Paperwork

april 2008

Paperwork

Cooking with parchment paper, or, as the French say, cooking en papillote, is a simple and convenient technique. Fish, poultry, fruits or vegetables are tightly sealed in parchment paper packets and placed in the oven where they cook in their own juices, creating a delicious and aromatic meal with minimum cleanup.

The best way to prepare the parchment packets is to fold a 15-inch square sheet of parchment in half and cut a curve—like a question mark—into the paper so that when it’s opened up, it’s a heart shape. Place the food on the bottom side of the sheet, next to the fold, leaving at a least 1-inch border along the edge. Fold the top half of the paper over the bottom and tightly seal the edges by making overlapping ¼-inch folds along the sides. Fold the tip a couple of times to create a tight seal and tuck it under the packet. Place packets on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven. When done, place each packet on a serving plate, and let everyone open their own, enjoying the steamy aromas of their very own packet.

** Parchment paper is sold in rolls next to the wax paper at the supermarket. It has many other creative uses, including lining cake pans, cookie sheets and pizza pans for easy release and to prevent burning. It also is great for lining a soufflé pan to prevent the baked soufflé from falling, separating foods to be frozen such as hamburger patties and in the microware to avoid splatters.

Summer Vegetables in Parchment Paper

No ordinary vegetable side here—be prepared for these to steal the show.

Ingredients
2 medium zucchini, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
2 summer squash, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
3 medium plum tomatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
½ onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
½ teaspoon fresh oregano
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and gently mix. Fold four 15-inch square pieces of parchment paper in half; cut into heart shapes. Unfold and place vegetables on one side of each sheet next to fold. Fold and tightly seal the edges with narrow folds. Place packets on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Remove packets from oven and transfer to individual serving plates. Cut open packets and serve. Serves 4.

By Dave DiResta and Joanne Foran, "Paperwork, Relish Good Food Fast, April 2008.


For wines to serve with this dish, go to: http://www.relishmag.com/wine/26100.html
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 120 calories, 8g fat, 15mg chol., 5g prot., 9g carbs., 3g fiber, 370mg sodium.

Pesto Shrimp with Couscous








We liked the red pepper pesto here, but traditional basil pesto also works well.

Ingredients
1⁄3 cup hot lower-sodium chicken
or vegetable broth
½ cup uncooked couscous
½ cup chopped red bell peppers
½ cup slivered onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
4 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Pour broth over couscous; cover and let stand 5 minutes.
3. Combine couscous, bell peppers, onion, oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl; mix well. Fold two 15-inch square pieces of parchment paper in half; cut into heart shapes. Unfold and place couscous mixture on one side of each sheet next to the fold. Arrange shrimp in a single layer over couscous mixture; top with pesto. Fold and tightly seal the edges with narrow folds. Place packets on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Remove packets from oven and transfer to individual serving plates. Cut open packets and serve. Serves 2.

Recipe by Dave DiResta and Joanne Foran, "Paperwork," Relish Good Food Fast, April 2008.

For wines to serve with this dish, go to http://www.relishmag.com/wine/26100.html
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 420 calories, 16g fat, 175mg chol., 29g prot., 41g carbs., 3g fiber, 940mg sodium.

Salmon in Parchment Paper

Ingredients
4 cups arugula or spinach
4 (6-ounce) skinless salmon fillets
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons white wine
½ cup garlic and herb spreadable cheese, such as Alouette
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Fold four 15-inch square pieces of parchment paper in half; cut into heart shapes. Unfold and lay arugula next to the fold. Place salmon fillets on top of arugula. Drizzle lemon juice and wine on salmon. Spread cheese on top of salmon. Top with mushrooms and lemon slices. Fold and tightly seal the edges with narrow folds. Place packets on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 20 minutes. Remove packets from oven and transfer to individual serving plates. Cut open packets and serve. Serves 4.

Recipe by Dave DiResta and Joanne Foran, "Paperwork," Relish Good Food Fast, April 2008.

For wines to serve with this dish, go to: http://www.relishmag.com/wine/26100.html
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 360 calories, 23g fat, 115mg chol., 31g prot., 5g carbs., 1g fiber, 230mg sodium.

Dave DiResta and Joanne Foran are food writers in North Andover, Mass.

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Here are some of the current comments about this article. To read more or post your own comments, visit our message boards.
I read this article at lunch and went home and made it for dinner. It was so easy, delicious and fun! Clean up was a breeze. I had all the ingredients in the house with these few changes: frozen large shrimp, added 1 tbs of roasted garlic paste and 1/4 tsp. powdered chipotle red pepper and I did not have the sweet red bell pepper. I did the veggies, too. It was easy to convert the recipe from serving 2 to serving 3. I invited 2 friends over and voile a quick and yummy get together. These are being added to my permanent recipe collection and I can't wait to try the other recipe that uses parchment. I had no idea how easy it is to use parchment and will experiment with some of my other recipes since this is also a low fat and low calorie way of cooking. Thank you, thank you, thank you Dave DiResta and Joanne Foran from a working woman who had a healthy dinner on the table in 20 minutes!
speightc
4/3/08 8:14 AM

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