Giacomo Sgroi: Chilean Sea Bass with Montalcino Sauce

Ever since I saw a beautiful fillet of sea bass for sale at Costco, I've been trying to think of a fun way to use it.  And what better than topped with a crab sauce?  While it looks somewhat complicated, it's actually not that bad to throw together, and somehow the sweetness of the fish works really well with the sweetness of the crab and the sweetness of the tomato sauce.  I served it with some wilted arugula for contrast, and it was fantastic, but you can always do pasta.

Note: Since I am not an Italian restaurant, and I do not have a multitude of sauces bubbling away at all times, I used canned Cento white clam sauce in this recipe.  It was still delicious.

Chilean Sea Bass with Montalcino Sauce
From Giacomo Sgroi of Nonna Sulina's Sicilian Kitchen, as seen at Lehigh Valley Style

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon, divided use
1¼ red onion, sliced
1½ tablespoons golden raisins
1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
4 large basil leaves, sliced thin in chiffonade
¾ cup crushed and peeled Italian tomatoes with basil
½ cup Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris
¾ cups white clam sauce
¼ cup water
Pinch of kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and granulated sugar
¼ cup jumbo lump crabmeat

4 (4-ounce) Chilean sea bass portions
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs thyme, plus more for garnish

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until light brown. Add raisins, pine nuts, basil leaves, and crushed Italian tomatoes. Stir frequently and simmer for two minutes. Add wine, clam sauce, water, salt, pepper, sugar, and crabmeat. Stir frequently and simmer for two more minutes, then set aside.

Pat fish dry with a towel to remove excess water. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil until golden. Place the fish gently in frying pan. Add garlic and thyme. Cook fish for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, depending on thickness, until golden brown, while continuously spooning butter over fish. When done, remove fish and place in the skillet with the prepared sauce and spoon sauce over fish until well coated. Add a few sprigs of thyme on top and put in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. (Oven temperatures and cooking times vary. Start checking at eight minutes for doneness. Sauce will thicken when sufficiently cooked.) Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Martha Stewart: Wilted Arugula

I bought some arugula for some sandwiches I wanted to make, but you have to buy arugula in this big clamshell that always have infinitely more than you will ever eat in your lifetime, and especially not before the whole thing rots.  Luckily I also found this recipe that allowed me to throw the whole mess in a pan and cook it down to almost nothing the way greens seem to do.  It's like sautéed spinach, but with the peppery bite of arugula.  Not bad for a recipe to save on waste.

Wilted Arugula
From Martha Stewart

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
8 ounces baby arugula, rinsed and drained well
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant but not browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add arugula; cook, stirring constantly, until slightly wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add vinegar; cook, stirring constantly, until most of the vinegar has evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in salt; season with pepper. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Vikalinka: Tushenaya Kapusta тушеная капуста (Russian Braised Cabbage)

I know that Russia is struggling a bit lately with an reputation problem, and I'm sure many people would probably wonder why I'm making something from that country given everything that's been happening in Ukraine the last year, but I choose to believe that hidden underneath all the terrible leaders and authoritarian bluster, the Russian people are probably very much like us.  Plus, they have some really delicious food, and I had a savoy cabbage sitting in my fridge, staring at me.  This is a fantastic way to turn that cabbage into an umami bomb, and with just the bacon for flavoring, it's almost a meat-free meal.

Note: I had to add about 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt at the end, but always add to taste, because your bacon and chicken stock might be saltier than mine.

Tushenaya Kapusta тушеная капуста (Russian Braised Cabbage)
Adapted from Vikalinka blog

¼ cup dried porcini mushrooms
½ pound bacon, sliced into batons
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ pound fresh cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, if needed
1 cup chicken stock
1 (1½-pound) Savoy cabbage, cored and sliced

2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons sour cream
Kosher salt, to taste
1 tablespoon each: fresh chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley and dill

Soak the dried mushrooms in 1 cup boiling water and set aside for one hour to rehydrate.  Once rehydrated, drain and chop the mushrooms.

In a large and deep pan, cook bacon until fat is rendered, then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

To the same pan with the bacon fat, add onions and cook on medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes until slightly colored, then add garlic and mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms are soft. If there doesn't seem to be enough bacon fat, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the stock and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden or plastic spatula to release the brown bits into the stock.

Add sliced cabbage, rehydrated mushrooms, cooked bacon, tomato paste, bay leaf, and pepper, stir to combine, lower the heat and cover with a lid. (If the cabbage doesn’t fit in the pan, add ⅔ of the amount and cover with a lid for 10 minutes, then add the rest when the volume of the cabbage in the pan goes down.) Braise the cabbage for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes with a lid on while stirring once in a while to prevent the bottom from burning.

