2011, Recipe 119: Catfish and Grits with Chardonnay Cream

Recipe courtesy of Darius at Everyday Cookin'

This is one of my favorite fish recipes EVER!! I can't believe it's been almost two years since I last made it. Just a crying shame! I decided to health it up just a little (sauteing instead of deep frying) to see if it would still be yummy. I put all of my changes in parentheses. Stay tuned...

For the catfish:

• 2 catfish fillets
• Sazon by Goya (2 packets)
• 1 tablespoon of kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon of black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• Olive oil, for sauteing (my change)

Liberally season fish with Sazon, salt, pepper, and paprika. Allow to sit for up to 30 minutes to marinate. Heat oil. Sauté until golden brown and flaky. When done, remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

For the grits:

• 2 ½ cups of low sodium chicken broth
• 1 ½ cups of stone ground grits or polenta
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ½ cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (you could eliminate to make it even healthier)
• ¼ cup of heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons of butter

Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add salt and grits and stir continuously. Once grits have thickened and cooked through add in butter, cheese, and cream. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook through until thick and creamy. Remember, you can’t rush this process – you will need about 30 minutes to cook grits properly.

For the sautéed spinach:

• 3 cups of fresh spinach
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of pepper
• 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

Combine everything in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Cook through until spinach has wilted to your desire. Be sure to mix well to ensure all seasonings have been thoroughly incorporated.

For the Chardonnay Cream Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 medium shallot minced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tablespoon of flour (my add to help it thicken)
• 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
• ½ cup of Chardonnay (or any white wine)
• ½ cup of 2% milk (my change)
• ½ cup of Asiago cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium sauce pan sauté shallots and garlic cloves in the butter until soft. Start sauté on medium heat and be sure not to brown too much. Mix in flour and cook for a minute or two to get rid of the raw taste. Add Chardonnay and let reduce by half. Turn heat to low and add in cream, parsley, and cheese and stir until sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste and spoon sauce over entire dish.

Result: JUST AS DELICIOUS!!!! Darius is a genius. Also last time I made the sauce with a sauvignon blanc and this one with a pinot grigio. Still awesome. The chicken broth is marvelous with the grits. Rashan though the spinach was the best thing EVER!! It was really funny. How about this spinach is the one that made me realize once and for all spinach makes my teeth feel AWFUL. Chalky and dry. :((( I love spinach. I shant stop eating it. But yes, everything about this recipe is marvelous! Do yourself a favor and try it!

2011, Recipe 105: Pepper Crusted Salmon with Creamy Chickpea Vinaigrette

Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

• 1 lb. salmon fillet
• 2 T. ground coriander
• 1 T. ground black pepper
• 2 T. olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, with liquid
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1 T. cumin
• 1 tsp. paprika
• Salt and pepper
• Spinach, dill and mint
• lemon wedges for garnishing

Mix together the coriander and ground pepper, and spread it in an even layer on a plate. Dredge both sides of the salmon in the pepper mixture, so it’s nice and well coated, and then sprinkle a bit with salt and pepper.

Dump the can of chickpeas, with their liquid, into a mixing bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, paprika, and a bit of salt and pepper, and mix it all up together. Put about half of the chickpea mixture into a food processor or blender, and blend it until it’s nice and creamy, then add it back with the rest of the chickpeas and stir together.

Combine spinach, dill & mint and pile on the side of plate.  Plate chickpeas and vinaigrette.  Top with salmon.

Results: So good!  This was definitely one of my favorite recent recipes.  It's very quick, very easy and very delicious.  That crust impressed both of us!  The dumping the chickpeas w/their liquid stumped me.  I mean I guess.  It didn't harm the flavor but I'm so used to rinsing my canned beans that I was confused.  And this actually makes a delicious salad as well.  Y'all know I don't like mint so I didn't use that.

2011, Recipe 102: Indian Fish Curry

Recipe courtesy of Mantu at Allrecipes.com 

• For the marinade:
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
•  
• 4 white fish fillets
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
• 5 cashew halves
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped tomato
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Mix the mustard, pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a shallow bowl. Add the fish fillets, turning to coat. Marinate the fish in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Combine the onion, garlic, ginger, and cashews in a blender or food processor and pulse until the mixture forms a paste.
3. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the prepared paste; cook and stir for a minute or two. Add the cayenne pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, 1 teaspoon salt, and sugar. Cook and stir for an additional five minutes. Stir in the chopped tomato and vegetable broth.
5. Arrange the fish fillets in a baking dish, discarding any extra marinade. Top the fish with the sauce, cover the baking dish, and bake in the preheated oven until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 30 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

 Results: I'm always looking for fish dishes and Indian dishes so combining them?  I was on it!  If you aren't down with spiciness, you will want to cut down on the cayenne.  It's quite delicious!  I would definitely make this again!  I served it with basmati rice and sauteed spinach.

