Recipes

Pan seared Rockfish with Pinot Grigio Sauce Ingredients 

For the Fish

1 large Rockfish filet, skin removed (about ¾ lb to 1 lb)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for the pan

4 gloves garlic, crushed

zest of 1 lemon

¼ tsp celery seed

salt and pepper

Dab a small amount of olive oil on your hands and gently massage the fish to check for any bones.  If you do find a couple, use small pointy tweezers to gently remove the bones.  After ensuring your fish is bone free, cover both sides of the filet with 2 tablespoons olive oil, crushed garlic, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the lemon zest on both sides of the filet and let rest for about 10 minutes. 

Lightly coat a large stainless-steel pan with olive oil, so that there’s a very thin layer barely covering the pan.

Turn heat to high and let the skillet warm for about 2 minutes. Once skillet is hot, place the Rockfish in the skillet and cook for 2 minutes over high heat. Flip the fish and continue to cook on the other side for approximately 2 minutes. Turn heat to medium high and gently touch the fish with your ring finger. You’ll want the fish to feel firm, but also have a slight give.  If the fish doesn’t feel firm, yet, continue to cook over medium high heat.

Plate the fish and spoon the Pinot Grigio sauce over the fish.

For the Sauce

½ cup Pinot Grigio

juice of one lemon

2 tsp butter

2 sprigs rosemary

salt and pepper

Fill a small saucepan with the Pinot Grigio and bring to a rolling simmer.  Let simmer for 2-3 minutes and then add the butter and stir thoroughly until the butter is completely melted. Next add the rosemary and lemon juice and let the sauce sit over low heat until after you sear the fish (about 10 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.

Winter Salad Ingredients 

4 cups baby spinach

1/2 cup pine nuts

1 to 2 cucumbers

2 avocados

1/2 cup dried cranberries

3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

1 bunch green onions

4 artichoke hearts

Salt and Pepper to taste

Thoroughly wash and dry the spinach and place in a large salad bowl. Place the pine nuts in a small pan and toast over medium-low heat until golden brown. Make sure to stir the pine nuts frequently so that they don’t burn. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Peel and slice the cucumbers and avocados to bite-sized pieces. Mix the cucumbers, avocados, cranberries, toasted pine nuts, goat cheese and Champagne dressing (see directions below) with the spinach. Plate the tossed spinach on salad plates. Chop the green onions (white and green parts) and slice the artichoke hearts in half. Garnish the salad with the chopped onions and artichoke hearts. 

Champagne Dressing

1/2 cup champagne vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Salt and Pepper to taste

1-2 garlic cloves crushed

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine the vinegar, crushed garlic, two tablespoons Dijon mustard and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly pour in the olive oil while quickly whisking the mixture. Alternatively, you can place the first 4 ingredients in a blender and slowly add the olive oil while pulsing the blender.

Homemade Croutons

4-5 slices good quality bread (Acme rustic loaf is a favorite for this recipe)

1 Tbsp olive oil

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp sea salt

Heat oven to 425°F. Slice the bread into approximately ¾ in cubes. If you’re using loaf with a thick crust, you may want to remove the crusts before cubing the bread.  Toss cubed bread with olive oil, garlic powder and sea salt until thoroughly coated.  Spread a single layer of bread on a baking sheet and bake for 2-3 minutes. Toss the bread on the pan and bake for another 2 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. 

Garlic Paste

1 head of garlic

Olive Oil

Take a whole head of garlic and cut off the pointed tip to reveal all of the inner cloves. Gently peel off the outer layers of skin and place the head of garlic on a large piece of heavy duty foil in a small pan. (I use a mini round cake pan, or if the head of garlic is small try a cupcake pan.) Fold the foil up around the garlic, but do not pinch it closed. Drizzle 1-2 tbsp of olive oil directly on top of the garlic, then seal the foil tightly around the garlic. Place in the 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Once cool enough to handle, gently press from the root of the head of garlic to the tips squeezing out the roasted cloves. Scoop the roasted cloves into a small dish and give a little mash with the back of a spoon.

Thyme Chicken Paninis with Asparagus Ribbons

1 loaf of your favorite easy to slice bread

1 lb chicken breasts

3 tbsp olive oil, plus 2 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup white wine (I used Chardonnay)

10 springs thyme

salt and pepper

4-6 cloves garlic

Garlic paste (see above recipe)

2 red bell peppers, julienned 

1 bunch asparagus

1 cup arugula (or your other favorite greens)

Goat cheese

If you have thick chicken breasts, make sure to tenderize them and even out the meat with a tenderizing (meat) mallet before you marinate them.  Crush 4-6 cloves of fresh garlic and rub on the chicken breasts. Place the chicken into a large, ziplock bag and add in the 3 tbsp of olive oil, wine, thyme, salt and pepper. Let sit for 20-40 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Grab a clean medium sized bowl and fill it with a water (enough to cover the asparagus later) and a few ice cubes. Clean and trim off the rough ends of the asparagus. Once you have the water at a gentle boil, drop your asparagus sprigs into the pot and cook for no more than 2 minutes.  Using tongs remove the now beautifully vibrant green asparagus and place in the ice bath.

Lay an asparagus spear on a cutting board and using a vegetable peeler make a firm swoop from the head of the spear moving your peeler down the stalk of the asparagus. This should give you a thin ribbon of the stalk. Repeat until the stalk becomes too thin to shave any more (make sure to flip sides somewhere in the middle) and then grab another spear. Set ribbons aside. 

Heat a skillet or grill pan on medium heat and coat with a dab of olive oil. Place the chicken on the pan for roughly 4 minutes on each side (depending on how thick the chicken is it might take up to 6 minutes). 

While the chicken is cooking, slice the bread and peppers. Spread one side of the bread with goat cheese and the other side with the garlic paste. Layer the asparagus ribbons, sliced red peppers, arugula and chicken on the bread. If you have a Panini press place the sandwich on the press. If not, place the sandwich in the 375 degree oven until warm. Enjoy alone or with a light salad.