It seems to me that lately tilapia seems to be a new cheap fish. Where does this come from? It looks like tilapia, originally a freshwater fish from Africa that found its way to American fish farms. So how does tilapia work at the table? First, this is a white fish that takes its flavor from what is cooked. Tilapia is very tender, so it is best steamed, baked, or grilled. It is high in protein and inexpensive. It will be for a long time.
Poultry, on the other hand, can be cooked using most methods. I choose thighs, tenders, and legs over the more expensive breasts, even when the recipe calls for chicken breast as most. The thighs and legs are bone-in, which enhances the flavor of the chicken. Just use what your mom said and wash your hands after handling raw chicken. If you don’t, you can spread salmonella, a bacteria responsible for food poisoning.
Pasta is best made from scratch. But if you don’t have the equipment or the desire to spend the time making your own, the store-bought variety will do. Pasta, in most cases, is simply semolina flour, eggs, and salt. If you don’t have a pasta roller, a rolling pin will do the trick. The cost is cheaper than the store bought kind and you control the quality. Fresh pasta will better absorb whatever sauce you accompany it with. And lastly, something to know if you make your own pasta is to allow it to dry for 15 minutes after cutting it so it doesn’t clump in the boiling water.
Casseroles are your worst enemies, boiling in the oven, soggy, under and at the same time with cooked ingredients, mushy pasta, or leftover casseroles that are overcooked. What a mess, why would anyone want to try a casserole? Because they blend flavors well, are a one-pot dish, allow you to use up leftovers, and freeze well. To prevent it from boiling over in the oven, butter the edge of the pan before you begin. To remove a soggy casserole, squeeze excess moisture from the vegetables and thaw frozen vegetables in a colander to allow them to drip dry. To prevent the pasta from turning musky, cook it for 6 minutes and allow the sauce in the casserole to finish cooking it. And to even out the cooking times of the different vegetables, parboil or partially cook the heavier ones like potatoes, yams and turnips.