Zucchini Wrapped Fish with Homemade Rosemary Oil

When we moved to Houston last year, my husband knew his new position was going to be a challenge.  The new system that his company is implementing will "go live" this month.  We are all grounded here for Easter and won't be traveling home for the holiday.  He and his team will be working hard once they turn on the new system preparing for any snaffoos that may arise.

We're going to create our own Easter holidays at home.  I brought out all of my Easter decorations and had fun introducing them to a new house.  I saw these little chocolate bunnies and couldn't resist treating everyone to a little pre-holiday taste.

I am continuing to soak up as many episodes of "Take Home Chef" as I can squeeze in our homeschooling schedule.  Did I mention in my previous articles that it is hosted by this adorable Australian Chef Curtis Stone?

I did mention that?  Several times you say??  Oh, (blush)

He chose the cutest woman on this one episode to create a dinner for her and her husband.  Her name was Elena and she was from Russia.  She was sweet and soft spoken and a tad shy.  She had an amazing garden in her yard and Curtis used so many fresh ingredients from it to create his meal.

I decided to try it out:  Fish wrapped in fresh zucchini with home made rosemary oil

The dish calls for a home made rosemary oil.  This was so much fun to make.  Do you remember that Texas Olive Oil that I bought a few weeks ago at the farmer's market?  Well, I decided to use that bottle.

The rosemary is pounded to release the flavor.  Then, it is soaked in a pot of olive oil at a light simmer.

Once the mixture sits for several hours the rosemary is removed and the oil is again bottled.  This certainly made the house come alive with an enticing aroma.  My curious family wandered through the kitchen  wondering about this new endeavor.

I wish I could go outside and snip stalks of rosemary growing wild like they did in L.A.  I do have my own rosemary but it wasn't enough to make this oil.  I don't know if there is anything that smells so wonderfully aromatic as rosemary and olive oil.  Hooray for the person who decided to squeeze olives and smash rosemary way back in the stone age.

Again, a shameless plug for Williams-Sonoma.  Honestly, I really should ask if I could have one of those W&S Ad badges for my blog.  I love that store!  In my last cooking class, they used a mandoline  several times.  The other people in the class seem more experienced than me and they all swore by the mandoline in the store.  Put it on my tab!  I'm milking that 10% discount for all its worth.

I decided to try it on the zucchini in this recipe.  The zucchini has to be wrapped around the fish.  So it must be sliced uniformly and be "wrappable".  I had to call the hubby to see the magic.  Where have I been?  In food gadget isolation!  Thats where!  Looky here...

I had a wee bit too much fun and could have sliced away with my new toy.  Last week I used it on my potatoes au gratin.  This week zucchini!!  I also did some garlic mashed potatoes (using this mandoline) to go with this fish dish but I'll write about that in tomorrow's article.

Once I had my individual cod fish portions wrapped and seasoned with salt and pepper, I brushed some of that sensuous rosemary oil over them.

Here is where I ran into a bit of a stumble.  The recipe calls for lightly searing the zucchini wrapped fish in a pan before putting them in the oven.  My zucchini started to fall apart.  I couldn't seem to get the temperature just right.  Then,  I tried to flip them.  At this point,  a bit of steam started shooting out of my ears.  Hmmm...not working like Curtis demonstrated in front of Elena.  Darn professionals!

I ended up putting the pan directly in the oven to cook the fish.  Then, right at the end, I moved my pan under the broiler so they would get that golden color.  This worked splendidly.  I felt a twinge of pride in my impromptu skills but still would have liked to flip them like a pro.

This was a delicious and healthy dinner choice for this weekend.  We don't really eat enough seafood because I don't feel confident cooking it so this was another attempt to improve my culinary skills and eat a healthier diet.

Sunday is our one day a week to completely unwind.  Between my husband's project demands, M's college prep studies, R.'s increasingly growing schedule, we never schedule anything on Sunday.  I either have a glass of red wine in hand or a hot cup of coffee (still enjoying my Cafe du Monde brew) and in the kitchen is where you will find me.

We are still getting used to the incredible Spring weather so early in the year.  April for goodness sake!  We have been in colder climates for so long, its amazing to see lush grass, flickering ladybugs, and bulging magnolia buds readying to bloom.

