Dinner | onedadskitchen

Tilapia For a Tuesday

I got some tilapia on sale at the market the other day and was looking for a new way to cook it without frying. I came across this recipe on the Food Network and it fit perfectly. I already have everything in the house, which made it even easier. It’s a very quick recipe and goes perfectly at this time year when tomatoes are ripe and tasting great.

Baked Tilapia with Tomato and Basil

Non-stick cooking spray

2 (8 ounce) tilapia fillets

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves

1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon minced garlic

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large tomato, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a shallow baking dish with the nonstick cooking spray.

Sprinkle the fish evenly with salt and pepper. Arrange the tilapia in a baking dish and sprinkle evenly with basil, oregano, onion powder and garlic. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Arrange the tomato slices evenly over the fish and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bake until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 20 to 25 minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice over the fish and serve immediately.

The fish turned out perfectly and the flavor from the tomatoes mixed very well with the fish and the spices on the fish. As side dishes, I made corn on the cob and I decided to make some black beans and rice. The black beans and rice could easily be a meal on its own if you wanted it to be. It’s not a tough recipe and takes a little longer, but you can make it ahead and re-heat it if necessary.

Black Beans with Rice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 red or yellow pepper, cored, seeded and chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

3/4 cup dried black beans, washed, picked over and soaked if you have the time

1 1/2 cups long grain rice

1 cup chopped tomato

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Put th oil in a large ovenproof pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low so that the mixture bubbles gently. Cover loosely and cook, stirring occasionally and adding water if necessary, until the beans are about half-done, softening but still tough in the middle, about 40 minutes (if you didn’t soak the beans, it will take about an hour or more) Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Use an immersion blender or a potato masher to semi-puree the beans in the pot. Leave at least half unpureed.

Stir in the rice, tomato and a good amount of salt and pepper. If you don’t want a crust to develop, cover the pot. Bake in the oven until the rice and beans are tender, about an hour, adding a little water if needed. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Sprinkle with parsley and serve or store, covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If storing, when you re-heat, stir in a little water and olive oil just before serving.

As I said, the black beans and rice could easily be a meal as themselves. You could eat it this way as a vegetarian meal or you could add in things like chorizo, some diced cooked chicken or some shrimp.

All in all, it was a very nice meal for the two of us.For tomorrow, I do have some chicken that I am not sure what to do with yet. Check back and see what I can find. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on July 10, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Rice, Seafood

Tags: baked tilapia, black beans and rice

Shuffling Off to Buffalo Chicken Pizza

05 Jul

I know it was a very hot day here in New York to think about using the oven, but I had one piece of boneless chicken breast and some pizza crusts, so I decided to use both of them. Since Sean isn’t home for a couple of weeks, I also decided to spice things up a little bit and make something I know he wouldn’t eat, Buffalo Chicken Pizza. I looked around on the Internet and found a whole bunch of recipes for this, so what I did is a kind of combination of several of them that I thought would work best.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

1 large boneless chicken breast
salt and pepper
1 cup breadcrumbs

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon oil

1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup Frank’s hot sauce
½ teaspoon packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon buttermilk or plain yogurt
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
pinch of sugar
pinch of garlic powder
2 ounces (½ cup) mozzarella, shredded
¼ cup red onion or scallions, diced very fine
1 store bought pizza crust or pre-made pizza crust (I use Boboli myself)

For the chicken: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Thinly slice the chicken breast, dip in the egg to coat, shaking off any excess, then place in the breadcrumbs to coat, again shaking off any excess. Place the chicken in the skillet and saute until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Place the chicken on a paper towel lined plate to drain.

For the buffalo sauce: Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the brown sugar, hot sauce, and vinegar. Mix the sauce with the chicken.

For the ranch dressing: In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk or yogurt, mayonnaise, sugar, garlic powder, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.

Assemble the pizza: Place the pizza dough on a pizza stone or the back of a cookie sheet. Spread the ranch dressing evenly on the pizza dough; top with the chicken, then the cheese, and finally the onion.

