Halibut Nicoise

Last Year's Post:  Halibut with Cucumbers and Ginger
Two Years Ago:   Chicken Schnitzel Sandwiches

I sometimes get inspiration for a recipe when I see a new and interesting fruit or vegetable at the store.  I might not immediately know what to do with it, but it gets filed away for future reference.  In this case, I noticed a bag of tiny multi-colored potatoes at Whole Foods that just begged to be part of a salad.  So, when I came across this recipe for Halibut Nicoise I knew exactly where to buy the potatoes.

This is a new and sophisticated take on the typical Nicoise salad that's not really a salad at all, but a warmer and more substantial dish.  Beautiful baby vegetables surround a warm, meaty halibut fillet for a great fall or winter dinner.  It's definitely a restaurant-quality dish in terms of presentation and taste which makes sense because it comes from Lost Kitchen restaurant in Maine.  And I need to warn you, it's also a fair amount of work and will probably trash your cook top when the oil starts spattering.  But it's definitely worth it.  Just don't try it on a weeknight when you're tired and rushed - a weekend is much better where you can prepare the various ingredients (eggs, beans, potatoes) throughout the day to lessen the workload right before you eat.

The halibut cooking process is classic restaurant style - sear the skin side until it releases, flip and add butter to the pan, then put it in the oven until done,  basting with butter along the way.  Finished with an olive/garlic/anchovy garnish,  it's one of the best-tasting pieces of halibut I've had.  Ah, butter.  Of course, you could substitute sea bass, salmon or tuna for the halibut if that's what looks good at the seafood counter or suits your taste.

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Halibut Nicoise

Serves 4

2 eggs

Salt, as needed

½ lb tiny green beans (haricots verts), trimmed

1 lb baby potatoes, any color

½ cup mixed kalamata and green olives, pitted and finely chopped

1 anchovy fillet, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Ground black pepper

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

4 halibut fillets, 5-6 ounces each

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 head bibb or leaf lettuce, leaves washed and torn into bite-sized pieces

1 lemon, quartered

Hard boil the eggs:  heat a saucepan of water to a boil, then gently lower the eggs into the water.  Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 11 minutes.  While the eggs cook, prepare an ice bath (ice and water) in a medium bowl.  After 11 minutes, remove the eggs and place in the ice bath for 15 minutes.  Drain and remove the shell under cool running water.  Place in the refrigerator.

In a small bowl, mix olives, anchovy and garlic, and set aside.

To cook the beans and potatoes, fill a large pot with water, season generously with salt, and bring to a boil.  In the sink, prepare another ice bath.  Add the green beans to the pot and cook for 1 minute, then scoop out with a slotted spoon and place in the ice bath.  Add the potatoes to the same pot of hot water and simmer for 12 – 15 minutes until fork tender.  Drain and set aside until cool.  When cool, cut the potatoes in halves or quarters depending on size.  Remove the beans from the ice water and pat dry.

In a large bowl, mix shallots and rice wine vinegar, and let stand for 20 minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and a few turns of ground black pepper.  Add the green beans and toss to coat, the remove to a separate bowl.  Add the potatoes and tomatoes to the remaining dressing and toss to coat.  Season the beans, potatoes and tomatoes with salt and pepper.

Heat the oven to 425d.

Divide the lettuce between 4 plates.  Slice the eggs and divide between the plates, then add the beans, potatoes and tomatoes around the sides (leaving a spot in the middle for the halibut).

Heat a large ovenproof skillet, ideally cast iron, over medium-high heat.  Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and swirl to coat the pan.  Pat the halibut dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.  Add the fillets to the hot pan skin-side down and let sear until they release easily from the pan, 2-3 minutes.  Flip fillets, add butter to pan and transfer to the oven.  After 2 minutes, baste fish with melted butter, then return to oven until just cooked through, 2-3 minutes more.

Place a fillet in the middle of each plate and drizzle with any leftover pan juices.  Spoon the olive-anchovy mixture over each fillet, garnish with lemon quarters, and serve.

