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HELP ME HELEN RECIPES AND SERVING SUGGESTIONS
by Chef Helen
Basic Great Salad Recipe
To make a great salad use 1 Tablespoon of my
dressing to every cup of Romaine lettuce (we
also use butter or boston lettuce and the
gourmet green mixtures), add a little shredded
Parmesan cheese and toss all ingredients just
before serving.
Basic Tossed Help Me Helen Pasta
To make a great hot pasta dish or cold pasta
salad, toss hot or cold pasta with either of my
dressings.
Tip
Pasta Preparation:
Boil pasta in plenty of boiling water with the
addition of a little salt and olive oil. Drain
when tender (slightly al dente or chewy — my
kids prefer soft pasta that is slightly firm but
still tastes cooked not hard). Rinse very
lightly with a little cold water, saving a small
quantity of the boiling water. Immediately toss
in olive oil and put back in hot pan used to
boil pasta with a little of the water used to
boil the pasta. Salt and pepper pasta to taste,
so that the pasta tastes seasoned but not salty.
Add any combination of the vegetables and/or
meat suggestions below. Add some Parmesan
cheese. Add my dressing to taste so that it is
well seasoned with the dressing. Cover pasta
with lid to keep hot and serve ASAP. Or, allow
it to cool, then refrigerate it for pasta salad
later. Use chopped fresh parsley, edible flowers
(marigolds are great), or any herb as garnish
(if desired) over pasta.
Vegetable Suggestions for Help Me Helen Pasta
Sauté the following in hot olive oil with a
little butter for seasoning if so desired.
Onion, Mushrooms, Bell Pepper, Eggplant,
Tomatoes Cut up the following vegetables and
steam or lightly boil: Broccoli, Carrots,
Cauliflower, Corn, Peas, Spinach, Snow Peas,
Squash, Zucchini
Slice before cooking. Season with salt and
pepper during cooking. Add any combination of
vegetables to pasta pot.
Meat/Poultry Suggestions
Sauté either a chicken breast, piece of steak,
shrimp, scallops or pork tenderloin in hot olive
oil with a little butter for seasoning. Season
with salt and pepper while cooking. Cut into
bite size pieces and add to pasta pot.
Steamed Help Me Helen Vegetables
Cut up any of the following vegetables and steam
or lightly boil until just barely crunchy to
soft: Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Corn,
Eggplant, Peas, Spinach, Snow Peas, Squash,
Zucchini
Add one vegetable or any combination and toss in
my dressing when cooked, and serve.
Help Me Helen Marinade for Seafood
Once the fish is marinated, grill or bake until
just cooked. Do not over cook. Serve with lemon
wedges and garnish with fresh chopped parsley,
herbs or edible flowers (marigolds are great).
Tip
Which fish for which cooking method
Salmon, Halibut are great for grilling.
Shrimp and Scallops are great for sautéing.
Cod, Snapper, Sea Bass and Sole are great for
baking.
For the seafood that you are going to bake or
grill, marinate seafood in my dressing for at
least one hour and up to three hours.
Tip
One little trick I have is that if I have frozen
fish I take it out of the freezer the night
before, put in a baking dish, pour on my
dressing and stick it in the fridge. When I get
home from work the next day the fish is
defrosted, marinated and ready to cook!
Tip
When grilling salmon my husband preheats the
entire grill at full flame, then shuts the front
burners off and lets the salmon cook with just
the back flame on. He keeps the lid down and
does not attempt to flip the fish. Do not
overcook which happens quickly. The results are
amazing. We’ve had many raves on our grilled
salmon, particularly when marinated in the Green
Chile Caesar.
For seafood that you are going to sauté:
Sauté first in olive oil with a little butter
for seasoning and salt and pepper to taste
during cooking. Once sautéed, toss in my
dressing and serve hot or cold.
Tip
Here's a little Julia Child's secret for
scallops that go watery. Sauté scallops over
high heat in a totally dry skillet until all the
water that is released from the scallops
disappears. Then add the olive oil and butter
and finish sautéing until just cooked.
Help Me Helen Marinade for Chicken or Pork
Marinate chicken breasts, pork chops, or pork
tenderloin for one to three hours. You can use
the same trick that I use for frozen fish with
frozen chicken breasts or pork that I mentioned
under the Help Me Helen Seafood Marinade
section.Take the frozen chicken breasts or pork
out of the freezer the night before, put in a
baking dish, pour on my dressing and stick it in
the fridge. When you get home from work the next
day the chicken breasts, pork chops or pork
tenderloin are defrosted and marinated and ready
to cook. Grill, bake or sauté the chicken
breasts and serve. Serve chicken with lemon
wedges, pork with some applesauce or a great
chutney and garnish with fresh chopped parsley,
herbs or edible flowers (marigolds are great).
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