Parmesan Fish Sticks!

Hello friends, it's been a while.

Yes, I know every time I update my blog I say I'll update more often, cook more recipes, blah blah blah, and then, poof, I don't update for almost two months. And I could easily blame it on being a single mom, working too much, or exhaustion from taking care of a 2 and-a-half year old kid; or the fact that I injured my back (that's a true story) and was out of commission for almost two weeks. And yes parts of these are true, but mainly I've just been lazy posting my recipes and pics. I've actually accumulated many recipes, I've been cooking and canning (yes, canning!) a lot and I have a 4GB SD card full of food porn, but it's just finding the time to post, write a bit, and upload my pics. Yes, I know it's simple to blog, it's easy to upload pictures, but I just didn't want to turn this into a generic recipe site where there's no story. No history. No drama like this mama's!!!!

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So I have this love-hate relationship with Giada De Laurentiis--well, so I seem to think I do. At first I didn't like her because she had such a nice rack but, oh that forehead and those teeth just didn't do it for me! But then I realized I was just jealous of her fabulous life, and that she's maintained her figure after she had her daughter, and yes, well, her rack is still there. THEN one day my Pops made panna cotta for the family and it was fabulous! It was creamy, not too sweet and oh, so freakin' delicious. And all of us, the childrens, asked, "where did you get this recipe?" What do you think my Pop's said?
"From Giada's cookbook!"
I think that day I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

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So, I have surrendered to Giada; but not surrendered to her as "celebrity chef," but as a busy mom who is a pretty good recipe writer and a very good cook. I hate to say this, but her recipes are easy to medium and they tend to be good for you, too. UGH!

I had recalled I watched an episode where Giada made salmon fish sticks for her daughter (or her nieces, I don't remember) but the recipe seemed incredibly simple and easy, and for crissakes IT IS!!! I made these on Good Friday because, even though I'm not a practicing Catholic, the Catholic guilt is still embedded in me. And you know what? My little girl loved it! Yes, I did cheat a little and I gave my daughter reduced-sugar ketchup instead of Giada's "sour cream-mayo-mustard" dipping sauce, but the fact Stella ate salmon was incredible for me. Also, I followed the recipe to the "T", however I did not bake my fish sticks (it was 80 degrees here in San Diego) so I pan-fried them in extra-virgin olive oil instead. I have to say, I was impressed. Bravo, Giada. Bravo (golf claps).

INGREDIENTS (serves 4 to 6)

• 1 (18-ounce) center-cut salmon fillet, about 9 by 4 inches, skinned
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• Olive oil, for drizzling

Dipping Sauce

• 1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup lowfat plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or chives

For the Fish Sticks:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Rinse the salmon fillet and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the fish in half to make 2 fillets each about 4 by 4 1/2-inches in size. Starting on the longest edge, slice the fillets into 1/2-inch pieces. Lay the widest pieces, from the center, cut side down, and slice in half lengthways so all the pieces are equally about 1/2 by 1/2 by 4 1/2-inches in size.

Place the flour in a medium bowl and season with the salt and pepper. Place the egg whites in another bowl and beat until frothy, about 30 seconds. Combine the Parmesan and bread crumbs in a third bowl.

Coat the salmon pieces in the seasoned flour and pat to remove any excess flour. Dip the floured salmon in the egg whites and then into the Parmesan mixture, gently pressing the mixture into the fish. Place the breaded salmon pieces on a liberally oiled baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with the olive oil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

Note: you can pan fry the fish in olive oil or vegetable oil, for about 1 minute per side. Also, you can substitute with Tilapia or Cod, for milder tasting fish.

For the Dipping Sauce:

Mix the mayonnaise, yogurt, Dijon mustard, and parsley (or chives, if using) in a small dipping bowl.

Cook's Note: The fish sticks can also be dipped in ketchup, marinara sauce, pesto, ranch dressing or vinaigrette .

Tuna and White Bean Pasta with Gremolata Bread Crumbs

We have had crappy weather all this week and worse is yet to come. It's been raining (yes, raining in San Diego), it's cold and we've had very high winds. And since I have a little baby I was a bit scared to go out driving in this rainy weather to go food shopping. Instead, I found this recipe (and yes, it's from Rachael Ray) and believe it or not, I had most of the ingredients in my pantry. A few modifications are: I halved the recipe and used 1 can of tuna; instead of breadcrumbs I used Panko breadcrumbs; I omitted the rosemary but used a little oregano instead; I didn't have any chicken broth so I used the starchy water of the pasta and lastly I used canned tomato sauce because I didn't have any fresh tomatoes. All in all, it was quite hearty, very filling and I finally found a reason to use my can of anchovies!!!!

