Cod Milanese with Chickpea and Artichoke Heart Salad

I bought Ina Garten's new cookbook the day it came out.  While I frequently buy used cookbooks for pennies on the dollar, I'm fine with buying Ina's cookbooks new.  Why?  They're so well done.  She obviously tests and retests her recipes because they just work.  And, they're so often relatively quick and easy.  Perfect for work nights.  That's how I felt about her Flounder Milanese.  After reading the book cover to cover and making a list of recipes to try, this one came to the top of the list.  I stopped at our favorite fishmongers and picked up some cod instead of the flounder. 

We left the office about 7:00 and headed home.  I still needed a salad.  My idea was celery.  A great recipe from the New York Times was on my radar.  But, it required a two hour marination.  Not happening at 7:00 in the evening!  So, on to eatyourbooks.com.  I typed in celery, pine nuts, feta, thinking I'd get a bunch of salad ideas.  Nope.  Just one, from Food 52.  So, I used the basic ingredients and made up my own salad dressing. 

What did we think?  Both recipes were fives.  They were SO easy to make.  And, SO very good.  This is exactly what we like on a late evening.  Quick, flavorful and pretty darned good for us. 

Cod Milanese

Ingredients:

1 pound cod fillet
1 c all purpose flour
salt and pepper
1 extra large egg
1 c seasoned dry bread crumbs
unsalted butter
good olive oil
1 T drained capers
lime juice

Directions:

Put the flour in a shallow bowl.  Beat the egg with a tablespoon of water in another shallow bowl.  And, the seasoned bread crumbs in another.  Since I didn't have seasoned bread crumbs, I put in a good bit of Italian seasoning.  Cut the fish into pieces.  I cut it based on the thickness of the fish.  Pat the fish pieces dry.  Melt a tablespoon of butter in a large skillet.  Add a tablespoon of olive oil.  Dip the fillets first in flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs.  When the butter is sizzling, put the thicker fillets in.  When they are brown on the first side, flip them and add the balance of the fillets to the skillet.  You may need to add more butter and/or oil.  The thick fillets (1") took about 8 minutes and the thinner ones took about 4 minutes.  Serve topped with capers and a squeeze of lime or lemon.  Ina also added salad greens with a lemon vinaigrette.

adapted from Cook Like a Pro by Ina Garten



Celery, Artichoke and Chickpea Salad

Ingredients:

3 celery ribs with leaves, finely diced
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and diced
1 jar hearts of palm, drained and sliced thinly
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 c crumbled feta cheese
2 T toasted pine nuts
mustard vinaigrette

Directions:

Mix the celery, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, chickpeas and vinaigrette together and allow them to marinate while you prep the fish.  For the vinaigrette, I had about 3 T of Dijon mustard left in a jar.  I added some red wine vinegar, a pinch of sugar, about 2 t of Italian seasoning and then a good bit of EVOO.  Serve the salad topped with crumbled feta and toasted pine nuts. 

adapted from Food 52

Sunday Dinner - Kate Style

As all too often happens, work has been interfering with play.  Cooking, blogging, reading, gardening, relaxing on the screened porch with a glass of wine.  All of that and more have taken a back seat to a huge transition in our business.  Someday soon, I'll have a new website and can share some of the info.  It's all good.  I'm just looking forward to getting more work/play balance in our lives. 


Frequently, I'll jot down recipes and ideas and never post them.  Haven't even had time to do that.  We've made our weekly loaves of bread in the bread machine.  Some, like the lemon oregano and the sage onion have been spectacular.  Some like the most recent have been dense and not appealing...    We made the best lobster rolls ever.  With browned butter.  Oh, my, those were GOOD!  We made fondue for the first time ever.  I went to my first Raymond James Women's Symposium in Tampa and got to see my friend, Sarah, on a panel.  Connie ziplined at Craig and Diane's one year anniversary party.  We watched Peyton's jersey get retired.  Chad and Kelly got married.  A trip to Fort Wayne to see Garrison Keillor meant dinner at Casa D'Angelos.  We saw Khazir Khan.  And, we loved a concert with our friends Mark and Chris.  Drinks with my brother John and sister-in-law Pam.  We went to a couple of dinners at Chef JJ's.  And, a couple at Chef Josephs.  A hurricane fundraiser (bbq) and a salmon cookoff at Bent Rail Brewery.  One dinner there when we just didn't have the energy to do anything but order.  But when it came to blogging, the mountain of unread newspapers and magazines always drew me to that side of the great room.  Tonight, though, I really must record what we had for dinner.  It was too good and I want to be able to make it again.  Please accept my apologies for the guesses on the measurements.  It was a last minute thrown together substitution for the much more complicated meal I'd planned for this evening.  And, I'm REALLY glad I had to substitute!


