62: Blackened Mahi Mahi / Roasted Pineapple & Mango Salsa

It was one of our typical Washington, DC hot and humid summer days that had our window AC units working overtime to keep the apartment cool. I wanted to make something that would be seasonal and not require too much stove action. I had some mahi filets that needed using, and I instantly thought of blackening them with a fruit salsa. The dish is at once spicy thanks to the spice rub and tangy sweet and savory thanks to salsa mix and the sautéing of the pineapples. We drank Graham Beck Chenin Blanc to wash it all down.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 mahi mahi filets

1/2 cup diced pineapple

1/2 cup diced mango

1/4 cup minced green bell pepper

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup diced firm ripe tomato, seeded and pulp removed

1-2 limes, juiced

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Salt and ground pepper

Paprika

Old Bay seasoning

Olive oil

Fish—Prepare your mahi mahi by creating a blackened rub. Mix together 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, 2 tablespoons of old bay seasoning, and a 1/2 teaspoon of paprika in a measuring cup. Spread the seasoning on a plate, and toss the filets into the spice rub until well covered. Heat a cast iron plate with a thin layer of olive oil over medium high heat. Add filets and turn up heat to high to ensure proper blackening. Cook for 3 minutes per side. It’s normal for the spices to smoke a little bit on the pan, so be sure to use that stove fan if you have it.

Salsa – Sauté pineapple in just a splash of olive oil with a little brown sugar for about 3 minutes. Remove pineapple with a slotted spoon, and mix all the fruit, veggies, and cilantro together in a bowl really well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to meld flavors. Remove about 10 minutes prior to serving fish.

Plate and enjoy!

61: Veal Scallopini / Mushroom Marsala / Kale & Red Bell Pepper Salad

Veal, yes, veal in all its succulent and tender glory is draped in a savory mushroom marsala sauce, finished with earthy kale and sweet red bell pepper. I was surprised to see veal cutlets at the Safeway because they’ve never been known to carry such things in the past. Recipe ideas immediately began swirling through my head, and I just had to buy some of the cutlets. Here is what I ended up making that night. It’s quick and delicious – what more could you ask more?

Ingredients and Directions:

4-6 veal cutlets (about 3 oz each)

Handful of sliced baby bellas

1 shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1/2 cup semi-sweet Marsala
1/4 cup dry white wine (can substitute chicken broth or water)
Leaves of 1 fresh rosemary sprig, chopped

2 handfuls of kale, shredded

1/2 a red pepper, thinly julienned

1/4 stick butter

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup flour

Minced parsley for garnish

Veal-- Sprinkle the veal with salt and pepper, and dredge the cutlets through flour. Heat half of the butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add the cutlets when butter finishes foaming, and cook the cutlets until golden brown – no more than 2 minutes per side. Transfer veal to a plate and loosely cover with foil to keep warm.

Sauce-- Add the rest of the butter and another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Saute shallot and smashed garlic cloves until fragrant, about 30-45 seconds. Now add the mushrooms with salt and pepper, and saute them until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the marsala wine and reduce by half, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and rosemary to deglaze the pan, and reduce by half once more, about 4 minutes. Add veal cutlets back to this pan, and toss them in the sauce for 1 minute.

Salad-- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add kale and bell pepper with salt and pepper. Saute for 3-4 minutes, tossing the kale enough to wilt it down without having all the oil sopped up at once.

Plate, garnish, and enjoy!

60: Herbed Pork Tenderloin / Tomato Fennel Sauce / Zucchini Coins

Two recipes posted in one night! Aren’t you lucky?

Simple, quick, and incredibly delicious! The sauce alone is out of this world. This is another one of those meals where I didn’t have to buy anything extra because I had all of these ingredients in my refrigerator. Pork filets are coated in fresh herbs with a tomato fennel sauce made complete with zucchini coins sautéed in oil and breadcrumbs. We drank Sebastani Chardonnay with this – toasted oak for smoke, citrusy, and crisp on the finish.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 pork filets (about 3/4 lb)

2 plum tomatoes, halved, seeded, and sliced

1/2 a fennel bulb, diced

1/2 an onion, diced

1/2 a zucchini, sliced

Small handful of breadcrumbs

1 tbsp each of fresh thyme and rosemary, minced (save some for garnish)

Splash of milk or cream

Olive oil

Salt and pepper (add to each component)

Pork—Coat filets in salt, pepper, and minced fresh herbs. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat, and sauté filets for a total of 8-10 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Thicker cuts will require more cooking.

