Pan Seared Black Cod with Salsa Verde and Roasted Fennel and Cherry Tomatoes

Okay I'm really proud of this one. It's a total original. Many times I buy something and then find some inspiration on what to make with it. This was one of those times. I always buy these awesome frozen fish fillets from Sobeys that have a bar code on the package that you can scan with your phone and it shows you exactly how your fish gets from the ocean to your plate. Very cool and totally sustainable. That's the only way to go! So much of our oceans are being either over fished or fished in a non-environmentally friendly way. That's why I love these! You should definitely try them.

If you like liquorice you will probably like fennel. The funny thing is I absolutely despise black liquorice but I really like fennel. It has a subtle anise flavour that is so interesting. I always saw them in the grocery store and thought they looked neat but wondered what to do with them. Fennel is in season now and when roasted it develops a  wonderful, sweet, caramelized flavour. The tomatoes and lemon balance out the fattiness of the fish, and the Salsa Verde is the punch in the face of flavour that totally brings it all together.

What you need
2 Black cod fillets, Thawed in the fridge overnight if frozen (preferably the Compliments Sensations ones from Sobeys). You can also try wild salmon or trout. Sustainable fish are best!
1 large fennel bulb
A big handful of grape tomatoes, sliced in half or left whole if using cherry tomatoes 
Half a medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp of dried basil
Olive oil
a big pinch of salt and pepper

PREHEAT oven to 400 degrees
Trim the fronds off the fennel (save them) and cut fennel in half. Remove the root and cut in half again lengthwise. Cut each piece into 1/2" slices. Watch this video to see how
COMBINE fennel, tomatoes, onion and basil and salt and pepper in a 8x8 inch baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in oven for about 30 minutes.
WHILE the veggies are roasting prepare Salsa Verde.

Salsa Verde
Half a bunch Italian flat leaf parsley (a large handful)
3 green onions
1-2 cloves of garlic (depending how much you like garlic)
4 mini gherkins (optional)
a small pinch of hot red pepper flakes
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp of red wine vinegar
Juice of half a lemon
A big pinch of salt and pepper
1/3 cup or so of olive oil

FINELY mince garlic, parsley and green onion and gherkins on a cutting board. Transfer to bowl and add remaining ingredients. Stir and set aside
WHEN you have about 10 minutes left on the veggies, preheat a medium frying pan on medium heat, Add a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil and a pat of butter. Dry fish with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. When oil and butter is hot add fish skin side down (if it has skin) and cook for 4 minutes. Flip and cook another 4 minutes or until fish barely flakes and is nice and golden brown.
WHEN the veggies are done remove them from the oven and squeeze a little lemon juice over them (not too much!) and toss.
SERVE fish on top of veggies and top with the Salsa Verde. Garnish with fennel fronds

Cupcakes for two!

Just a FYI......Don't try to ice cupcakes when it's 30 degrees in your house! Haha! Well I wouldn't have but it was my wonderful friend Brieann's birthday so i decided to make her a cupcake. You may be asking why I didn't just make a whole dozen?? I'll tell you why! Because I probably would of eaten 11 of them instead of just one. And it was 30 degrees in my house so this one bowl method was way faster and easier. Sometimes you just need to have a cupcake. Just one, or two, but not twelve, ok?

What you need
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon milk
1 egg white (2 Tbsp liquid egg whites if you have them)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons sugar
4 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Sprinkles

PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with two liners (in the middle for even baking).
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, egg white, vanilla, and sugar until thoroughly combined.
Add in the flour and baking powder and whisk gently until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Add in the sprinkles and using a rubber spatula, gently fold them in. Don’t over stir. Seriously! 3 or 4 times is all you get before the sprinkles start to melt into the batter.
POUR batter into your prepared cupcake pan. Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let them cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.


Vanilla Butter cream frosting
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:

IN a small bowl, whisk the butter, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until mixed and fluffyish. Add food colouring if you like. Frost your cooled cupcakes and top with more sprinkles of course!