Here are some photos along the way of the last six weeks...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight I'd planned crab legs with a champagne beurre blanc.  Wasn't happening when dinner prep started at 7:30.  My original intent was to get something out of the freezer that I'd actually made and frozen for lunch but had yet to take into the office.  Then, I saw the frozen duck breast and thought how wonderful that'd be with pear cranberry salsa.  There were pears that had to be used up.  I'd gone onto eatyourbooks.com and looked at various pear salsas.  The pear and cranberry combo had most appealed to us.  But, I didn't want to go to the basement and hunt for the 1996 Cooks Illustrated.  Odds are good it's down there.  I just didn't want to hunt.  So, if I did duck along with pear cranberry salsa what else would be good and quick?  Neither of us wanted potatoes or rice.  Lentils sounded good.  Lentils with artichoke hearts.  And, maybe lemon.  I'd figure it out as I went along. 

The duck breast went into a bowl of warm water to thaw - still in it's package.  Lentils went into a pan to cook.  A loaf of multi-grain bread went into the bread maker.  And, everything else started going into two bowls...

Pear Cranberry Salsa

2 ripe pears, not peeled, diced

1/2 c fresh cranberries, pulsed in the processor until they're diced

1/2 c walnuts, chopped

1 small or 1/2 large jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

1/2 small red onion, minced

1 T sherry vinegar

2 T extra virgin olive oil

Mix it all together and allow it to stand for about 30 minutes prior to serving.

Lentil Artichoke Salad

1/2 c green lentils, cooked

1/2 red onion, diced

1/2 T olive oil

1/4 c dry white wine

1/2 c crumbled feta cheese

1 T capers

1 t lemon zest

1 T lemon juice

2 T extra virgin olive oil 

Cook the lentils.  Saute the onion in the olive oil and deglaze the pan with the white wine.  Drain the lentils and toss everything together.  Serve at room temperature.

Duck Breast with Pear Liqueur

1 duck breast

1 T flour

1/4 c pear liqueur

Score the duck skin in a cross hatch pattern.  Be careful to not cut the meat.  Heat a skillet until it's hot enough for water droplets to sizzle.  Brown the duck breast with the fat side down.  Flip it and cook until it's your preferred doneness.  Remove the duck from the skillet and tent it with foil to keep it warm.  Whisk the flour into the rendered duck fat.  Cook it until it's browned.  Gradually pour in the pear liqueur, whisking as you pour.  You may need to add a tablespoon of water.  Slice the duck and serve with the sauce. 



Swordfish a la Red Lion Inn

This is one of those recipes I just cannot believe I've not shared with all of you before.  You see, back in 2006, Connie did a bunch of traveling up to Buffalo, NY.  One evening he coordinated a trip with all of his coworkers to Niagara Falls.  They all had dinner at a place called the Red Lion Inn.  He had the best swordfish he'd ever had.  It was so good that he raved about it to me - all the time afraid he'd hurt my feelings by telling me what an incredible dish he'd had.  As you might have guessed, it didn't hurt my feelings, it piqued my interest.  I looked them up on the internet and wrote a note to the chef telling him what a fabulous meal my then-fiancé had had and asked him for the recipe.  I got REALLY lucky and he responded.

A couple of years ago we decided to drive to Cape Cod instead of flying.  The north route was to be a stay at the Red Lion Inn and a trip to Niagara Falls.  The only hitch to the get-along was that the chef was at his own wedding and the sous chef was really happy with the salt shaker.  So, happy that I sent my dinner back once and would've sent it back twice if my hubby hadn't been tsk'ing.  Breakfast the next morning was much better. And, it turned out the place was a lovely B and B.

