| Wednesday, March 23, 2011 |
| Fish N Chips |
I have such a love of food. I know that's a shocker to all of you. Rewind back to Saint Patrick's Day...we were talking about different things to eat that would celebrate the day. Now, I don't typically do this kind of thing, but I love the history of foods...why we eat them and where they come from. I realize that fish and chips are said to have originated in England, but this was what we decided on anyway. For me, it's all a train of thought...this is my problem with all recipes I develop...one thing leads to another to another and then another...you get the picture. Anyway, when I mentioned fish and chips to the illustrator, he nearly leaped out of his chair with excitement. You see, he hasn't had this for about 2 1/2 years. This is a meal that he frequently got out since I don't normally fry foods at home (or at least I didn't, now it's about a once a month thing) and since he has been diagnosed with celiac, he hasn't been able to have it. These are things I forget about. The thought of things I can't have doesn't even bother me anymore. I shrug it off, but for the illustrator, it's a little harder since it is all still new to him. The poor man can't have Guinness, so we went for the meal he would have had with it.
So, since I was in completely unchartered territory with fish and chips, I did some research. I found the perfect recipe that works like a charm. I followed Tyler Florence's recipe for fish and chips and it was perfect for what I was looking for. I'm telling you, rice flour (I always use Bob's Red Mill) is such a great product and the use of seltzer/club soda here worked so well! The batter crisped up perfectly, stuck to the food really well and was not greasy at all. The only thing I changed was that I use peanut oil to fry. It doesn't smell up the whole house, which is a huge bonus to me (the fish did, but every once in a while your house should smell like Captain D's, right?). Not only did I do fish and chips, but I threw in some onion rings too since Max is a huge fan of onion rings and the fryer was already going.
Yes, this was a process, but for a fun dinner to make my men happy, I loved doing it. I use an electric skillet when I deep fry so I can control the temperature. That definitely helped since you have to do a double fry on the french fries.
I tasted the fries and the onion rings and they were really good. I'm not a fan of fried food in general. I just don't like the flavor frying gives foods, but these were really good.
For those of us that live without our favorites, it's nice sometimes to step outside of our comfort zones and try to make things that we miss, but are kind of afraid to make. I really liked how well these turned out and while I won't be doing this all the time, there is comfort in knowing that we can do this anytime we want to.
I have been doing a lot of stepping outside of my comfort zone lately. How about you guys? Any fears you've defeated lately? I am not a risk taker, so I don't typically do that kind of stuff. Ask me to bake something and I go for it, but I can be a real chicken with other things.Labels: gluten free, main course |
posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 7:50 AM  |
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| 26 Comments: |
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You make a good point. I feel like sometimes Jason just wants whatever and I'm always like, "No, we can't have that, it's not good for you." instead of just sometimes making it. We did have grilled pizza last night.
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i love this. I would have lept out of my chair too! I haven't had fish and chips in YEARS!!
I love how you really getting into this fish challenge. I'm sure the illustrator is very appreciative.
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Nice job my friend. I am not a big fan of fried foods either, but I swear, every once in a while nothing beats a really good (and it has to be a good quality) french fry. I can only have a couple, but man....
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Fish n' chips is something we'd actually have during Lent a lot. It's a popular thing in Mid-MO to go to "fish fry" fundraisers at that time of the year. I sort of miss it every once in a while... although I'm pretty sure all the "fry" would give me much more irritation in my stomach than it used to!
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That looks perfect! You did a great job recreating an old favorite. I have a lot of palm shortening that I love frying with, I'll have to try sometime. Yum!
I feel like I've been stepping out of my comfort zone lately, mustering up courage that I typically don't have, both in the kitchen and out. :)
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That looks great!! The illustrator must have been so happy!
Frying things totally intimidates me...we fried okra last summer, and I was really proud of myself for not burning the house down!
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Sarena you are such a nice wife!!! This looks delicious.
I'm trying to step out of my comfort zone with this new blog and trying twitter and all that. It is totally new territory for me!
