Culinary Adventures with Camilla

  Claudia of  Honey from Rock  is hosting our bi-monthly reading group  Cook the Books .  And, if you'd like to join the fun, the posts aren't due till the end of March, so you still have time. You can read her announcement  here . She has asked us to read  Where I Come From: Life Lessons from a Latino Chef  by Aarón Sánchez* which is the book pick for February and March 2021. I have had this on my shelf for a few months and just kept pushing off starting it until I read some other books. When I had a lull...and realized that February was almost gone...I picked it up. And it was a breeze to read and a completely delight! I know that I have seen  Aarón Sánchez on television when we've stayed in hotels and watched the Food Network. Maybe Chopped . Maybe MasterChef   or IronChef . But he never struck me as a television personality that I was compelled to read more about or learn his back story. So, I'm glad that Claudia picked this mem...

It's time for Fish Friday Foodies' October event. We are a group of seafood-loving bloggers, rallied by Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm , to   share fish and seafood recipes on the third Friday of the month.  This month, Caroline of  Caroline's Cooking  is  hosting. Here was her challenge to the group: " As fall is upon us and winter all too soon, let's create some pasta dishes with fish and seafood. Whether it's a quick midweek meal for a busy school day or a comforting weekend feast, pair together your favorites." As I was researching possibilities, I came across fideuà which is essentially paella made with pasta instead of rice. Then I came across a  Fideuà Negra and I was sold. I am more than a little enamored with anything that includes cuttlefish ink! Oh, about the name - fideuà is usually made with short lengths of dry pasta called fideus . Since I couldn't find any of that, I opted for some gluten-free spaghetti noodles...

Remember that we kicked off Fish Friday Foodies earlier this year. It's a group of seafood-loving bloggers, coordinated by Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm . We share fish and seafood recipes on the third Friday of the month.  This month, Heather of All Roads Lead to the Kitchen   is  hosting. Here was her challenge to the group: " Let's create some tasty fish and seafood burger recipes to throw on the grill since summer is in full swing (Well, for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere)! They don't have to be cooked on the grill. Large burgers or sliders are fine. Please be sure to feature chopped/minced/ground fish or seafood here (by hand or in the food processor), NOT whole fillets." The only seafood burger I've ever made was this one (above) - salmon patties with homemade cuttlefish buns . But I'm always up for an adventure and a culinary challenge! I had considered a shrimp burger but noticed that several of the bloggers had pl...

"I have a special birthday delivery to drop off tomorrow morning," wrote one of my best friends in a message last night. "I didn't want to give you something that you have to work for on your birthday, so the day after." She dropped this off this morning. What is it? I asked, my curiosity more than a little piqued. "A giant lingcod filet. I know you will come up with something divine to do with it." Sweet! I immediately started to look for lingcod recipes.  Lingcod is not actually a cod; it belongs to a group of Pacific fish that include sablefish, rockfish and scorpionfish. It's listed as a 'best choice' on the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch. Plus a friend had caught it, so I was doubly thrilled. Her husband is an accomplished fisherman and has supplied me with crab, salmon, and more. But I don't think I've ever gotten lingcod from him. I love an adventure. She brought me a hefty bag of fileted fish. Tu...

I wanted a quick dinner that was largely hands-off. Oven-roasted fish is usually my go-to. Tonight the fish monger had some beautiful rockfish filets. Dinner! Ingredients serves 4 4 rockfish filets 1 thinly sliced organic Meyer lemon cleaned, trimmed ramps freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper olive oil freshly squeezed lemon juice   Also needed: 4 piece of parchment paper and Caramelized Ramps. Procedure Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lay one filet on a piece of parchment paper, approximately 12" square - or enough that you can completely envelop your filet and create a parchment packet. Cover the filet with lemon slices and lay the ramps on top. Drizzle the filet with lemon juice and olive oil. Sprinkle with freshly ground salt and freshly ground pepper. Bring the sides of the parchment up around the filet and fold the edges together, rolling it down to the fish. Crimp the ends together, folding them in till fish is enclosed...