left to right in front of you. First, divide onion slices evenly and each portion on each of the sheets of aluminum foil, just over the halfway mark on each sheet (leaving room to fold one half of the sheet over the other when you are done). Then add the carrot slices to each of the four sheets, dividing portions evenly. They should cover a space about the size of your fish filets.

Place fish filets lengthwise left to right on top of each of the onion/carrot mixtures. Salt and pepper the fish filets, again dividing the salt and pepper evenly among the four portions. Top each with one-fourth portion of the pepper and then the one-fourth portions of parsley and thyme sprigs. Drizzle each with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil.

Fold the aluminum in half by pulling the edge farthest from you over toward you. Make sure the edges line up. You should now have one closed side and three open sides. Fold both sheets of the the left and right sides of the aluminum over about half an inch, then over another half-inch, sealing the ends. Pull the open edge up off the counter slightly, so that when you pour in the wine, it doesn't run out. Pour equal portions of wine in each pouch, then seal the open edge by folding the two sheets over about a half-inch and then another half inch. It should be sealed completely around.

Gently lift each of the pouches onto a large aluminum sheet pan, leaving as much room as possible between the pouches.

Put in the preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven. You can serve each person a bag on their plate or, to make it easier for them, cut one side of each pouch open -- being careful not to let the steam burn you and to not dump the liquid out -- and slide the contents over a bed of steamed rice.

*TIP: You can add as many vegetables and varieties of vegetables as you like to each pouch. Just cut the vegetables in similar-sized pieces so that they cook evenly. Once you and your family get used to this dish, you may want to put out a variety of vegetable options and allow each one to prepare his/her version, according to taste. Herbs and seasonings can be adjusted, too, according to taste and combinations used. Other combinations might be tomatoes, basil, and kalamata olives; broccoli, garlic slices, and lemon juice; green beans and bacon bits. For full flavor, using onion, carrots and, perhaps, celery as the base will assure plenty of flavor!

TIP NO. TWO: You can also adapt this recipe to make Chicken in a bag. Cooking time will be about 40 minutes for a boneless, skinless chicken breast about one-inch thick.

Salmon with Tangy Maple Syrup Sauce

4 servings of salmon filet, about 4 oz. each, skin on

2 T. unsalted butter

1/4 c. maple syrup

2 T. brown sugar

2 t. dijon mustard

1/4 t. liquid smoke (in the condiments section of your grocery store)

1/2 t. kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In small sauce pan, melt butter over medium low heat. Once it has melted, add maple syrup, brown sugar, dijon mustard and liquid smoke. Stir until sugar is melted and sauce is blended and smooth. Turn off heat.

Cover small sheet pan with aluminum foil. (A small oven-proof casserole dish also will work.) Place four pieces of salmon filet on pan, placing them about 1/2 inch apart. Pull aluminum foil up around the fish pieces, folding it over to create an aluminum pan with sides around the fish. The goal is to keep the sauce around the fish pieces as much as possible, rather than allow it to spread out over the pan. If using a casserole dish, you want the fish pieces to fit closely, but not touch each other or the sides, in the dish.

Sprinkle salt on the salmon pieces, distributing evenly. Pour maple sauce over the salmon. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, depending on thickness of the salmon. If in doubt, leave it a few extra minutes. It will cook a little more once you take it out of the oven.

To serve, use a long, thin spatula, inserting it between the salmon and the skin and separating the salmon from the skin as you go. Serve over a bed of rice or risotto.

Angerona Farm Salad Dressing (Also known as "30 Second Dressing")

2 T. vinegar (red wine, white balsamic, rice vinegar or whatever you have on hand)
1/2 t. seasoning salt (Lawry's or other commercial brand)
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper
1/4 c. Oil (Olive or canola)

Whisk ingredients together until mixed. Drizzle on bed of washed and trimmed lettuce, fresh bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots and any other fresh vegetables that strike your fancy.