At the end of the cooking time the volume of the cabbage should have reduced by roughly half and the color should turn from bright green to golden brown. There should be no liquid left in the pan. Stir in sour cream and warm through for 1 minute.

Season with salt last, as it’s easy to oversalt in the beginning stage when the volume of cabbage is significantly higher.

Emma Duckworth Bakes: Easter No-Bake Mini Egg Cheesecake

This is my busy season at work.  And it is very, very busy.  So busy that I didn't even get to see my family for Easter.  But I didn't want to miss out on all of the delicious chocolate fun, so I found this super fast, super easy cheesecake to make for myself.  No, I don't know how I'm going to finish all this myself, but stress eating is a thing.

Note: Don't put the extra decorative eggs on until the last minute - the shell will melt the longer it stays in the fridge.

Easter No-Bake Mini Egg Cheesecake
From Emma Duckworth Bakes blog

1 (14.1-ounce) package digestive biscuits (or graham crackers)
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese

2 cups heavy cream
1½ powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
½ teaspoon kosher salt
18 ounces Cadbury Mini Eggs

Line the base of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Add the digestive biscuits to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the biscuits are crumbled finely. Pour in the melted butter and pulse again until the crumbs resemble wet sand.

Pour into prepared pan and refrigerate. Pour the biscuit crumbs into the prepared springform tin and pack the crumbs into the base and up the sides. They need to be as compacted as possible so that they don’t crumble when cutting the cheesecake later. I recommend using a ⅓ measuring cup for this.
Refrigerate the base for 30 minutes minimum or freeze for 15 minutes whilst you make the filling.

In a medium-sized bowl, add the cream cheese and using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the base and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Into the cream cheese mixture, sift in the powdered icing sugar, and add vanilla bean paste and salt and beat on medium speed until smooth, creamy, and combined.

In a separate medium-sized bowl, add the cold cream and using hand-held electric beaters fitted with the whisk attachment, whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and fold through with a rubber spatula until fully combined. Take care not to deflate all the air in the whipped cream by over mixing.

Crush 12 ounces of the mini eggs, add to the filling and fold through with a rubber spatula until evenly distributed. Remove the biscuit crust from the refrigerator, or freezer, and pour the vanilla cream cheese filling into it. Smooth the filling throughout the base and use an offset spatula to smooth off the top. Cover tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate the cheesecake for a minimum of 6 hours, but recommended to leave it overnight. This gives it the best chance to firm up.

Remove the cheesecake from the fridge, then using a knife, run the blade around the edge to loosen it, then release the springform pan rim and remove it carefully. Slide the base onto your serving plate.
Decorate with the remaining 6 ounces of the mini eggs, chocolate shavings (optional), and edible flowers (optional).

Allrecipes: Mocha Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

I forget how I came across the recipe, but I am certainly glad I did.  I rarely buy bananas because I only like eating them for one short period between green and spotted, but if you manage to wait patiently for just the right amount of sweetness, they are perfect in this muffin.  They are like little individual banana breads, super tender and sweet, with a crunchy top that just works perfectly.

Mocha Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
Adapted from Allrecipes

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¼ cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
3 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
1 tablespoon instant espresso granules, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 21 to 24 muffin cups with paper or foil liners.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, blend butter and sugar until well mixed and fluffy.  Add the egg, bananas, dissolved coffee, and vanilla extract and mix well. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and soda, and blend just until flour disappears. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, and using a wooden spoon or spatula, add chocolate chips and mix in. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cups, filling about ⅔ full.

Bake for 25 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Makes 21 to 24 muffins

New German Cooking: Spargel mit Steinpilzbutter und Mandeln (White Asparagus with Porcini Mushroom Butter and Almonds)

I ran across some really beautiful white asparagus on a trip to the grocery store, and never having eaten or cooked it, it was a bit too tempting to ignore.  I knew white asparagus was pretty big in German cooking, so I reflexively turned to my German cookbooks.  And boy did I hit the jackpot with this recipe.  It seems super simple - it's just a compound butter and almonds on top - but somehow it all works together to be more than the sum of its parts.

Spargel mit Steinpilzbutter und Mandeln (White Asparagus with Porcini Mushroom Butter and Almonds)
From New German Cooking

½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh curly-leaf parsley
1 pound white asparagus
¼ cup slivered blanched almonds, toasted

Soak the mushrooms in hot water to cover until soft, about 1 hour. Drain well, squeeze out the excess liquid, and then coarsely chop. In a food processor, combine the mushrooms, butter, ½ teaspoon salt, and the pepper and puree until smooth. Add the parsley and pulse just until incorporated.

