Guest Post: Halibut with Cannellini Beans from Ciao Chow Linda

A while back I had asked for some guest posts and my lovely friend Linda from the blog Ciao Chow Linda has been gracious enough to bestow one upon me. I have been reading Linda's blog for years now and she never fails to delight with her travels and with her recipes. I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do.

One of my favorite fish is halibut. It's got a delicate, sweet flavor, firm white flesh, and marries well with all kinds of flavors. Even people who claim to hate fish may be won over once they taste this largest of all the flat fish. 

Did you know that halibut can grow to more than 8 feet long and weigh as much as 700 pounds? Take a look at the largest Alaskan halibut ever caught by sport fishermen, weighing in at 459 pounds. Imagine cleaning that whopper.  Most of the halibut we eat here in North America comes from the Gulf of Alaska. While on a trip there a couple of years ago, I ate my fair share of halibut, but here in New Jersey, the price keeps me from enjoying it as much as I'd like. So when it went on sale last week at my market, I couldn't resist.

This recipe is a one-dish meal that's simple to make, tastes great and is low-cal too. If you can't find fresh halibut, or want something less expensive, codfish can easily be substituted. The recipe is for two portions, although the accompanying photo shows just one portion served in a small casserole.

Halibut with Cannellini Beans

for two people:

halibut - between 3/4 and 1 lb., skin removed

6 scallions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 T. olive oil

1 can cannellini beans (about 15 ounce can), drained and rinsed

1 can chopped tomatoes (about 15 ounce can)

1/4 cup dry white wine

salt, pepper to taste

fresh basil

Saute the scallions and onions in the olive oil until softened. Add the tomatoes and liquid from the can and cook for a few minutes, smashing the tomatoes a bit with a fork. Add the white wine, the cannellini beans, salt, pepper and shredded fresh basil. Simmer for about five minutes, then add the fish. Put a lid on the skillet, then let everything cook together for about five more minutes. That will be long enough to cook the fish. Garnish with more fresh basil and serve.

Use your Grill Like a Condiment - it Adds Layers and Layers of Flavor!

This is a post I did for Char-Broil that first appeared here November 16, 2011.

For me the best tasting things have layers and layers of flavors and I am not talking about a muddled jumble of tastes I am talking about clean and distinct flavors. One way to add one more layer of flavor is with your grill. Yes thats right your grill. Who can deny that unique smokiness adds an element that cant be beat.

Faced with some big fat duck breasts and my need for flavor I instantly knew the grill was going enhance my final dish. Once the fat from these breasts hits the grill and that smoky sizzle starts to happen you are already on the flavor train.

Nicely seared duck breasts then get roasted until they reach an internal temp of 120 degrees F allowed to rest then they are chopped up, fat and all and placed into a terrine to simmer in a water bath for another 45 minutes.

After their little cooking water bath they are allowed to cool then I added a bit of gelatine and they are cooled over night, when they are done they look like this.

At this point you can use the duck terrine as an appetizer.

Or you can make larger portions and serve it as a salad or a first course. Whats my point here? My point is the next time you want to add a little more flavor with out adding more seasonings think of your grill, you have a huge and distinct flavor profile waiting to grace your dishes - even dishes that dont seem like BBQ, not one little bit.

Product Review: A while back I received a faucet

How many are you are familiar with the online shop(s) on Wayfair? Well if you are not then you need to be. They have everything and a little bit more.

Back around December or so I picked out a Moen Faucet from their huge selection. I chose this faucet because it fit in my price range and it was big enough and small enough for my New York City kitchen.

I have been waiting to review it till I had a chance to really use it and I can tell you now, I have had that chance. I love this faucet.

It has a retractable hose, nozzle, sprayer and that feature alone was and is the major selling point. I used to have an antique and tall arching faucet so that I could fill large pots, well with the retractable nozzle I can fill up buckets on the floor if I need to! Don't hesitate to check out the site, Wayfair has a lot to offer.

wow its been 34 days since I last posted: no recipe or a giveaway

Hey there remember me? Yup I am the guy that used to write this blog oh so diligently since 2005. I am the guy that once wrote a blog post every single day for a year. I am they guy that now wonders why I dont take the time anymore when it is something I enjoy and love so much. Being busy is no excuse, I love to be busy and in fact it is this blog that got me to the busy I am today. I have so much to be happy for and I am happy for it. Truth of the matter is I have not been cooking so much for myself and it is this cooking for myself and for contests that I would typically blog about so since that isnt happening I am now going to try to start a once a week blog post; if the once a week thing works out then I will increase it to twice a week, lets go easy here.

Since September of 2010 or so I have been the Executive Chef of two prestigious catering companies in New York City,  this has been something I have worked towards for years and every single day I count my blessings that I am living my dream. Its true that if you keep your eye on the prize it will become yours. Now in this position I need to come up with new and tasty treats to serve our hungry clients and one of these treats is my twist on a classic - roasted butternut squash soup. I cant tell you what I put in it since it is so simple you could easily run away with my secret but I will tell you it has butter and to finish it off I use a little creme fraiche and a huckleberry puree - it is vegetarian but definitely not vegan.

Another part of my job is a weekly lunch that I make for a 60 member womens association and I have to say that this is one of the most rewarding and challenging aspects of what I have to do - I love making these women happy since for most of them this is the highlight of their week and not that it matters but the median age is about 75. One week I served them glazed carrots and Moroccan meatballs, I can safely and confidently tell you that this is a step up from their normal meatloaf.

The ladies also a get a nice dessert. The reason I like this part of my job so much is that each week I need to make a salad, an entree and a dessert and I treat this with all the creative energy that I can muster.

Then I get home and make myself some braised octopus - gotta feed the big sugar machine!

New Years Eve and some ancient traditions

What do you do when the new year rolls around? There are a lot of traditions out there so we try and do a different one every year, sometimes we blend a couple of them together and sometimes we loosely interpret what we think is one. This is one of those years where a loose interpretation was the game plan.

 

Lentils with cabbage - if you dont know what these two represent then you should get to googling because I am not going to tell you.

Dont go in for all of this good luck mumbo jumbo?

Have some pork belly! This is the last day of 2011 and it has been a great year. I fully expect and hope that 2012 will be even better. Thank you to all of you and I wish you all the very best there is to wish.