by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Favorite Recipes, Fish
This is probably not the lightest dish! But the infamous “they” said that fish has a high water content and when you fry it in oil, the fish itself does not absorb the oil, so if you put that delicious crispy skin aside, you can actually still have a healthy meal. ;-). Trout is a great local fish that we find often at the markets in Colorado. The trout is brought in fresh, and you can sure taste the difference!
This was another inspiration from my favorite guide – “The Flavor Bible“, pairing the fresh trout with butter, sage, capers and lemon. It’s actually super fast and easy to cook!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup organic canola oil
- 3 whole trout
- 1/2 cup flour for dredging
- 6 tbsp butter
- 20 sprigs of fresh sage
- 3 tbsp of capers
- rock salt
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped Italian parsley
- lemon as needed
Directions:
Sprinkle rock salt on the inside and outside of the fish. In a large deep skillet, add the oil to medium-high heat. Pat the capers dry and add to the oil. Once the capers pop, you can remove them with a sieve and place onto a paper towel to drain some of the oil. Dredge the fish in the flour, then place the fish into the oil. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan add the butter to medium high heat. Once hot and bubbling, add in the sage leaves. Cook until sage becomes crispy and the butter turns brown. Make sure not to burn the butter. Remove the fish and place onto a platter. Pour the sage butter onto fish and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve with lemon wedges. This served 5 hungry adults. Also served with the side dish of Haricot Vert (with Almonds and Parmesan).
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Favorite Recipes, Vegetables
Haricot Vert are a thinner and smaller version of the standard American green beans. I cooked these last night as a side dish to my fried trout with brown sage butter (I’ll post that recipe tomorrow). The flavor combinations came from the “affinities” listed in my go-to “Flavor Bible“, pretty much my inspiration for a majority of these recipes. For a Paleo version, just omit the Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of haricot vert
- salt for water
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- salt to taste
Directions:
Boil 5 cups of salted water in a medium sized saucepan. Add in haricot vert and blanch them for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a large skillet on medium-high heat, melt the butter, add in the garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Add in the haricot vert, stir frequently. After 5 minutes add in the almonds and saute until beans are tender. Remove from heat, and sprinkle the beans with parmesan cheese. Serves 4
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Favorite Recipes, Pastas, Sauces
Okay, since I’m mostly Swedish, I cannot claim to have a perfect Italian Risotto, but my psuedo-Italian husband can! He definitely “thinks” he’s Italian, especially since he spent a number of year in Italy. Being green-eyed and blond-haired, the Italians always questioned his origin… it’s actually Michigan! Nevertheless, after many years, I can honestly say he has mastered the classic Italian risotto. And according to my children, I am incapable of making his perfected recipe. I actually don’t mind handing over the kitchen to him once in a while, so HE can “slave over the hot stove”.
The key to an honest Risotto, is definitely the broth, (my recipe can be found here). You also need to make sure you use Arborio rice. It is an Italian short-grain rice, named after the town of Arborio, in the Po Valley, which is situated in the main growing region. When cooked, the rounded grains are firm, creamy, and chewy if cooked just right. The key is cooking then stirring, cooking then stirring, a labor of love for sure.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ cups finely chopped onions
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 2 cups of dry white wine
- 5 cups of homemade broth
- pinch of saffron strands
- 2 cups of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Warm the broth in a pot on low heat, making sure it does not boil. In a large sauce pan on medium heat, add oil, butter then onions and sauté for several minutes until they become translucent. Add in the Aborio rice and stir to coat. Now here comes the hard part, you are going to add in the liquid 1 cup at a time and stir to cook. Start with the wine, as you want this to cook down over time, then alternate with the broth. You’re going to keep adding in the liquid one cup at a time for at least 20 minutes, maybe more. The point is to add the liquid in small doses, and stir it as it absorbs. When the rice starts to get a little puffy you want add in the strands of saffron. Stir for a couple of minutes, and then start tasting it. You want the rice to be firm, but not hard in the center. Once you get the right consistency, get your warm plates and ladle ready, add in the parmesan cheese and stir. You might need to add a little salt at the end, but remember the parmesan cheese is quite salty. Now you ladle one large scoop onto each warm plate, and jiggle it around so flatten it out. Remember this is really rich, so please don’t make the portions too big. Think Italian size… not American portion. Sprinkle a little parmesan on top… Mangiare subito!