INGREDIENTS (serves 6)

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 flat filet anchovies, optional
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup breadcrumbs, toast and grind stale bread or store bought
• 2 lemons
• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 pound penne or ziti rigate
• 4 ribs celery, finely chopped
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup white wine, white vermouth or chicken broth
• 1 large tomato, seeded and chopped or 1 can 15 ounces can diced tomatoes, drained, optional

DIRECTIONS

Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in small pan over medium-low heat with anchovies, if using. Melt anchovies into oil until they dissolve then add garlic and stir 2 minutes then add breadcrumbs and stir and cook until deeply golden in color. Stir in zest of 2 lemons and parsley and crushed red pepper flakes. Turn off heat and transfer to a bowl.

Heat a large pot of water to a boil for pasta.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add celery, onions and 2 cloves garlic to the pan and cook until just tender, 5 minutes. Add white beans and rosemary and heat through 2 to 3 minutes more. Add wine, vermouth or broth, flakes tuna and tomato, if using. Stir 2 minutes then turn off heat.

Just before draining the pasta, add a ladle of starchy cooking water to pan along with the drained pasta, toss to combine. Serve in shallow bowls with lots of breadcrumbs and a drizzle of oil on top.

Braised Red Snapper with Black Olives and Lupini Beans

When Matt was in Rota, Spain, he not only picked up an arsenal of wine and port, but also some quite interesting foods such as Spanish blood sausage, a type of sheeps milk cheese, cans of olives and "tomate frito" and an interesting package of "saladitos" which I found out they were acutally brined lupini beans. I have never heard of or seen lupini beans. They look like flat butterbeans and taste somewhat between garbanzo and lima beans. The odd thing about these legumes is that no matter how long you cook them for, they will always be slightly al dente. I guess they are highly toxic when dried and you have to cook them for hours and hours and change the water, etc. So the Spanish (and I think Italians, too) found a way to brine these beans and they are simply served as snack food at most bars in Spain. They have an outer shell you have to peel before you pop them in your mouth. The brined lupinis we had were rather salty but they go great with beer--so I was told. Anyway, long story short, Matt and I couldn't possibly eat all of the beans so I came up with this dish using the beans (this recipe is very similar to my Tilapia with Tomato and Chickpeas but without all the spices).

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

• About a 1.5 pounds of red snapper
• Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon Spanish olive oil
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 8oz. "tomate frito" or El Pato tomato sauce
• Handful of black olives, sliced
• 1/4 cup of brined lupini beans, outer shells removed and soaked in warm water for a few minutes to remove excess salt

DIRECTIONS

Wash the red snapper in cold water and pat dry. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large skillet with 2" sides, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the snapper and quickly sear until you're able to flip the fish over (about 90 seconds). Add the wine and raise the heat and bring to a boil. Add the tomato sauce, olives and lupini beans. Lower heat and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes more. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with steamed white rice and a good, dry Spanish wine.

Tilapia with Tomato and Chickpeas

I have a suspicion that this baby I'm carrying is a vegetarian. Meats and some poultry makes me gag, and if I could, I would probably live off fruit or veggie salads. The only other foods I can handle are non-fishy smelling seafood, and fresh Tilapia is a good example of this. I bought a pound and brought it home and had no idea what to do with it. So I came up with this somewhat Mediterranean inspired recipe. It was pretty good and the chickpeas gave it a very nice texture to the dish...and the baby like it, too!

INGREDIENTS (serves 2 to 3)

• 1 lb. Fresh Tilapia fillets
• Flour
• Olive oil and butter
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 Tbs. pitted olives, preferably Greek, chopped
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 sprig fresh oregano
• 4 leaves fresh mint
• 1/8 tsp. cumin
• 1/8 tsp. coriander
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2/3 cup garbanzo bean (chickpeas)
• 2/3 cup water
• Coarse salt and pepper
• Lemon wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Run fillets over cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle a little salt only on one side of each fillet then lightly dredge in flour.

Heat about 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Working in batches, fry the fillets one minute per side and set aside on a plate. You may need to add more olive oil on the second batch. Fish will not be complete cooked through yet.

In the same skillet (don't clean it), add 1 tablespoon butter. When melted add the halved tomatoes, chopped shallots, olives, mint leaves, sprig of oregano, all the spices, garbanzo beans and 2/3 cup water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.

Place fish fillets on top of garbanzo-tomato sauce and cover. Simmer on very low for 10 minutes.

Before serving, remove the oregano sprig and mint leaves. Serve fillets over some rice and pour some the garbanzo-tomato over that.

