Pan Seared Halibut with Lentil and Sun-dried Tomato Ragu

More recipes!! I was on a cooking mission at the end of March, but with all this cooking, I ran out of time to post my experiments. I enjoyed this dish and made a few changes to it from the get go. For starters, I bought halibut steaks as opposed to filets. Why? Price. Halibut filets were and arm and a leg at our local seafood store, so the steaks appeared to be a good compromise. I also modified the recipe slightly by using rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes in lieu of semi-dried ones. 

Next time (and there will be one), I'd halve the amount of onion in this dish. It ended up being a bit onion-heavy. The directions below have already been modified to suit this preference.

Adapted From: http://www.projectfoodie.com

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Ragu:

• 2 cups cooked french lentils
• 2 T dijon mustard
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated in hot water
• 2 sprigs of thyme leaves, chopped
• zest and juice of two lemons
• 3 T olive oil
• bunch of flat leaf parsley, loosely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For the Halibut:

• 2 T olive oil
• 2 halibut steaks (approximately 5 oz each...although I opted to purchase one mother of a steak instead)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 T pesto

Method

In a saucepan on low heat, mix the lentils, mustard, onion, tomatoes, thyme, lemon zest and juice. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper and let heat for 5-6 minutes to blend in the flavours. Once the ragu is warmed through, remove it from the heat and add the chopped parsley.

For the fish, heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat and place the steaks into the skillet. Season the surface of the fish with salt and pepper, and when the pan-side is a golden brown, flip over the fish and pour the lemon juice on to the cooked surface. Turn the heat down to low and let cook through (should take anywhere from 3-6 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish).

Spoon the lentils on a dish and and place the halibut steak on top. Serve immediately.

Baba Ghanoush

Our new cat is helping me draft this post. He's finally curled up beside me after his four post-poop laps of the apartment and has his paw on the space bar in the event I need assistance. 

As part of this cookathon I mentioned in an earlier post, I went looking for dips to include as a snack in my meal. I'm into week five of a triathlon training program and am coming to terms with the fact that peanut butter M&M's are not the afternoon boost my coach was referring to. Too bad, because I've just heard that the U.S. has limited edition coconut M&M's on hand. Sweet lord, that sounds worth a try.  This week I thought I'd replace afternoon chocolate with afternoon baba ghanoush. While very tasty, it is definitely not chocolate. Mind you, I had a few end-of-day workouts this week that wouldn't have been possible without a substance snack and this is that kind of snack. Serve it with pita bread, veggies or crackers and enjoy. Remember that the garlic in this recipe gets more intense over time, so you may opt not to bring it to the office closer to the end of the week. I have no shame, so I just kept bringing it to work. 

In other news, the recipe this is based on calls for no salt. In an effort to reduce salt intake, the authors have indicated that the acid from the lemon juice helps enhance the flavour in this dish sufficiently to warrant no additional salt. While likely true, I added Sriracha sauce and salt, because..well.. I felt it needed a bit more punch. You may want to try the recipe from Three Many Cooks first and then add the salt and sauce if you prefer a little more punch too.

Adapted From: http://threemanycooks.com/

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants, poked with a fork
• 1/2 cup packed parsley leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 T lemon juice
• 1 T smoked paprika, plus extra for sprinkling on top of the dish
• 2 t ground cumin
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of tahini
• 1 T Sriracha sauce
• 1 t salt

Method

Adjust your oven rack to a middle position and heat oven to 400F. Place the eggplants on a baking sheet and in the oven for approximately 40 minutes, or until they look wrinkly and sad. Once they've cooled enough to handle, remove the skin from the eggplants.

Mince parsley and garlic in a food processer. Add the eggplants and remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and top with a little smoked paprika and drizzled olive oil. Serve with chopped vegetables, crackers and/or pita wedges. 

Hunan Tofu..or Hunan Chicken, Beef or Seafood if you prefer.

Lessons learned from this recipe:

• You can over-fry tofu. In an attempt to get the golden-brown color pictured on the recipe's original website, I let the tofu sit in oil too long. Take a look at the picture of the tofu to your right for what not to do. If you follow the time guidelines, you shouldn't have this problem and  your tofu should look a bit more like this:

http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/fried-tofu-recipe.php

• This dish can easily evolve into a very salty dish. This is likely the only meal I've cooked where I would use reduced salt soya sauce.
• Whether there is a typo in the recipe I followed or not, I thought it called for too much pepper for my liking. I've adjusted the recipe to suit my tastes. On the other hand, I was using pre-ground and relatively fine pepper for the first time in ages, which I wouldn't do again. 

If tofu isn't your thing, substitute it with chicken, fish, seafood (shrimp would rock this dish) or beef and saute the meat in a bit of oil as opposed to frying it. 