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I use the same recipe changed up a bit. The best fish and chips I have ever had! So, so good!
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I really believe that we can make any food we enjoy fit into our diets even if we have restrictions. It just takes a little research and an adjustment of ingredients. This looks wonderful. I bet The Illustrator was very grateful!
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Good for you for stepping out of your comfort zone, Sarena! :) It definitely looks like it is paying off. Your fish and chips looks amazing. I hope that you're having a great day!
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I'm not a fan of fish and chips....BUT yours look perfect! My family always gets the fish and chips from London at EPCOT at WDW and yours looks just like theirs. Authentic :)
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The fish and chips and onion rings all look phenomenal! Will make these in the very near future! :-)
Thanks, Sarena!
Shirley
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What a fantastic job you did Sarena - you are such a sweet wife! I'm with the Illustrator, fried food tastes good and really is a treat!
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So sweet of you to step out of your comfort zone for the illustrator, and it looks like it turned out great!
I'm stepping out of my comfort zone this year big time by starting a blog. I have always wanted to write but have been terrified to let anyone read what I wrote. This year I finally put myself out there. And unlike I feared, the world has not come toppling down around me! Though I still find it super intimidating, I'm learning to be brave by reading blogs (esp. yours!, as I I am dairy challenged as well), and I find hearing about your successes inspiring.
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Oh my goodness, I love fish 'n chips SO much! That looks fabulous!
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Isn't cooking something your boys love awesome? I love when Colin says "that was great, mom" after dinner!
Have a great rest of your day, hon!
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I used to love fish and chips! Ahhh food memories :)
In regards to defeating fears, I totally defeated my fear of organizing and running a professional meeting last week. Yay! I am also not much of a risk taker...but when I do it's usually very rewarding
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Mmmm...you make fish and chips look awesome (and I don't usually feel that way!).
I haven't overcome any fears lately. I've been too busy. I think the one I should concur next is to start saying No sometimes!
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I enjoy learning where food comes from too :) Great job with stepping out of your comfort zone. I try to do things from time to time that challenges me, it is scary but feels good when you at least attempt it :)
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I bet you had one happy family that night :] Kudos to you for fearlessly tackling family favorites! [that alliteration was totally unintentional and incredibly corny...]
I feel like the past couple of weeks I've finally...uh...I'll keep it PG for your blog - but braved up! I'll be the first to admit I'm such a wimp, but I've been more outgoing about speaking up and dealing with "scary" situations (according to Teddie) that I would otherwise chicken out on.
I sometimes feel like maybe I should be a little less fearless in the kitchen, though :P Might keep me from haphazardly throwing everything in a bowl and then in a waffle iron!
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I wish I didn't love fried foods, haha! I'm so surprised at how amazing EVERYTHING that comes out of your kitchen looks (and I bet tastes too). So awesome!
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I'm not a fried foods person for the most part, but this just looks amazing!! thanks for the rice flour tips!! I have a bunch of it! hehehe oh the possibilities~question. Do you think that Celiac is becoming more common lately? It may just be me, but it seems like more and more people have it nowadays? have a blessed day!
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Sarena, the fish looks perfect! That's awesome it worked so well with brown rice flour. I've got a brown rice flour pizza crust in the oven as I type this. The recipe was beyond simple...almost too easy in fact. Can't wait to see how it tastes...probably not as good as that fried plate of goodness. :)
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My two favorite chef's in the world. How could this be wrong???? I am drooling.
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That fish looks perfect!!! :) Hope you're having a happy Sunday, Sarena! xoxo
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Oh wow Sarena! That fish looks absolutely perfect! I'm with you on the fried stuff...I rarely ever eat it and I can't even tell you the last time I made any at home!
How sweet of you to step out of your comfort zone for your "men"!
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Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen
Home: Atlanta, GA, United States
About Me: Lactose Challenged
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You make a good point. I feel like sometimes Jason just wants whatever and I'm always like, "No, we can't have that, it's not good for you." instead of just sometimes making it. We did have grilled pizza last night.