Fast forward to this past weekend and swordfish was 50% off at the grocery.  Not only do you rarely see swordfish at our grocery but it's usually a small fortune. We bought a swordfish steak.  Since we've been trying to decrease the amount of protein and increase the fruits and vegetables in our diet, I doubled the veggies that went along with this.  And, since we were out of roasted red bell peppers, I substituted peppadews.  Something I will probably do from now on. 

Swordfish a la Red Lion Inn

Ingredients:

1 swordfish steak
flour
1 T olive oil
4 T butter
1/4 c white wine
1 t lemon juice
1 T capers
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped (you can substitute peppadews)
2 C fresh spinach

Directions:

Remove the skin from the swordfish.  Butterfly the fish.  Lightly flour both sides. 

Heat the oil to shimmering so the pan is really hot.  Sear the fish on both sides.  Remove the fish from the pan, reduce the heat and melt the butter.  Swirl in the wine and lemon juice.  Add the other ingredients and cook until the spinach has wilted

and the butter sauce coats the back of a spoon.  Serve the fish on top of the sauce. 

adapted from the Red Lion Inn

New Years Eve 2013 cont...

Back to New Year's Eve and our favorite dish of the evening:  Truffled Scallops and Crabmeat with Caviar Vinaigrette.  Doesn't that just have you salivating?  It certainly had that effect on me when I read the recipe.  Commander's Wild Side has a chapter of "Showstopping Dishes to Impress Your Friends."  Yes, they are showstopping.  And, yes, this was over the top fabulous.

I've always loved seafood.  When I was little we'd eat Sunday brunch on occasion at the Marott.  It was quite the spread.  I clearly remember the all you can eat shrimp as I ate more than any five year old had a right to!  Then, I found crabmeat and lobster and scallops.  Oh, my.  My first experience with caviar wasn't quite as positive.  I was on a six week trip to Europe as part of a high school student ambassador program.  And, I was served caviar.  My reaction?  UGH!  Finally a few years ago I decided that relying on an ugh from so many years ago was just being a baby.  So, I started trying caviar in non-threatening ways.  Like sprinkled on sushi.  Or a bit on an appetizer.  If it was served to me, I ate it.  Still, I didn't have a spoonful.  So, this recipe was a bit of a stretch.  One I'm glad I made!  Then, there's truffle oil.  I'm not quite sure how I managed to avoid truffle oil for so many years.  Maybe it just wasn't available.  Suffice to say that it was love at first sip. 

What did we think?  The natural sweetness of the crabmeat is enhanced by the white wine. The beets are an amazing additon.  I served this on a bed of butter lettuce even though the recipe didn't call for any lettuce.  Then, I added both some of the leftover lobster and some sliced hearts of palm when this was served for dinner a couple of evenings later.  The second time around all we could find was golden beets.  They were equally good. 

This certainly is a special occasion dish.  Now, go find a special occasion to try it :-)

Truffled Scallops and Crabmeat with Caviar Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
serves 4

1 head butter lettuce
8 large dry-pack sea scallops, patted dry
1 1/2 t kosher salt or 1 t kosher salt + 1/2 t black truffle salt
1 t ground white pepper
4 T olive oil
1/2 c dry white wine
2 T minced shallots
2 T unsalted butter
8 oz jumbo lump crabmeat
1 T minced fresh chives
1 T cane vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 T truffle oil
2 t domestic caviar
2 large or 4 small roasted beets, peeled and sliced

Directions:

Rinse and spin dry the butter lettuce.  Divide it amongst four salad plates.  Salt and pepper the scallops.  Brown them on both sides in the olive oil, using a small skillet.  Melt the butter in a small saucepan or skillet.  Add the shallots and saute until they're softened.  Add the white wine and crab meat.  Saute until the liquid has almost totally evaporated.  Mix the chives, vinegar and truffle oil.  VERY gently stir in the caviar.

Top the lettuce with the sliced beets.  Top that with the scallops, then the crabmeat.  Drizzle the dressing over all.  Serve. 

