Fish Tacos and How To Achieve Work Life Balance in 7 minutes or less

I have been muttering to myself all morning about a promo for the Martha Stewart show this week. Get ready for it: if you are lucky enough to see the show on Tuesday, you are in for a treat: "Chefs Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert make coq au vin. Plus, how to get work-life balance and adorable Westminster dogs." I'm sure the coq au vin will be great and the dogs will be cute, but really, does anyone believe we can crochet up some work-life balance in the seven minutes between two commercial breaks?

Having done some time in a TV production office, I can tell you that this story came from some bright spark announcing in a production meeting that everyone seems to be talking about work-life balance. From there it would have been a very quick process of sourcing some interview talent (probably someone who has written a book on the subject), and writing up a brief. Today, the interviewee will be wheeled on, deliver their pithy pearls of wisdom and disappear again before a single mother has had time to make a school lunch while dialling in to a conference call. Pretending that this is a topic that can be conquered in seven minutes is not helping anyone, especially not those on the front lines fighting for work-life balance.

To me and my female friends, work-life balance is one of those intractable, thorny subjects. It means different things to different women and even different things to the same woman at different points in her life. It means compromises in the office and at home. It means choices that are hard, whichever way you go. It means second shifts and mother guilt, bruised egos and careers abandoned because balance proved impossible. In fact, I was laughing with a friend this morning about finding work that lets you be at home after school, and any time a kid is sick; that lets you have all school holidays off; that is pretty flexible so you can get to sports carnivals and Christmas concerts; that values your contribution on output not hours in the office. Oh, and we still want creative, fulfilling roles that makes us feel valued. Where are these work-life jobs? Not with Martha Stewart, I would bet. And the secret to finding them or maintaining a work-life balance is not going to be solved with a quick TV how-to. Even with Martha. OK, now that I have that out of my system, onto the tacos........

Whether or not you are struggling with work-life issues, whether you are time-rich or time-poor, these tacos are a fast, easy dinner. When I first saw the title in the current issue of Donna Hay, I imagined some sort of simmer of heavily-spiced fish, in the same way you simmer mince for beef tacos. I was wrong - the fillets of fish are dry-fried briefly in a pan, and then served in a tortilla with a punchy salsa, some coleslaw, pickled onions and avocado. I skipped the chilli marinade on the fish for the kids, and they also avoided the salsa, and the onions. The result was a good dinner for all of us: adults with the spices dialled up; kids opting for a plainer variety. A welcome change that was perfect for a hot night.

This was one of my choices for this month's We Made It challenge focusing at Donna Hay Feb / Mar 2010. If you are tired of under-utilising your cookbooks, feel free to join Melinda at Melbourne Larder and me - just drop us a line.




Fish and Coleslaw Tacos
adapted from Donna Hay Feb / Mar 2010, serves 4

2 tbl olive oil
1 tsp chilli flakes
sea salt
4 snapper fillets (approx 140 g each)
8 tortillas (Donna has a recipe for them in the mag, but that fell into my too-hard basket)
3 tbl mayonnaise
1 tbl white wine vinegar
1 cup finely shredded white cabbage
1 avocado, diced
coriander to garnish

Place mayonnaise and vinegar in a bowl and stir until well-combined. If it is too thick to tip from a spoon, thin it with a little water. Season with salt and pepper. Add cabbage, toss to coat, and place in the fridge.

Combine oil and chilli and salt and brush over fish fillets. (If this is for children, omit the chilli). Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Cook fish fillets for 3 minutes on each side or until cooked through (you can tell it is done when it starts to flake easily). Serve in tortillas with coleslaw, pickled onion (see below), salsa cruda (see below) and avocado.

Salsa cruda:
Combine 250g chopped cherry tomatoes, 1 green onion, 2 tbls lime juice (I used lemon because I forgot to buy limes and it was fine), 2 tbls olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1 green chilli and sea salt to taste.

Pickled onion:
Place 2 red onions, 2 tbls white wine vinegar and 1 tbl olive oil and sea salt to taste in a non-metallic bowl. Allow to stand for 10 mins or until onion starts to wilt. Keeps well in the fridge.

Lemon, Garlic, Chilli and Anchovy Pasta with Crisp Breadcrumbs

If chocolate cakes are the sort of recipes that everyone loves reading about, then this is probably the reverse. All the carb haters will ignore it because it features pasta and breadcrumbs. The anchovy-phobics won't go near it because it contains a generous dose of what one friend refers to as the "devil fish". And I know that there are legions of people who won't even look at anything marked chilli. They probably had a traumatic childhood experience where someone convinced them to swallow a birds eye chilli whole and have never recovered. (Or is that only my circle of friends?)