'Til next Sunday!  Let the craziness of the week resume.  We're ready for it.

Easter will be quiet one this year but I'll enjoy planning special treats.  What I do love about being a mother is that even though you have teens, the fun of holidays doesn't end because they aren't little anymore.  They absolutely look forward to all of the yearly traditions that sometimes, I didn't even know were traditions.  That's the beauty of it.  Traditions you don't anticipate as parents become new ones through the eyes of your children.

Like these chocolate bunnies...

"Take Home Chef":  Episode 50:  Elena's Menu

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE ROSEMARY OIL:

10 sprigs (each about 4 inch/10 cm long) fresh rosemary

One 17-oz./500-ml bottle extra virgin olive oil

FOR THE FISH:

Four 5- to 6-ounce/160-g skinless black cod filets (Sarah's note:  I just used regular cod)

3 zucchini (each at least 7 inches/18 cm long), cut lengthwise on a Japanese mandolin into 1/16-inch/.2-cm slices  (Sarah's note:  I used 1/8 inch instead and that worked better for me)

4 sprigs (each about 4 inch/10 cm long) fresh rosemary

PREPARATION:

TO MAKE THE ROSEMARY OIL:

Using the back of a large chef knife, bruise the rosemary as much as possible. Place the bruised rosemary in a small saucepan with the extra virgin olive oil and gently warm the oil over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or just until it is lukewarm.  Reserve the olive oil bottle.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to allow the rosemary to infuse the olive oil with as much flavor as possible (4 to 6 hours is ideal, however a smaller amount of time will still give you a nice rosemary infused flavor). (Sarah's note:  have fresh bread handy for taste testing!!)

TO PREPARE THE FISH:

Preheat the oven to 400°F/205°C.  Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper.(Sarah's note:  Cod is VERY mild so season it really well to bring out some flavor) Lay about 6 zucchini slices horizontally on the work surface to overlap each other slightly and create a 5x7-inch/13x18-cm rectangle. Place 1 black cod filet on top of the zucchini slices and wrap the zucchini around the fish to cover completely. 

Repeat with the remaining zucchini slices and black cod filets. Heat 1 tablespoon/15 ml of the rosemary olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Place the fish, zucchini-seam side down, in the pan and cook for about 2 minutes or until the zucchini is lightly colored. Using a metal spatula, carefully turn the fish over, folding the ends of the zucchini slices over the fish if necessary. Don't worry if some of the zucchini slices unfold a bit. Once the fish is cooked the zucchini will soften and can be folded around the fish again before it is served. (Sarah's note:  this just didn't work for me.  Broiling the zucchini afterwards was the only way I could keep it all together)

Add 4 sprigs of rosemary to the pan  (Sarah's note:  soak these before hand or they will burn in the oven) (these will be used for garnish). Transfer the pan to the oven and bake the fish for about 8 minutes (the time will depend on the thickness of the filet), or until the fish is just cooked through.

TO SERVE:

Drizzle 1 tablespoon/15 ml of the rosemary oil around the plates. Garnish with the roasted rosemary sprigs and serve. Pour the remaining rosemary oil into the reserved olive oil bottle, discarding the rosemary sprigs, and reserve the oil for another use.

Menu 19: Summer Supper

A quiche all creamy and full of spinach, a zucchini salad with the tantalizing flavors of Provence, followed by a Lemon Ice (from the market or check out my March 22, 2011 blog). Seems like a pretty perfect summer supper to me.

Spinach Quiche
I love this quiche and I don’t care whether quiches are in or out of fashion. If you are not up for making a pie crust, buy one. If you are not up for a pie crust of any kind, make this quiche without one. I have a friend who actually prefers it that way.

1 partially baked 8-9 inch pie shell (Recipe below) or purchase one from the supermarket.
Note: If the supermarket one comes unbaked, follow the instructions on the wrapper for partial baking or look to the recipe below.

