‘Barramundi Agrodolce’

August 22, 2025 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of www.TheBetterFish.com

Barramundi has quickly become one of our favorite go-to fish varieties.  A flaky white fish that is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific region from South Asia to Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia, it is not only tasty, but lean, sustainable and has the highest omega-3 count of any white fish.

If that doesn’t tempt you into trying this lovely fish, this recipe should.  Searing barramundi in a touch of olive oil makes for a lovely golden crust on the fish; served on top of your favorite spring greens, the topping is a sweet yet sour (agrodolce) sauce made with red wine-soaked red onions, fresh herbs and capers.  I added some garlic, sweet pepper rings and toasted pine nuts to the sauce as well to add some extra Italian flare.

‘Cajun-Spiced Catfish with Wilted Greens’

August 21, 2025 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of The Williams Sonoma Cookbook

Normally when I cook catfish it is lightly fried with a golden brown crunch, or cut into bite-sized pieces and simmered in a seafood gumbo.  This time, I followed a healthy recipe for baked catfish that I found in The Williams Sonoma Cookbook; a wonderful composite of recipes for all courses, occasions and taste buds–I highly recommend you add it to your cookbook library!

The recipe is simply baked catfish fillets coated in a Cajun spice mixture and baked until flaky; the fillets are served on top of wilted greens (spinach is recommended but I used Swiss chard instead) flavored with crispy bacon, lemon juice and red wine vinegar. The buttery flavor of the fish pairs amazingly well with the salty cubes of crispy bacon cooked right into the greens. Serve this on its own, with a slice of crumbly homemade cornbread, or even roasted turnips like I did.

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Prosciutto-Wrapped Persimmons with Spanish Manchego

August 20, 2025 No comments

prosciutto-wrapped-persimmon-with-manchego

When I see persimmons in the grocery store these days, I automatically buy a couple. Similar to fresh quince in the early Fall, seasonal produce that might be a little out of our comfort zones can really liven up your kitchen repertoire!

As for Fuyu persimmons, I have tried cooking with them in baked goods, serving them sliced in salads, and even just enjoying them as an afternoon snack.  This time, I decided to try them as a quick-and-easy appetizer idea.  Slices of sweet persimmon wrapped in thinly sliced prosciutto along with a piece of white cheddar cheese.  I also think a slice of Pecorino Romano, Parmesan or even Gruyere would be a tasty idea.

Purple Sweet Potatoes with Pomegranate-Pecan Gremolata

August 19, 2025 Comments: 2

This antioxidant-rich side dish is an example of how to eat a diet rich in variety and the many colors of the rainbow.  The base of the side dish is nutrient-rich watercress topped with roasted purple sweet potatoes.  The relish, or gremolata in Italian culinary terms is made with healthful pomegranate seeds, chopped pecans, garlic, lemon zest, Italian parsley and olive oil.  The natural sweetness of the purple sweet potatoes pairs wonderfully with both the ‘pop’ of fresh sweetness of the pomegranate arils and the crunch of the buttery pecans.  A lovely side dish that pairs very well with a turmeric-roast chicken or grilled pork tenderloin.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

Sautéed Haricots Verts with Feta Cheese & Crispy Prosciutto

August 18, 2025 No comments

With just a handful of ingredients needed to make this scrumptious side dish, it is important to use the best ingredients available. From the extra virgin olive oil, to the produce, to the feta cheese and sliced prosciutto, each ingredient adds a layer of flavor and well…yumminess.

The sweet green bell pepper and the sliced haricots verts are first sauteed in some olive oil until just tender; they are then flavored with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes as they continue to cook in a touch of dry white wine.  To finish the dish off, you crumble or cube some salty feta cheese into the warm green beans, along with a drizzle of a homemade Dijon mustard vinaigrette and a topping of crispy prosciutto chips.

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‘Aglio e Olio with Roasted Tomatoes’

August 17, 2025 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine

Don’t get thrown off by this seemingly simple pasta’s cooking time.  Sweet grape tomatoes are slow-roasted in a low 200 degree oven until caramelized and a bit dehydrated; they are then added into a classic aglio e olio, or spaghetti dish hailing from Naples, Italy, in which al dente pasta is tossed into a simple sauce made with quality olive oil, loads of sliced garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes.

In addition to these traditional ingredients and the slow-roasted tomatoes, you also cook some rainbow Swiss chard stems and leaves right into the pasta, before serving the entire colorful dish with ricotta cheese and buttery pine nuts.  I promise you, this version of aglio e olio (literally garlic and oil in Italian) will quickly become a classic in your pasta repertoire.

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‘Radicchio Salad with Angostura Vinaigrette’

August 16, 2025 No comments

When you see the word Angostura in a recipe, the majority of the time it is an ingredient in a classic cocktail.  A brand of bitters, Angostura adds an herbal, spice-filled flavor to traditional drinks like a Manhattan or Old-Fashioned.  Readily available at liquor stores and grocery stores, bitters have become staple ingredients in actual food recipes these days, too.

Take this simple bitters-flavored vinaigrette for example: a mixture of tangy white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, minced shallots, honey and Dijon mustard, a touch of the herbal bitters really changes the color of the dressing and the underlying flavor.  All of these tastes pair beautifully with a bitter radicchio leaf salad mixed with the season’s ripest oranges.  (Try and find blood oranges if at all possible, but a navel orange or even tangerine would work just as well here.)

‘Quick Beer-Crust Pizza’

August 15, 2025 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of SIFT Magazine

This recipe for homemade pizza dough comes together quickly but also has a secret ingredient: one-and-a-half cups of your favorite beer.  With our favorite beer, Guinness Stout on hand that’s the route I took, but any beer whether it be dark, light, or amber works just as well.  I used a mixture of whole wheat and unbleached AP flour for the dough, and topped my pizza off with artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, watercress, prosciutto and ricotta cheese.  No matter what type of beer or what variety of toppings you settle on, this recipe gives a whole new meaning to a ‘beer and pizza’ night!

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/quick-beer-crust-pizza-recipe )

Lemony Broccolini & Capicola Bundles

August 14, 2025 No comments

These adorable bundles of yumminess are elegant enough for company but simple enough for any weeknight dinner menu.  Crispy broccolini spears are wrapped in thinly sliced sweet ham (I used capicola ham, but prosciutto or even pancetta would work well), seasoned with a touch of salt and pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, and then roasted on a bed of sliced lemons.  Thin French green beans or even asparagus would be another veggie idea to try cooking this way.

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‘Poulet Chasseur’

August 13, 2025 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Mimi Thorisson’s French Country Cooking cookbook

You can never go wrong with serving a classic French chicken dish like this one.  Fresh herbs, tender chicken, sliced mushrooms, wine….you get my drift.  But let’s talk specifics here.  Fresh tarragon and chicken pair very nicely–tarragon has an anise-flavor to it that is super fragrant and distinct.  The recipe itself starts out with a nice sear of chicken (I decided to use chicken breasts, but dark meat cuts are what the dish is traditionally made with); next comes the sauté of garlic, onions and shallots, then a deglazing of the pan with both white wine and rich Cognac or brandy.

The mushrooms cook in this lovely mixture of wine plus broth, and you finish the sauce off by enriching it with a pat of butter and the fresh tarragon.  Searing chicken first, then finishing off the cooking process in the oven is a wonderful way to ensure a browned crust, and a super-moist interior.  I like serving a classic chicken-and-sauce recipe like this one with fluffy mashed potatoes and a simple green salad.

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