Lay a sheet of waxed paper on a work surface.  Scoop the butter mixture onto the paper, spreading it in a lengthwise strip on the sheet and leaving about 1 inch uncovered on each end.  Roll the paper around the butter, pressing against the paper lightly to shape the butter into a long, even cylinder.  Grasp the ends and twist in opposite directions to seal closed.  Refrigerate the butter for up to 2 weeks.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel each asparagus spear from just below the tip to the base, removing the tough skin.  Snap off the woody base from each spear where it breaks easily and then even the ends with a paring knife.

Fill a medium saucepan two-thirds full with water, bring to a boil over high heat, and season with salt.  It should not be too salty; instead, it should be seasoned just enough to resemble a good chicken stock.  Plunge the asparagus into the boiling water and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes; the timing depends on the size of the asparagus.

Drain the asparagus and arrange on a platter.  Top with the porcini butter and the almonds.  Serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Scrumpdillyicious: Smoked Trout and Potato Salad

I'll be honest, I don't eat a lot of salad.  I find that it takes quite a bit of the bad stuff - salad dressing - to make all of that roughage palatable.  But I also realize that I should probably find a way to overcome this hesitation.  So this is a first step.  A semi-salad.  Hey, there's spinach, it counts.  And it was a delicious light lunch.

Smoked Trout and Potato Salad
Adapted from Scrumpdillyicious blog, as adapted from Jamie Oliver

8 ounces peewee new potatoes
1 (8 ounce) package smoked trout
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
1 bunch baby spinach, washed and stems removed
½ red onion, sliced very thin

Chives, for garnish

Olive oil, if desired

Dressing:
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons crème fraiche or sour cream

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill  
1 tablespoon small capers, minced
Juice and finely grated zest of one lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Boil the potatoes until just tender. Drain and put aside to cool down a bit. Cut any larger potatoes in half.

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the trout by removing the skin and taking out any bones. Flake the flesh into medium-sized pieces and place in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Combine the dressing with the trout flakes and red onion and potatoes. Mix thoroughly and dress to coat.

To serve, fan out some baby spinach leaves decoratively on a plate. Line the spinach with avocado slices.  Put a mound of trout salad in the middle and top it off with some chopped chives. Sprinkle with a little olive oil and lemon juice for extra freshness and gloss.

Makes 4 servings

Just One Cookbook: Japanese Cream Stew (a.k.a. White Stew)

As much as I like to collect cookbooks, I will freely admit that most of my recipe ideas come from media of some sort, whether social or TV/movies.  And the inspiration for this fabulous dinner came from a show on Netflix.  I think a lot of Japanese housewives use the boxed pre-made blocks of stew roux, but I wanted this to be all from scratch, so I opted to make the white sauce.  I will admit the recipe requires more pots than I would like, but the result was fantastic.  Definitely will make again, 10/10.

Note: Instead of cutting up Yukon gold potatoes, I just used the peewee version.  I also used some additional shimeji mushrooms I had in the fridge.

Japanese Cream Stew (a.k.a. White Stew)
Adapted from Just One Cookbook blog

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2½ teaspoons kosher salt. divided use
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-ounce) head broccoli, cut into florets, stem discarded
1 (11-ounce) white onion
2 carrots (approximately 9 ounces)
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1½-inch chunks
6 cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Homemade White Sauce:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cut the chicken thighs into 1½-inch pieces of even thickness. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Boil a pot of water and add 1 teaspoon salt for blanching the broccoli. Add the florets and cook for 2 minutes, or until almost tender and still crisp. Remove from the water and let cool. You can shock the blanched broccoli in ice water to make it as bright green as possible, but this is optional. Don’t overcook the broccoli now, as they will cook a bit more when they are reheated in the stew.

Cut the onion in half lengthwise and then into wedges. Trim off any root ends that are connecting the onion layers together so that they separate easily. Separate each layer. Peel and cut the carrots at an angle into 1½-inch pieces, rotating the carrots a quarter turn between cuts. This cutting technique is called rangiri in Japanese.

In a large pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the chicken and sauté until 80% cooked through. 
Add the onion and stir to cook until the chicken is no longer pink. Add the potatoes and carrots and coat well with the butter in the pot. Then, add the chicken broth and bay leaves. Bring it to a boil on medium heat. The broth won't fully cover the ingredients at this time. The vegetables soon will release moisture and increase the cooking liquid to eventually submerge the ingredients. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. Skim off any scum and foam on the surface. Add the mushrooms and simmer on gentle heat, covered, for 10 minutes.

While the stew is simmering for 10 minutes, make the homemade white sauce. In a small saucepan, heat the butter and let it melt completely on medium-low heat. During this time, heat up the milk in the microwave or on the stovetop until it's warm to the touch. Turn down the heat to medium-low and sprinkle the flour onto the melted butter. Use a blunt-end spatula or whisk to stir it constantly and vigorously, without stopping.