Tomato Fennel Sauce—Sauté onion and fennel over medium heat for about 7 minutes. Now add tomatoes and sauté for another 3-4 minutes. The sauce is ready for the food processor once the mixture has broken down in the pan and the tomatoes almost look mushy. Puree in food processor with a splash of cream or milk, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Zucchini—Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add zucchini and bread crumbs, and sauté mixture for 3-4 minutes.

Plate as you wish, garnish with remaining herbs, and enjoy!

59: Pan Roasted Turbot / Tomato Parsley "Confit" / Garlic Broccoli / Roasted Potatoes

It’s been awhile since I posted a recipe because I just moved, which we all know is time consuming and stressful. Anyways, on to the food!

Turbot fish is absolutely amazing. It’s a big time food fish because of its delicate flavor yet somewhat meaty texture. The local markets only seem to have it for a short time over the summer, so I picked up a couple pounds to make over a few different meals. This recipe was probably the best of the ones I made, so here it is. The white fish is rounded out with roasted potatoes, broccoli sautéed in garlic, and a tomato parsley “confit” that lends incredibly bright acidity to the dish. I believe we drank this with a white wine, but I cannot remember what anymore. You could also make this preparation with just about any white fish.

I’m going to try something new for my blog. I’m going to break down the directions by each component of the dish, so you can more easily plan your timing. Give me some feedback on this.

Ingredients and Directions:

1 lb turbot filets

4 small red potatoes, quartered

Broccoli for two people

6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 tbsp parsley, chopped (save some for garnish)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper (add to each component)

Flour

Fish—Dust fish in flour, salt, and pepper to start. The key to a good pan roasted fish filet is to heat the pan on high heat for a few minutes before adding any oil. Heat a pan on high heat for 3-5 minutes before adding olive oil. Turn heat down to medium high while oil heats for a couple minutes. Add filets to pan and let cook for 4-5 minutes. Flip fish and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Potatoes—Boil potatoes until they’re almost easily pierced with a fork. I usually add my potatoes to the water while the water is heating up because this cuts down on boiling time. Potatoes should be ready in 10-15 minutes. Drain when ready. You can choose to boil them all the way for a healthy alternative to finishing them off in olive oil in a pan. If finishing in olive oil, heat a pan on medium heat with some olive oil. Add potatoes and cook for about 10-12 minutes, flipping once.

Broccoli—Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and let cook for about 1 minute once the oil is hot. Add garlic and sauté for 4-5 minutes.

Tomato Parsley “Confit”—Confit refers to a cooking method to preserve flavor after being immersed in a substance. In this instance, the “confit” was used to bring out the bright acidity of the tomatoes. Heat a pan with olive oil on medium high heat. Add tomatoes and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add parsley and sauté for additional 2-3 minutes. Serve the tomato mixture with a slotted spoon, so you don’t spoon a ton of oil on your plate.

Plate as you wish, garnish, and enjoy!

58: Pesto Chicken Salad with Boiled Red Potatoes / Brussels Sprouts / Balsamic Vinegar

Lunch time! I often make salads for lunch, and here is a salad I made awhile ago. The weather must've been cooler, for this is a hearty salad. I had forgotten about it until I was cleaning up my blog pictures folder on my computer earlier today. I most likely made this post-workout one day.  At any rate, the pesto, boiled potatoes, brussels sprouts, and spinach round out this semi-rustic and earthy salad. You really could eat it any time of the year. Add some shredded parmesan to the top if you like.

Ingredients and Directions:

1/3 pound of chicken, diced

1/4 cup pesto sauce

2 red potatoes

4 brussels sprouts, sliced in half

Good handful of baby spinach
Shredded parmesan cheese (optional)

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Boil potatoes whole in well salted water for about 15 minutes, drain. Let stand whole until ready to plate salad, which will help them keep cooking inside. Slice potatoes into quarters when you’re ready to plate.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add brussels sprouts and chicken with seasonings and cook for about 8 minutes, brussels sprouts cut side down in pan. Arrange brussels sprouts around chicken, which should be in the center of your pan.

Add raw spinach to a bowl – I start with raw greens because the heat of the cooked items will help naturally wilt the spinach after a couple minutes.

Now you’re ready to plate as everything comes to a finish. Two minutes prior to being done, arrange potatoes and sprouts (leaving chicken in pan) around the edge of the bowl, and add 1-2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add pesto sauce to chicken and cook for 1-2 minutes to nicely coat the chicken. Add chicken to center of salad, and toss the salad to infuse all the flavors.

Enjoy!