Our entree was a repeat.  Not too long ago when we were visiting our kids on Cape Cod we made a stop at Salty Lou's and bought some lobsters.  And made Tarragon Lobster on the grill.  Yes, we've had it twice since then.  It's amazing. 

Now, our side dish sounded good.  In fact, it was the reason I'd bought the cookbook.  The title Commander's Wild Side sounded like it'd be all wild game and fish.  Nope.  But, I'd browsed the sides and fell in love with this dish.  Rightfully so.  It's a five.  We had leftovers for almost a week.  And, this was fabulous every time we had it.  Now, I will say that "cakes" was a major stretch for us.  Stuffing was more like it.  The "cakes" totally fell apart.  That's ok with me since the flavor was so delightful.  I did take a couple of liberties with the recipe.  Like the fact that I used canned artichoke hearts and added an additional 8 oz of mushrooms.

Wild Mushroom and Artichoke Stuffing

serves 8

Ingredients:

6 T unsalted butter
1 small leek, sliced thinly and rinsed well
1 T minced garlic
8 oz assorted wild mushrooms
8 oz cremini mushrooms
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
salt to taste
pepper to ta1/4 c brandy
1/2 c chicken stock
3 c cubed day-old French bread (1/2 - 3/4" cubes)
1 1/2 t minced fresh rosemary or half as much dried
1 1/2 t minced fresh thyme or half as much dried

Directions:

In a large skillet, saute the leeks and garlic in a couple of tablespoons of the butter for a couple of minutes.  Add the mushrooms and artichokes.  Saute them until they've given off their liquid and have softened.  You'll want them just a little browned.  Pour in the brandy.  Stir until it's evaporated.  Then, add the chicken stock.  Cook that until the stock has reduced by half.  Add the bread cubes and herbs.  Stir well.  Allow the mixture to sit for minutes.  At this point you can either make it into cakes and pan brown them or serve it as stuffing.  We tried the cakes and they totally fell apart so we went for the stuffing...


Well, friends, that's finally the end of our New Year's Eve.  Since then I've spent most of the time with a lovely cold.  And, we had about 175 people at our home for our annual party.  I'll work on the party and Secret Recipe Club next then hopefully get in some good basic recipes!

 

Oyster and Artichoke Heart Soup

Many years ago, I was lucky enough to visit New Orleans.  I've actually been there three times. But, somehow a car full of college kids traveling down there to see what Mardi Gras was all about and much later in life a Kiwanis convention, just don't count the same way that staying in the French Quarter and really gettting to inhale the culture does.  Barbecue shrimp was the dish that stole my heart.  Then, there are muffalettas, beignets and oyster artichoke heart soup.  I've hunted and hunted for a recipe for that soup.  I found one years ago and promptly made it.  It was very disappointing.  When my friend Drick posted one on his blog (Drick's Rambling Cafe) I knew I had to try it. 

Our New Year's Eve tradition is a seafood fest.  The year we met, we discovered that both of us prefer a quiet evening at home to a night out on the town.  I asked Connie what he'd like for dinner and he said seafood.  Seafood it was.  That first NYE we had crabcakes, bacon wrapped scallops, she crab soup, lobster, oysters rockefeller, escargot.  You get the idea.  A surfeit of seafood.  We ate leftovers for about a week. 

This year I wanted to do a trial run of four appetizers to see if they should be added to the party menu.  The entree was to be seafood newburg.  And, we were going to make mussels at home for the first time.  What better time to try Drick's soup?  I'm going to give you his recipe with the servings for 8-10.  Needless to say, we cut this way down and still had some leftovers for lunch the next day.

What did we think?  Words cannot do this soup justice.  It is magnificent.  The flavors are perfectly balanced.  It's not too heavy and not too light.  It's now the 3rd of January and I can still taste it in my mind.  Thank you, Drick!  I've finally been able to have a soup I've thought fondly of for about 20 years!  Now, just a word about Drick.  We've tried many of his recipes and they've all been great.  One even made our favorites list for 2010.  Please wander over to his blog and spend some time looking at his wonderful recipes. 


