Sculpin Mediterranean

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 cup fresh tomatoes, cut into 1" pcs
4 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
8 ounces Sculpin (or any fish fillet of your choice)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Add wine and garlic and simmer for 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, olives, oregano and orange zest. Season with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.Season fish with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Arrange the fish in a single layer in a pie pan or baking dish. Spoon the tomato mixture over the fish.

Bake, uncovered, until the fish is just cooked through, 10 to 20 minutes. Divide the fish into 2 portions and serve with sauce.

Served with Whole Grain Rice Vegetable Medley and a 2007 Trefethen Chardonnay

Good eats, ~Marta

BBQ Salad

I was eating at a local restaurant and ordered this grilled salad. It was so good and looked super easy to make. This is my version, a quick and easy way to have your veggies with your favorite BBQ.

I have always used Romain lettuce, but any firm head of lettuce would probably work. Slice the heads right down the middle. Add salt, fresh ground pepper and garlic powder. drizzle with olive oil, (a fine mist sprayer works even better). Place cut side down on a HOT grill for about 2 min or until you get your grill marks. While the lettuce is still warm, grate some Parmesan cheese on top, (blue cheese crumbles are awesome too). Serve immediately! Now eat your veggies!

Tri Tip Perfection!

I have come to the conclusion that there is no finer cut of meat than the tri tip. They can be found everywhere, just as good as a nice New York but not as expensive. I try to find one with not too much marbling (fat) and a pretty even thickness through out the whole cut.

Trim any excess fat off the outside of the meat. This fat layer tends to just burn on the grill and not really impart anything to the flavor.

Pear Pie

This is an amazing tasting pie with multiple facets. It tastes somewhat like custard, caramel or pear, sometimes all of the above all at once. It is very simple and easy to make and a pie that I think you will enjoy.

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
2 pears - peeled, cored and cut in half (or thickly sliced)
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 350°. Press the pie pastry into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate. Flute the edges. Place the pear halves cut side down in the pie crust with the small ends toward the center (if thickly sliced instead, spread over bottom of pan). In a medium bowl, mix the butter and sugar together until smooth, then beat in the eggs one at a time until light and fluffy. Stir in flour and vanilla. Pour over the top of the pears. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, until pears are soft and custard is set in the center. (If pears where thickly sliced instead, baking time may vary closer to 40 minutes. Top crust will be golden color when done and the custard will be set). Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Auntie Esther's Chicken-In-Foil

This authentic Chinese dish is an old family recipe of our Godmother, "Auntie Esther", who introduced it to us when we were kids. It is one of those culinary pieces of heaven that your tongue and mind never forget (at least we didn't). Please note that this recipe is definitely "old-school", meaning a little of this, a little of that, etc., mostly to your own personal tastes, so feel free to "play" with it a bit. It is also a bit of work, but once you get the hang of it, then it goes quicker. Either way, well worth the effort.
Personally, I think my brothers may owe me BIG time for this long-awaited-for recipe. Maybe not, they are good brothers!