Poke

 

Ingredients

· 1 cup short grain rice

· 6-8 radishes

· White vinegar

· 1/2 tsp salt

· 1/2 tsp sugar

· 30g dried wakame

· 340g sashimi-grade salmon and/or tuna

· 1 tbs shoyu

· Sesame oil

· 1 spring onion, finely sliced

· 1/2 cup shredded edamame

· Pickled ginger

· 1/2 avocado, thinly sliced

· 2 tsp white or black sesame seeds, or a mix

· 2 tsp fried onions

 

Steps

1) Cook the rice using the absorption method or in a rice cooker, and set aside.

2) Quick-pickle the radishes by slicing very thinly and placing in a small bowl with enough white vinegar to cover and mix with the salt and sugar. Let it sit for 15 minutes.

3) Cover the wakame with boiling water and leave to soften, about 10 minutes. Drain, squeeze out excess water, and coarsely chop.

4) Cut the fish into 1cm cubes. Mix with shoyu, a few drops of sesame oil and the spring onion, and let sit for 5 minutes.

5) To assemble, place some rice in a bowl and place the marinated fish in one corner. Arrange the wakame, edamame, pickled radish and ginger, and avocado around the bowl. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and fried onions, and serve with additional shoyu on the side.

 

From: World’s Best Bowl Food: Authentic Recipes From Around the World

By Lonely Planet Food

Shelli's Staff Pick

Head of Adult Services, Shelli, stated that another one of her favorite cookbooks from our collection is, The Chicken Bible: Say Goodbye to Boring Chicken with 500 Recipes for Easy Dinners, Braises, Wings, Stir-Fries, and So Much More. She said she chose this for her staff pick because “Chicken is a staple in our household, but it was getting boring and repetitive. That's why I turned to The Chicken Bible. I am not usually very brave with new recipes because I don't want to worry about wasting time and food if we don't like it, but there are several recipes in this book that call for basic seasonings but still add a twist to the standard chicken breast. Using this book, I can have chicken as my main protein three times a week, but still feel like I have had three distinctly different meals. For example, the book gives a recipe for chicken chimichangas on page 102, chicken stir fry on page 204, and baked ricotta chicken on page 255. These are a few of my favorites”. This cookbook is certainly a favorite among our patrons, and with no surprise, it has five stars on Amazon. This is just one of many books by America’s Test Kitchen; some others include:

• The Ultimate Meal-Prep Cookbook: One Grocery List. A Week of Meals. No Waste.

• The New Cooking School Cookbook

• The Complete Plant-Based Cookbook: 500 Inspired, Flexible Recipes for Eating Well Without Meat

• The Best Simple Recipes: More Than 200 Flavorful, Foolproof Recipes That Cook in 30 Minutes or Less

• The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook: 650 Recipes for Everything You'll Ever Want to Make

• The Best of America’s Test Kitchen 2022: Best Recipes, Equipment Reviews, and Tastings

If you like Shelli’s recommendation, or if any of the other titles listed above catch your eye, Bremen Public Library has 16 other books by America’s Test Kitchen that can be found in both the Children’s Room and the Adult Department.

Ten-Minute Tostadas

 

Ingredients

· 8-12 store-bought tostadas

· Favorite store-bought bean dip

· 4 cups leftover chopped or shredded chicken, or however much you have on hand

· 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

· Favorite tostada garnishes, such as shredded lettuce, avocado, pico de gallo, sour cream, pickled or thinly sliced fresh jalapenos, and cilantro

 

Steps

1) Lay the tostadas on a sheet pan. Dollop some bean dip on each one and, using the back of a spoon, spread the dip into a thin layer covering each tostada.

2) Place the chicken on top of the bean dip, being careful not to pile it too high or it won’t heat through; if using poached chicken, spoon a little bit of the poaching liquid from the storage container over the meat to help keep it moist while it reheats. Top with the shredded cheese, dividing it equally among the tostadas.

3) Heat the broiler to low and place the sheet pan underneath for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese melts and the edges of the tostadas turn a deep golden brown; watch carefully, as the tostadas can burn quickly.

4) Remove the tostadas from the oven and top with your favorite garnishes. Serve immediately.

 

From: Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner: 50 Winning Ways to Cook it Up!

By: Stacie Billis

 

Pasta Carbonara

Ingredients

· 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

· 1 pound bucatini 8 thick-cut bacon slices, sliced crosswire into 1/2-inch-wide pieces

· 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

· 4 large egg yolks

· 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

 

Steps

1) Fill a large pot with water 2 inches from the top. Place over high heat and let come to a boil. Ad 2 teaspoons of the salt. Cook the pasta according to the package directions (until al dente). Scoop out 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta in a colander.

2) In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring often, for about 8 minutes, or until crisp. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 5 to 6 minutes more, until softened. Remove from the heat.

3) In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, Parmesan, and pepper. It will be quite thick, so whisk in 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to make the mixture pourable.

4) Return the pasta to the pot and stir in the bacon-onion mixture. Now pour in the egg yolk-Parmesan mixture and stir vigorously until the pasta is well coated. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup pasta water, if necessary, to loosen the sauce. Taste for seasoning; you may want to add a pinch of salt. Serve topped with a little more Parmesan and pepper. 

 

From: Food Swings: 125+ Recipes to Enjoy Your Life of Virtue & Vice

By: Jessica Seinfeld

 

Celebrating Macaroni This July

Mac & Cheese is a fan favorite amongst many households in America, and for many, this love starts from a young age. From something as simple as a microwavable dish, to something as complex as a gourmet meal, macaroni brings smiles to people everywhere; in fact, the logo for one of the most famous mac & cheese brands, “Kraft,” even is a smile! With both National Mac & Cheese Day (July 14th), and National Macaroni Day (July 7th) being this month, it’s the perfect time to check out a delicious new pasta recipe. Luckily, BPL has hundreds of macaroni recipes, even an entire cookbook dedicated specifically to macaroni & cheese! Take a look at these titles:

• Mac & Cheese, Please! : 50 Super Cheesy Recipes by Werlin, Laura

• Pasta Night! : 101 Flavor-Packed Weeknight Dishes from Noodle Bowls to Cheesy Casseroles Plus Salads, Soups & Sides!

• Comfort Food : Scrumptious Classics Made Easy : Good Food Guaranteed by Good Housekeeping

• Tasty Adulting : All Your Faves, All Grown Up

Tomato-Feta Pasta Salad

 

Ingredients
· 1 pound short noodles, cooked according to package directions
· 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
· 2 lbs. cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
· 1/2 large red onion, finely chopped
· 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
· 1 pound French goat’s milk feta, diced
· 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
· 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
· Salt and pepper, to taste
 
Steps
1) Drain the noodles and toss them in a large bowl with the olive oil. Set aside to cool. When the pasta is cool to the touch, gently toss in the rest of the ingredients, tasting a few bites to see if you need more salt and pepper or vinegar.
 
From: The Make-Ahead Kitchen: 75 Slow-Cooker, Freezer, and Prepared Meals for the Busy Lifestyle
By: Annalise Thomas