Bake the pizza for 10-12 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is browned. Let the pizza rest about 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Just a couple of quick notes about the recipe. You could easily use a store-bought ranch dressing instead of making your own, but I think the one I made for this recipe tastes good and is very light. You could also use a tomato sauce instead, but I think the ranch adds to the flavor with the buffalo chicken. A lot of the recipes I found use bleu cheese in addition to the mozzarella cheese. I omitted it from the recipe since neither Michelle nor I are big fans of bleu cheese, but you could add some in when you sprinkle on the cheese.

That’s it for tonight. I’m not sure what I’ll be making for Michelle and myself tomorrow, so we’ll have to wait and see. I have a bunch of things in the freezer, so it could be anything tomorrow, depending on the weather. Check back and see what I come up with. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on July 5, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Pizza

Tags: buffalo chicken pizza, chicken pizza, pizza

My Sous Chef Takes Over For the Night

28 Jun

I had planned on chicken all week for dinners, but I had also taken out some pork chops to make for dinner one night. I thought tonight would be a good night to do that and I thought it would be an even better night to have Sean take over in the kitchen. He is planning on taking a cooking class later on this summer so I figured tonight would be a good night for him to do some of the cooking while I just supervised. He chose this recipe of skillet barbecued pork chops as his first test. You don’t have to do the brining of the pork chops if you don’t have time to do it, but it does help to add to the meal by making the pork chops more moist.

Skillet-Barbecued Pork Chops

1/2 cup salt

4 bone-in rib loin pork chops, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat

4 teaspoons vegetable oil

For the spice rub:

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the sauce:

1/2 cup ketchup

3 tablespoons light or mild molasses

2 tablespoons grated onion

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

Dissolve the salt in 2 quarts of cold water in a large bowl or container. Submerge the chops in the brine, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For the spice rub, combine all the spices in a small bowl. Measure 2 teaspoons of the mixture into a medium bowl and set aside for the sauce. Transfer the remaining spice rub to a large plate. For the sauce, whisk the ingredients in the bowl with the reserved spice mixture until thoroughly combined; set aside.

Remove the chops from the brine, rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Use a sharp knife to cut 2 slits, about 2 inches apart, through the outer layer of fat and silver skin of each chop (don’t cut into the meat of the chops). Coat both sides of the chops with the spice rub, pressing gently so the rub adheres. Shake off the excess rub.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Place the chops in the skillet in a pinwheel pattern, with the ribs pointing toward the center, and cook until browned and charred in spots, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip the chops and continue to cook until the second side is browned and the center of the chops registers 130 degrees on an instant read thermometer, 4 to 8 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the chops to a plate. Lightly brush the top of each chop with 2 teaspoons of the sauce.

Wipe the pan out with paper towels and return it to medium heat. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil and heat until just smoking. Add the chops to the pan, sauce side down, and cook without moving them until the sauce has caramelized and charred in spots, about 1 minute. While cooking, lightly brush the top of each chop with 2 more teaspoons of sauce. Flip the chops and cook until the second side is charred and caramelized and the center of the chops registers 140 to 145 degrees on an instant read thermometer, 1 to 2 minutes.

Transfer the chops back to the plate, cover loosely with foil, and let rest until the center of the chops registers 150 degrees on an instant read thermometer, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add the remaining sauce to the pan and cook over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits, until thickened and it measures 2/3 cup, about 3 minutes. Brush each chop with 1 tablespoon of the sauce and serve, passing the remaining sauce separately.

Sean handled most of the prep and the actual cooking pretty well. The only thing I really did was take the chops out of the pan. He also made some oven roasted potatoes, corn on the cob and skillet cornbread to go along with the meal. Again, he did most of the work himself, including the chopping of the potatoes, mixing everything for the sauce, the rub and the cornbread. All I handled was the hot cast iron skillet for the cornbread. I have to say I was quite proud of how well he did with everything. Now if I could just get him to clean his room, all would be wonderful!