Portuguese Night

This recipe for Portuguese Grilled chicken was inspired by a very delicious bottled sauce that came in to the Home Hardware the other day. I had heard of Peri Peri (or Piri Piri) sauce before but I never had the opportunity to try it. It's made with a base of African Birdseye chilies, lemon, olive oil and garlic. I've never seen that particular type of chili here in Invermere so I thought this would be a good way to try this Portuguese dish using a nice free run chicken I picked up at Hopkins Harvest last week. I was a little worried the chicken would be too spicy for me but the grilling seemed to tone it down enough that you really could taste all the different flavours in the sauce. I used it as a marinade along with some other ingredients and besides having a hard time getting the grill temperature right. It turned out great! My husband said he didn't mind a little charcoal! Grilling chicken is always a challenge for me. I try not to make it black on the outside and raw on the inside. I wont tell you about the Tandoori chicken I tried to make once........

Anyway I figured i might as well go with a Portuguese theme for the rest of my meal. I made a tomato and shrimp rice pilaf (using chicken stock I made from the other parts of the chicken) and bought a bottle of Portuguese wine from the B.C. Liquor Store called Vinho Verde. It is a very light (almost clear), delicate wine with slight frizziness and a lower alcohol content. This makes it a good match for spicy foods. Totally refreshing, low in alcohol (9%) and a great bargain. (I think it was less then $10.00) Serve very cold!

The active ingredient in most spice, capsaicin, activates pain receptors in the mouth, causing the ‘spicy’ reaction. Alcohol intensifies the burning feeling, but sugar can also reduce the burn – and that’s why this pairing worked so well





Marinade for Portuguese Grilled Chicken
1 free run or organic chicken, cut into quarters or 2 lbs of chicken pieces
1/3 cup dry white wine
Grated zest and juice from one lemon
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp of tomato paste
1/4 cup of Peri Peri Sauce (or your favorite hot sauce will work too)
1/4 tsp of salt
A few grinds of fresh cracked black pepper

ADD everything to a large resealable freezer bag and squish around to evenly mix. Squeeze as much air out of bag as possible and seal bag. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.
PREHEAT grill to medium heat. Oil grill with a clean cloth dipped in vegetable oil. Place chicken on grill skin side down and grill 10 minutes with the lid closed but check occasionally so you don't burn it. Turn and cook for another 20 or 30 minutes or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced. Let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.

Portuguese Tomato and Shrimp Pilaf
A couple glugs of olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp salt
Several grinds of fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp of hot red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained or 1 1/2 cups of fresh chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cups of long grain rice (such as basmati)
2 1/4 cups homemade chicken stock (recipe to follow)
2 Tbsp each of chopped fresh parsley and cilantro (I didn't have any at the time)
A large handful of thawed, UNCOOKED shrimp peeled and deviened*

HEAT olive oil on medium heat in a large saute pan. Add onion and cook about 4 minutes until soft. Add garlic, salt, red pepper flakes and bay leaf and cook another minute. Add tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil. Add rice, cilantro and parsley and stir well. When liquid returns to a boil stir again, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer without lifting the lid for about 20 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is tender. remove from heat, scatter shrimp on top and let sit 5 more minutes, covered. Fluff rice with fork and serve*.

*Use a small bowl to shape the rice for a nicer presentation.
*If you peeled your own shrimp. save the shells and add them with the stock and tomatoes. They give a wonderful shrimp flavour to the rice while it cooks. Discard with the bay leaves before serving.

Mushroom and Mozza Burger

I whipped these up for our camping trip this weekend and I think they turned out pretty awesome. My husband loved them so that's a good sign anyway! I found the recipe in the Home at Home magazine from Home Hardware. All the recipes are from another of my favorite chefs, Anna Olson. The cooked mushrooms are mixed right in with the meat so they stay really moist, and everybody knows that there's nothing worse then a dry hamburger. Try not to use extra lean beef and pork. The fat is where the flavour is! The mixture of beef and pork gives a better, more interesting flavour then just beef alone. Try to get the best quality meat you can. Grinding your own is ideal but who has time for that? If you can get organic that's even better, although in my experience that can be tough to find. The original recipe used a slice of brie cheese as a garnish. I really wanted to try that as I love brie so much but.......I couldn't justify buying a wheel just for a campfire burger! I think the mozzarella was a good alternative but one day I will try these with the brie! I used red onion, grilled sundried tomatoes, mache mix, lime mayo and mustard on a crusty bun for mine. It was delish! Definitely great camping food!

