Sole Meuniere

My husband and I had the loveliest honeymoon in Paris last August. One of the things I was dying to eat while I was there was sole meuniere. I did, and it was delicious - totally lived up to my expectations.

The other day I was feeling particularly nostalgic for Paris, so I decided what better way to transport myself there than through this amazing dish? I ventured over to the butcher shop where I've been buying fish these days - no sole. Rats. I decided to go with halibut in lieu of the sole, but you could substitute just about any mild white fish fillet and it would still be delicious.

I used Ina Garten's recipe from Back to Basics - I cut it in half even though she says it serves 2 people. It was plenty of food for the two of us. Serve with some good bread to mop up all that delicious buttery sauce.



Sole Meuniere

Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 sole fillets (or any mild white fish, such as halibut)
3 TBSP unsalted butter
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
3 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 TBSP minced fresh parsley

Directions:
Combine the flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper in a large shallow plate. Pat the sole fillets dry with paper towels and sprinkle one side of each fillet with salt.

Heat the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat until it starts to brown. Dredge the sole fillets in the seasoned flour on both sides, shake off the excess, and place in the hot butter in the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes. Turn carefully with a metal spatula and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. While the second side cooks, add the lemon zest and lemon juice to the pan. Carefully remove from the pan to a plate and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately!

We're Back! (and Grilled Swordfish with Tomato-Braised Cauliflower)

Aaaaand we're back after a month-long hiatus! For most of the last month, my life has looked a little something like this:

The hubs and I moved across a state-line, into the 'burbs. And while I miss my old, walkable neighborhood dearly (Seriously, why are the suburbs so anti-walking? We tried to walk to a nearby strip mall the other day and were nearly killed by oncoming traffic), I get to live in this big beautiful house with a big beautiful kitchen and laundry room.

The interior is still a work in progress (wallpaper is dead to me), but it's mostly cosmetic issues, and the kitchen is an absolute delight. I adore my dishwasher and garbage disposal and miles of counter space. And my new stainless-steel, french-door, bottom freezer refrigerator makes me smile every time I walk into the kitchen. It's refreshing to have an appliance that doesn't have 20+ years of someone else's dirt and grime in it.

So, I unearthed my cookbooks and have been cooking up a storm these past couple of weeks. Fresh Michigan asparagus has been abundant in the local groceries (which leave something to be desired, but more on that later), so we've been eating loads of it. If you're looking for a kick-ass recipe with asparagus, look no further than this gem from Smitten Kitchen. We had it for brunch last Sunday and it was amazing.

You know how when you move, you find things you forgot you had and make resolutions to actually use them? Well, I have made a resolution to cook from more of my cookbooks and not just my usual standbys (ahem, ATK and Smitten Kitchen). When we were in Greece, I bought this lovely book called "How to Roast a Lamb" by Michael Psilakis. Some of the recipes are quite advanced, but this Grilled Swordfish with Tomato-Braised Cauliflower is so simple and full of delicious flavors. If you're near a body of water or in a big city, you can probably get amazing swordfish, and if you're in the sticks like me (and you google "Fish Markets" in your zip code and come up with Long John Silvers) you may have to go with a flash frozen variety, which was actually quite delicious. This cauliflower is so good, I ate it the next day for lunch, just by itself. Don't be alarmed by the cinnamon in a savory dish - just trust me, it is fabulous.

Grilled Swordfish with Tomato-Braised Cauliflower
from "How to Roast a Lamb" by Michael Psilakis

Ingredients
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
Large pinch ground cinnamon
1/2 large Spanish or sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 fresh bay leaf or 2 dried
2 cinnamon sticks
1 TBSP tomato paste
2 TBSPs red wine vinegar
1 and a half cups of water
2 whole sprigs thyme
2 tsps Dijon mustard
4 swordfish steaks, about 5 oz each

Directions:
In a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat, warm the oil until it is very hot. Add the cauliflower florets. Season with kosher salt and pepper, and dust with the cinnamon. Shake the pan for 2 to 3 minutes, until nicely golden. Add the onion, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar. (This means pour it in and stir, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom). Add the water, thyme sprigs, and mustard. Partially cover the pan and braise over low heat until the cauliflower is tender. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks.

Preheat a charcoal or gas grill (or cast-iron grill pan or skillet) until very hot. Season both sides of the swordfish steaks with salt and pepper and grill for 1 and a half to 2 minutes on each side (Psilakis says that swordfish should be cooked to the same temp as you would enjoy a tuna steak, so somewhat raw on the inside - you can cook it slightly longer if you prefer it more done on the inside). Rest steaks for a few minutes before serving.

This all comes together VERY quickly, which makes it perfect for a weeknight dinner, but it's also fancy enough for company. And you probably already have most of the ingredients for it in your pantry and fridge. I'd serve it with some crusty bread and maybe a Greek salad. Enjoy!

Shrimp Tourkolimano

Hooray, I did it! I made a quick week-night meal in approx. 30 minutes! I made this once before but had kind of forgotten about it until I was scouring my cookbooks for something fast and easy.

We received this lovely book Greektown Chicago: Its History and Its Recipes as a gift from my husband's brother and sister-in-law a couple of years ago. I swear by the Pastitsio recipe in it (but more on that later). Its a really fun book, loaded with old pics of Chicago's Greektown and recipes from the Greektown restaurants as well as from local Chicago Greek-Americans. I look forward to sharing this book with my children someday.

So this recipe, called Shrimp Tourkolimano (which according to the book means "Turkish harbor, named for the place where the Greeks arrived upon their exodus from that region, at the port of Piraeus) is full of traditional Greek flavors - olive oil, tomato, feta. My husband and I tasted something sort of like this while we were in Greece last time.

Shrimp Tourkolimano
from Greektown Chicago, serves 4

Ingredients
1 lb shrimp
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Spanish onions, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (I used diced from the can since it's the dead of winter and the tomatoes suck right now!)
1/4 cup tomato puree (I had used about a 1/2 can of tomato paste I had leftover mixed with a a little water)
6 oz crumbled Feta cheese
1 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to broil. Meanwhile, saute the garlic, green and Spanish onions in olive oil until lightly brown (about 10 minutes). Add the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Add the water, salt and pepper, and boil for 10 minutes.

Add the shrimp to the pan with the tomato mixture and boil for 3 to 4 minutes (do not fully cook as they will finish cooking in the oven and you don't want them to overcook). Transfer to a small, shallow baking pan and top with the crumbled Feta. Broil for about 10 minutes, or until the Feta begins to melt and brown.





I served this with some plain Greek white rice and a green salad. It is also wonderful with crusty bread to scoop up all the yummy sauce. (However, I had a fallible moment yesterday and a complete bread making FAIL - more on that later, I'm attempting a second try either today or tomorrow).

You, too, can enjoy the flavors of Greece in your kitchen tonight!