Sunday, November 26, 2017

Baked Halibut With Jumbo Lump Crab And Gremolata


I was so full of turkey after Thanksgiving, I wanted something light for dinner, so off to the fish market I went. I was looking in the case and I spotted halibut, I never had it before so I asked if it was mild because my husband isn't crazy about fish and he said yes, so I went for it. Contemplating all day I came up with this, it took all of 5 minutes to put together and is absolutely delicious!! I simply placed the whole loin on top of pats of butter, then I seasoned it with salt and pepper, added more pats of butter and on top of that I topped the whole loin with 1/2 pound of jumbo lump crab meat. Next I made a simple gremolata by mixing about 2 cups of panko, 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley, the zest of 1 large lemon, salt and pepper and enough olive oil to make it moist enough to hold together 1/2-3/4 of a cup. I pressed that firmly on top of the fish, added some white wine into the bottom of the baking dish and baked it at 425 for about 30 minutes.
I served it on top of a bed of baby arugula simply dressed with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. What a simple and easy dish that will impress!!

*I think this would be good with just about any fish
**perfect for a dinner party without being stuck in the kitchen served with a side of rice

Sunday, January 8, 2017

Bacon Meatballs Over Rigatoni







Today we had a little snow storm and I didn't feel like going out to the grocery store. I looked in my fridge and pantry and this is what I came up with from what I had on hand and it turned out amazing! 
For the meatballs:
5-6 slices of bacon
1/2 of a large shallot
1 large clove of garlic
1-2 tablespoons of parsley
I put all this in a chopper until finely diced then mixed it with:
1 1/2 pound of ground beef
1 large egg
1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs
1 cup diced italian bread moistened and squeezed dry
1/2 cup of grated cheese (I use a 50/50 blend of romano and parmesan)
salt and pepper to taste

I fried them up in a large skillet, removed them when golden and poured off all the the oil except 2 tablespoons. Next I added 4-5 cloves of fresh garlic, I just smash them a bit and add them whole so they can be removed if someone doesn't want to eat it. I deglazed the pan with 1/2 cup of red wine, cooked it down a bit and then added 2 cans of whole peeled tomatoes in juice that I pureed in the blender. I added some salt, pepper and fresh basil to the tomatoes, brought it to a boil, added the meatballs back to the pot and simmered it for an hour. I served it over rigatoni but I think it would be delicious over cheesy polenta too!! 





 This would work perfectly for company with a nice antipasto or salad and a nice crusty loaf of bread or garlic bread. A nice bottle of wine make the perfect meal!! I hope you try this, enjoy!