2 tablespoons butter
½ onion, chopped
4 cups finely chopped spinach or 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon smoky sweet paprika
1 cup grated cheese, whatever you like or have on hand cheddar, Swiss, Parmesan or a mix
1¼ cups heavy cream, warmed in the microwave
4 eggs, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet and sauté the onion until tender but not browned.
3. Add the spinach, cover and cook for 5 minutes. If you use fresh, you’ll need to chop again. No need to do that if you use frozen. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, paprika, and ½ cup cheese.
4. Pour the warm cream slowly over the eggs while beating. Gradually beat in the spinach mixture. Taste for seasonings. Ladle into the pie shell. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until set. It will take longer for larger pies—45 minutes perhaps. Let sit for 15-20 minutes before serving. Serve warm.

Notes:
For a bigger pie shell, increase the cream to 1¾ cups and the eggs to 5.
If you make this quiche ahead of time (the day or the morning before serving), refrigerate and then reheat at 300ºF. for 20-30 minutes to warm it slightly.

6 servings
Adapted from Craig Claiborne’s The New York Times Menu Cookbook

Pie Crust

For an 8 or 9-inch pie plate or tin:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut roughly into ½-inch pieces
7 tablespoons ice water or more if necessary

1. Combine the flour and salt in the container of a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the butter and flour are blended and the mixture looks like cornmeal, about 10 seconds.
2. Add the ice water to the mixture. Pulse until you see the mixture coming together. If it doesn’t after a couple of additional pulses, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does.
3. Dump the contents of the container onto a sheet of plastic wrap and mold it into a ball. Flatten the ballot a disk; bring the plastic up around the dough to cover it completely. Either freeze for 10 minutes or refrigerate for 30 minutes. (You can also refrigerate the dough for a day or two or freeze it almost indefinitely. If frozen, defrost before rolling.)

 4. Sprinkle a smooth countertop or a large board with flour. Unwrap the dough and place it on the work surface; sprinkle the top with a little flour. If the dough is hard, let it rest a few minutes to warm up just a little.
5. Roll with light pressure, from the center out. Continue to roll, adding a small amount of flour as necessary, rotating the dough occasionally, and turning it over once or twice during the process. When the dough is about 1/8-inch thick, place your plate upside down over it to check the size. You want your circle of dough to be about 2-3 inches bigger than the plate it will go into.
6. If the size is correct, move the dough into the pan by folding the dough in half and placing the fold in the middle of the pan. Carefully unfold the dough and press it gently into the outer edge of the plate.
7. Trim (I use scissors) the extra dough about 1 inch above the rim. Fold the dough above the rim in half (to ½ inch) and crimp with your fingers to make a decorative edge. With the scraps, you can fill in any part of the circle that’s missing.
8. Place the plate in the freezer for 10 minutes or the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Partially Baked Pie Crust

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
2. Prick the dough all over with a fork to help prevent the crust from poufing. (You’ll see what I mean when it happens.)
3. Tear off a large piece of aluminum foil. Press the sheet into the dough, especially on the sides. Weight the foil with a pile of dried beans or rice, pie weights, or a tight-fitting oven-proof skillet or saucepan—anything that will sit flat on the surface and hold the dough in place. Sometimes I just do the foil and don’t weight it with anything and it’s just fine.
4. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven; remove the weights and foil. If it has poufed, wait for a few minutes for it to settle and then prick the bottom, once again, with a fork.
5. Bake for another 4-5 minutes or so until the crust is just starting to turn a light brown and the bottom looks set.
6. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

Adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food, Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and M.F.K. Fisher’s The Cooking of Provincial France

Green and/or Yellow Zucchini Salad with Feta (also Summer Squash)

1¼ pounds squash of your choosing, roasted (see recipe below)
½ cup drained and chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
OR
½ cup dried sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil), chopped
½ cup pitted and sliced Kalamata or Nicoise olives
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped shallots or green onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or more if you’d like
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint or more if you’d like
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons raspberry or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste
3 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Roasting the squash:
1. Cut into ½ -inch slices.
2. Place on a rimmed baking pan and mix with 2 tablespoons olive oil and some salt and pepper.
3. Roast at 425ºF. for about 30-40 minutes turning them mid-way. They should be nice and brown on both sides. Let cool slightly before continuing with the rest of the salad.