The butter-flour mixture will swell and bubble. Continue to cook for the next 5 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot constantly. It's important to cook the flour gently during this step to get rid of its raw taste, but don't let it toast or turn dark. You want the pale color of a white roux. If it starts to brown, turn off the heat temporarily or reduce the heat to low while you finish cooking it. Once it's done cooking, set the heat to medium-low.

Next, slowly and gradually add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the warm milk to the saucepan. Use your spatula or whisk to quickly and vigorously blend the milk into the butter-flour mixture. You will notice the mixture absorb all the moisture and clump up. Continue to add more milk, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, stirring quickly after each addition to combine it well with the flour mixture and smooth out any clumps. Don’t hurry, and NEVER add too much liquid at once or you might create lumps. Once you get lumps, they are hard to fix. The goal is to blend the mixture COMPLETELY each time before you add more liquid. Make sure there are no lumps of flour left when you're done adding all the milk. Once you incorporate all the milk, add the salt, white pepper, and nutmeg and mix it all together. Turn off the heat and set it aside.

After 10 minutes of simmering, open the lid to the stew pot. Check for doneness by inserting a skewer into a potato. It should be tender, but don't overcook it. It should not break easily. Next, combine the white sauce and cooking broth. Scoop a ladleful of hot cooking broth and gradually add it into the pot of white sauce as you stir to blend it completely. Add another ladleful of broth and combine well. Now, pour the diluted white sauce back into the stew pot. Gently mix to blend it completely with the rest of the cooking liquid.

Once you've added the homemade white sauce, add the heavy cream and season with the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste. Simmer, uncovered, for another 5 to 10 minutes on low heat. Right before serving, add the blanched broccoli to the stew to reheat. Simmer on low heat and do not boil. Once everything is nice and warm, serve the stew in individual bowls. Enjoy it with steamed rice in the bowl or crusty bread on the side.

Makes 6 servings

Martha Stewart: Sour Cherry Cobbler

There's something about Spring, and President's Day, and George Washington that gets me thinking about cherries.  And even though I don't expect the real sweet cherries to be trucked down from Washington state until sometime later this summer, I can definitely do something with the frozen tart cherries I found.  Originally I was thinking a pie, but then I got lazy, so I made a cobbler instead, and it was fantastic.

Sour Cherry Cobbler
Adapted from Martha Stewart

2 (10-ounce) bags frozen pitted sour cherries, mostly defrosted (do not drain liquid)

1 cup granulated sugar, divided use
¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Zest of half a lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided use
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, divided use

1 teaspoon almond extract, divided use
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons half-and-half
Heavy cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, toss together cherries, ⅓ cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, lemon juice, lemon zest, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon almond extract, and ¼ teaspoon salt.

Whisk together remaining ¾ cup flour, ⅔ cup sugar, and remaining ¾ teaspoon salt, and baking powder. Whisk in melted butter, remaining ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, remaining ½ teaspoon almond extract, and half-and-half until just combined.

Scrape fruit mixture into baking dish, then dollop batter over top. Bake until cobbler is golden brown and set, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving with cream or ice cream.

RecipeTin Eats: Monkfish with Herb Browned Butter "Poor Man's Lobster"

My grocery store recently had a special on monkfish, and having never actually eaten this fish, I was intrigued.  It's not a pretty fish by any means, and that's apparently how it got it's name - it was the only fish left at the end of the day after all the shoppers had passed it over, so this is what the monks were given to eat.  Well, the joke was on all those superficial shoppers - this fish is delicious.  I can definitely see how monkfish gets labeled as a lobster substitute, as the texture is definitely similar.  Absolutely fry some up in butter, it's easy and delicious.

Monkfish with Herb Browned Butter "Poor Man's Lobster"
From RecipeTin Eats blog

10 ounces monkfish fillets, skinless and boneless
1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 sprigs thyme
½ teaspoon parsley, finely chopped
½ teaspoon chives, finely chopped
½ teaspoon chervil, finely chopped

Cut each monkfish fillet into 3 or 4 even size pieces. Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in non-stick pan over medium heat (medium-high for weak stoves). Place thickest pieces of fish in the pan first. Leave for 1 minute then add the thinner pieces. Cook for a further 2 minutes, then flip fish.

Add butter to pan. After it starts melting, add garlic and thyme. When the butter starts foaming, tilt the pan and start spooning the butter over the fish. Do this for 2 minutes or until the internal temperature is 130°F, or the flesh flakes easily. Butter will begin to smell nutty and brown. Transfer fish onto the rack and rest for 3 minutes.

Add herbs to butter remaining in pan. Serve this herb brown butter with the monkfish.

Makes 2 servings