Halibut poached in olive oil

This recipe is my tribute to Harold winning Top Chef the other night. He is my cooking hero (plus, he is hot). And I so want to go eat in his restaurant after it opens. One of his winning courses featured bass poached in olive oil. I was so thrilled because not only did I know how to make this, but it is one of my favorite ways to cook dense fish. It comes out so moist you don't need a sauce (although I prefer sauces with my fish typically.)

When I first saw this preparation I was skeptical. I thought it would be greasy and basically just "fish and chips" style fish, without the breading on the fish. But it is so much more than that.

Halibut (or other dense fish like bass or even tuna)
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. Find a dish that closely matches the size of the fish fillets you have. I usually cook two fillets in a small about 3" x 9" ceramic dish that is about 3" deep. Season the fish well with salt and pepper. Place the fillets in the dish flat and cover in olive oil. Place in oven and bake about 40 minutes or until fish flakes when pricked with a fork. Drain off the olive oil and re-season with salt and pepper. (Harold got dinged for this on the Top Chef finale, as one of the judges said, "everyone knows that if you cook fish in fat you have to reseason it"... well I learned something new last night.)

Serve with your choice of sauce, or without.

Enjoy!

Pad Thai

So I hate to move the wonderful recipes down, but in the interest of what works... last night's quick dinner was Pad Thai from a box. It's easy, fast and tastes good. AB cooked it with chicken, but you can go veggie or use beef , pork or seafood instead. And bonus, even Leif likes the noodles.

We buy extra noodles and also extra "seemingly authentic sauce" from the local Oriental grocer. Brown the chicken, follow the directions on the pack, add veggies as needed (we use broccoli or green beans usually), brown noodles lightly (we like a little crisp to them) and toss with bean sprouts and peanuts and serve with lime wedges.

Quick Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

This is a wonderful meal. Sounds a bit strange at first maybe but it all mixes so well together.

From The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas

2 medium-large sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons light or extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 to 3 garlic cloves
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
One 32 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
One 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 or 2 small fresh hot chilies, minced or one 4 ounce can chopped mild green chilies
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 dried oregano
Salt to taste

1. Bake or microwave the sweet potatoes on high until just firm, about 3 to 4 minutes per potato. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 3/4 inch dice. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a large pot. Add the onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until golden. Add the bell pepper, beans, tomatoes, chilies, cumin, and oregano. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Season lightly with salt. If time allows, let stand off the heat for 1 or 2 hours, then heat through as needed.

Embellish it: Pass a bowl of chopped fresh cilantro for sprinkling over the top of individual portions.

Make it a meal: For an easy meal, serve this with cornbread or other hearty whole-grain bread and a bountiful tossed salad.

Christmas Morning Wife Saver (my favorite brunch!)

April, this is for you. In fact, when I read about your Easter Morning yeast-induced fiasco (and laughed myself silly), I thought of this recipe. But before the recipe, here is the backstory:

This baked brunch dish is a Canadian tradition that was first published, to my knowledge, in "The Best of Bridge Cookbooks." These, are, in my opinion, the best cookbooks, ever, with consistently good, useful, normal-ingredient recipes compiled by an Alberta bridge club. This series has become quite an empire for these ladies, and this recipe is the foundation of it - there are a slew of other recipes equally associated with them, but this is the first big one.

In my family, a riot is likely to break out if it isn't served Christmas morning as it has been for at least 20 years. Now that my sisters and I all have our own families, even when we don't go home to our parents, we make this every Christmas. The first Christmas I spent with my husband's family, I woke up mourning my traditional breakfast, but was thrilled when I learned that his sister-in-law made it, too. In fact, I'll bet that every third house has this Christmas morning, at least in Western Canada! I feel extra pampered when we have this for a non-Christmas brunch.