Winter Squash Agrodolce

Last Year's Post:  Mahogany Chicken with Smoky Lime Sweet Potatoes
Two Years Ago:   Grain Bowls with Halloumi Cheese

"Agrodolce" is an Italian term for sweet and sour, a classic sauce in many cuisines.  It's often used for vegetables and fish, and is perfect for an unusual twist on your typical baked fall squash dish.  You can use any winter squash as long as you can peel it which pretty much eliminates acorn squash.  (I guess you could cut an acorn squash in half and get rid of the seeds, then cut and bake slices without peeling.  That would work just fine as long as your guests are up for cutting the peels off.) 

Butternut squash works well.  I used a kabocha squash just because I hadn't tried one before, and found it difficult to peel.  I finally ended up cutting it in half and cleaning out the seeds, then cutting the slices and peeling each individual slice with a small knife.  Good thing The Lawyer was around to help.  Next time I'll use a butternut.

This would make a great side dish with a roast pork or chicken, and of course would be an elegant addition to a holiday table.  I also like it very much as part of a vegetarian winter salad with fresh greens, toasted pecans, chopped apple and some crumbled blue cheese.

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Winter Squash Agrodolce

Yield: 4-6 servings

1 medium butternut or kabocha squash, peeled, seeds removed, cut into 1" wedges

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons golden raisins, chopped

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place squash on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil; season with salt and pepper.  Toss to coat evenly. Roast, turning once until golden brown and tender, 30–35 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring vinegar, honey, raisins, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 8–10 minutes.

Brush half of warm agrodolce over warm squash. Transfer to a platter.  Just before serving, spoon the remaining agrodolce over the squash.

Do ahead

Dish can be made 3 hours ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Mini Croutons

Last Year's Post:  Tuscan Barley Soup
Two Years Ago:    Chicken Limone Pasta

I love how croutons can give a nice crunch to salads and soups, but I don't love store-bought croutons in a box.  They're huge, hard as a rock, and way over-seasoned to compensate for the fact that they have no taste.  Other than that, they're perfect.

My solution is to make very small croutons, which you can scatter over the top of your salad for nice little crunchy bits with every bite.  By contrast, store-bought croutons on a salad need to be approached with care and planning or you'll end up at the dentist since they're the approximate size and consistency of a matchbox car.  Small croutons are also perfect as a garnish for soups and even for pastas such as spaghetti with pesto or baked pasta dishes.  Crush some of the croutons in a small bowl with the back of a spoon and sprinkle over vegetables such as green beans or roasted Brussels sprouts for a little extra crunch.

You can use any type of bread for this recipe, and a few leftover slices from a loaf are just perfect.  A dark rye might be a nice color contrast to potato or cauliflower soup, for example.  It helps if the bread is thinly sliced to start since you'll be cutting it into tiny cubes.  I would advise against trying to use a food processor because in my experience they produce uneven results - some big pieces, some small - unless you grind the bread all the way down to crumbs.

Another advantage to making your own croutons is that you can add whatever seasonings you like.  It's fun to experiment with Italian seasonings, garlic salt, french seasonings, or even some chili powder to spice up some croutons for something like beer cheese soup.  I listed garlic salt because it's a good basic flavor that will go with a lot of things but feel free to use whatever you want.

I bake croutons rather than using a fry pan to toast them because I think it's easier to control the amount of browning and the oven produces more uniform results.  Just be sure to watch them closely near the end because they brown pretty fast when they're small.

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Mini Croutons

Makes 2 cups

2 cups bread, preferably thin-sliced, cut into 1/3” cubes (approximate)

¼ teaspoon garlic salt (or other seasonings)

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350d.

Place the bread into a bowl and add the garlic salt or other seasonings.  Toss to combine.  Slowly add the olive oil in a drizzle while stirring, one tablespoon at a time, until all the croutons are evenly coated.  Taste and adjust seasonings if  needed.