If you're still with me, this is a fantastic dinner, especially for those nights when you want something tasty without too much time or effort or planning. Everything you need is probably already in your cupboard. This is a meal that is big on flavour and big on texture thanks to the softness of the pasta and the crunch of the crumbs. Just the thing for curling up on the couch for a night in front of whatever boxed DVDs you are working your way through. The recipe comes from an old Donna Hay Magazine (March / April 2006). I have been thumbing through some old Donna Hays because the web cooking event Hay Hay Its Donna Day is back. Check back in later in the week for my entry in this month's challenge of a summer salad.

Lemon, Garlic and Anchovy Pasta with Crispy Breadcrumbs

adapted from Donna Hay Magazine March / April 2006

serves 2

200g spaghetti

10g butter

1 tbl olive oil + 1 tbl extra

4 anchovy fillets finely chopped

1/4 tsp chilli flakes

2 garlic cloves crushed

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup finely grated parmesan

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and return to saucepan.

Meanwhile, put butter, 1 tbl olive oil, anchovies, chilli and garlic and cook for 1-2 mins, until anchovies are starting to melt. Add breadcrumbs and parsley and continue to cook for another 3-4 mins or until breadcrumbs are crisp and golden.

Add lemon juice, parmesan and extra oil to pasta, and toss. Twirl the pasta into serving bowls and top with the crumb mixture.

Cheats Salmon Teriyaki aka Maple Soy Salmon

How do you know a recipe is a winner? I spotted this salmon recipe on Closet Cooking and bookmarked it a while ago, and promptly forgot about it. Then a month or so ago, looking for inspiration for dinner for the kids and some friends who had come to stay, I found it again. Since then, I have made it five times. I have made it at home. I have made it away. When my daughter was having a friend over for a sleepover last week and I told her she could pick "anything" for dinner - yes it was a good mummy day - this is what she picked. I now know this recipe off by heart (along with the start of the Madeline books, half a poem by Hopkins and a lot of trivia).

The recipe doesn't sound promising - maple syrup and soy sauce as a combination is a little odd, I admit, until you try it. At which point, you will realise that the flavour profile is very close to teriyaki, and it actually tastes better than the commercial teriyaki sauces (although not quite as good as the local Japanese). I am sure this will remain a favourite especially, but not only, when we are away on holidays because:

- it is so damn easy

- there are three ingredients (four if you are really getting fancy), and even the smallest town general store has soy sauce and maple syrup.

So thank you Kevin from Closet Cooking for the recipe (who incidentally attributes it to Allrecipes).

PS Click on the link below and look at Kevin's photo - much prettier than mine. In my defence, there were 10 yr olds nipping at my ankles.

Maple Salmon

from Closet Cooking

4 salmon fillets (skinned and boned if you prefer)

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger (if you like but you don't really need it)

Marinate the salmon in the maple, soy and ginger for about 20 minutes. Put the salmon on an oven tray and baste generously with marinade. Grill the salmon under a pre-heated hot griller for 5-10 minutes, depending on how rare you like your salmon . Place the salmon on a plate and pour some of the maple sauce from the bottom of the pan on top of the salmon. Serve with rice to sop up more of the sauce and some greens.

Superfast Honey Lamb Skewers With Almond Couscous

As every parent knows, the early evening is when the most stressful time squeeze of the day occurs. Before I had kids, it didn't really matter if we didn't eat dinner till after 9pm. But once you have kids, there is definite pressure to get the meal on the table by a reasonable hour - whatever that may be - depending on the age and stage of your kids. Somewhere between 6-7pm is regarded as reasonable around here. Not sure why. If you are a working parent, and not getting home till about six, or you have been out at some after school activity, the squeeze is even harder. If you haven't yet worked out what is for dinner, harder still. And don't imagine your only focus is dinner. If your life is at all like mine, you will also find yourself:

- suggesting the children to do their homework

- feeding the dog

- looking for the netball skirt

- putting on a load of washing

- hanging out some drying

- reminding the kids to do their homework

- unloading the dishwasher

- signing permission notes for school

- answering the telephone and trying not to swear at some poor call centre guy in India

- attempting to find the chequebook

- yelling at the kids to do their homework

This recipe is for those nights. Buy some narrow backstraps of lamb (look out for them on special because they can be hellaciously expensive). Cut each strap into 4 or 5 pieces and thread them onto skewers. The kids might even help with the threading if the homework is done. Mix up honey, lemon rind and rosemary (if your kids hate herbs, go lightly on the rosemary or leave it out altogether). Brush the marinade onto the skewers, whack them under the grill, and they are ready in a couple of minutes. Served with couscous that also takes 5 minutes, and whatever vegies you have on hand, and it makes a delightful meal. If you want to be fancy, you can even toss some toasted almonds through the couscous and serve the lamb with some greek yoghurt as a sauce. But probably you just want to sit down.

