Baked Fish with Capers & Olives

Baked Fish with Capers & Olives

(6-servings)

Ingredients:

4 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 lb. Boneless Fish (see note)

1 cup Whole Canned Tomatoes

½ tsp. Sugar

1 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice

1 tbsp. Capers, rinsed & drained

¼ cup Large Pitted Green Olives, chopped

As needed Sea Salt & Black Pepper

½ cup Unseasoned Dry Bread Crumbs

Directions:

Use a teaspoon of oil to coat the inside of a baking dish large enough to hold all the fish in a single layer.  Place the fish in the dish.  Chop the tomatoes and mix with the sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl.  Add the capers and olives and mix again.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.  Pile the tomato mixture on top of the fish pieces.  Distribute the bread crumbs over the top and drizzle with remaining oil.  Place baking dish in a pre-heated 400 degree oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.  Fish should be thoroughly cooked, the sauce very bubbly and browned.  Serve at once.

Note:               There are many different fish that will work well for this dish.  Some to consider are; swordfish, sea bass, haddock, cod, snapper or grouper fillets.  Halibut steaks or salmon would work too.  Be sure to cut the fish into serving portions before starting.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore

(4-servings)

Ingredients:

4 bone-in Chicken Breast with skin

1 tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Black Pepper

½ cup All-Purpose Flour

3 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 large Red Bell Pepper, sliced in strips

1 medium Yellow Onion, sliced in Strips top to bottom

8 oz. Cremini Mushrooms, sliced

3 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced or pressed

¾ cup Dry White Wine

1 can (28 oz.) Diced Tomatoes

¾ cup Chicken Broth

1 ½ tsp. Dried Oregano

1/8 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

Directions:

Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper before dredging them in the flour to lightly coat.  In a large (4-6 qt.) sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil.  Add the chicken to pan and sauté until browned on both sides (about 5 minutes per side).  Transfer chicken to a platter and set aside.  Lower heat to medium and add the bell pepper, onion, mushrooms and garlic to pan.  Sauté for about 5 minutes or until onion is tender.  Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half (about 3 minutes).  Next add the tomatoes, broth, oregano and pepper flakes to pan.  Return the chicken breasts to pan turning them to coat in sauce.  Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium-low heat and continue cooking for about 30 minutes.  Remove the chicken breasts to the platter again.  Now bring the sauce to a boil until it thickens slightly (about 3 minutes).  Spoon off any excess fat and carefully pour sauce over the chicken breasts.  Top with chopped fresh basil and serve.

Note:                You can use whole cut-up chicken or just chicken thighs if you wish.  I just prefer the chicken breasts.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Part Six of Italian (non-pasta) Cooking

A Cold Saturday Night Bath!

Another ice carving photo today.  This one is of a "Old Fashion Clawfoot Bathtub" that they let people get in for photos.  They were suppose to use it to hold bottles or cans of beer but many wanted to try it out for size.  The young man is contemplating getting in so his parents can get picture of him in the ice bath.  I prefer a hot show myself.  Thousands of people came out for this three day event.  The weather was in the low 30's during the day and the teens at night.  A truly wonderful event.  If  you ever get a chance to go to such an ice event be sure to do it.  Everyone could watch the ice carvers work as they started several days ahead of the event opening.  They then also had ice carving demonstrations throughout the three days.  These ice carvers are very talented artists.  Next year I'll be spending more time at this event.

Now I guess I should get started on "Part Six" of "Italian Cooking."  This week I'm talking about entrees that don't have pasta as part of their ingredients.  I think most people think pasta or pizza when they think Italian food.  But that is really far from the truth.  Yes Italians love their pasta and pizza but they eat many other dishes.

Italians are big on fish and shellfish because the country has so much coastline.  I guess you get that when three sides of the country is touching water.  Much of what they like comes from what is readily available.  So they have many dishes using Anchovies, Sardines, Swordfish, Sea Bass and Red Mullet.  For shellfish they are big into Calamari or Squid, Mussels and Clams, and then Shrimp, Prawns and Scampi.

For meat, the Italians like it all.  But I'd say that veal, chicken and pork are the most used types.  They do like rabbit and pigeons too.  You may have seen the comment I received a few weeks back about pigeons.  My brothers and I raised them for a number of years.  They were tasty but because of size you had to eat several to get full.

This week I picked two recipes that I think gives a fair representation of Italian cooking.  The first is the classic "Chicken Cacciatore" which usually uses the whole chicken cut-up.  My recipe uses bone-in chicken breast.  You can adjust the recipe to fit your personal tastes.

The second recipe is for "Baked Fish with Capers & Olives" and it gives that flair they have for fish dishes.  I give you several options for the type of fish to use in this recipe.  Go with what you like and is in your budget for price.