*NOTE: If the dressing is too tart for your taste, add a touch more oil or a half-teaspoon of sugar. If you like a little more tang, add a half-teaspoon of Dijon mustard.


Caesar Dressing (Inspired by a good friend)

1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 t. freshly ground pepper
2 T. Egg Beaters
Juice of 1 fresh lemon (Bottled lemon juice does not work for this!)
1 T. Worcestershire Sauce
4 T. Olive Oil
1/3 c. grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (Parmesan works, too)

If you have a wooden salad bowl, rub the garlic on the bottom of the bowl. You may need to trim the garlic clove occasionally to help the garlic oil distribute on the bowl surface.

If you want to go the easy route, just mince the garlic and stir it with the pepper in the bottom of the bowl.

Add the Egg Beaters. Stir until blended.

Add the lemon juice. Stir until blended. (If you really like lemon, zest the lemon peel before juicing the lemon and add the zest to the mixture.)

Add the Worcestershire Sauce. (We like a generous tablespoon.) Stir until blended.

Drizzle in the olive oil, whisking the whole time.

The dressing can now hold until you are ready to sit down for dinner. Add the washed and chopped romaine lettuce, toss, and then add the Parmigiano Reggiano. Toss again. Serve.

*Note: To add some WOW to this, take leftover Bubba's Bread, cut into squares, toss with a little olive oil and seasoning salt, place on an aluminum sheet cake pan, bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Instant homemade croutons!


Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 T. Balsamic Vinegar
11/2 t. Dijon mustard
2 T. granulated sugar
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
2 T. canola or olive oil

Put balsamic vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir until blended. Drizzle in oil, whisking the whole time.

Pour over washed and trimmed lettuce -- mesclun greens are good -- and a variety of other items, such as dried cranberries, sliced almonds, diced apples, and some crumbled bleu or roquefort cheese.








Angerona Farm Applesauce

6-8 apples, either one variety or a mix of two or more*
1 1/2 T. Lemon Juice (fresh or bottled concentrate)
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/8 t. salt

Core and peel apples and cut into wedges or use a corer/peeler to slice apples. Place in medium saucepan and sprinkle with lemon juice to keep the apples from turning brown.

When all the apples are peeled and in the saucepan, sprinkle the remainder of the lemon juice on them, place over medium-low heat, and allow to cook down -- about a half hour. You should stir the apples once or twice during the period -- especially in the last 15 minutes to turn the apples on the top down into the hotter part.

Once the apples are reduced to a sauce -- I prefer to leave a few chunks -- turn off the heat and allow the sauce mixture to sit for about a half hour. Add the brown sugar and pinch of salt, then allow to sit again for about a half hour. Adjust the sugar, if needed.

NOTES: This recipe needs very little attention once the apples go on the heat, which makes it easy to do at the beginning of your meal preparation and, presto!, it's ready when you are. I frequently will make it earlier in the afternoon and just let it sit on the stove until I am ready to serve, heating it just a little before serving. Remember that the apples will continue to cook once you turn off the heat, so they can still have quite a few chunks when you reach for that knob.

If you have kids in the 10-to-12 age range, they can operate the corer/peeler with supervision, and, perhaps, stir the apples when it is time, again with close supervision.

If you have smaller kids, in the 6-to-10 range, they can help by cleaning up the apple peelings and eating some as they go. They can also dump in the brown sugar and salt.

Cinnamon is optional. I don't use it because good apples don't need any adornment. And it helps kids get used to the delicious taste of plain apples. Likewise with adding more sugar; make sure you let the sauce sit after adding the brown sugar. If you taste it immediately after adding the sugar, it will taste like it needs more. WAIT! It takes several minutes for the flavors to meld together. The lemon juice also adds a tartness that is a nice contrast to the sweetness of the apples.

*Choose varieties of apples that complement each other -- one sweet variety such as Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious -- and one tart variety such as MacIntosh or Granny Smith. Also, try to choose apples that cook down well -- although just about any apple will work just fine for applesauce!