Recipes 49 & 50: Grilled Wahoo in Tomato Sauce & Yukon Gold Potatoes Jacques Pepin-Style

Grilled Wahoo in Tomato Sauce
Recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay 

• 4 wahoo fillets, 6 ounces each (or whatever a good size is)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing dish
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 anchovies in oil, patted dry and chopped (I used anchovy paste)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat the grill to high. Brush both sides of the fillets with canola oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill until slightly charred and almost cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side, (it will continue cooking in the sauce).

While the fish is grilling, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, anchovies and tomatoes and cook until slightly soft, about 4 minutes. Add the capers, olives, lemon juice, oregano and parsley and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer the fish to the sauce and let cook for 1 minute. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.

Results: Delicious!!  I'd never had wahoo b/c it is ordinarily at least $12.99/lb. but was on sale for $6.99/lb so we got 2 filets and it was what?  WORTH IT!!  Y'all know I don't believe in cherry tomatoes so I used diced fire roasted tomatoes.  This sauce belongs on everything God has ever made!!! AWESOME.

Yukon Gold Potatoes Jacques Pepin-Style
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray 

• 3 pounds baby Yukon gold potatoes
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 to 3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves

Place the potatoes in a deep skillet and add salt and pepper, to taste. Cover potatoes halfway with chicken stock, about 3 cups, add the butter and cover skillet with a lid. Cook the potatoes in the stock until almost tender, about 5 to 8 minutes, depending upon the size of the potatoes. Remove the lid and allow the stock to evaporate, about another 5 minutes. Once the stock has evaporated pop each potato using a ladle or large spoon, creating a small crack in each, but do not smash. Allow the potatoes to brown on each side, another 5 minutes, and re-season with salt and pepper, if necessary or desired. Remove the browned potatoes from the skillet and place onto a serving platter, garnished with the parsley.

Results: Takes forever but worth it! You probably don't even need the butter. Extra delicious!  This meal was every single thing!  You can really never have too many potato recipes, nah mean? Also, go light on the salt b/c there's a good bit of salt in chicken stock.

Altogether?  A GREAT MEAL!!

Feed My Face!

So as you may or may not know, Z a g a t has a list of the 30 must-have foods in NYC this summer. Of that list, I chose 20 I'd like to try. Here are the ones I eliminated:

I crossed off 'a bucket of Corona's at the Frying Pan' b/c

1. I don't drink beer and

2. really? i'ma come to NY to drink something I can get ANYWHERE else?

I don't need to try the DitchPlains's mussels b/c I realize i'm not the biggest fan of them. I always get them rubbery. Send me oysters instead.

I don't want Gray's papaya drink b/c papaya may be the fruit I hate more than cantaloupe (but not more than guava).

I've decided to pass on a tiki drink from a place called Hurricane... if tiki drinks weren't invented in So.Fla, they were definitely perfected there.

I don't want ribs from anywhere above the Mason-Dixon, sorry Hill Country.

I'm not going to pay upwards of $12 for a yerbabuena ensalata which is nothing more than a dressed up caprese but instead of basil, they use mint (yech in food).

Starbux iced anything didn't make my list and neither did rosa mexicano's overpriced pom margarita (Which I happened to already have tasted whilst in DC).

I didn't add gownusyacht's 'beer and a burger' cause i already have a burger joint on my list and i'm kind of burgered out.

So what does that leave?

Black Forty's Crab Boil

The Bedford's Sangria

Big Gay Ice Cream Truck's Salty Pimp

Brookyln Farmacy's Egg Cream

Cafe Habana's Grilled Corn

CoolHaus' Ice Cream Sandwich

El Faro's Gazpacho

Grand Central Station's Oyster Bar's Oysters

Grimaldi's Pizza

Grom's Gelato

Luke's Lobster Roll

Mermaid Oyster Bar's Oyster Po Boy

Mr. Softee Ice Cream

Nathan's Hotdog

Nuela's Ceviche

People's Pops

Red Hook Ball Field's Huarache

Rouge et Blan's Soft Shell Crab Banh Mi

Shake Shack's Burger

Tacombi's Fish Taco

Zengo's Tequila Snow Cone

Also on my list is the requisite NY stuff. A hotdog from a vendor on the street and maybe a pretzel. I can live my life w/o eating pretzels so I'm not too pressed abt that one...

Stay tuned for the next episode of Feed My Face!

2011, Recipe 35: Alaskan Salmon Tetrazini

Recipe courtesy of Alaska Seafood

8 ounces spaghetti or thin spaghetti, uncooked
1 can (14.75 oz.) traditional pack Alaska salmon
1 Tablespoon margarine or butter
1 package (8 oz.) sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced or 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
2 Tablespoons dry sherry (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons flour
2/3 cup skim milk
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions or chives
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, drain salmon, reserving liquid. Break salmon into chunks; set aside. Melt margarine in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sherry, if desired, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add milk and reserved salmon liquid; simmer 5 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Stir in salmon and green onions; heat through. Drain spaghetti; arrange on four serving plates. Top with salmon mixture and cheese.

Results: Yummmmmmmmm!!  I really enjoyed this.  Rashan needs to eat more fish to lower his cholesterol and I am extra excited about that!  I love fish!  This smelled and tasted great.  It was even better when I added sriracha!