This Months Recipes

This Months Recipes:

Calories, calorie, calories. That seems to be the consensus nowadays with everything that is put in front of us. What happened to the good ole days when we could just eat what we enjoy and not always be reminded that the "calories" must be taken into account. Well unfortunately those days are gone. With all of the fast food, and convenience stores and Super-supermarkets on every street corner in every neighborhood in every town in America it is now wonder that we are in the shape we find ourselves in. Our eating habits are atrocious. Our meals are nuked, boiled, and already prepared from lasagna to mashed potatoes. We have forsaken good food for fast already prepared foods. I went for the first time a few months ago in to a large nationally popular warehouse superstore. I was amazed at what was in their freezer sections. Any and all hors d'ourves you could ever imagine. Any and all meals already prepared, ready for the oven or microwave and voila, ready in a matter of minutes. No effort, nor knowledge and it seems the younger generation, loves it this way. I must admit I did buy a couple boxes of hor d'ourves, to try them out. Bu as far as already prepared meals, I couldn't bring my self to do it. I enjoy cooking to much. And with all the popular cooking shows on TV, I hope it brings an awareness to the budding cooks. You acquire a lot of satisfaction from the knowledge that what you are putting on your table for you and your family to consume is the fruits of your labor. The praise that comes from the looks on their faces is more than words can say. It is not hard to cook, all it takes is preparation. For years, women from World War II and on, they worked long hours, but always had the next days meal planned and prepared a day ahead. It wasn't any easier for them then, than it is for you now. You put fresh whole food on the table minus, the preservatives and other chemicals, your families don't need. Alright, I am done lecturing, now lets get down to cooking. How about some good fish recipes? And you ladies, grab a fish pole and join your resident fishermen, they will no doubt enjoy your company.

Rules of Thumb for Cooking Fish

Oily fish. Salmon, trout( large ) Broil or Poach,smoke

Oily fish. Salmon, trout( small) Broil, panfry, smoke

Lean fish. Black bass, Muskellung, Pike, Striped Bass, Walleye Broil, bake, barbecue

Lean fish,(small) Panfish,Black bass, White bass Panfry, deepfry,broil

The oilier fish, need to be cooked so the oil and juices are cooked away.

Out of all the fish, hornpout has the least calories. But after frying, it goes as high as the others.

Baked Trout

4 medium sized trout	1/2 tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic minced fine	3/4 cup white wine
2 Tbls. chopped fresh parsley( use fresh)	8 green onions, sliced fine
6 Tbls. melted butter ( if fish are small, use less butter)	Juice of 1 lemon
3 Tbls. italian bread crumbs( with a little parmesan cheese added)

Make sure the trout have been cleaned thoroughly and pat dry..Rub the trout with the lemon juice and salt. Leave heads on. (gives fish a better flavor). Butter the bottom of a large enough baking dish to accomodate your trout.(Which should be about 8 ozs. each, if not then add more trout for the serving). Spread the minced garlic on the bottom of the baking dish. Now pour the wine over the fish. Sprinkle the onions, parsley and bread crumb mixture. Now spoon the butter in small pieces over the bread crumbs. Bake in a preheated oven which is set at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. This is a good meal.

Cheesy Fillets

1 1/2 lbs of a lean fish, filleted about 3/4 inch thick ( Bass is good))	1 Tbls. lemon juice
1/4 cup butter Salt and pepper to your liking	2 Tbls. white wine
4 Tbls. Parmesan cheese Paprika for garnish

Cut filet into serving pieces, should be enough for 4 people. Melt butter and pour into a baking dish. Place fish in baking dish skin side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 5 minutes and turn. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and wine. Sprinkle cheese over all. Bake until fish flakes easily. Oven temperature is set at 450 degrees. Preheat oven. When done, sprinkle with the paprika. Delicious.

Flour coatings

If you prefer to deep fry, there are several options for coatings.

1 egg	1 cup flour
1 tsp. salt	dash of pepper
1 Tbls.buttermilk or milk

Blend egg and milk. Dip fish into egg mixture, and then into flour and salt and pepper mixture. Deep fry.

Beer batter

1 cup flour	3 Tbls. cornstarch
Salt and pepper	1 cup beer
1 Tbls. veg. oil

Mix dry ingredients. Stir in beer and vegetable oil. Dip fish in batter and then deep fry.

If you broil, make sure to keep checking for doneness. Periodically brush fish or fillets with a little oil, to keep them from drying out. I read that professional chefs, poach or steam their fish first and then spead a little butter over all and then broil to brown the fillet. Sneaky aren't they?

Well, thats all for this month. If you have any questions, let the editor know, and I will try and answer them. I have a wonderful array of books that I get my ideas and recipes from, so I shouldn't have any problem. Stay healthy and keep smiling.

Here's another way to make your Wild Game taste GREAT!

View a list of all recipes here!

Liz Wiesemann (Aiming and Angling Recipes)
co-owner of Pleasant Mountain Guide Service and ChaMaCha Lodge, located in Denmark, Maine. Member of the New England Outdoor Writers Assoc., also columnist for the Northwoods Sporting Journal, and other sites.

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