Sharing Plate – Your Cooking Coach |

Since I am always looking for ways to incorporate more fish into our diets, my brain is usually working overtime to come up with different recipes that are delicious and healthy at the same time.

I wanted to do a simple fish stew that is a bit French and Italian at the same time.  I sauteed the fish lightly and added the onions and garlic. For extra flavor, I used parsley and my favorite herb that goes so well with fish- dill. Tomato paste makes this fast stew taste like it has been on the stove for hours.

The most important ingredient in this dish (besides the fish) is the fish stock. I was able to find it at Whole Foods and I believe it is available in most grocery store. If you can’t find it, don’t worry- use chicken stock instead but I have to say, the fish stock provides a great flavor to this simple dish. I added potatoes to make this stew a bit more substantial. I was initially thinking of serving a salad with the dish but then decided to come up with a zucchini pesto and served it on top of some toasted bread- that is the Italian part of the meal.

My daughter loved the stew including the zucchini pesto bruschetta. My husband and I opened a Pinto Noir and enjoyed a lovely dinner.

Try this quick, delicious fish stew for dinner next time you feel like eating fish…
Click here for the recipe… »

As I may have mentioned before, I recently started writing for the Patch. One of the things I am doing is reviewing local restaurants and then coming home to replicate a favorite dish. It is going really well and I do enjoy the replicating part- and I can’t complain about the eating part either.

I recently went to a Jewish deli in Livingston for reviewingpurposes. I had a friend come with me since I had never had matzoh ball soup before and that is definitely one of the dishes I wanted to try. We had the soup and a pastrami sandwich. My friend explained to me how the soup should taste and what the matzo ball texture should be. The soup was okay- I think I was expecting a lot more flavor in the broth.

After writing the review, I started researching soup recipes to educate myself on how it should be made. After chatting with a few friends, I decided to give it a try.

I made the soup and wrote a another piece for the Livingston Patch explaining how the recipe came about.

Try it and let me know what you think of my matzoh ball soup with dill….
Click here for the recipe… »

This soup is very close to my heart. I grew up eating it and have very happy memories of my Mom making it for us. It is very popular in India at the Chinese restaurants. We would have the soup with chicken sandwiches- I still think of those delicious mouthwatering sandwiches! In India very much like Europe, the sandwiches don’t have a lot of filling- just enough to give you a taste of the main ingredient as well as the delicious soft white bread! Those were the days when there was no awareness about eating whole wheat bread! My Mom would start by spreading a thin layer of butter on each slice and then spread a layer of shredded chicken with some salt and pepper- it was absolutely delicious- I digress- I think the reason we would have the soup and sandwiches together was because my Mom would poach some chicken and then use it for both the dishes. I usually do that on the weekends- have some chicken breast cooked in the fridge. This time I roasted the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and olive oil in the oven (rotisserie chicken can be substituted). They came out nice and juicy ready to be used for numerous dishes- another dish coming tomorrow!
I introduced this soup to my daughter a few years ago- she loved it, especially because it had corn in it. We also found it at a local Chinese restaurant- she has ordered it so often now, that whenever she enters the place, they know what she is going to eat. We made it together on the weekend and she was not convinced it would turn out as yummy as the soup she eats at the restaurant, well- she was pleasantly surprised! I urge you to try this soup it’s fabulous!

• 32 ounces- 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 14¾ ounces can creamed corn
• 1 cup shredded chicken
• 1 egg, beaten with pinch of salt
• 3 teaspoons cornstarch, divided
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
• 1 scallion, chopped finely

In a medium pot, heat the chicken broth. Add the creamed corn. Bring to a boil. In a small bowl mix 2 teaspoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water, mix well. Add to the boiling chicken broth. The mixture will begin to thicken as it comes back to a boil. Add the shredded chicken. In a small bowl mix one teaspoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water, mix well and add to the beaten egg mixture. Lower the heat to a medium low and add the egg mixture in a slow drizzle while whisking the broth. Finish the soup with salt and scallions.