Fish in Scallion and Ginger Sauce

We have been trying to "clean up our diet" this last week, and with good results.  It is not that difficult once you set your mind to it.  Tonight we had a fish dish that we first ate in 2004 when we went on the South Beach Diet.  We loved it then and still love it.  Tonight it was exceptional and did I say, "easy"?

This  fish was easy to prepare and absolutely delicious.  Tonight we selected Turbot which we have never had before.  It is similar to Flounder, a fish without scales.  This is not the last time we will buy Turbot.   Along side, I sauteed a sliced onion, sliced peppers and a fennel bulb with garlic.  I have always loved the slight licorice flavor of fennel.  It is a must try.  I sauteed them in olive oil just a little, leaving them with quite a bit of crunch.

This recipe for the fish actually was out of The South Beach Diet cookbook.  I doubt it will disappoint.

Fish in Scallion and Ginger Sauce

1/3 cup dry sherry or vermouth
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
About 1 pound of fish fillets  (orange roughy, cod, sole or flounder)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Mix the sherry or vermouth, soy sauce, sesame oil, onion,  ginger and garlic in a small bowl.

Place the fish fillets in an ovenproof casserole dish.  Drizzle the marinade over the fish and bake for 12 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.

Serves 2

Yes, that is all there is to it.  It will make you a fish lover all over again.

Roasted Broccoli

I grew up loving broccoli and cauliflower, because my mom would always pour this beautiful, thick creamy cheese sauce over it.  Oh my; the memories.  Years ago, I would make it that way also and I even remember my girls loving it.

Let quite a few years pass, and I know that I just can't allow myself to make and eat that cheese sauce anymore.  So, I have really avoided serving both broccoli and cauliflower at the dinner table.  I know that is bad, because the cruciferous vegetables are so good for you.

For several weeks I have been searching for something else to do with broccoli.  Some recipes looked more complicated than necessary and quite a few had too many ingredients.  So I decided to put a couple of ideas together and tried them out tonight.

We enjoyed our broccoli so much, I think I will make this again within the next week.  I am also going to try this with cauliflower.  I'm thinking asparagus would be nice also, but we really do prefer to grill our asparagus. 

I hope you broccoli avoiders with try this technique and enjoy it as much as we did.  Just improvise.  I don't think you can go wrong.

Roasted Broccoli from Schnitzel's Kitchen

Cut broccoli heads into crowns and cut the stems into strips
About 4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
a large pinch or shake of crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with tinfoil.

In a large bowl, toss the broccoli with about 3 tablespoons olive oil until the broccoli is well-coated.
Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the broccoli to the baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.  It is not necessary to spread the broccoli out too much.  It will shrink (so don't be shy about using a lot of the green stuff for this dish.)

Stir together the remaining olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.  Drizzle over the broccoli and stir to coat after the first 15 minutes of roasting.

At this point, you will be tasting it.  Roast for another 5-8 minutes, until the broccoli is beginning to brown.

Yup, that easy and very good.

Dinner at REED in Paris

The restaurant REED, in Paris,  became known to me through my blogger friend, Penny, at Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen.  I emailed the owner of REED, Catherine, asking for reservations.  We were arriving from Provence by train at approximately 3:30 p.m.  Catherine sent me our reservation confirmation for 7 p.m. that evening.  She asked if I would like to attend her cooking class that afternoon, but unfortunately the timing would not work for us, but we were anxious for our meal at her restaurant.

Since we were renting a studio on Rue Rivoli, we took the Metro to the restaurant at Rue Amélie.  This street runs parallel to Rue Cler which is always bustling, with shops, markets, restaurants and people. 

Catherine greeted us graciously and we just needed to mention that Penny had taken a cooking class from her, and we were immediately welcomed as family.  She jokingly mentioned that it turned out to be "English" night as all her guests seemed to be from the States.

Chatting to each other between the closely situated tables only reinforced the talk.

What to order....always difficult when you want to experience it all.  I opted for fresh pea soup with mint as my first course.  Certainly a very good choice as it was absolutely delicious.

The Trout had a terrine centered with foie gras.  Again, a very good choice.

My main coarse was osso buco which was perfectly done and very flavorful.  She reminded me to eat the marrow which I did and enjoyed.

The Trout had beef cheek daube which was very tasty, extremely tender and beef cheeks is something you do not find in the USA.  Both dishes excellent choices.

And yes, we were much too full for the desserts she offered.  We had indulged in her beautiful hard rolls a little too much.  There was also a nice bottle of red wine, very fairly priced for a restaurant.

Catherine's cooking at REED would be described as slow French country cooking.  Definitely worth a visit while in Paris.  The atmosphere itself is very inviting.  Her kitchen is open to the dining room, beautifully organized and yes, I wish I could have taken a class from her.  Perhaps next trip.