I’m always on the lookout to add more seafood recipes to my repertoire. It’s sooooo good for you, but the Husby is picky (no salmon, no scallops, no fishy-tasting fish) and making a seafood dish typically means I have to make a different meal for the Fruitaholic. The original recipe I received for the swap called for flounder, a fish I’d never had. I was intrigued albeit a bit nervous that it could be one of the fishier fish but I was determined to try it.
Note my disappointment when Whole Foods didn’t carry it. Luckily, they have a great fishmonger who chatted with me about my preparation intentions and suggested a similar fish, sole (another I’d never tried). She assured me it was a mild whitefish – something I know the Husby would eat. I could just tell him it was tilapia if he questioned it. The only other thing holding me back was his hatred of capers, but I just made sure to de-caper-ify his portion. Oh well, that just meant more capers for me (note: upon being served, he told me he could have just picked the capers off. I always create more work for myself.)!
After poaching the fish, I removed it from the pan and let the remaining sauce reduce for a few minutes before pouring it over our plates. It was awesomely tangy and I might have eaten half of a demi-baguette trying to savor every last drop. Even the Fruitaholic took a few bites! In my book, that’s a winning dish!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. Butter
- 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 Large Shallot, finely chopped
- 3 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp. Capers, drained
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
- 3/4 Dry White Wine
- 3/4 Cup Chicken Stock
- 3/4 Lb. Sole Fillets (or 6-8oz other white fish)
- 1 Lemon, thinly sliced
- Handful Seafood Herb Blend (or flat leaf parsley), chopped
- Crusty bread, for mopping
Instructions
Melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the capers, Worcestershire sauce and wine to the pan. Cook for one minute, then stir in the stock.
Arrange the fish in the skillet and scatter with lemon slices. Poach the fish for 10-12 minutes, until firm and opaque.
Remove fish from skillet and transfer to serving plates (deep plates or shallow bowls are suggested). Let the sauce reduce 3-5 minutes, then pour over the fish. Garnish with herbs and serve with crusty bread.
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http://www.thejeyofcooking.com/poached-sole/ The Jey of Cooking | http://www.thejeyofcooking.com
Fried chicken is one of my ultimate comfort foods. It’s so outrageously bad for you but so deliciously good. I’m constantly searching for a worthy substitute that won’t clog my arteries. I’d seen this one in an issue of Cooking Light but never got around to making it so I was pretty thrilled to get it for this week’s swap.
While fried chicken this was not, the toasted panko gave it a crispness that many other oven-fried recipes lack. And the buttermilk helped keep the chicken nice and juicy. I think I must’ve skimped on the rosemary because I was expecting there to be more of a pronounced flavor but it remained nice and light. It was easy to prepare and the short list of ingredients was a plus in my book. And for just about 300 calories per cutlet? Your arteries will thank you.
Walnut and Rosemary Oven Fried Chicken.
Ingredients
- 1/3 Cup Panko
- 1/4 cup Buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
- 1/3 Cup Walnuts, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
- 3/4 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, minced
- 4 Chicken Cutlets
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange a wire rack on top of it.
Place a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the panko and, stirring constantly, cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to burn the panko crumbs.
Whisk together the buttermilk and mustard in a shallow dish. In a separate shallow dish, mix together the panko, walnuts, cheese, rosemary and salt and pepper.
Coat the chicken in the buttermilk mixture then dredge through the panko mixture, being sure to coat evenly. Place the chicken on the wire rack and bake 20-30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle.
1.4
http://www.thejeyofcooking.com/walnut-and-rosemary-oven-fried-chicken/ The Jey of Cooking | http://www.thejeyofcooking.com
It’s a well known fact that the Husby and I tend to order a lot of takeout. Had I known sooner that it was this easy to make my own, we could’ve saved ourselves a lot of money!