Pan Fried Chilean Sea Bass with Seared Tomatoes

I picked up a nice fresh fillet of Chilean sea bass at the farmer's market on Sunday and I wanted to cook it simply...and also use up some of the tomatoes from our garden. I came up with this recipe and the best part is you only need a few ingredients! I served up the sea bass with some leftover gnocchi I had in the freezer and a simple salad. If I was drinking vino, I would have paired this with a non-oaky Chardonnay or a floral, dry Riesling.

INGREDIENTS (serves 1)

• .5 to .75 lb. Chilean sea bass fillet, skinless, bones removed and about 1/4" thick
• Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
• 2 Tablespoon flour
• Olive oil and butter
• 6 to 8 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (preferably from your garden)
• 1 teaspoon finely minced green onion (white and light green part)
• Lemon wedge, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Lightly salt and pepper both sides of fillet. Sprinkle flour on both sides of fish to dredge and remove any excess flour. Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil and a pat of butter in a skillet on medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add the fillet. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Turn fish over and cook another 3 to 5 minutes or until the fish feels firm to the touch. Remove from pan set aside; cover with foil.

To the same pan add the halved tomatoes and the minced green onion and a pinch of salt. And quickly sear for a minute or two over medium-high heat. Some juices from the tomatoes will release and it will make a sauce. To serve, place sea bass on plate and pour the seared tomatoes and the sauce in the pan all over the fish. Serve with a wedge of lemon and enjoy!

Grilled Salmon Sandwiches

The Contessa never fails! I got this recipe from Ina Garten's cookbook and I just had to make it because it seemed like such a simple yet healthy meal and, as I mentioned before, my family and I are trying to eat more fish. I am very lucky that there is a fishmonger I can go to and get the freshest catch of the day, and I think that's a big key in this recipe: super fresh salmon fillets. I cut the recipe below in half since it's just me, Matt and Mike, and the portions came out perfectly!

INGREDIENTS (serves 6)

• 2 pounds fresh salmon fillets
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper

For the sauce:

• 1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 3/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 12 fresh basil leaves
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped scallions, (white and green parts)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 teaspoons capers, drained

To assemble:

• 6 fresh white or brioche rolls (4-inch round)
• 1/4 pound mesclun mix or fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS

For the salmon, heat your (coals or propane) outdoor grill and brush the top of the grill with oil. Rub the outside of the salmon with olive oil, salt, and pepper, to taste. Grill for 5 minutes on each side, or until the salmon is almost cooked through. Remove to a plate and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.

For the sauce, place the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, basil, dill, scallions, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until combined. Add the capers and pulse 2 or 3 times.

To assemble the sandwiches, slice the rolls in 1/2 crosswise. Spread a tablespoon of sauce on each cut side. On the bottom 1/2, place some mesclun salad and then a piece of salmon. Place the top of the roll on the salmon and serve immediately.

Marinated Swordfish with Corn Succotash and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

About a year or so ago, my brother-in-law, Michael, came to visit us and we took him to The Prado restaurant, which is our favorite restaurant here in San Diego. The meal was memorable, to say the least. I think both Michael and my husband had the osso bucco and I had a fish plate. I don't remember what it was called, but it was one of my favorite dishes from the restaurant. I tried to recreate the dish, but I was always off on some seasoning or spices. Finally, I decided to just go simple and classic, and guess what? My dish came out superb, and almost JUST almost as good as the entree at The Prado. So, to go with my theme of the feast of the seven fishes, this is an incredible dish, however it does have many steps and it will take you several hours...but if you have time, give it a try. This is also a great dish to impress your friends or impress your special someone.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

• 4 Swordfish steaks, about 3/4" thick each and 6 to 8 ounces each
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 3 Tablespoon dry white vermouth or white wine
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 1 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 8 ounces (about 2 cups) frozen corn, thawed
• 8 ounces (about 2 cups) frozen green beans, thawed (you can substitute with lima beans, if you prefer)
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 2 plum tomatoes, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tablespoon finely minced chives

DIRECTIONS

Swordfish Steaks:

Rinse swordfish steaks and pat them dry. Lightly brush steaks with olive oil. Generously season steaks with salt and pepper and sprinkle rosemary over them. Meanwhile, add 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons vermouth and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a large Ziploc bag, and then add the steaks. Close bag, making sure to squeeze out all the air and let the swordfish marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour in the refrigerator, turning once or twice so that it marinates evenly. Cook your sweet potatoes while fish marinates. You can also start prepping for the succotash.

To cook the fish, (start cooking it when potatoes are done and you're almost done with the succotash) preheat the broiler. Place fish on broiler pan. Broil until fish is opaque is center, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to platter.

