Recipe #299: Foil-Baked Catfish

Plenty of times I buy a main ingredient with no recipe in mind, and then I have to find a way to make it with things already in my pantry and fridge.  Here's an example with catfish.  I changed a couple things in this recipe because I didn't have exactly the right ingredients, but it turned out great.  Super easy cleanup.  I had plenty of leftovers because two fillets was way too much.  I love the different textures and the citrus-y flavor.

Ingredients

1 cup couscous (preferably whole wheat)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

4 6 -ounce skinless catfish fillets

2 lemons (1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced)  (I used an orange because I didn't have lemons)

1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley or mint  (I used dried parsley because I didn't have fresh)

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved  (I used the same amount of chopped regular tomatoes)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lay a 2 1/2-foot-long sheet of aluminum foil on a baking sheet, letting the ends hang off. Lay another sheet of foil perpendicular on top. Rinse the couscous in a fine-mesh sieve under cold water. Mix the olive oil, paprika and 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pile the couscous in the center of the foil; toss with 1/2 tablespoon of the seasoned oil and spread in an 8-inch-square layer.

Brush the fish fillets on both sides with 1 tablespoon of the seasoned oil and arrange side by side on top of the couscous. Toss the lemon slices, parsley, red onion, tomatoes, garlic and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon seasoned oil in a bowl, then scatter evenly over the fish and couscous. Drizzle with 2/3 cup water, then bring the opposite ends of the foil together, fold over and crimp closed to make a sealed packet. Transfer the foil packet (on the baking sheet) to the oven and bake 25 minutes.

Open the foil packet; divide the fish among plates. Toss the couscous and vegetables; serve with the fish. Sprinkle with the lemon juice.

Recipe #298: Midsummer's Night Pasta

I absolutely love this.  So fresh.  I had to restrain myself from going back for....fourths.  It should be served room temperature, and is great to bring to parties, like I did.

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups very ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Kosher salt
4 cups rinsed and roughly chopped arugula
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 medium-size garlic cloves, crushed in a garlic press or minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound penne
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and more for serving

DIRECTIONS:

Place the chopped tomatoes in a colander in the sink and toss them with 1 tablespoon of salt.  Let the tomatoes drain until the liquid draws out of them, about an hour.

Place the arugula, oregano, basil, thyme, garlic, pepper, and oil in a large bowl and mix well.

Cook the pasta according to directions.  Drain well.

After the hour of draining, add the tomatoes to the arugula mixture and mix well.  Add the pasta and mix well.  Add the Parmesan cheese and mix.  Let cool to room temperature before serving.  If this is made ahead and refrigerated, let it come up to room temperature before serving.

Recipe #297: Beef Mushroom Barley Soup

Well, the weather wants to be fall-ish, so I decided to make soup!  Here's a simple delicious recipe that's even better as leftovers.  Copied from Allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into small pieces 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 1/2 onion, chopped 3 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrots, chopped 7 1/2 cups beef stock 8 ounces pearl barley 1 pound mushrooms, sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Cook beef stew meat in a large skillet over medium heat until completely browned, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to a large soup pot.  (I browned the beef in bacon fat with some garlic salt)
2.	Heat vegetable oil in the same skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion, celery, and carrot in the hot oil until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the vegetable mixture to the beef in the pot.  (I left the fat from the previous step and didn't add any oil)
3.	Pour beef stock into the pot.
4.	Stir pearl barley into the stock.
5.	Place soup over medium-low heat, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is completely tender, about 2 hours.  (I did this for about 1.5 hours and tested occasionally for tenderness.)
6.	Stir mushrooms through the soup; cook 1 hour more.  (45 minutes was enough.)

Recipe #296: Crispy Braised Duck Legs

After five days in Paris, eating their delicious food, I couldn't come home and make something mediocre!  Here is a great recipe for super tender, flavorful duck legs.  I made a special trip to West Side Market to get these delicious things.  You could sub out chicken legs for this if you can't find duck- just adjust cooking times as needed.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 duck legs
• 1 14.5 ounce can of organic diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped into 1/2” dice
• 2 carrots, sliced in 1/2” rounds
• 1 celery stalk ,cut into 1/2” pieces
• 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 large sprigs of thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2/3 cup dry vermouth or white wine
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Trim excess fat from the legs, being careful to not pierce the skin.  Salt and pepper both sides.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large dutch oven/French pot, brown duck legs in a single layer, skin side down 7 minutes, then flip and brown another 2-3 minutes until all legs are done.  Set aside.  I browned it in butter and reserved duck fat from a previous meal.