We absolutely loved this meal from the Blogger’s Choice Swap. The recipe jumped out at me right away and even after poring through the other recipes on the site, I knew this was the one. I already had most of the ingredients at home so I only had to pick up a few things, which is always nice. It was quick and easy. The rice took longer to cook than the tofu! I can always count on the Fruitaholic to eat tofu, but was a little bit unsure of how he’d react to having it smothered in sauce. He ate his entire portion and asked for more. Yeah!
I stayed pretty true to the recipe, although I cut the sugar a bit and added cornstarch based on the original recipe. It made a ton of sauce, so I recommend either adding another block of tofu or halving the sauce ingredients. Even after spooning additional sauce over rice, there was still quite a bit leftover.
Ingredients
- 1 Block Extra Firm Tofu, pressed and cubed (to press, place the tofu block on a plate and cover with a few paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Place a heavy pan on top of the towel for at least 30 minutes.)
- 2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
- 2 tsp. Sesame Oil (or Olive Oil)
- 1/2 tsp. Fresh Ginger, grated
- 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Water
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Green Onion, chopped
Instructions
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the cornstarch to the tofu in a small bowl and toss to coat.
Add the tofu to the skillet and cook until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes.
While the tofu is cooking, combine the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, water and brown sugar. Mix well.
When tofu has browned, add the sauce, stir, then bring to a simmer before reducing heat to low. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until sauce has thickened and reduced.
Serve over rice and garnish with green onion.
Source -
1.4
http://www.thejeyofcooking.com/mongolian-tofu/ The Jey of Cooking | http://www.thejeyofcooking.com
When the Husby and I first started dating, we did the whole getting dressed up and going out to a nice dinner, but after thirteen years together, we’ve perfected our Valentine’s Day routine. I buy him a card – one from me and one from the kids – weeks in advance and the night before or morning of, he runs out for a cheesy grocery store bouquet of roses. Unintentionally for the past few years, we’ve ended up going to the Auto Show during the day. And we always end our night by curling up on the couch with a heart shaped pizza from Lou Malnati’s while watching a movie.
Today started out same as always. The cards were exchanged, the flowers purchased, the Auto Show attended. But this year, I decided to change things up a bit. The theme for this week’s swap was super apropos - special occasion – so it seemed fitting to get in the kitchen and cook. I wouldn’t say that we dressed up like we used to but we did enjoy a nice meal together.
We liked this entree although we both agreed that the sauce was a bit salty (likely due to user error since I didn’t measure). For as much as I like to drink wine, I always forget how easy it is to make a pan sauce so this was a nice change from a plain old porkchop. The only change I would make next time would be to sear the pork before baking in order to give it some color. I did also wish that the flavor of the wine would be a bit more prevalent.
Pork Chops with Pinot Noir Sauce.
Ingredients
- 4 Boneless Pork Chops
- 1 1/2 Cups Water
- 3 Tbsp. Coarse Kosher Salt
- 1 Shallot, finely chopped
- 2 Cups Pinot Noir (I used Mark West)
- 1 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
- 1/4 tsp. Pepper
- 3/4 tsp. Sugar
- 3 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, chilled
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine the water, kosher salt and sugar in a gallon sized Ziploc bag, then add the pork chops and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Remove pork chops from the brine and pat dry. Rub with olive oil and season with pepper, to taste.
Place the pork chops on a foil lined baking sheet and cook in the oven for 20 minutes.
While the pork cooks, set a skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add the shallots and cook for 30-60 seconds, then add the Pinot Noir. With a wooden spoon, scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the wine to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, until reduced by half.
Add the chicken broth, stir, and cook an additional 15 minutes, until reduced to about 1/3 cup.
Remove from heat. Stir in salt, pepper and sugar. Stirring constantly, add the butter one tablespoon at a time until sauce is smooth and thickened.
Serve the pork chops with two tablespoons of sauce.
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http://www.thejeyofcooking.com/pork-chops-with-pinot-noir-sauce/ The Jey of Cooking | http://www.thejeyofcooking.com