I hope you enjoy trying these recipes and will look for other non-pasta dishes form Italy.  "Happy Cooking!"

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup

(around 8 servings)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1 cup Shallots, chopped

4 ½ cups Chicken Broth

2 cups Roasted Red Peppers from a jar, drained & chopped

2 (14 ½ oz.) cans Whole Stewed Tomatoes

1 tsp. Sugar

1 ½ tsp. Dried Basil

as needed Salt & Black Pepper

8 dollops Sour Cream

Directions:

In a 3 qt. sauce pan over medium heat warm the oil.  Add the shallots and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes or until soft.  Next add the chicken broth, red peppers, tomatoes, sugar and basil.  Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove the tomatoes and peppers with a slotted spoon to a blender or food processor.  Blend until smooth and then return to sauce pan.  Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Shrimp Gumbo

Shrimp Gumbo

(12-servings)

Ingredients:

6 tbsp. Butter

1 cup Yellow Onion, chopped

2 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced or pressed

6 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour

2 (16 oz.) cans Diced Tomatoes

1 cup Fresh Green Pepper, chopped

3 Bay Leaves

2 tsp. Crushed Dried Oregano

2 tsp. Crushed Dried Thyme

1 ½ tsp. Salt

½ to 1 tsp. Hot Sauce (more or less to your taste)

3 cups Water

2 (10 oz.) pkgs. Frozen Cut Okra (or 1 ¼ lb fresh)

1 1/2 lb. Fresh Raw Shrimp, peeled & deveined (see note)

6 cups Hot Cooked Rice

Directions:

In a large sauté pan over medium heat melt the butter.  When butter has melted add the onion and sauté until tender but not browned (6-8 minutes).  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.  Now blend in the flour stirring constantly until golden brown (about 2 minutes).  Stir in the ingredients from diced tomatoes through water and bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer pan for 20 minutes or so.  Remove the bay leaves and add the okra bringing the mixture back to a boil.  Continue cooking for 5 minutes and then lower heat to a simmer again.  Add the shrimp to the mixture and simmer 5 to 10 minutes or until shrimp are cooked.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.  Place a ½ cup of hot rice in a bowl and ladle the gumbo around the rice and serve.

Note:               I would use raw shrimp around the 50-60 count per pound.  If you use larger shrimp, cut them up into 2 or 3 pieces.  If you use cooked shrimp, don’t add but for the last 5 minutes or so to heat through.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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More Soup before Winter is Over

Snowman

Here is another photo from the "Ice Fest" I mentioned last week.  This is one of many sculptures that was done by a number of very talented people.  Ice carvings are amazing pieces of art that do not last depending on location, time of year and weather.  These works of ice art lasted over three days outside in the month of February.  The one at our wedding lasted less than 30 minutes.  Of course it was outside but in the month of June and a beautiful care day of 102 degrees.

Today's blog won't be that long.  I've talked about soups before on this blog.  But I like soup and thought you should have a couple more recipes.  Especially before we are out of what many believe to be soup season.

I've said it before but I think soup should be enjoyed year round.  That doesn't mean in the summer only cold soups should be served.  Chili may be a cold weather dish but if you truly love the stuff, then try in the summer too.

One of the really neat things about soup is that year round you have the two things that make it work.  Seasonal ingredients and cleaning out the frig are those two things.  They both are there year round for you.  Whether you like it or not.  So take advantage of them and enjoy a variety of soups, stews or chilis throughout the entire calendar year.

Another reminder for you is soups can usually be frozen for later meals.  So it doesn't hurt to make big batches when you do make soup.  Now there maybe some last minute ingredients that should wait until you thaw a soup before they are added.  You'll need to decide if there are any for the recipes you are making.

The soup recipes this week are "Shrimp Gumbo" and "Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato."  You can always tweak the recipes with some of your favorite ingredients.  So give them a try and "Happy Cooking."

Orange Orange Roughy

Orange Orange Roughy

(4-servings)

Ingredients:

¼ cup Fresh Orange Juice

4 fillets Orange Roughy (about 6 oz. each)

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 tbsp. Dry Tarragon

1 tbsp. Black Pepper, coarsely ground

2 Oranges, grated zest

Directions:

Pour the orange juice into a sallow baking dish large enough to hold the fillets in a single layer.  Brush the fillets lightly with the olive oil on both sides and place in baking dish.  Combine the tarragon, pepper and zest in a small bowl.  Sprinkle over the fillets patting it lightly to form a thin crust.  Bake the fillets in a pre-heated 325 degree oven until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, about 20 to 25 minutes.  Using a long metal spatula, carefully transfer the fish to a serving dish.  Discard any liquid in baking dish and serve immediately.

Note:               You can use other fish for this dish.  Any white fish fillets will work.  So try your favorite fish in this dish.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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