Renee Aloisio, president of the American Heart Association in southern New England, recently posted a salmon recipe for making healthy meals online at eaststates.heart.org/sne/, and I thought that might be the theme for this week’s recipes.
Name them healthy recipes that are still comforting.
A Cioppino recipe comes from “Outwit Your Weight” by Cathy Nonas of the New York Obesity Research Center at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital (Rodale Press).
Spaghetti Primavera is one of the “healthy noodles” in the Random House cookbook by Joseph Bastianich and Tanya Bastinianich Manuali.
CIOPPINO
1 small onion, chopped
4 spring onions, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups of fat-free, reduced sodium chicken stock
2 canned plum tomatoes (with juice), chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
Pinch of dried rosemary, ground red pepper, ground black pepper
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 small-necked mussels, scrubbed
1/2 pound haddock fillets, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
Spray a large saucepan with cooking spray and set it on medium heat. Add the onion, spring onions and garlic. Cook on medium heat for 3 minutes.
Add the broth, tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary and paprika. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the prawns, mussels and haddock. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer gently for 5 minutes or until the prawns turn pink, the clams open and the fish flakes easily.
Remove and discard the bay leaf and any unopened clams.
Serves 4: 238 calories per serving
More:10 Places to Go to Fix Your Lent Fish and Chips
SPAGHETTI SPRING
10 asparagus spears, half-peeled, cut into 2-inch lengths
1 1⁄2 cups sliced and halved green beans
1 cup frozen peas
1 pound of spaghetti
Reserved pasta water
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 cups sliced mixed mushrooms (see note)
1 cup of diced zucchini
2 plum tomatoes, pitted and diced (1 1⁄2 cups)
2 chopped garlic cloves
Kosher salt
Crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup of freshly grated Grana Padano
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Put the asparagus, green beans and peas in a sieve and blanch in hot water for about 3 minutes until crispy. Remove and let cool in an ice bath. Drain and pat dry.
Put the spaghetti in the pot of boiling water. When it is al dente, remove the pasta into a bowl with tongs. Reserve the pasta water.
In a large pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and zucchini and cook, without stirring, for about 2 minutes until brown on the bottom. Stir and brown the other side. When the mushrooms are browned and there is no more liquid in the pan, add the tomatoes and garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant and the tomatoes start to release their juices (about 3 minutes). Season with salt and paprika flakes. Add the cream and 1 cup of pasta water and simmer until the zucchini is tender and the mixture is juicy, about 5 minutes. Add the blanched vegetables and simmer for a few minutes.
Put the pasta in the sauce. Add the basil and toss it to coat the pasta with the sauce. Add a splash of pasta water when the pasta appears dry. Remove the pan from the heat, sprinkle with the grated Grana Padano, toss and serve.
Note: The mushroom mix can contain button, cremini, shitake, oyster, chanterelle or porcini mushrooms.
Servings 6. Calories per serving: 421.
More:Divine fish dishes to prepare at home
TWO LEMON-GARLIC SALMON FOIL PACKS
1 pound new potatoes (halved, thinly sliced)
2 teaspoons of garlic (minced)
1 pound green beans (ends cut)
2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 skinless salmon fillets
1 to 2 lemons (cut into wheels)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Make 4 sheets of aluminum foil about 30 cm long. Fold the foil in half the width (into almost a square) so that it is extra sturdy.
Cut each potato in half lengthways. Cut each half thinly into ⅛-inch slices and place in a heat-resistant container.
Stir in the chopped garlic, cover and cook the potatoes in the microwave until they are half soft, about 90 seconds to 3 minutes depending on the power of the microwave.
Put the mixture in a bowl along with green beans, oil, salt and pepper.
Mix to combine.
Divide the potato mixture into 4 equal portions in the center of each foil square. If possible, nudge green beans in the same direction.
Line each serving with salmon fillet in the same direction as green beans to make it easier to fold.
Sprinkle garlic powder on each piece of salmon; Top with 2 lemon wheels.
Seal the top and sides of each foil package securely. Place each foil packet on a large baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven.
Cook until the salmon is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Take out of the oven and place each foil packet on a plate. Carefully open each packet to serve.
Serves 4: 394 calories per serving
More:After all these years, Providence is still fighting for the best food town with the best chefs
MUSHROOM AND CHEESE BURRITOS
1 1⁄2 pounds portobello mushrooms (about 6 medium to large)
3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice and lime wedges for garnish
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
3 cloves of garlic, 2 unpeeled and 1 chopped
Kosher salt
1⁄4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil plus extra for oiling the poblano
1 large poblano (3 1⁄2-4 ounces) or half a 4 1⁄2 ounce can green chillies
3⁄4 pound cherry tomatoes
1 medium onion, cut 1⁄2 inch thick, and separate the slices
6 ounces of coarsely grated hot cheddar cheese
Six 8 inch flour tortillas
1 firm ripe avocado, cut into cubes
1⁄2 cup of fresh coriander leaves
Whisk 1⁄2 cup of sour cream together with 3 tablespoons of water
Hot sauce
Place an oven rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the grill. Cleaning mushrooms; Remove and discard the stems (or save for another use such as vegetable broth). Scrape out the gills with a spoon and throw them away. Cut the caps in half, then cut them across into 1⁄2-inch strips.
In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the lime juice, cumin, chopped garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until the salt has dissolved. Stir in 1⁄4 cup of vegetable oil. Add the mushrooms and stir well to make sure the marinade is well spread out. Set the mushrooms aside and stir occasionally.
Place the Poblano, rubbed with oil, on an edge sheet lined with foil and fry it in the upper third of the oven on the shelf. Turn it over frequently until lightly browned on all sides (6 to 8 minutes). Transfer it to a bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set it aside while you fry the other vegetables.
Mix the tomatoes, onion slices and 2 unpeeled cloves of garlic with the remaining tablespoon of oil and a strong pinch of salt on the baking tray. Spread the vegetables in one layer. Place the pan on the shelf in the top third of the oven and fry the vegetables, turning frequently, until the garlic is tender and the vegetables are browned around the edges for about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the tomatoes and onions to a food processor. Peel the garlic and put it in the processor.
Put the mushrooms in the sheet pan and spread them in a layer. Fry them, turning them several times, until golden and tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. While the mushrooms are cooking, peel and core the poblano and roughly chop it. Add it to the processor and pulse the vegetables in the processor until they are medium-chopped. When the mushrooms are cooked, add the chopped vegetables to the mushrooms and stir well (Note: if you are using the canned chilies in place of the poblano, add them at this point. Add salt to taste. Reduce The oven to 350 degrees.
Arrange the tortillas on a cutting board and sprinkle one sixth of each cheese in a line from one edge of the tortilla to the other just below the center of the tortilla. Spoon 1/6 of the filling on top, evenly spread the top of the cheese, and roll up the tortilla tightly to enclose the filling. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, cheese, and filling. Arrange the filled tortillas seam-down on the rimmed sheet pan lined with a fresh piece of foil and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until heated through. Halve the tortillas crosswise and place 2 halves on 6 plates each. Serve to garnish with avocado, coriander, sour cream, lime wedges and hot sauce.
6 servings: 483 calories
By Chef Sara Moulton, Associated Press, 2017
