White Roasted Fish w/ Lemony Asparagus

TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2010

3.5 stars (out of 5 - with the possibility of 4.5 stars with said improvements!)

I decided to try out a Jamie Oliver recipe; my friends have made some of his things, and they've always been delicious. I also felt like being really adventurous, and cooking with fish (which I detest). I didn't really like cooking with fish, but in the end I did it (and it turned out well!) so I was proud of myself. His recipe was also a complete meal (fish and asparagus), which I liked (although I also added a side of green beans). Here is the link to the original recipe http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/delicious-roasted-white-fish-wrapped-in

Ingredients:

Fish:

200g white fish fillets*, cut 2.5cm thick, skinned/boned (how ever many you need to cook - I only used one -but they should all be around 200g)
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Zest and juice of 2 lemons (juice is for asparagus)
Ground black pepper
2-3 slices bacon per fish fillet (or pancetta)
Olive oil

Asparagus & Sauce:

4 tablespoons mayonnaise
Large bunch of asparagus

{*Note. You want a "robust" white fish - either Haddock or Monkfish as they can handle to taste of the bacon. I used Haddock; however, since our groceries were delivered this week, I would have taken a bit thicker of a piece than is pictured}.

1. {Preheat oven to 400F) First, I combined the zest and the chopped rosemary in a small bowl.

2. Next, I needed thin slices of bacon, so I covered my bacon slices in wax paper and used a rolling pin to flatten them out. It was kinda gross/kinda satisfying in some weird way.

3. Next, I seasoned the fish fillet with pepper and the lemon/rosemary mixture...

4. ...and placed it on top of the bacon slices (I cut them all in half first). The bacon slices were slightly overlapping.

5. I then closed up the bacon slices over the fish. I consulted SB and he wanted a lot of bacon; however, if you look at the original recipe, you will see that the bacon is only wrapped around the middle section of the fish. I guess it can be up to you.

6. Here is where I made a mistake (actually 2), so please take note!

Mistake #1: You want to lightly heat an oven-proof frying pan, which I didn't think that I had. So, I thought: I'll fry it in this pan, and transfer it to an oven-proof (heated) dish to cook it. I recently found out that my pots are oven-proof, which would have worked better. Next time :)

In the end, I heated my frying pan, and cooked the fish for about 1 minute. You should have it over medium-low heat, and cook just the underside of the fish/bacon for 1-2 minutes.

Here is where I made Mistake #2: You need to place the fish bad-side down (i.e., where the bacon is fused, you want that to be on the bottom.. You'll see why in a few pics!).

7. I transferred it to the heated dish (don't do this! It's much better to cook the fish in the same pan as you fried it)

8. ... and placed it in the oven for 10-12 minutes (do not overcook!). You can see the bacon problem from this picture. While the fish was in the oven, I prepared the asparagus by steaming for about 5 minutes and mixing the lemon juice with some mayonnaise and pepper. I just added mayonnaise until I got the flavour I wanted.

9. I then served it with lightly steamed asparagus with lemony dressing.

10. I also added a side of home-made green beans (blog entry to follow).

Overall, SB really enjoyed this meal. However, I could really make some improvements to my technique by making sure the bacon was bad-side down and cooking it in the same pan. I would even recommend cooking it on the stove for 2 minutes because in the end the bacon needed to be a bit more cooked. I will definitely try this one again and post any updates!

Steak with Tomato Relish, Asparagus Toss, and Potato Wedges

SEPTEMBER 3RD,2009

Please note that I had to use my old camera, so the pictures were very blurry. For the next few recipes, I will try to post as many pics as I can, but the quality might not be so great.

Steak with Sweet Tomato Relish

4 stars (out of 5 - a great addition to the meat!)

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped ripe tomato
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
1 lean boneless beef sirloin steak
Salt and pepper

1. First I combined the first 4 ingredients in a saucepan and added some pepper. I brought it to a boil and reduced the heat so that it could simmer for about 8 minutes.

2. As this was cooking, I cooked the steak and the meatless beef. Once it was done, I placed the meat on a plate and covered with the relish. Easy!

SB's steak:


My "beef":


Asparagus & Onion Salad

2.5 stars (out of 5 - overpowering vinegar flavour)

Ingredients:

1 bunch of fresh asparagus
1/2- 3/4 cup of sliced green onion (depending on preference)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar*
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basis
Salt and pepper

{Note. I found that vinegar taste overpowered everything, so in the future I would add much less at first and then take it from there. If it needs more kick, add some more, if not leave as it is}.

1. I actually made this first and refrigerated it so that I didn't have to worry about it at all later on. I like dishes like that! First I trimmed the asparagus and cut them in thirds. I then very briefly boiled it until it was tender-crisp (I think it was about 4 minutes).

2. After they were cooked, I rinsed them under cold water to both cool them and stop them from cooking further.

3. I then added all the ingredients and the asparagus to a bowl and stirred. I let it chill in the fridge for a few hours.