This recipe comes from the 20 minute section of "Food Fast" by Donna Hay. I especially like Donna Hay in general, and this book in particular for recipes for my most frantic nights. And

I think she is being generous with the 20 mins - if you tried you could get it down to about 15 minutes at the most. (Incidentally, this fed two adults and two kids; if you are big eaters, you may want more lamb).

Honey Lamb Kebabs

from "Food Fast" by Donna Hay

500g lean lamb loin or fillets or backstraps

2 tbl honey

2 tsps grated lemon rind (with a rasp grater, you can do this in less than a minute)

1 tbl rosemary leaves

Black pepper to taste

Cut lamb into cubes and thread onto skewers. Combine honey, lemon, rosemary and pepper. Spread onto kebabs, then grill them for 1-2 mins each side.

Couscous:

1 cup instant couscous

1 cup chicken stock

1 tbl good olive oil

toasted almonds, to serve

Heat stock in a small saucepan to boiling. Tip in the couscous, remove saucepan from heat and cover. Let sit for five minutes. Fluff up couscous by raking with a fork. Stir through olive oil. Mix in almonds and serve.

Snazzy Sausage Rolls

So that the catering burden does not fall solely on one pair of shoulders, a lot of our school functions tend to be "bring a plate". There is good and bad in this (good: chicken sandwiches are usually excellent; bad: way too much sushi has been served up over the last few years to the point where I can no longer look at a maki roll). This week we had the first function for Year 7 parents, and I was under instruction to bring a plate of hot savouries eg sausage rolls or pies. Both sausage rolls and pies can be either delicious or dodgy depending on the quality of the meat and pastry. If I could have mustered more energy, I might have attempted some baby pies, but February is hot, humid and exhausting enough without making pies as well. NZ's Cuisine magazine came to my rescue with a brilliant take on sausage rolls: this recipe featured in the November edition.

Simple: buy the best chipolatas you can (any flavour you like). Roll in honey and mustard. Twirl a strip of pastry around it. Drizzle with honey and mustard. Serve with BBQ sauce or chutney. Perfectly easy. Easily perfect. (And I am still shocked as I reread this post to think of myself as a Year 7 parent. High school - how on earth did I get here so fast?)

Chipolata Twists With Honey and Mustard

1 kg small chipolatas

3 tbls honey

3 tbls wholegrain mustard

1 egg beaten

2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted and sliced into 2cm strips

Preheat ove to 180c. Toss mustard and honey together in a large bowl. Add the sausages and make sure they are well covered all over with the honey mustard (it will help the pastry to stick). Wind a strip of pastry around each sausage and place on a baking try, ends underneath the sausage. Brush the pastry with beaten egg and bake until the pastry is puffed and golden (around 30-40 mins). Meanwhile warm the leftover honey and mustard in a small saucepan, and drizzle it over the sausages once they are cooked.

Frozen Raspberry Whip - My Welcome to Summer

While the weather here is still a bit on again / off again, the profusion of flowers everywhere convinces me that summer is really around the corner. Jasmine and murraya are heavy in the air in my garden, swimming costumes and hats have appeared in the shops. And one of the biggest signs of all - finally berries are becoming affordable again. Through the winter, fresh raspberries were selling for $12 a punnet at Woolworths (for 125g), and as much as I love them, the cost of buying berries flown from the Northern hemisphere was more than I could bear. And don't even mention the food miles carried in that tiny box! But now the prices have come back to earth, as the local berries start to appear - roll on summer....

This dessert was a great welcome to the hot months ahead. It is fast and easy to make, and light and tasty to eat. You can also make it way ahead - making it perfect for dinner parties as a very slow stress end to a meal. I was a bit disorganised when I was serving it, and forgot to macerate the strawberries in a little icing sugar (there is always next time...). Thanks to elder darling daughter for the photo. And another BIG thank you to Brenda for the award she sent my way yesterday.

Frozen Raspberry Whip With Strawberries

adapted from "Marie Claire: Zest" by Michelle Cranston

1 punnet raspberries (125g-150g)

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 egg white

2 punnets strawberries

1 tbl icing sugar

Whip the raspberries, lemon juice, sugar and egg white with electric beaters or in a stand mixer using the whisk attachment for 10 mins or until the mixture is tripled in size and is very light and fluffy. Spoon into a container and freeze for serveral hours or overnight. Just before serving, trim the strawberries and then halve them. Toss the strawberries with icing sugar and let them sit and macerate for 5 mins before serving with a scoop of raspberry whip.

