A Green Staple

Posted on March 4, 2016 by melsmosaic

I love seafood, I love cilantro, I love avocados, I love olives. What does one do when they all come together? Melt, find their happy place, eat way too much and then just share — oh not the food, just the recipe.
I found this Ceviche Verde Recipe in Bon Appetit several years ago and just can’t get enough of it. It’s almost a Green Staple to me. So many things in it that I just love. When halibut is sort of affordable (Costco, I love you) it’s amazing, but using another, affordable fish is just as good. It might not look super eye appealing but it is appealing to the taste buds!

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh Pacific halibut or other firm-fleshed fish
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
3/4 cup green olives, sliced
1/2 cup tomatillos, diced
1/4 cup onion, very finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, and minced (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Tostadas or tortilla chips

Directions:

Chop fish into 1/2″ cubes; place in medium bowl. Add kosher salt; toss to coat. Add lime juice; toss to coat. Marinate until the edges of the cubes begin to turn opaque, tossing occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Dice avocados; add to bowl along with green olives, tomatillos, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño Add olive oil and season to taste with salt.

Serve over tostadas or with tortilla chips for dipping.

Saffron Fish Stew

Posted on January 23, 2016 by melsmosaic

Even before this crazy snow started falling (so last week), I was searching for soup. It was actually while needing to sit on the couch for several hours watching football. So a recipe I came across to check out was Bon Appetit/Epicurious’s Saffron Fish Stew with White Beans. I love getting something with that sharp color of saffron (and you can find it for a great price at Trader Joe’s). When I came across this recipe it has so many of my favorite herbs. Anything with seafood is wonderful!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup pre-chopped onion
1 teaspoon ground fennel (love it!)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (heaven)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 thyme sprig
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh orange rind
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups clam juice
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pound flounder fillet, cut into (2-inch) pieces (for this I just threw in a bunch of stuff from my freezer — some white fish, scallops, langoustine tails. I also had a bag of mixed stuff from TJ’s that I’ll use next time)
1 (14-ounce) can great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
Fresh thyme leaves

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, fennel, coriander, garlic, and thyme sprig; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in rind and saffron; add water, clam juice, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in salt, fish, and beans; cook 5 minutes. Top with thyme leaves.

This was so quick to make! Served it with some rosemary bread (can’t take credit for making that). Delicious.

Roasted Citrus and Avocado Salad

Posted on May 7, 2015 by melsmosaic

Keep finding recipes I have to try. This one was from the January issue of Bon Appetit but was far too perfect for May — Roasted Citrus and Avocado Salad. Some sweet, some sour, some heavenly avocado…

Ingredients

1 blood or Valencia orange, sliced 1/8″ thick, seeds removed (I can never find either of these…went with Navel)
1 Meyer or regular lemon, sliced 1/8″ thick, seeds removed
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh Meyer or regular lemon juice (I went with bottled)
1 bunch watercress or arugula, thick stems trimmed (love arugula!!!!)
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1 avocado, cut into wedges

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°. Toss orange and lemon slices with 1 tablespoon oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper.

Roast citrus, tossing occasionally, until lightly charred in spots and starting to caramelize, 10-15 minutes. This makes the citrus flavor more complex. Let cool.

Meanwhile, combine onion and lemon juice in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper and let sit 5 minutes (onion will soften a bit and get slightly sweeter and less harsh).

Add roasted citrus to bowl with onion along with arugula and mint. Drizzle remaining 3 tablespoons oil over; season with salt and pepper and toss everything to combine and coat.
Add avocado and very gently toss until lightly dressed (you don’t want to crush the avocado). I cut my avocado into a bit more of cubes vs. slices…

This was delicious! I didn’t even add that much olive oil at the end because it was so moist. I served it with some seared sea bass and a nice Sauvignon Blanc. It’s definitely at the top of my list.

Crunchy Turnip, Apple, and Brussels Sprout Slaw

Posted on March 16, 2015 by melsmosaic

I attempt to try food I ‘don’t like’ at least once a year. But the other day I came across a recipe with something I just sort of dismiss because you don’t have the easy attempt or common offer to eat it, it’s not many people’s favorite and it’s not staring at you in the grocery store — turnip(s). So, when I was having a couple friends over for dinner the other night and preparing a veggie meal, this was a great time for me to give these guys a try.

The recipe I opted for is from Bon Appetit’s January issue — Crunchy Turnip, Apple, and Brussels Sprout Slaw. Well, since this is from the January issue, the main ingredient is not in (high) season right now. Luckily Whole Foods had it (this was after a couple other stops when I was debating changing my menu).

Ingredients

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon finely grated peeled ginger
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 small white turnips, peeled, cut into matchsticks — apparently one the size of a softball, which is ‘normal’, is equivalent to 2 small
1 medium sweet-tart apple (such as Pink Lady), cut into matchsticks — I couldn’t find one, so did the happy medium — some Granny Smith, some other Red one
4 oz. brussels sprouts, leaves separated
1 teaspoon poppy seeds, plus more — gotta love Whole Foods bulk section!

Whisk lemon juice, oil, and ginger in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper.

For the turnips and apple, I went to town with the V-slicer, with the attachment to make those beautiful matchsticks. Oh I love the kitchen!

Add turnips, apple, brussels sprouts, and 1 tsp. poppy seeds and toss to coat. Serve slaw topped with more poppy seeds.

Quite the salad. There was such a nice crunch to all of it, and the dressing was delicious. I love that since the key ingredients were in matchsticks they weren’t overwhelming. I ate turnips again!!! Had I not known there was turnip in there, wouldn’t have been able to tell you. Could almost have been jicama. One thing I’m surprised about is that this is published in the January issue since it’s a no-cook, cold salad. The only thing I could think is on the turnip being more of a winter root veggie. Thoughts? I will definitely save this for summer.

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

Posted on March 12, 2014 by melsmosaic

I have a cookie recipe in my recipe binders that I’ve relied upon for years. I never really get to enjoy the goods because of the butter in them but when people try them I hear rave, amazing, sometimes censor-needing (in a good way) reviews. It’s Epicurious’ Chocolate Toffee Cookies recipe. An amazing combo of chocolate, Heath bar…and dark rum.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon dark rum — I always throw a bit more in there
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups crushed chocolate-covered English toffee (such as Heath bar; about 7 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy.

Add egg, rum and vanilla and beat until well blended.

Sift (or in my case I just add/drop in) flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into small bowl. (and then mix in with the power of KitchenAid) Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture.

Mix in toffee and chopped almonds. (Ditto on the last KitchenAid statement — that’s what it’s there for!)

Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto heavy large ungreased baking sheet (I still use Silpat mats), spacing 2 inches apart.

Bake until cookies puff slightly and crack on top but are still soft to touch, about 11 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheet 1 minute. Transfer cookies to rack and cool completely (cookies will become crisp). And then heavenly bliss arrives.

Repeat shaping and baking with remaining batter. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

Give Me a Fiver

Posted on January 9, 2014 by melsmosaic

Who’s not always looking for a bargain, and a good tasting one at that? Just saw this great article/blog on epicurious.com about value wines under $5. Will definitely add these to my notes. Never hurts to have them around.

Trader Joe’s Charles Shaw (aka Two Buck Chuck)
Trader Joe’s Coastal
Whole Foods Three Wishes
Walmart Oak Leaf
ALDI’S Winking Owl

Source: epicurious.com