Making the salad:
1. In a medium bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients, except the feta. You can do this while the squash is roasting. Add salt and pepper to your taste.
2. In a serving bowl, layer the cooled squash with the other combined ingredients. Sprinkle the top with feta cheese.
3. Serve at room temperature. If you make it ahead, refrigerate until about an hour before serving.

4 servings
Adapted from John Ash’s From the Earth to the Table

What to do with courgettes...

Glut is such a wonderful word. Glut.

Its harsh consonants give it the feel of one of the more abrasive swear words but it also has an inherent softness that makes it warm and cosy – a small cuddle of a word that presents ample opportunity for elaboration.

Glut. Glutton. Gluttony. Gluttonous. Gluttonously.

Words that speak of the decadently indecent.

The garden is, finally, offering up its bounty. Potatoes were dug up a fortnight ago, the maize stems are starting to bulge at the halfway point suggesting that sweetcorn is not far off. The tomatoes are barely threatening to turn from acidic green to sweet red and the courgettes?

The courgettes are taking over.

For each that we pick, two more seem to grow in their place overnight. They are like the mythical Hydra and I am failing in my Herculean task.

As a result we have them lined up in the kitchen, a rag tag bunch of all shapes and sizes. The Usual Suspects as re-imagined by a vegan pacifist.

They’ve made their way into most things. Last night’s lasagne had a layer of them, thinly sliced, in between the ragu, pasta and béchamel. Diced and fried with a little garlic added at the last minute, they make an excellent addition to pasta.

Those that hid deftly under the expansive leaves and transformed into marrows have their insides scooped out and replaced with a tasty filling before being roasted.

I’m well aware that I am not alone. Courgettes seem to be as ubiquitous as Simon Cowell this summer so here is a ten point plan for what to do with them. You might guess that by the end, I was struggling. But that might be because I used up all the good ideas above…



One – Courgette Fries

I first had these crispy little bites of wonder at Italian restaurant l’Anima. Finely sliced and dipped in a light batter, deep fried courgettes are a joy and the perfect vehicle for some rich aioli.



Two – Courgette Bread

Grated and added to a sweetened bread mix in place of – or in addition to – banana, courgette adds a welcome moisture to this cake.



Three – Baked Courgette and Tomato

Layer thinly sliced courgette into a roasting dish, season and cover with a rich tomato sauce. Add another layer of courgette, more sauce and then cover liberally with cheese. Bake for 25 minutes and eat straight from the dish. Plates not necessary.



Four – Chutney

Ah, the forgotten art of preserving. Courgettes are perfect chutney fodder and take on a remarkable range of flavours beautifully, especially warming spices. We have a solitary jar of last year’s ‘Glutney’ left and it’s disappearing fast. most delicious with cheese and cold cuts. There are plenty of recipes out there but this one from HFW is a real winner.



Five – Roasted courgette with pine nuts

Simple, quick and very good with pasta. Slice or dice, dribble with oil, season, throw in a handful of pine nuts and bake. Top with Parmesan and commence nom.



Six – Barbecued Courgettes

Chargrilling courgettes really brings out a depth of flavour that is often lost when they are boiled or steamed (eurgh). Make sure your griddle or barbie is searingly hot so you get those tasty black tiger stripes on thin slices of courgette and serve with a sweet/sour yoghurty dressing.



Seven – Courgette Wine

I have no idea if this is possible but it must be worth a go? Anyone? Hello?



Eight – Doorstep Courgettes

Wait until nightfall. Take one, two or three of your largest courgettes and leave them on the doorsteps of your neighbours. Run. Go to bed happy in the knowledge that you’ve successfully ridded yourself of that particular problem. Until tomorrow and you discover that your neighbours had exactly the same idea.



Nine – Stuffed Courgette Flowers

OK, so this doesn’t really help you with eating your way through the courgette mountain taking over the kitchen but they are tasty. Stuff the flowers with well seasoned ricotta, dip in batter and deep fry. I cannot recommend these highly enough.



Ten – Courgette Portraits

Take pictures of your courgettes in various different poses and use them to illustrate a piece on what to do with a courgette glut. Realise that you still have nineteen to eat and a further seven peeping through the vegetable patch. Give up and promise not to plant so many next year.