What you need
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup (1/2 pound) of sliced button or cremini mushrooms
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp of dried thyme or 1 tsp of fresh thyme, chopped
3/4 pound medium ground pork
3/4 pound medium ground beef
1 large egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
some cracked black pepper
6 slices of brie cheese or shredded mozzarella
buns and condiments of your choice

Directions
IN a food processor, pulse the onion and mushrooms until finely chopped. Heat a frying pan on medium heat and add the oil. Add the mushroom mixture and cook, stirring often until all the liquid has evaporated.
ADD the garlic and thyme and stir one minute more. season to taste and set aside to cool.
IN a large bowl combine the beef, pork, egg, bread crumbs, salt and pepper, stir in the cooled mushroom mixture.
Shape the meat into 6 patties and chill until ready to grill.
Preheat the grill to medium high. Grill the burgers for about 8 minutes per side, or until cooked all the way through. One minute before removing from the grill, place a slice of brie cheese or mozzarella on top of each burger to melt slightly
SERVE on buns with condiments of your choice

*To make a vegetarian version of this, try using  two cans of black beans, rinsed and drained then pureed, instead of the meat. It will be too soft to grill but will cook great in a frying pan.

Rustic Fruit Pie

Nothing is more satisfying then taking a bite out of a beautiful, juicy peach, or the burst of flavour from a ripe raspberry or strawberry fresh from the garden or market. As a rule, I don't think anyone should buy peaches unless they are actually in season, The flavour will just not be what it's supposed to.

 

This "pie", also known as a "galette" is so easy! All you need is some fresh fruit and a package of store bought puff pastry and "Poof!" you have beautiful rustic fruit pie that everyone will love. It's delicious cold too, so it's a great dessert for these hot summer evenings. Try experimenting with all kinds of different fruits. I love to use apple, cinnamon and caramel sauce in the fall. Or you can try custard, blueberries and lemon zest. The possibilities or endless!

Rustic Fruit pie

1/2 Package of frozen puff pastry thawed

1 ripe peach

a few strawberries, raspberries or other seasonal fruit

2 Tbsp or so of sugar

1/4 cup or so of peach or apricot jam or marmalade, warmed

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees

ROLL out dough on a lightly floured surface. It doesn't have to be perfectly round (rough edges are fine) and spread a very thin layer of jam or marmalade on top leaving a 1 inch border. 

SLICE peach into thin slices and arrange in a circle, overlapping them slightly, leaving a 1 inch border, Slice strawberries and arrange on top of peaches, arrange raspberries on top as well. 

STARTING directly in front of you, gently fold a small portion of the dough over the fruit. Do not cover the fruit completely, leaving the edges raggedy and rustic. Moving to your right fold the next bit of edge; then move again to the right and fold over another bit of edge. Continue until you reach the first fold again and tuck that end under. The fruit should be barely encased inside the dough.

BRUSH remaining warmed jam or marmalade all over filling and crust and then sprinkle filling and crust with sugar.

BAKE for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve right away for the best crispness or at room temperature.

Seasonal sides: Corn

Summer corn and vine-ripened tomatoes are already close to perfection, and they taste better when prepared simply. The corn is sauteed with green onions in butter, the tomatoes are lightly dressed with oil and cider vinegar, and then the two are tossed together so that their flavours and juices mix into something new.

 Summer Corn and Tomato Salad
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon cider vinegar 

1 1/4 lb tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces 

1 bunch green onions, finely chopped, keeping white parts and greens separate 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

 4 cups corn kernels (from about 8 ears)

  

WHISK together oil, vinegar, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Toss tomatoes with dressing.

WHILE tomatoes marinate, cook white parts of scallions in butter with 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 4 minutes. 

ADD corn and sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool. Stir together corn, tomatoes, and scallion greens.