Spread the croutons in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Place on the middle rack of the oven for 5 minutes, then stir and return to the oven for an additional 5-8 minutes until golden brown.  Remove and let cool completely.  If desired, blot on paper towels before storing in an airtight container.

Broccolini Fried Rice

Last Year's Post:  Apple Strudel
Two Years Ago:    Smoked Salmon Cakes

I left any mention of meat out of the title of this recipe because you can make it with chicken, or any cooked leftover pork or steak, or go vegetarian with tofu or even just cashews.   It's very versatile.  The base recipe has rice, of course, with broccolini, eggs, snow peas, edamame and/or green peas and a very simple but flavorful sauce made from soy sauce, orange zest and orange juice.

Stir fries and fried rice are two different things.  Stir fries require that all the prep work is done in advance and then the actual cooking takes places very fast and at very high heat.  Fried rice also requires advance prep work and some fast cooking at the beginning.  But when the rice is added in the middle of the process, you press it down into the pan and then step back and leave it alone for a few minutes to crisp on the bottom.  After it's crisp, everything speeds up again.  It's important to the final texture of the dish not to rush the rice-crisping step, and it's also very important to use day-old rice because it dries out overnight and won't clump up plus it will crisp up and brown much better.

The prep work here takes 15-20 minutes, but the actual cooking goes fast so this is a good (and healthy) weeknight meal assuming you made the rice the day before.  I particularly like it served with a little chili oil mixed in for some heat, but others may prefer it with soy sauce for a milder dish.  Serve both at the table so everyone can choose for themselves.

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Broccolini Fried Rice

4 servings

Cook’s Notes

If using meat that is already cooked or tofu or cashews, sauté the broccolini in the first step as listed (without the meat) and add the cooked meat with the snow peas, edamame and liquids at the end.

If you are preparing rice especially for this dish, you'll need to cook about 1 cup raw rice. Rinse the rice first to remove some of the starch so it's less sticky when it comes time to fry. Spread the cooked rice out on a rimmed baking sheet or plate to cool so the steam can evaporate, then transfer to a resealable container and chill.

1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided

4 green onions, sliced on the bias, divided

1 pound boneless skinless chicken, cut into 1/2" slices (OR cooked chicken, pork, beef, tofu or cashews)

1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves, finely grated or pressed

1 teaspoon finely grated ginger

1 bunch broccolini (about 6 ounces), ends trimmed, sliced in half lengthwise and cut into 2” pieces

4 cups cooked white rice (preferably day-old, long-or medium-grain)

3 large eggs, beaten to blend

1 cup snow peas, cut in half on a diagonal

1/2 cup frozen edamame or green peas

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari

Zest of ½ orange

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice (from about 1/2 orange)

Chili oil and soy sauce for the table

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet or wok over high. Reserve about 2 tablespoons sliced green onions; add remaining onions to oil and cook, tossing occasionally, about 1 minute. Add chicken, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger, then add broccolini and toss until incorporated. Cover and cook until chicken is cooked through and broccolini is tender, 2–3 minutes more. Transfer to a large bowl.

Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in skillet over high. Add rice and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, toss to coat, then press rice into a single layer, and cook, undisturbed, until crisped on the bottom, about 3-4 minutes. Lift a corner of the rice to see if it’s starting to turn a light golden color; if not, let it cook for a minute and check again.  When the bottom of the rice is lightly golden and crisp, stir and move it to one-half of skillet and add eggs to other half. Cook, stirring gently to form curds, until soft set and just cooked through, about 1 minute, then fold into rice.

Fold in snow peas, edamame, soy sauce, and orange juice. (This is where you should add cooked meat, tofu or cashews.) Cook, tossing, until warmed through, about 1-2 minutes. Add broccolini mixture and toss to combine. Divide among plates, then top with reserved scallions. Serve with chili oil and soy sauce at the table.