That’s it for tonight. It might be back to chicken tomorrow night, or maybe some burgers, i haven’t quite decided yet. We’ll see what I feel like doing. Enjoy the rest of your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 28, 2012 in Breads, Cooking, Dinner, Pork, Sauce, Spices

Tags: barbecued pork chops, pork chops, skillet barbecued pork chops, skillet cornbread

How to Make Fried Chicken | Cook’s Country – Recipes That Work

28 Jun

How to Make Fried Chicken | Cook’s Country – Recipes That Work.

Since I have been making chicken meals all week this week, this seemed like a good article to post. I haven’t tried their recipe for fried chicken, but it sure does sound good and doesn’t look any harder than other methods I’ve tried for fried chicken if you want to check it out!

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Posted by MikeG on June 28, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Poultry

Tags: cook's country fried chicken, fried chicken

Chicken Week, Day 2: Let’s Kabob it Up!

26 Jun

I had boneless chicken breast to use out of the freezer it since it was a nice, comfortable day here today outside I thought it might be a good day to use the grill and make some chicken kabobs. I looked at a few different recipes and settled on this one from Williams-Sonoma. it falls right into the simple with simple ingredients category and makes a nice sauce to go with it.

Grilled Chicken Kabobs

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Grated zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

1 small serrano chili, seeded and minced (optional)

1 teaspoon minced fresh marjoram

1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into chunks

1 yellow squash, cut into chunks

1 red onion, cut into chunks

Soak bamboo skewers in water to cover for 30 minutes. Prepare the grill to medium-high.

Put the mustard in a small bowl. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and mix well. Gradually whisk in the 1/3 cup of olive oil, then mix in the chili, if using, marjoram and basil. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Drain the skewers. Thread the chicken, squash and onion onto the skewers, alternating each piece until the skewers are filled. Brush the chicken, squash and onion with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the skewers on the grill, cover the grill and cook, turning once until tender and lightly charred, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and remove the chicken and vegetables from the skewers. Serve with the lemon-herb sauce.

You could certainly vary this in many ways, substituting different colored peppers, using zucchini, or using scallops or shrimp instead of chicken. One way I decided to vary it a little bit was by making a second sauce to serve along with the lemon-herb sauce. I opted to make a cucumber yogurt sauce, knowing I already had all the ingredients on hand it wouldn’t take long to put together.

Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

2 cups plain yogurt

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 shallot, minced

1 tablespoon parsley, minced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint

1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large pinch salt

Ground white pepper, to taste

Drain the yogurt in a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a bowl for 1 hour. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients. Serve as an accompaniment with any variety of foods or as a salad dressing.

Michelle really likes the yogurt cucumber sauce, so I do make it as a dipping sauce for other meals. It goes great with lamb, chicken or beef.

I served the whole meal with some corn on the cob and white rice to round things out. For dessert, since I had the grill on, I grilled some peaches and pineapple slices, Simply slicing the peaches in half and brushing them with a little olive oil and then brushing the pineapple also with olive oil and grilling both just until you get good grill marks on each, about 4 or 5 minutes. When I took them off the grill, I put just a touch of honey on each piece for some extra flavor.

That’s all for tonight’s meal. Tomorrow will be either pork chops or chicken drumsticks in one form or another, I haven’t decided yet. Check back and see what decide to do. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 26, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Grilling, Poultry, Sauce, Vegetables

Tags: chicken kabobs, cucumber yogurt sauce, lemon-herb sauce, yellow squash, yogurt cucumber sauce

Let the Week of Chicken Begin!!

25 Jun

As I said in yesterday’s post, I have an awful lot of chicken in the freezer and have decided to just cook out of the freezer this week. Tonight I started off with the bone-in chicken breasts. As usual, I wanted an easy recipe, not a lot of ingredients and a reasonable cooking time. As usual, America’s Test Kitchen did not disappoint by supplying this recipe for Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Sage-Vermouth Sauce. it doesn’t take long, gives you moist, juicy chicken and a very flavorful sauce for the chicken. This recipe calls for brining the chicken breasts for 30 minutes before cooking, but if you don’t have the time for that, you can go right to the roasting and it will also turn out well.

Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Sage-Vermouth Sauce

1/2 cup table salt

2 (1 1/2 pound) whole bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, split in half along the breast bone and trimmed of rib sections

Ground black pepper

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 large shallot, minced

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup dry vermouth

4 medium fresh sage leaves, each leaf torn in half

3 tablespoons butter, cut into 3 pieces

Salt and pepper

Dissolve the salt in 2 quarts of cold water in a large container; submerge the chicken in the brine, cover and refrigerate about 30 minutes. Rinse the chicken well and pat dry with paper towels. Season the chicken with pepper.

Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet (I used my large cast iron pan) over medium-high heat until the oil begins to smoke. Brown the chicken, skin side down, until deep golden, about 5 minutes; turn the chicken and brown until golden on the second side, about 3 minutes longer. Turn the chicken skin side down and place the skillet in the oven. Roast until the thickest part of the breast registers 160 to 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter and let it rest while making the sauce. (If you’re not making the sauce, let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving it)

Using a potholder to protect your hands from the hot skillet handle, pour off all but 1 teaspoon of the fat from the skillet; add the shallot, then set the skillet over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallot is softened, about 1 1/2 minutes. add the chicken broth, vermouth and sage, increase the heat to high and simmer rapidly, scraping the skillet bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits, until slightly thickened and reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Pour the accumulated chicken juices into the skillet, reduce the heat to medium and whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time; season with salt and pepper to taste and discard the sage. Spoon the sauce around the chicken breasts and serve immediately.

I served this with some mashed potatoes and broccoli, but you could easily use rice or noodles instead to go with the chicken. The sauce comes out great and has a wonderful flavor thanks to the sage and the vermouth.

That’s tonight’s meal, quick and easy. Tomorrow I have a choice between chicken legs and boneless chicken, but I haven’t decided which way I want to go with it yet. It will be a mystery until you check back tomorrow! Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 25, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Poultry

Tags: mashed potatoes, pan roasted chicken, pan roasted chicken with sage-vermouth sauce, sage-vermouth sauce

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? Apparently to Get to my Freezer.

24 Jun

I decided I wanted to cook meals out of our freezer all week since the freezer is packed full. We couldn’t fit a Ritz cracker in there if we wanted to. So I looked int0 there this morning and started pulling things out and noticed we have an awful lot of chicken in there of just about every variety right now. I have a whole chicken, boneless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, drumsticks and whole chicken breasts. Now I just have to figure out how I want to cook it all this week. I think I would like to try to grill as much of it as possible, but I haven’t quite figures out how I am planning to cook it all just yet. I also have some pork chops I plan to make this week as well, but for today I thought I would post a simple recipe I am doing for some bratwurst on the grill. i picked some up at Adams Farms in Newburgh, where they make their own bratwurst and they looked pretty good so I thought I would give them a try.

Beer Bratwurst

6 bratwurst

Beer, to cover (you can use whatever beer you like here. I am using a Sam Adams. I wouldn’t suggest using a strong stout as you may not like the flavor, but hey, to each his own 🙂 )

1 medium onion, sliced

1/2 stick butter

Place the bratwurst in a Dutch oven with the onions and butter. Cover the bratwurst with the beer. Bring to a boil over medium heat and reduce to a simmer until the bratwurst is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a grill to medium high heat. Remove the bratwurst from the Dutch oven and place on the grill. Grill until golden brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve the bratwurst on hot dog buns or sub rolls with the onions, sauerkraut, grilled onions, grilled peppers and/or mustard (onions and mustard are my particular favorites).

I love a grilled bratwurst where you get the crunch of the bratwurst and the spice mixed with the onions and the mustard, yum yum. Serve them with some potato salad or grilled potatoes and either corn on the cob or some grilled vegetables like zucchini, and you’re all set. And don’t forget to have some beer ready to go along with the brats.