The logic behind the name, "Christmas Morning Wife Saver" is that you make the recipe up the night before, but in fact you can do this long before you plan on serving it (a couple months?), wrap it tightly and freeze it (also, when I freeze one, I tape a ziplock baggy with the cereal, but no butter, to the top of the casserole so I don't forget the topping). Christmas eve, you take it out and let it thaw on the counter, then in the fridge so that by Christmas morning, you just have to pop it in the oven (still works if it is a little frozen). It bakes for 1 hour, then rests for at least 10 minutes - the perfect amount of time to open gifts while the house fills with the yummy aroma of it baking. (No fussing with yeast!)

The cookbook suggests serving this with fresh fruit and their special cinnamon buns, but I find the buns to be too much with the wife-saver. My favorite side dish is fresh cut pineapple to contrast with the warmth and comfort-food character of the wife-saver, and a few fresh strawberries for colour. I almost always have one in my freezer, "just in case." Also note that the recipe is for a 9x13 pan and serves 6-8, depending on appetite. I usually make up 2 recipes worth and make one full 9x13 and 2, 8x8 pans worth (I mix the egg-milk solution up in separate batches, so that no pan gets shortchanged of onion/peppers). I prefer using glass pans, but usually make the 8x8 versions in the foil pans you can get at the grocery store, because they fit perfectly inside a 1-gallon ziplock for freezing. The smaller ones are nice for our small family, while the larger is good for when the grandparents join us.

Christmas Morning Wife Saver
16 Slices white bread, crusts removed (ie, cut into squares - use a firm sandwich bread, or I use my homemade, sliced a bit thinner than usual. The bread has to be white, but something like wonderbread would be awful in this...)
Sliced canadian back bacon or ham (Maybe half a pound? I usually just get the vac-packs of backbacon and slice half of it into 8 slices at home - if I don't use back bacon, I use shaved black forest ham)
Slices of sharp cheddar cheese (the same amount as the ham)
6 eggs
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2-1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 cup minced onioni
1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper (the original recipe uses green, but I far prefer red in this recipe, plus it is prettier)
1-2 tsp worcestershire sauce
dash tabasco
3 cups milk (skim works...)
1/4 lb butter
at least 2 cups coarsely crushed cornflakes or special K

In a 9x13" buttered glass baking dish, put 8 pieces of bread. Add partial pieces, if needed to cover dish entirely (but you don't have to cram it in). Cover bread with bacon or ham. Top with slices of cheddar cheese. Cover with slices of bread, as on bottom.

In a bowl (where else?), beat eggs and pepper. Add mustard, onion, red pepper, worcestershire sauce, milk, and tabasco. Pour over bread, cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, melt butter and mix with cereal. Sprinkle over bread.

Bake at 350F, uncovered, 1 hour. Let sit 10 minues before serving.

Chili-Grilled Tuna over a "Bright" Salad

We had this tonight and loved it - it really fits this blog.

This is one of our favorite recipes and really fast and easy. Several years ago we had a couple of really nice ahi steaks and I made up this recipe. For once, it is a recipe that I rarely modify because I think I got it right the first time. I'm guessing at quantities, because I eyeball and taste the marinade until I'm happy, and part of the guesstimate is that (for some reason) I always mix the marinade up in an old scotch glass.

BTW, our daughter had some yellow pepper strips and leftover rice pilaf and chicken. She wasn't interested in the tuna, but she didn't throw it across the kitchen, either. So there is hope for a future fish-eater, right?

Chili-Grilled Tuna

a fairly thick cut of ahi tuna, maybe 1 lb?

Marinade:
~3 T toasted sesame oil (I aim for just a nutty hint in the flavour)
~1 T garlic chili paste (I love the kick!)
the juice of one lime (I like my marinade fairly lime-y)
generous pinch salt (Forgetting this really ruins the overall flavour)

Whisk together with a fork until blended. I like to put the steak in a ziplock and pour the marinade over it so I can squish the air out and "push" the marinade all around the meat. Let sit for 30 minutes to an hour (depending on how long your husband takes to get home). Flip it over a couple times if you remember - but don't worry if you forget, because that was why we squished the air out.

