Halibut with Tomatoes and Black Olives
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
Makes 2 Servings Prep Time: 10 Minutes
----------------------------------------------------
2 pounds halibut -- boned and skinned
1/4 cup olive oil
2 ripe tomatoes
8 (to 10) black olives-preferably Italian,
Greek, or Provencal for flavor
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
or 2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 cup white wine
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange fish in a baking dish and pour oil over fish.
Slice tomatoes into dish around fish; sprinkle olives and oregano over fish and
tomatoes. Place dish in preheated oven and bake 7-8 minutes.
Pour wine into dish; with a tablespoon, baste fish with pan juices and wine.
Season to taste. Bake 5-6 minutes; baste again and test fish with a fork (fish
will flake when done).
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
NOTES : Halibut baked with olive oil, tomato slices, oregano, black olives, and
white wine. Halibut is a favorite white fish to many because of its flavor and firm
texture.
This is good with spinach and simply boiled rice.
Spinach Crêpes
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
Makes 12 Servings Prep Time: 15 Minutes
----------------------------------------------------
1/2 cup spinach-leaves only -- no stems
1 egg
3 tablespoons melted sweet butter
1/2 cup white flour
3/4 cup milk
6 mushrooms
1/2 cup sour cream
1 thin slice ham -- boiled
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Make crêpe batter first, as it should sit a few minutes.
Wash spinach leaves and put into a blender. Add egg, butter, flour, and milk;
blend well for 1 minute; pour into a bowl.
Wash mushrooms carefully and purée in blender with sour cream, ham, and paprika.
Heat a small sauté pan or skillet over medium heat until a drop of water jumps
in pan (no need to butter pan). Put 1 tablespoon batter into hot pan and roll
pan to spread batter evenly. Reduce heat; crepe will cook in 1/2 minute; crêpes
should be thin and so don't need to be turned. Thin batter with 1-2 tablespoons
water as you make crêpes because batter will thicken as it stands; crêpes should
be very thin.
Place crêpes in an oven dish as you make them; spread filling over each one and
fold. Sprinkle grated cheese over crêpes; put dish in preheated oven 2-3
minutes.
NOTES : Thin spinach pancakes filled with puréed mixture of mushrooms, sour
cream, ham and paprika.
You can use a sauté pan or a skillet (a crêpe pan is shallow and made of carbon
steel with flaring sides to allow crêpes to slide out of pan; it has a diameter
of seven inches).
Tuscan Chicken
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
Makes 2 Servings
----------------------------------------------------
2 tablespoons butter
8 chicken thighs
1/4 cup brandy
1 tomato -- ripe
6 mushrooms -- unpeeled
1/2 cup dry white wine
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
4 fresh parsley sprigs-chopped -- no stems
Heat butter to foaming in a sauté pan or skillet over medium heat. Add thighs
and cook about 6 minutes, turn as they brown. Add brandy. Slice tomato into pan
(to catch all juice) and stir. Slice mushrooms into pan and cook over medium
heat 5 minutes. Pour wine into pan, raise heat, and cook 2 minutes to thicken
sauce. Season to taste; sprinkle chopped parsley over chicken and serve.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
NOTES : Chicken thighs, tomato and mushrooms, cooked in brandy and wine.
The following recipes will take more than 15 minutes to prepare.
Escargots Bourguignonne
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
----------------------------------------------------
2 pounds butter
8 clove fresh garlic -- chopped fine
48 snails -- with shells
2 tablespoons fresh parsley -- chopped
3 ounces chicken broth
1/4 cup Madeira
1/2 teaspoon salt
STEP ONE:
Place butter in sauté pan and cook until it begins to turn brown. Add chopped
garlic and sauté until light brown. Add snails and sauté for approximately 1
minute. Add parsley, chicken broth, Madeira, and salt. Cook until liquid is
reduced to about one-quarter.
STEP TWO:
Place a little of the sauce in each shell, then add a snail. Reserve the
remaining sauce. Place in a 425-degree oven long enough to get very hot. Pour
reserved sauce over snails and serve.
CHEF'S NOTE: Be sure to use a large shell for a large snail.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Serving Ideas : An unforgettable appetizer for eight.
Grilled Chicken Salad with Cilantro Pesto Mayonnaise
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
Makes 8 Servings
----------------------------------------------------
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 pound poblano peppers -- roasted and diced
1/3 pound red, yellow, and green bell peppers -- roast, peel, dice
2 stalks celery -- minced
1 Granny Smith apple -- minced
1 tablespoon lime juice
3/4 cup Cilantro Pesto -- See Recipe
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1 bunch fresh cilantro -- chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Grill the chicken, preferably over wood. Chill and dice. Mix in the remaining
ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.
See the recipe "Cilantro Pesto" in this cookbook for ingredients and directions
for preparing the Cilantro Pesto.
CHEF'S NOTE: All the peppers used should be roasted and diced. The bell pepper
mixture should consist of equal parts red, yellow, and green peppers, roasted,
peeled, and diced. Total amount of bell peppers should equal 1/3 cup.
Lobster Newburg
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
Make 4 Servings
----------------------------------------------------
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 pounds lobster meat -- cut in large chunks
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 cup light cream
1 cup Locke-Ober Cream Sauce -- See Recipe Below
1 dash salt -- to taste
1 dash Black Pepper -- to taste
Melt butter in a saucepan and add lobster meat. Sauté until meat is warmed
through. Add paprika and sherry. Continue to cook for two minutes. Add fresh
cream and cook until mixture is reduced by 1/4, add cream sauce and stir gently
until thoroughly blended. More or less cream sauce may be used, depending on the
thickness desired. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with toast points or rice
pilaf.
Serving Ideas : Serve with toast points or rice pilaf.
Locke-Ober Cream Sauce
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :1:00
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup whole milk
1 cup light cream
1 pinch salt
STEP ONE: The Roux--
In a double boiler, over lightly simmering water, melt butter, stir in flour,
blend, and let cook for 10 minutes.
STEP TWO:
Heat milk and cream together in a separate pan and stir slowly with a wire whisk
bit by bit into flour and butter roux. Add salt and cook slowly for 45 minutes.
VARIATIONS:
An alternate method is to place sauce in a covered ovenproof dish and cook in a
275-degree oven for 45 minutes.
For a thinner sauce, more warm milk may be added.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Serving Ideas : This versatile sauce has many uses and is easy to prepare.