A Whole Trout, With Head On

A friend shared some trout to me last week, fresh from the lake through fishing. Excited to taste its freshness, I decided to cook it immediately after cleaning all the gut section. No recipe. Just whatever suits me, a whole trout will soon be served to please my appetite.

I sautéed some onions, peppers and cut mushrooms until the juice start flowing and add the whole trout in it, cover it and let it cook on top of a wood stove. When the eyes turned white, it means almost time to be served. I added some ginger, add a dash of salt and pepper just before serving and it was simple but tasty.

This one trout not only taste so good but filled with memory of sharing and freshness of what nature can bring. It was a good time! Oh, wait. Squeeze some lemon juice before you plunged your fork and the aroma will make you want more of the trout.

Ingredients:

Onions - cut lengthwise and clean the gut

Ginger - grated

Yellow Peppers - cut in triangles

Mushrooms

Whole Trout

Lemon

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

pumpkin pie mode

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of pumpkin purée (can or Fresh)

1 1/2 cup heavy cream or 1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs plus the yolk of a third egg

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon

1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest

1 good crust

Mix sugars, salt, and spices, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Beat the eggs and add to the bowl. Stir in the pumpkin purée. Stir in cream. Whisk all together until well incorporated.

Pour into pie shell and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes reduce the temperature to 350°F and Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Note that the pumpkin pie will come out of the oven all puffed up (from the leavening of the eggs), and will deflate as it cools.

Mung Beans with Brussels Sprout

 

My wood stove is calling. The heat is going pretty strong and there was nothing on top to cook. It took a second to remember Mung Beans would be best in this kind of given situation and make the most of it. The fire is going, heating the house and maybe cooking for free too. I got some bones to boil for the meat stock. I do not need a lot of meat in this dish as the Mung bean itself is so filling. I washed the Mung beans and add some water to the pot. The bone with little meat around it would be perfect to make my recipe tastes so good!

When the Mung bean opens up from rigorous boiling, it is time to add everything in it. Some people like to sauté the onions for desired aroma but I am trying to avoid oil this time. The bone itself will produce a little bit oil from whatever is attached to it, I'm sure and the stock made from boiling the bone will enhance the flavor of this recipe plus extra soup. I add the salt last to taste. The onions, garlic and salt, is something I enjoy personalizing by how I want the outcome of this recipe. In my case, onions and garlic are two of the few spices I always add when cooking. And a lot is what I want.

Since I only have Brussels sprout on hand, a few were thinly cut for the greens and added just before serving the dish. I like the taste of Brussels sprout cook swiftly less than a minute, sweet and the right crunch!

Ingredients:

2 cups Mung Beans

4 Cups Water

1 Whole Onion

1 Whole Garlic Cloves

1 Coconut Milk in can

Salt

Pork Bones/ Beef Bones