Grill tuna to desired doneness. As much as I love seared, rare tuna in good restaurants, I prefer to slightly overcook mine at home, so it is barely pink in the middle. We usually serve this tuna over a simple, "bright" salad (example below).

Simple "Bright" Salad
(I call this a bright salad because I pick multiple colours and use no oil in the dressing)

"Core" ingredients that I always use
Mixed baby greens (I like the colourful ones!)
Yellow or orange pepper, julienned (I use red, too, but I like the yellow/orange contrast with the tomatoes)
Red tomato, sliced in thin wedges
Green onion, in 1-inch chunks
Cucumber, in bite-sized chunks
Half of a tart apple, in small chunks

I may also include:
Raspberries
Blueberries
Croutons
Snap peas, cut into 1-inch chunks
A mild feta or raw mozzarella
?Anything else I feel like?

Dress with a generous splash of white balsamic vinegar, lots of freshly ground black pepper, and a generous sprinkle of salt (too little salt and it is "flat"). We ran out of white balsamic vinegar tonight, so I used some bing cherry balsamic vinegar and it was terrific (we had raspberries in tonight's salad, too).

Upcoming Mother's Day

So enlighten me. What do you want cooked for you on your day? Will you do the cooking, or will someone else?

And my very important request... give me Mother's Day brunch ideas! My mom and stepdad will be here and flying out about mid-afternoon Sunday. So I want some great ideas for a fabulous brunch. Dinner? That's up to AB!

Pesto Pasta

It's that time of the year when spring veggies are peaking. We are slowly transitioning our meals away from hearty crock pot recipes and towards lighter meals and traditional BBQ. AB did a fabulous tri-tip Saturday which he smoked for about 4-5 hours. He was making sure he "still had it" so that he can cook this dish (my new "AB BBQ" favorite) on Friday for my parents and Soil Micro Mom and her family. He still has it. Mmm. I am drooling now at the thought of this paired with my mom's pie.

Yesterday at a new grocery store (with a fabulous produce department) I found basil with leaves nearly the size of lettuce leaves. It was "live" basil, so there was a small root ball and soil in the bottom of the bouquet wrapper. I am going to attempt to plant the remaining root ball in my garden since there were lots of "little basil plants" popping up in the bottom. Seeing this basil, I knew it was time to make the first batch of pesto of the year. The basil was so fragrant that the car smelled fabulous on the way home. (Marred only by the aroma of AB's meat sticks he was munching on.)

I make my pesto in a food processor, some prefer a blender. I like my pesto with more uniform chunks instead of a spread. I never measure a thing (if you know me this comes as no surprise), I taste, AB tastes and I adjust as needed. Here's what I use:

1-2 packages of fresh basil, leaves picked
About 1/2 c mozzarella (I don't use fresh mozza for pesto use the packaged stuff)
A couple chunks of parmesan cheese, grated into the food processor (today I used about 1.5" cube)
2 cloves fresh garlic (I love the spiciness of garlic and would prefer more - but my stomach can't handle it)
About 1/2 c pine nuts
1/2 -1 t kosher salt (depending on taste)
Olive oil

Put everything but the salt and olive oil in the food processor and chop until uniform. Drizzle in olive oil until the pesto is the desired consistency - I like mine pastey, some like less oil. This is the best part - salt to taste, and you must taste.

I love fresh pesto on pasta with nothing else. Tonight it is spinach pasta. Chop a tomato and toss with the pasta to add some color and variety it you like.

Storing pesto:

Pesto is best fresh. To store in the fridge, place in a plastic container and line the top of the pesto with plastic wrap to minimize oxidation with the air contact and cover with container lid. Some people prefer to put the pesto in a container, spread it flat and then pour olive oil to cover the top and seal it from air that way. This works, but you either end up throwing away the oil or stirring it in. And when you have achieved your balance of flavors I am not thrilled with stirring it in.