Bubba's Bread

1 1/2 c. warm water (warm to touch, 105 degrees if you want to be careful)
1 T. yeast (or one small packet, such as Fleishman's)
1/2 t. sugar
4 c. flour (Bread flour is preferable, All-purpose flour works fine)
1 T. kosher salt (if using iodized salt, reduce to 1 1/2 teaspoons)
Spray oil

In liquid measuring cup, place 1/2 c. warm water. Add yeast and sugar. Stir until thoroughly dissolved, about a minute, with a fork or small whisk. Set aside.

Use large whisk or fork to fluff flour. Scoop and level off each cup of flour before dumping it into food processor fitted with a dough blade or into medium mixing bowl. Add salt to flour, turn on food processor briefly to mix salt in. If using mixing bowl, whisk to evenly distribute.

When the water/yeast mixture has formed foam on top about a 1/2 inch thick, it is ready to use. This is called "proofing" the yeast to ensure it is alive and ready to do its job. Turn on the food processor and pour a steady stream of the yeast water into the flour. Then fill the measuring cup with a cup of warm water from the tap, rinsing down the sides of the remaining yeast foam into the water you are going to use, and, again, in a steady stream, pour the cup of water into the flour mixture. Within 30 seconds to about two minutes, the flour mixture should begin to come together and form a dough ball. Allow the processor to "knead" the dough for another four minutes. It should clean the sides of the processor of any remaining flour.

If using a mixing bowl, start with a well in the center of the flour, pour in the yeast water, stir a little with a fork until you have a loose mass just in the center, then add the remaining cup of water, incorporating the flour around the sides of the bowl a little at a time until you have a mass of dough. Pour out onto lightly floured counter or clean cutting board and continue to work with your hands until it is a smooth mass of dough.

From the food processor, pull the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and work slightly, forming into a smooth ball. Let the dough sit for a minute or two while you prepare the bowl it will rise in.

Put some hot tap water into a ceramic or glass bowl. Let sit for a minute or two, then pour out the water (into the food processor or the first bowl you used, if you can) and dry the bowl. The sides should be slightly warm.

Place the ball of dough into the warm bowl, cover tightly with a piece of plastic wrap and place in a warm area to rise. (I turn on my oven for about three minutes to let it just begin to heat up, then turn off the heat and place the bowl in there.)

In about an hour, spray your loaf pan or cookie sheet with spray oil. Set aside in proximity to your floured surface.

Then check the dough. It should be about double in size. Pull the dough out onto the lightly floured surface, punch it down lightly and cut it into two equal parts. Set one aside and pull the other toward you, pressing it down and starting to roll it into a loaf. You don't have to be gentle with it. Keep pressing the air bubbles out as you roll the dough into a longer and longer loaf. When it is about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and 14 inches long, you are ready to put it in the loaf pan or on a cookie sheet.

Work the second piece of dough in the same way and place the loaf in the pan or on the cookie sheet. If on a cookie sheet, make sure the loaves are about four to six inches apart.

Cover with a damp tea towel, making sure the ends and sides are covered. Your towel is damp enough if you ran water to thoroughly soak it, then squeezed out the excess.

Allow to rise for about 45 minutes or an hour. The two loaves should have doubled in size.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

When the oven is ready, remove the damp tea towel, take a large chef's knife and slice at least three diagonals in each loaf. Then put the loaves in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 375 degrees. Bake for 28 minutes. Turn half way through if the back of your oven is hotter than the front.

Remove and put on a cooling rack. Allow to cool at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Kid Tips: Your kids can learn about measuring accurately by helping you with the ingredients prior to mixing. If mixing in a bowl, they can help with this. If they are a little older, they can even do most of the mixing themselves. Kids can help with kneading the dough at all stages. Just make sure they have washed their hands before starting, and get to work! You and they will love the reward!