Drick's Oyster and Artichoke Heart Soup

Ingredients:
1 c butter
1 c celery
1 c onion
1/2 green bell pepper
3 T garlic
1 c flour
1/2 c tasso (I used salami since that's what we had)
2 t Cajun seasoning
6 c chicken stock
4 c oyster liqueur (clam juice can make up the difference)
1 t hot sauce
4-6 dozen medium to small shucked oysters
14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 c parsley
1/2 c green onions
2 c heavy cream

Directions:
Melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan.  Finely chop the celery, bell pepper and onion.  Add them to the butter and saute them until they're softened. 

Add the flour and tasso ham or salami (very finely minced) and allow it to cook for about 10 minutes.  You don't want the flour to brown.

Slowly add the chicken broth.  The mixture will be very thick.  Now, slowly add the oyster liqueur.  We didn't have the full amount we needed so I substituted clam juice for about 3/4 of this liquid.

Let the soup simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the parsley, green onion, oysters and cream.  Let the soup simmer for another 20 minutes.

adapted from Drick's Rambling Cafe

Ode to Chicken Via Veneto

For many years, we on occasion visited a restaurant by the name of Sangiovese.  They served a dish called Chicken Via Veneto.  It was basically chicken strips lightly dipped in flour then browned and served in a white wine sauce with artichoke hearts and pistachios.  It was served in a small copper pan that was always hotter than blazes.  I loved that dish!  Unfortunately, Sangiovese was a casualty of the economy about a year ago.

Many years ago, I set out to recreate Chicken Via Veneto.  I was pretty pleased with the results and made it on a regular basis.  Then, it kind of drifted out of my favorites list.  A few weeks ago, on Annies-Eats, I saw a recipe for chicken with an artichoke heart and mushroom sauce.  It reminded me a bunch of Chicken Via Veneto.  So, I took a couple of ideas from Annie's recipe and added them to my Chicken Via Veneto recipe and presto, a new and improved version - except for one thing - I forgot to put the pistachios on top!  Darn, now I'll have to make it again - soon - have to get a photo the right way, you know :-)

 A side note here - Recently I've read that mushrooms that have a bit of age on them are more flavorful than those that are totally fresh from the grocery.  I tested that theory with this recipe.  Unbeknownst to Connie, I used mushrooms that came home from the grocery a week before.  I was shocked when he commented during dinner that the mushrooms were really flavorful - more so than normal.  I thought I was tasting more of their flavor because I expected to.  But it looks like the research may have been correct!

Chicken Via Veneto

Ingredients:
two chicken breast halves, either whole or cut into strips (ours were very small so I left them whole)
1/2 c flour
1 tsp bouquet garni
salt and pepper
4 T olive oil
1 can artichoke hearts (reserve the liquid)
8 oz sliced cremini mushrooms
2 T flour
1/2 c white wine
1/4 c roasted pistachios


Directions:

Pour a tablespoon of olive oil into a medium skillet.  Once it's hot, add the mushrooms.

Cook them until they're browned and softened.  Chop the artichoke hearts and add. 

Turn the heat to low.

Pour a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in another medium skillet.  Put it on medium heat.  Mix the flour, bouquet garni, salt and pepper. 

Roll the chicken strips in the seasoned flour. 

Brown the chicken once the oil reaches the point that a drop of water sizzles. 

(I cannot get this photo to load right side up...)

Once the chicken is browned nicely, remove it from the skillet and put it on a plate or in a baking dish.  Tent it with aluminum foil to keep it warm. Add more olive oil or a bit of butter to the pan.  Stir up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan (aka the fond.)  Add the flour and stir for 5-10 minutes until the roux is light brown. 

Slowly add the reserved artichoke heart liquid and the white wine.  Stir until it's thickened.  Add the vegetables to the pan and stir to coat. 

Plate the chicken over rice or couscous.  Serve the vegetables over the chicken.  Top with the roasted pistachios. 

Thank you for the inspiration, Annies-Eats!!!  BTW - the changes I made based on Annie's recipe were to add bouquet garni to the flour mixture and mushrooms to the artichoke hearts.