Despite a few errors in the making, I loved this dish. I took the entire thing to work and ate it all week. It's one of the few I've made that has a sauce that's restaurant quality. I ate this with long grain brown rice, but any kind of noodle or other rice would be lovely too. I will be making this again, factoring in all of the points above. 

Adapted from: http://userealbutter.com

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup country ham, julienned
• 1 T Chinese cooking wine or sherry
• 20 oz of firm tofu plus oil for frying
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 3 green onions, julienned
• 2 red chilis seeded and sliced thin
• 1 T garlic, minced
• 3 T chinese black bean sauce
• 1 tsp of ground black pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1t dark soya sauce
• 1/2 t sesame oil
• 1 t cornstarch
• 1 T water

Method

Mix the ham and wine/sherry in a bowl and set aside to soak. Cut the tofu into half-inch thick slices. Pat the tofu dry.  Cover the interior surface of a large frying pan with a good dose of oil and heat on high. Once hot, add the tofu to the oil a few pieces at a time, frying for 2 minutes on each side. Remove and set on paper towel, adding more to the pan as space becomes available. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan or wok on high. Once heated, saute the onions, chili and garlic for about a minute. Add the black bean sauce, pepper and the ham. Stir in the chicken broth, soya sauce  and sesame oil. Mix the cornstarch and water together in a bowl. When the liquid begins to boil, add the cornstarch mixture, reducing the heat to let the contents simmer until it thickens. Add the tofu, coating it with the sauce and let simmer for another 2 minutes. Serve with long grain rice or noodles.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Had a little bit of a cookathon the other week that produced some interesting results. True to form, not everything worked out the way it should.  Anyways, due to my fear of all things flour-related, I had a little help with this dish from my resident baker Ruedi. Needing and forming dough takes patience and technique: I'm fresh out of both.

The gnocchi itself was doughy and delicious. I would most certainly create it again. The sauce, however needs an overhaul. There isn't enough flavour or substance to bother with it again. Next time I might attempt the creamy sage sauce recipe I just found here: http://www.foodrepublic.com .

I've attached both the gnocchi and original thyme sauce that it went with for you to consider. Grating some of your favorite cheese on the finished dish does enhance the flavours of the sauce a bit, so I'd encourage to pour on the cheese.

Adapted from: http://www.simoneanne.com

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

For the gnocchi:

• 1 lb sweet potato
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup chick pea flour
• 1/2 t salt

For the sauce:

• 1 red onion, sliced
• 3 T lemon juice
• 2 T chopped fresh thyme
• 1 T olive oil for sautéing
• Salt and pepper 

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the sweet potato for 30-45 minutes or until well cooked and soft all the way through. Peel and discard the sweet potato skin. Let the potato cool completely.

Place the sweet potato in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add the flours and salt. Knead the dough well, adding flour to assist in handling it. Avoid adding more flour than necessary, as it makes the dough tough.

When you can easily handle the dough, separate it into four segments and roll each part into long strands approximately 3/4'' in diameter. With a fork, cut each strand into 1 inch segments. If you'd like to make the segments look like gnocchi pieces, press a fork into them and round out the edges with your fingers (I opted not to). You can store these in the fridge for 2-3 days.

When ready to cook the gnocchi, boil a pot of water just as you would when making pasta.When the water boils, add a pinch of salt and the gnocchi. Keep the water simmering and stir occasionally to prevent the gnocchi from sticking. When they float to the surface of the water, let the cook for another 5-10 minutes to taste.

Sauté the onions in oil for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the lemon juiced and thyme and continue cooking for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mix with the gnocchi, adding grated cheese to top off the dish if you like (I do!).

Mediterranean Chicken Milanese

For Ruedi's birthday last weekend, his siblings gifted him thirty-five tubes of Pringles. That's right: 35. We have everything from Extreme Dill to Ranch and Barbeque sitting on our kitchen table. Guess I should be looking up recipes that include chips, but the connection here is that it did get me thinking of breaded meats and well, here we are.

This particular meal also got me thinking of my varying preferences with respect to quality. My weekend coffee is an espresso we buy at the Italian market, but I'll line up at Timmy Ho's (aka TIm Horton's) for their bitumen-style piss coffee during the week. Street meat, the most suspicious of all meats is among my favorite summer day meals. Junk food of course, makes the top of the list too. Well, the chicken in this recipe was brought to you by your run of the mill grocery store. Now, this isn't unusual for me, but my exposure to locally and ethically grown meats has raised the question: am I going to permanently make the switch? The local food movement is intriguing. I love following other blogs that experiment with growing their own ingredients and sourcing through local producers. In the case of most meals, I notice a difference, but for the sake of convenience I'll pick up a package of water-soaked meat in order to make dinner happen.  I don't have an answer to my question yet, but I suspect that over time, I will buy locally as a rule.