Garlic potato wedges

4 stars (out of 5 - pretty tasty, but a bit of work and time)

Ingredients:

2 medium potatoes (russet)
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika

1. I first washed to potatoes and then cut each into 8 wedges.

2. I then combined all of the other ingredients into a zip-lock bag and added 1/2 the potato wedges and shook it until they were coated. I repeated this with the second half.

3. I then laid them out on a cookie sheet and sprinkled with any additional ingredients I wanted to amplify (in this case, garlic and salt!).

4. I baked them at 375F for 25 minutes (although it turned out to be longer with my oven). I turned them once and then took them out when they were slightly crispy. Delicious!

The final product... SB's steak:



And my "beef" version:

Overall, this was a fairly simple meal to prepare, as you can stagger the times for everything. I am not so great at multi-talking in the kitchen, so this was perfect for me. The only criticism I had for this meal was the asparagus, as the vinegar taste was overpowering. That could just be my taste though! I'll definitely make the potatoes and steak again!

Delicious Asparagus Crepes w/ Cheese Sauce (Brunch)

SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2009

5 stars (out of 5 - Delicious Brunch!)

Today we waited until quite late to eat brunch, so we went for something substantial: asparagus crepes. This is my favourite brunch meal to indulge in. They are a bit of work, but SB and I work as a team (I do most of the prep/clean-up; he does the frying/stirring), which makes it easy.

The following is for eight crepes (we only made four and just halved all the recipes).

Here is what you need:

Approximately 32 stalks of asparagus (approx. 4 per crepe)

Crepes: (we just find recipes off of the Internet, but you can always use diluted pancake mix. Just make sure that they are THIN: they will puff up in the oven as well, and then I find it can be too "dough-y")

1 cup flour
2 eggs
350 mL milk
1 pinch salt
Oil to cook

Cheese Sauce: (note: we divide this recipe in half (except the cheese!) in order to make 4 crepes)

4 tbsp butter or margarine
4 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (maybe more!)

1. First, we broke the ends off of the asparagus, broke them in half, and stuck them in the steamer. We cooked these until they were tender crisp.

2. After they were cooked, I rinsed the asparagus under cold water, and divided and laid them on the (clean) counter (they need to be dry, and it makes it easier for later).


3. As the asparagus was steaming, we mixed up all the ingredients for the crepe batter, and heated a pan over medium heat to cook them.

4. We then spread the crepe batter VERY thin in the pan to cook: you DO NOT want it thick, as it will puff up further in the oven.


5. As the crepes were cooking, we started the cheese sauce. First, we melted the butter and flour together, stirring constantly.


6. When it thickened, we added the seasonings, and then slowly added the milk, and stirred until it was smooth. We then added the cheese, and stirred again until smooth.


7. As the cheese sauce was being prepared, I took the cooked crepes and spread the asparagus on them (in the centre). I like to cut off any excess crepe, so it's not too "dough-y". I then placed them into a greased pan.

8. Once the crepes and cheese sauce were all prepared, we poured the cheese sauce over the crepes and placed them in the oven for 20 minutes at 350F (enough time to clean the kitchen!)

Delicious!

(the picture didn't look so delicious, so I didn't post it!)

Classic Beef Dinner with Couscous & Asparagus Sides (Vegetarian Version Included)

MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2009

4.5 stars (out of 5 - recommended for a quick, easy meal)

Today decided on a classic, simple dish: tournedos with asparagus and couscous sides, and a salad to boot! It has become a staple in our home (for those days when I don't feel creative or motivated enough to cook something "special").

1. We simply heated the pan, added some oil, and cooked the beef (either rare or well-done - SB likes rare). As I am heated up the pan, I started steaming the asparagus (approx. 6-7 minutes), and laid out the salad (adding cherry tomatoes and olives to each of our taste). I like to steam my asparagus until tender-crisp, then just add a bit of salt & pepper (or butter on bad days). I also added a tiny side of a couscous dish I had made on the weekend. For this dish:

1/2 box uncooked couscous
Sundried tomatoes
Sliced olives w/ oil

Lemon juice
Cherry tomatoes

Green onions
1/4 pack feta cheese


I cooked the couscous until ready, and cooled it slightly in the fridge. As it was cooking, I mixed up some sundried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and green onions, all diced, and the crumbled feta cheese (can leave it a bit chunky). All the amounts depend on your taste... I just sorta added as I went. The real trick was to buy really good sliced olives (kalamata) from our grocer (none of the canned stuff!), which were packed with flavour. Then, instead of mixing olive oil and lemon juice, I used the oil from the olives for extra punch.


After the couscous cooled, I added it to my mixture. I have to admit it turned out well! You can leave this in your fridge for days and snack on it, or use it as a nice side dish.


Here was SB's dinner:

2. For my vegetarian dish, I had the same sides, but I substituted the beef with some "chick'n" breasts. I buy the frozen variety from President's Choice ("World's Best Meatless Chicken Breasts"), and find they work well. I defrosted the chicken breast, coated it with bread crumbs, and stuck it in the oven at 400F for 20 minutes. I love the variety of the dishes, and the protein I get from my chick'n!