You can also freeze pesto. Place it in a freezer ziploc, remove the air and freeze flat. Break off pieces to use. The pesto loses some of its flavor and pungency this way, but it still works. Allow to rise to room temperature without microwaving - which IMO, destroys the basil flavor.

Cooking will mute the flavors of fresh pesto - but in most dishes that's ok. The batch I made today will be enough for tonight and then either 2 additional pasta dinners or pesto stuffed chicken breasts, which AB is already talking about cooking this week.

Enjoy!

Asian-Style Short Ribs and a Ginger Tip

This is one of my daughter's all-time favorites (my husband's, too). I adapted the recipe from a fussier braised recipe in Fine Cooking #060 (October/November 2003). This past winter, we probably had it 3 times a month.

3 lbs short ribs (or any other stewing beef, in fairly large hunks - I prefer boneless beef ribs)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup dry white wine (darn, what will you do with the rest of the bottle?)
~6 fresh roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped (I use garden romas that I freeze whole in the fall)
4 green onions, chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 whole star anise
4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced (I've used good-quality powdered, in a pinch)
A 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into ~6-8 slices (I've used good-quality powdered, in a pinch)

Throw everything into crockpot, stir to mix, and cook on low, all day. Serve with rice or egg noodles - the gravy is really flavourful.

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I also want to pass on a tip that I got from my mom just recently. She wraps hands of fresh ginger in foil, then puts it in a ziploc bag and freezes it. When she needs it, she just shaves the skin off the chunk that she needs and the frozen finger grates beautifully on a microplane.

I have a chunk of fresh ginger in my freezer right now to see if it is still "sliceable" when it thaws, or if it goes mushy. Even if grating is the only option, this will really reduce the amount of fresh ginger I throw out in a year!

Fish Tacos

This one is pretty fast, as long as you don't have to make last minute trips to the grocery store. ;-) (Thanks AB!)

Ingredients:

Fish - we use halibut, cod or salmon. Season with salt, pepper and a little cumin if you like. Cook until flakes by either pan searing (fastest), BBQ'ing or baking. You can also use leftover fish or commercially produced fish sticks.

Tortillas - flour or corn, your choice

Toppings - we use:
Pico de gallo - chop up fresh tomatoes, jalapeno, avocado, onion and 1-2 T lime juice and a little salt.
Cabbage - slice thinly and mix with plain yogurt or drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Cheese - we like crumbled Mexican cheese, but cheddar or Monterey Jack would be great.

But you can also do:
Tomatoes - chopped
Lettuce - shredded
Salsa
Avocado in chunks

Assemble.

Option for toddler who doesn't like fish (or any meat lately for that matter) - tortilla with cheese and avocado.

Scallops with cilantro, lime, jalapeno vinaigrette

Scallops
Sea scallops (washed and side muscle removed - I usually do 6-8 per person)
Kosher salt
1 T butter

Cilantro, Lime, Jalapeno Vinaigrette
1/2 c cilantro chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded, deveined and diced
2 T Lime juice (fresh if you have it, bottled if you don't)
2 t Dijon mustard
1/3 c olive oil

Lightly sprinkle the scallops with salt. Heat a skillet over high and add 1T butter. Melt butter and let it brown just slightly. Place the scallops - flat side down - in the skillet and cook without moving for about 3 minutes. Flip the scallops carefully (use a sharp spatula to keep any brown crusties attached to the scallop). Cook another 3 minutes without moving. If you have very thick sea scallops, put a lid on the skillet and turn the heat down to medium so the scallops finish cooking.

Make the vinaigrette by mixing all ingrediants.

I served this over greens and spinach, but you could just as easily serve it as a main dish with a side. (Leif enjoyed a quesadilla... I need to start posting toddler friendly recipes.)