From: http://karmacucina.com

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs (or whole wheat)
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally and pounded into thin cutlets
• 3/4 cup extra light olive oil

For the topping

• 1 whole roasted red pepper, roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved long ways
• 2 cups packed arugula leaves
• A couple of slices of red onion
• 2 T pine nuts
• 8 – 10 shavings of Pecorino Romano or Asiago cheese

For the dressing

• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 2 t balsamic vinegar
• Pinch of salt
• Fresh ground pepper

Eggplant Involtini with Herbed Ricotta

This recipe called for slices of eggplant to be wrapped around a ricotta filling. My eggplant slices weren't thin enough to make it work and I was on a schedule. Instead I built this dish quickly, like a lasagna: a layer of tomato sauce, layer of ricotta, and layer of eggplant repeated. I topped this off with a few cups of spinach left over from a half-finished salad. Not bad, not bad at all. 

The meatless dishes I'm finding are pretty concentrated in the cheese department and although I won't forego dairy, cutting back wouldn't hurt with respect to other recipes. Don't cut back on this one. Ricotta and cottage cheese give it a wonderful texture and build on it's already zesty flavour. 

Adapted From: http://simply-delicious.co.za

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants, sliced into ½ inch slices
• Olive oil, for brushing

Ricotta Filling 

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 2 T each fresh mint, parsley and basil, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 chilli, finely chopped (optional)

Tomato sauce 

• 1 28 oz tin of whole tomatoes
• 1 red onion, roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 1 t sugar
• 2 t salt
• 2 t dried Italian herbs
• Black pepper, to taste
• Grated asiago, for topping

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 400F.

Start by grilling the eggplant. Simply brush each eggplant slice with olive oil and place on a very hot pan. Grill for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside. Continue until all the eggplant slices have been grilled.

To make the filling, simply combine all the ingredients and mix well.

Before making the involtini, make the tomato sauce. I use my food processor for this but you could use a hand blender or just finely chop everything and mix. I place all the ingredients in my food processor and blend until the sauce is relatively smooth.

Pour the tomato sauce in the bottom of an oven-proof dish.

To make the involtini, place a dollop of the ricotta filling onto a slice of eggplant and roll up.  Place in the tomato sauce and continue until all the eggplant slices have been used.

If you have any filling left over you can dollop it on top of the eggplant slices.

Scatter the grated asiago over the top and place in the oven.

Allow to bake for 15-20 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and serve with grilled bread and a green salad.

Roasted Cauliflower Gratin with Butternut Squash

Flipping through my past entries, one can only assume I have a squash fetish. It has been regurgitated over the last year in a million different formats and with a myriad of ingredients. The truth is, squash is just that good. When baked, its smokey sweetness is hard not to love.  I feel like I'm nourishing my body when I eat it, as opposed to simply making a meal. As a great source of Vitamins A & B and a solid fiber provider, you too can fall in love. 

This particular dish is a great one for a meatless Monday. Nuts, cheese and veggies make this an almost complete dish. Adding legumes, quinoa, and/or seasoned couscous would complete it for sure. The most notable flavour from this combo is the vinegar-infused cauliflower. Adding a few tablespoons to this veg prior to baking it gave it an unexpected twist. Adding a little chopped rosemary seemed to soften this acidity.


From: http://www.eatlifewhole.com

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups roasted cauliflower
• 2 cups squash
• 5 T olive oil (3 for the squash and 2 for the cauliflower)
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups of Gruyere, grated
• 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
• 1 T fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 T apple cider vinegar
• Salt & pepper to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

 Prepare the cauliflower as follows:

Cut the cauliflower florets into bite-size pieces. Add the pieces to a large bowl and toss well with 3 tablespoons of olive oil & the cider vinegar. Generously season the mixture with salt & pepper. Move the cauliflower to parchment-lined baking sheets (you will probably need two sheets to avoid overcrowding). Roast in the middle of the oven until the cauliflower starts to soften and brown, about 20 minutes.

While the cauliflower is in the oven, prepare the squash for roasting.  Slice off both ends and peel completely.  Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.  Continue cutting into bite-size pieces. Add the cut squash to a bowl.  Coat the squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Generously sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Move to a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Roast the squash until it is cooked through but not mushy; about 30 minutes. While the cauliflower and squash are cooking, caramelize the onions.  Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over low heat in a medium-sized sauté pan.  Add the onions and stir until they are well coated with oil. Stir the onions occasionally until they are soft; about 25-30 minutes. When done roasting, remove the cauliflower and squash from the oven.  Set aside to cool.

Coat a medium cast-iron skillet or casserole dish with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.  Cover the bottom with 1/2 of the squash and 1/2 of the cauliflower, followed by the onions.  Add the remaining cauliflower and squash.  Top with the cheese, followed by the walnuts and the rosemary. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees.  Put the gratin to the oven to cook until the cheese has melted and started to brown; about 20 minutes.