Sweet potatoes:

Fill a large pot with cold water and add the cut sweet potatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through and are fork tender. Drain, but add back to same pot (for less mess). Add 2 tablespoons butter, 1/4 cup cream, salt and pepper, a pinch of nutmeg and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Mash the potatoes until you get a creamy consistency. Add more butter or cream, if needed.

Succotash:

In a large skillet over medium-high heat add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and garlic and sauté 4 more minutes. Next add corn, tomatoes, and green beans (or lima beans) and season with salt and go heavy on the ground black pepper. Keep sautéing until green beans are cooked through and all veggies are softened, about 8 more minutes.

To Assemble:

Get your 4 nicest plates out, and first place a heaping dollop of mashed sweet potatoes in the middle of each plate. Gently place one swordfish steak on top of each, and then place some of the succotash around the mashed sweet potatoes. Top each steak with a little of remaining succotash and sprinkle minced chives over each plate. Serve immediately and let the compliments flow!

Braised Swordfish, Puerto Rican Style

I'm calling this recipe "Puerto Rican Style" because it seems that every time my mom makes Puerto Rican food (my step-dad is Boriqua), she uses the same sauce components: onions, bell pepper, tomatoes and green olives...and Puerto Ricans love their green olives! This is a very simple, yet quite flavorful tomato-base sauce for the fish and steamed rice goes superb as a side. Make sure the skillet you use has a tight fitting lid for it. And since I'm going with the feast of the seven fishes theme for Christmas, this is another good and easy recipe in case you're contemplating eating seafood for the holiday.

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 2 Swordfish steaks, skin and bones removed, about 3/4" thick and 4 to 5 ounces each
• 1 white onion, sliced into half moons
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 Plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup water
• Juice of half of a lime
• Handful of Goya green olives, pitted and cut into rounds
• A few tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

Salt and pepper your swordfish steaks and set aside.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil and sweat the onion and garlic for 5 to 8 minutes.

Raise heat to medium-high and add chopped tomatoes, diced green bell pepper, bay leaf and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper, wine, water, tomato sauce, lime juice and olives and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently for another 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if needed.

Add your swordfish steaks to the sauce, slightly submerging them into the sauce and cover and simmer until fish is opaque throughout, about 8 to 10 minutes. (I gently turned my swordfish steaks over after 5 minutes--but you don't have to).

Before serving, remove bay leaf. Serve fish with some of the tomato sauce and sprinkle some chopped parsley over it.

PS: You can also use this braising sauce to braise shrimp, or flounder or cod, or even lobster tails!

Braised Fish with Fennel and Tomato

I first discovered the Martha Stewart Living magazine when I was a wee girl. My step-mom used to subscribe to the magazine and remember I loved visiting her house because I couldn't wait to check out what Martha was up to. But as I got older and started discovering other cooking magazines, I began to find Living a bit boring in that most of the recipes didn't have enough chutzpah.

This past week I flew to Virginia and I decided to buy a Living magazine to read on the plane and wow, has the magazine changed! This was the Thanksgiving issue so there were a lot of classic recipes with new twists, and easy recipes that sounded too good to be true. One of those recipes was this braised fish. Now, her recipe only had fresh tomatoes (I sneaked in a can of whole peeled tomatoes) and I used Orange Roughy instead of halibut or grouper. I also used preserved lemom instead of fresh lemon. I made the preserved lemon a few months ago, but you can use fresh lemon if you don't have access to preserved lemon. Lastly, I used a Viognier wine from Martin Vinyards in Knott Island, North Carolina. The fish came out tender and full of flavor and the sauce was terribly good.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup dry white wine (I used a Viognier)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 large fennel bulb, halved, cored, and thinly sliced lenghwise
• 1 medium tomato, cored and corsely chopped
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) of whole, peeled tomatoes and its juice
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 thin preserved lemon slices (use fresh lemon if preserved lemons are unavailable)
• 1/2 Tsp. Herbs de Provence
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp. roughly chopped parsely
• 4 skinless fillets of firm-fleshed fish (each about same thickness size), such as grouper, halibut, seabass or snapper (I used Orange Roughy)

DIRECTIONS

In a large 13-inch skillet, pour the oil, wine, water, fennel, fresh and canned tomatoes and its juice (crush the canned whole tomatoes with your hand or a spatula), garlic, Herbs de Provence, and preserved lemon slices. Add 1-1/4 tsp. kosher salt and several grinds of black pepper. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over moderate heat until the fennel softens, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt and pepper and arrange fillets in the pan, partially submerging them in the sauce. Sprinkle chopped parsely all over fish and suce and cover and simmer until fish is opaque throughout, about 6 to 8 minutes. Gently turn fish over and cook one more minute.

Spoon some of the braising sauce onto plates and top with fish. Drizzle with more olive oil (optional) and serve with a side of nutty, steamed rice.