Menu 3: The Diversity of South Africa

There are so many cultures involved in South African cuisine. I knew nothing about the complexity and the diversity until I found two South African cookbooks and started cooking. Dutch settlers (the Afrikaners) brought a European influence with Milk Tarts and other delicious baked goods along with an amazing barbeque (braai) with beef and chicken; Malay laborers from Java and Indonesia brought their spices; indigenous Africans added in cornmeal porridge and greens, reminders for us of the soul food of the American south; Indians brought their curries. I love how the colors and flavors intermingle and dance with each other. Bobotie is a classic example.

Bobotie from South Africa

















2 onions, finely chopped
2 pounds ground beef, or a mix of ground meats
1 slice bread
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon curry powder
½ teaspoon turmeric
1½ tablespoons sugar
½ cup raisins
3 tablespoons chutney, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup slivered almonds
1 egg

1. Pre-heat oven to 350ºF.
2. Sauté beef or meat mix with onions until meat is brown, breaking the meat up into small pieces. If necessary, drain fat from the pan and discard.
3. Soak the bread in half the milk; mash it with a fork. Add it to the meat.
4. Combine all the remaining ingredients except the egg and the remaining milk. Spread the mixture in a greased casserole.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Beat the egg with the remaining ½ cup milk and pour it over the casserole. Return to the oven for another ½ hour.

6 servings
Adapted from The Africa News Cookbook

Braised Carrots

















2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 3½ x ½ x ½-inch sticks)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
3 slices lemon, seeds removed, plus juice from the rest of the lemon
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon anise seeds
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Put the oil and the carrots into a heavy 10-inch skillet. Cook on high heat, stirring and shaking the pan often and scraping the browned bits occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the carrots have lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, tomatoes, mint, lemon slices, sugar, salt, anise and cumin; mix well.
3. Cook until bubbling vigorously; reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir, turning the carrots. Cover and cook until the carrots are very soft, 10 minutes or so more. Add lemon juice and season with pepper. Remove the lemon slices.
4. Before serving, sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot or at room temperature.

If you make this ahead, you can reheat for 1-2 minutes in the microwave.

4 servings
Adapted from Eating Well, February/March 2006

Oven-Roasted Zucchini

















8 medium zucchini, thickly sliced (½ inch) on the bias
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
or 2 roasted garlic cloves, chopped, and 1 fresh garlic clove, pressed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped or ¼ cup chopped herbs of your choice (tarragon and chervil or tarragon and thyme or oregano and thyme or dill are all good)
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper

1. Place the zucchini in a roasting pan(s), add the olive oil, toss to coat, and arrange in a single layer. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Put the pan(s) in the oven and turn the temperature to 425ºF. Roast for 30-40 minutes, turning once mid-way. The zucchini should be nice and brown on both sides.
2. Mix together the garlic, parsley, lemon zest, and herbs.
3. Make a layer of some of the zucchini slices on a serving dish. Sprinkle with some of the herb mixture, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the lemon juice. Continue making layers until all the ingredients are used, ending with some herbs on top.
4. Set aside in a cool place for about an hour for the flavors to mingle before serving. Can serve warm or at room temperature. To warm slightly, put the dish in a microwave and heat for 1-2 minutes.

Note: I have made just steps 1 and 2 of this recipe with salt added along with the olive oil. Even at its most simple, it is a delicious dish.

4-5 servings
Adapted from The Silver Spoon, a comprehensive cookbook of Italian food.


Yellow Rice

1½ cups basmati rice
2 tablespoons oil or butter
2 2/3 cups water
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ cup raisins or currants, optional
1 stick of cinnamon
1½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped or sliced, optional
4 tablespoon desiccated coconut, optional
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil or butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice and sauté until the individual grains are shiny, about 1 minute.
2. Add the turmeric, raisins or currants, cinnamon, water and salt and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and turn the heat to low. Cook for about 20 minutes.
3. While the rice is cooking, heat the 2 tablespoons oil over moderate heat in a frying pan and sauté the onions until they are golden.
4. Once the rice is cooked, fluff it with a fork, and stir in the onions and coconut or spread them over the top, if desired. Add salt and pepper if needed.

Serves 5-6
Adapted from Lehla Eldridge’s The South African Illustrated Cookbook