Sticky Chicken Wings When You Feel Like A Headless Chook

You can tell that I am having trouble getting organised by the way this week is all about serving up superfast meals. I keep telling myself that one day, my life will be sufficiently organised to elegantly float from one activity to the next rather than constantly feeling I need to catch my breath, or my mind. Here's hoping....

These chicken wings are a great dinner for those nights when the 75 things that require you outside the kitchen can no longer be ignored. For the time poor and disorganised (like me), there is no requirement for soaking the wings in a marinade in advance of cooking. They also cook in the oven for an hour with only one turn in the middle, so you can leave them alone to do their thing while you are tackling the rest of the house. Coleslaw is also a fast and easy side to serve with it, and would probably go down even better at the height of summer.

This recipe comes from Belinda Jeffrey's 100 Favourite Recipes. Belinda was the cook on Better Homes and Gardens, as well as running a cafe, and this cookbook offers the sort of simple but delicious recipes that you would expect. I would also recommend another of her books called Belinda Jeffrey's Tried and True Recipes. She has also written for Delicious magazine in Australia, and published another cookbook last year called Mix & Bake.

The Simplest and Best Sticky Chicken Wings

adapted from Belinda Jeffrey's 100 favourite Recipes

12 large chicken wings, wing tips removed

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup red wine

1/4 cup white sugar

2 tsps finely chopped fresh ginger

Preheat the oven to 200C. Sit the wings in a single layer in a large baking tin. Put the soy sauce, red wine, sugar and ginger in a small saucepan. Stir them together over low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then pour the mixture evenly over the wings.

Put the wings in the oven (bottom side up) and bake for 35 mins, then turn them over and continue cooking them for another 25 minutes, or until they are deep brown and glossy. Small wings will cook faster, so check them sooner.

Serve with coleslaw. Belinda suggests mixing a tablespoon of sesame oil into the mayonnaise dressing for the slaw, and finishing with a sprinkle of toasted seame seeds (depending of course on how hectic your day was and whether you are more inclined to sit with a glass of wine and the paper....)

Blue Eye Cod and Vale Joan Campbell

Without realising how timely I was, I had picked a Joan Campbell recipe to cook this week. Joan Campbell passed away a couple of weeks ago at the grand old age of 95. In food circles in Sydney, she was a legend, spanning both catering and journalism, as well as cookbook writing. As a teenager, I used to pore over her work in Vogue Entertaining, and still have a well-thumbed collection of the annual cookbooks they published. Amongst the faux French pretentious food that was being peddled at the time, her recipes distinguished themselves as dependable and delicious. Many of the recipes I learnt from her, I still make decades later. If you ever find them in a bookshop, titles from Joan Campbell that are worth buying include: Five Minutes in the Kitchen and Bloody Delicious.

The recipe below comes from "From Market to Table: Recipes and Ideas for Fresh Produce" by Joan Campbell and Barry McDonald. It is quick and easy, and even my kids loved it. If like me, you have nights where you want something satisfying that can be cooked inside 30mins, this is a good pick. Blue eye is a lovely white fish; feel free to substitute any other white fish that looks good to you (thicker fillets are better than thin for pan frying). Don't be afraid of the celeriac or the fennel; after cooking, both are very mild flavours. In fact this recipe might be a good way to introduce new vegies to your table.

Hope you enjoy.

Blue-Eye Cod With Winter Vegetables
adapted from "from Market To Table" by Joan Campbell and Barry McDonald
1 cup peas (frozen are OK)
8 baby pencil leeks, trimmed (look a bit like spring onions, with a milder taste)
125g butter (depending on your taste and your arteries, feel free to halve this)
salt & pepper
4 x 180g fillets of blue eye cod
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 clove crushed garlic
1/4 cup white wine
2 baby fennel, trimmed and shredded finely
1 cup celeriac, peeled and sliced

Cook the peas in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes until bright green and tender. Drain and set aside. Cook leeks in a separate saucepan of boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Season the fish fillets and cook for 1-2
minutes. Turn the fish over and sprinkle with lemon rind, garlic and wine. Cover and cook over low heat for four to five minutes, or until just cooked. Remove from the pan, cover with foil and
keep warm.

Place the fennel and celeriac in the frying pan. Cook over medium heat stirring occassonally, until tender. Add the leeks and peas to warm through. Serve with the fish.

Serves 4.