Pour out most of the grease, then add oil and butter if desired.  Salt and pepper and then brown the garlic, carrots, celery, garlic, and thyme for 6 minutes.  Add wine and reduce by half.  Add broth and reduce by half.  Add the tomatoes and heat through.  Layer the duck, skin side up on top of the mixture and nestle in the bay leaves.  Cover and put in the oven for 2 hours.

Recipe #295: Skillet Meatballs with Creamy Herb Sauce

So, I had a pound of ground beef I thought I'd need but didn't, and I also had a pack of garlic herb boursin cheese that I bought with no specific recipe in mind.  After a quick Google search, I found this recipe.  DELISH!  It's a bit like Swedish meatballs, but with a lot more flavor.  Easy, hearty, and worth making again....  Don't let the sort of boring pic fool you- it is quite the opposite of bland and boring.

Ingredients:

• 1 Pound - Ground Beef

• 1 (5.2 Ounces) - Package Boursin Cheese with Garlic and Herbs, Crumbled

• To Taste - Salt

• To Taste - Black Pepper

• 1 - Small Yellow Onion, Finely Chopped

• 2 Tablespoons - All Purpose Flour

• 3 1/2 Cups - Low Sodium Chicken Broth

• 8 Ounces - Egg Noodles

• 1/4 Cup - White Wine

• 1/4 Cup - Fresh Chives, Finely Chopped

Instructions:

1. Combine beef, 5 tablespoons Boursin cheese, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in medium bowl and knead gently until combined. Form mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook meatballs until well browned all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer meatballs to plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan.

1. Cook onion in reserved fat until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in flour and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Add broth, noodles, and wine and bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring often, until pasta begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add meatballs and simmer, covered, until meatballs are cooked through and noodles are al dente, about 4 minutes. Off heat, stir in remaining Boursin cheese and chives. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Farfalle with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

I've been super busy, but last night I finally made something new and blog-worthy!  I had a rare craving for pasta, and this was the result.  This is from Cooking Light magazine.  I had to adapt a little because the mix of wild mushrooms wasn't available, as noted.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound uncooked farfalle (bow tie pasta)  (I used a 12oz package)
• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 12 ounces presliced exotic mushroom blend (I used a mix of oyster, shiitake, and crimini)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion 
• 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup dry white wine 
• 2/3 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Minced fresh parsley (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
2. Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, shallots, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper; cook 12 minutes or until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally. Add wine; cook 2 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
3. Add the cooked pasta, whipping cream, cheese, and 2 tablespoons parsley, tossing gently to coat. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Garnish with minced fresh parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.

Recipe #293: Singapore Noodles

Well, of the month of June, I was home one week out of them all between vacation (Florida!) and work (Illinois and Kansas!) and even if I had time to cook, was too tired to try anything new or fancy.  This is my first post in almost a month.  Hopefully it inspires some more.

This one is from the latest issue of Cooks Illustrated (and copied from their site) and I'm happy with the results.  Spicy, plenty of curry, and the fresh shrimp is delicious.  Light enough for summer but still hearty.

INGREDIENTS

• 4tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2tablespoons curry powder
• 1/8teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 6ounces rice vermicelli
• 2tablespoons soy sauce
• 1teaspoon sugar
• 12ounces large shrimp (26 to 30 per pound), peeled, deveined, tails removed, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4large eggs, lightly beaten
• Salt
• 3garlic cloves, minced to paste
• 1teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks
• 2large shallots, sliced thin
• 2/3cup chicken broth
• 4ounces (2 cups) bean sprouts
• 4scallions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2teaspoons lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Heat 3 tablespoons oil, curry powder, and cayenne, if using, in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.

   2. Bring 1 1/2 quarts water to boil. Place noodles in large bowl. Pour boiling water over noodles and stir briefly. Soak noodles until flexible, but not soft, about 2 1/2 minutes, stirring once halfway through soaking. Drain noodles briefly. Transfer noodles to cutting board. Using chef’s knife, cut pile of noodles roughly into thirds. Return noodles to bowl, add curry mixture, soy sauce, and sugar; using tongs, toss until well combined. Set aside.

   3. Wipe out skillet with paper towels. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shrimp in even layer and cook without moving them until bottoms are browned, about 90 seconds. Stir and continue to cook until just cooked through, about 90 seconds longer. Push shrimp to 1 side of skillet. Add 1 teaspoon oil to cleared side of skillet. Add eggs to clearing and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Using rubber spatula, stir eggs gently until set but still wet, about 1 minute. Stir eggs into shrimp and continue to cook, breaking up large pieces of egg, until eggs are fully cooked, about 30 seconds longer. Transfer shrimp-egg mixture to second large bowl.

   4. Reduce heat to medium. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in now-empty skillet until shimmering. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add bell pepper and shallots. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with shrimp.