Now I have to find some chicken recipes for this week. If anyone has some good suggestions, please pass them along! I’ll scout around and see what I can come up with for stuff on the grill this week and hopefully post them today or tomorrow. until then, enjoy your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 24, 2012 in Beef, Cooking, Dinner, Grilling, Poultry

Tags: beer bratwurst, chicken dinners, grilled bratwurst

A Friday Flank Steak

22 Jun

Sooner or later it’s going to cool off a bit around here. It’s been really, really hot here and of course I wanted to cook out today, but the thunderstorms we had here put an end to those hopes for today. I will still provide the recipe I had planned to cook today, which was flank steak with salsa verde (it was still too hot to cook tonight and since it was Sean’s last day of school before summer break we let him decide on a meal and he picked Chinese food, so that’s what we had). I still plan to make it, and when I do I will add a picture to this post. It seems like a pretty simple recipe that shouldn’t take long to make at all and it sounds delicious.

Flank Steak with Salsa Verde

2 cups loosely packed fresh parsley

3 scallions, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons capers, drained

Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

2 anchovy fillets

2 cloves of garlic, smashed

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the grill

Salt

1 flank steak (about 1 1/2 pounds)

Freshly ground pepper

For the salsa verde, pulse the parsley, scallions, capers, lemon zest and juice, anchovies, garlic, mustard and olive oil in a food processor until slightly chunky. Pour into a bowl and season with salt. Preheat the grill to high or place a grill pan over high heat. Pierce the steak all over with a fork and season with salt and pepper. Oil the grill or the grill pan; grill the steak, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare, turning once. Transfer to a cutting board and let the steak rest for 5 minutes.

Thinly slice the steak against the grain and serve with the salsa verde.

It can’t much easier than that. I plan to serve this with a tomato salad. I am going to slice some tomatoes, lightly season them with salt and pepper and pour a little extra-virgin olive oil on them. I may add some sliced avocado and some black olives to it as well. if you like, you could also add some sliced fresh mozzarella or feta cheese to round it out. This steak would also go well with some grilled asparagus or even some foil potato packets if you are grilling.

Just a quick recipe today. I am trying to plan the menu out for next week. Now that school is over and Sean will be home I want to try to get back to our menu planning. I am planning to use stuff out of our freezer all week next week, since the freezer is packed with food, so we’ll see what I can come up with. Until next time, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 22, 2012 in Beef, Cooking, Dinner, Grilling

Tags: flank steak, flank steak with salsa verde, salsa verde

It’s a Glorious Rainbow (Trout)

21 Jun

It’s ungodly hot here in New York today. The temperature earlier this afternoon was 99; now it’s down to 94. Luckily, I am not cooking tonight as we are going out to visit some friends for the evening. Instead, I’ll post the recipe for the meal I made on Monday, which was oven-roasted trout with potatoes. It’s a very simple meal with Tuscan roots that only takes a few ingredients and not much effort on your part. It does turn out a very delicious piece of fish with some simple, but tasty potatoes. Use a really good extra-virgin olive oil if you have one for this one; it will make a big difference in the flavor for the fish and the potatoes.

Oven-Roasted Trout with Potatoes

2 fresh rosemary sprigs (I didn’t use these, I used thyme sprigs instead. Michelle hates rosemary, I grow my own thyme and it works out just as well here)

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and ground white pepper, to taste

1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

4 trout fillets

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Set aside 1 rosemary(or thyme) sprig and finely chop the leaves of the other. In a small bowl, combine the chopped rosemary and the garlic. Season generously with salt and white pepper.

Oil a large baking dish. Arrange half of the potato slices in rows on the bottom, slightly overlapping the slices and the rows. Sprinkle evenly with one-third of the garlic mixture, drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil and dot with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Layer with the remaining potato slices, then top with one-third of the garlic mixture, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Cover the dish and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the potatoes are almost tender, about 20 minutes more.

Remove the dish from the oven and arrange the fish in a single layer on top of the potatoes. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining garlic mixture. Lay the rosemary (or thyme) sprig on top. Return to the oven and bake until the fillets are opaque throughout, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving directly from the baking dish.

This recipe, which I got from Williams-Sonoma, was a big hit with the family. I made some sugar snap peas to along as a vegetable to round out the meal. Everyone liked it and said they would gladly east it again, so I’ll have to make sure to keep the recipe around for the summer.