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Meats, Sauces, TOP Five
Buffalo Burger with Balsamic reduction and fried egg
I can honestly say I think my son should be a food critic. My 16 year old, came up with this masterpiece and it’s probably one of THE best burgers I have ever tasted. It has the peppery taste from the Arugula, the sweet from the balsamic reduction, the fruity and nutty taste of parmesan, and then… there’s the fried egg! Seriously?
Make Balsamic reduction – Cook 1 cup of good quality balsamic vinegar + 1 tbsp sugar on medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce to simmer (low heat with small bubbles along the edges) and let simmer for about 10 minutes until vinegar has reduced down. Stir occasionally. It should be able to stick to a spoon, with it’s thick consistency. Let reduction cool and serve. Save the remaining sauce in a Tupperware and store in refrigerator. If reduction hardens after being in refrigerator for too long just place container in a bowl filled with warm water to soften it up.
INGREDIENTS (per serving)
- 6-8 oz ground buffalo meat
- ½ tsp Worcestershire
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6-8 leaves of arugula
- 6-8 slices of parmesan
- 1 fried egg
- 1 brioche bun
- 1 tbsp of softened butter
DIRECTIONS
Turn on your grill or grill pan on high. Make the buffalo patty by gently working in the Worcestershire, salt and pepper to the buffalo meat. (Do not compress, or smack the buffalo patty). Make the center of the patty thinner than the edges, and place on the grill. Cook the buffalo until the internal temperature is 130 degrees. Remove and let sit. Meanwhile, add your egg to an small non-stick skillet and cover. Flip over without breaking the yolk, and be sure to not overcook, as you want the egg yolk still runny. Remove from heat. Add the butter to all side of the brioche bun and grill for 10 seconds on each side. Assemble the burger onto the bun, adding the patty, the egg, arugula, parmesan cheese, and finally drizzle on the balsamic reduction onto the burger and the top half of the bun. My husband actually had a dish of the reduction to dip in the burger into. Enjoy!
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Fish, Vegetables
Cod is another one of my favorite types of fish, flaky and dense, with a mild flavor. If cod is not available, (as some stocks are severely overfished), you could swap out with some more sustainable fish: i.e. cobia, pollack, hake or whiting. I like a crunchy texture to my fish, so I used some Panko breadcrumbs to create a nice crust. I paired this fish with some crispy mushroom, pea/parsley puree and some crispy shoestring sweet potatoes. Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE MUSHROOMS
- 3 tbsp oil
- 10-12 ounces mushrooms (cremini, shiitake), cleaned and coarsely chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp butter
FOR THE FISH
- 1 ½ pounds of cod, cobia or pollack (4 pieces)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup of panko crust, enough to cover each piece
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon juice, to taste
FOR THE PEA PUREE
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 1 cup of cooked frozen peas
- ⅓ cup chopped shallots
- ⅛ cup EVOO (olive oil)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 oz. Crème Fraîshe
PREPARATION
- Make the pea puree. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add parsley leaves. Blanch for 20 seconds only and transfer to a bowl of cold water. Drain and press leaves against strainer to squeeze out water. Using a food processor, add the cooked peas, shallots, parsley and salt. Slowly add in the oil so that all ingredients become a smooth puree. Place the puree into a bowl, and slowly stir in the Crème Fraîshe. Be sure to stir gently with a spoon so it does not separate or turn to butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place oil into sauté pan and heat on medium-high heat. Salt the fish. Press the panko bread crumbs onto all sides of each piece of fish. Cook the fish on each side (2-3 minutes per side), or until outside crust is golden brown. Place fish into baking dish. Drizzle lemon over the fish and bake 5 to 8 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets), until fish is opaque and pulls apart when a fork is inserted.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high until just beginning to smoke. Arrange mushrooms in skillet in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until bottom side is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, toss mushrooms, and continue to cook, tossing often and reducing heat as needed to avoid scorching, until golden brown all over, about 5 minutes more.
Reduce heat to medium and add butter and garlic to skillet. Tip skillet toward you so butter pools at bottom edge. Spoon butter over mushrooms until butter smells nutty, about 4 minutes. Remove mushrooms from skillet with a slotted spoon.
- Place a piece of fish on each of 4 plates. Spoon pea sauce onto plate, next to fish. Place mushrooms on pea sauce and serve.