   5. Return skillet to medium-high heat, add broth to skillet, and bring to simmer. Add noodles and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add noodles to bowl with shrimp and vegetable mixture and toss to combine. Add bean sprouts, scallions, and lime juice and toss to combine. Transfer to warmed platter and serve immediately, passing lime wedges separately.

Recipe #292: Pasta with Ricotta and Spinach

Here's a fantastic recipe from Cook's Illustrated magazine.  It somehow manages to be both creamy and cheesy AND light and fresh tasting.  Amazing.  The recipe calls for fusilli pasta, but I used rotini.  Perfection!  It's like unstuffed shells.

INGREDIENTS:

11 oz whole-milk ricotta cheese (I used a whole 16oz container)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 pound pasta
1 pound baby spinach, chopped coarse
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 c heavy cream
1 tsp grated lemon zest plus 2 tsp juice (I used more)
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated, plus extra for serving (I used more)

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk 1 cup ricotta, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until smooth; set aside.

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large pot.  Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente.  Reserve 1 cup cooking water.  Stir spinach into pot with pasta and cook until wilted, about 30 seconds.  Drain pasta and spinach and return them to the pot.

While pasta cooks, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil, garlic, nutmeg, and cayenne in a saucepan over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Remove pan from heat and whisk in remaining ricotta, cream, lemon zest and juice, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt until smooth.

Add ricotta-cream mixture and Parmesan to pasta and toss to combine.  Let pasta rest, tossing frequently, until sauce has thickened slightly and coats pasta, 2-4 minutes, adjusting consistency with reserved cooking water as needed.  Transfer pasta to serving platter, dot evenly with reserved ricotta mixture, and serve with extra Parmesan.

Recipe #291: Swedish Meatballs

I can't really think of anything to say about these other than the fact that they were delicious!  Be sure to make plenty of gravy, too.  I served them with egg noodles.  Yet another great recipe from allrecipes.com.  I do have to add, though, that I managed to not notice the part about the sour cream, which printed out on the second page (both ingredients AND directions!)- and this still turned out delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

2 slices day-old white bread, crumbled 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon butter 1 small onion, minced 2/3 pound ground beef 1/3 pound finely ground pork 1 egg 1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional) 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger (optional) 1 tablespoon butter 1/4 cup chicken broth   3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as needed 2 cups beef broth, or as needed 1/2 (8 ounce) container sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	Place the bread crumbs into a small bowl, and mix in the cream. Allow to stand until crumbs absorb the cream, about 10 minutes. While the bread is soaking, melt 1 teaspoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion until it turns light brown, about 10 minutes. Place onion into a mixing bowl; mix with the ground beef, ground pork, egg, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger. Lightly mix in the bread crumbs and cream.
3.	Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Pinch off about 1 1/2 tablespoon of the meat mixture per meatball, and form into balls. Place the meatballs into the skillet, and cook just until the outsides are brown, about 5 minutes, turning the meatballs often. Insides of the meatballs will still be pink. Place browned meatballs into a baking dish, pour in chicken broth, and cover with foil.
4.	Bake in the preheated oven until the meatballs are tender, about 40 minutes. Remove meatballs to a serving dish.
5.	To make brown gravy, pour pan drippings into a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the flour into the pan drippings until smooth, and gradually whisk in enough beef broth to total about 2 1/2 cups of liquid. Bring the gravy to a simmer, whisking constantly until thick, about 5 minutes.  Just before serving, whisk in the sour cream.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Recipe #290: Braised Chicken with Kale

Finally, a new recipe made recently (tonight!)  I went to the store with no clue what I'd like to make, and I just bought a few things that grabbed my attention- whole chicken legs (thigh and drumstick) and kale.  I went online to find a recipe and this one was PERFECT!  I had everything on hand, plus my new purchases, and it turned out delicious.  The chicken is very moist and the kale still maintains a good texture despite all of the cooking.  This is from Cooking Light's website.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided  (next time, I'm using all butter- I set off my smoke alarm!)
• 4 chicken leg quarters, skinned  (I didn't notice the skinned part and left that on)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1.1 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/4 cup)
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 (16-ounce) package cut prewashed kale (I used two whole heads of kale)
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained (I used unflavored)
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth (I used mostly Chardonnay)
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. 1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. 2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons canola oil. Sprinkle the chicken with black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place flour in a dish, and dredge chicken. Place 2 leg quarters in pan, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with 2 teaspoons oil and remaining 2 leg quarters. Remove from pan.
3. 3. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add garlic; cook for 20 seconds. Add half of kale; cook for 2 minutes. Add remaining half of kale; cook 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Return chicken to pan. Cover and bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove chicken from pan; stir in vinegar. Serve chicken over kale mixture.