Okay, it’s too hot to do any more today, so I am done. Tomorrow I am planning to make a flank steak with salsa verde, so hopefully it won’t be too hot to do it. Check back tomorrow to find out. Enjoy the rest of your day, try to stay cool, and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 21, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Potatoes, Seafood

Tags: oven roasted trout with potatoes

Fried Catfish Redux and Bacon Braised Green Beans

11 Jun

I took the weekend off from blogging to spend some time with the family and have fun, but now its back to it! Tonight I made some fried catfish. I have made catfish before, and you can find the recipe here, so today I wanted to try something slightly different. Every recipe I could find really suggests that frying catfish is the best way to make it, and while it may not be the healthiest way to go, I have to admit it does turn out good. As I was searching around, I sent a Twitter message to America’s Test Kitchen asking them for some advice, and they shot back to me this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated for Pan-Fried Catfish. I broke out my trusty cast iron for this one since the one I have has higher sides than a regular skillet and works well when frying with oil. I find myself using the cast iron pan for most everything lately. It really retains heat well and I can throw it in the oven to roast as well. Anyway, back to the catfish:

Pan-Fried Catfish

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup fine-ground cornmeal

Salt and ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 large eggs

2-3 cups vegetable oil (I didn’t use this much, I cut it in half and it was fine)

2 catfish fillets, skin and dark fatty flesh just below skin trimmed, fillets cut in half lengthwise (I didn’t do this either; since it was just Sean and I for dinner tonight, I left the fillets whole and Sean and I split one and I saved the other for another meal)

Set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet, place the sheet on the middle oven rack and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Place 1/2 cup of flour in a wide, shallow dish. In a separate wide, shallow dish, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cayenne. in a third shallow dish, whisk the eggs with 1 tablespoon of oil until uniform.

Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels and sprinkle each side with salt and pepper. Drop the fish in the flour and shake the dish to coat. Shake the excess flour from each piece, then, using tongs, dip the fillets in the egg mixture, turning to coat well and allowing the excess to drip off. Coat the fillets with the cornmeal mixture, shake off the excess, and lay them on another wire rack set of a rimmed baking sheet.

Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a large heavy bottomed pot or cast iron pan over high heat until the oil reaches a temperature of 400 degrees. Place two catfish fillets in the oil and fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary to keep the oil between 385 and 390 degrees. Remove the fillets from the oil with a slotted spoon and lay them on a plate lined with several layers of paper towels; blot to help remove any excess oil. Transfer the fried fish to the wire rack in the warm oven. Bring the oil back up to 400 degrees and repeat the cooking process with the remaining fish fillets. Serve the fried fish with lemon wedges or dipping sauce.

Since I only made the two pieces, I didn’t have a second batch to make, but if you have larger pieces of catfish you may want to cut them down and do them in batches so as not to crowd them into the pan when cooking.

I had bought some fresh green beans in the store yesterday, so I thought I would make them as well and wanted to jazz them up a little bit, and what jazzes things up better than bacon? I got this recipe from the Food Network’s Anne Burrell. It’s an easy recipe, but takes a little time so you may want to get it started before whatever you are serving it with.

Bacon Braised Green Beans

Extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 pound bacon, diced

2 garlic cloves, smashed

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 pound button mushrooms, stemmed and sliced (I omitted these, other than me, no one in my house eats mushrooms, so out they went)

Salt

1 pound string beans, stems removed

1 cup chicken stock

Coat a large skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Add the bacon, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the bacon is crispy, about 5 minutes. When the garlic has become golden brown and very aromatic, remove it and discard.

Add the mushrooms (if using) to the bacon pan, season with salt, to taste, and cook until they become soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beans and the chicken stock, season with salt, to taste, cover and cook over medium low heat for 40 to 45 minutes. If the liquid reduces too much during the cooking time, add some water to make up the difference. Remove the lid and cook until almost all of the liquid is reduced. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

It’s not hard to make, it just takes a little longer than I thought it would. I reduced the liquid all the way down to almost nothing because it allowed the bacon to crisp up again and pick up the flavor from the chicken stock. I also served the dish with some white rice. All in all, I think it turned out pretty well.

I have a steak to cook tomorrow; I’m not sure how I am going to do it yet, but I’ll come up with something. If it’s nice enough out, I may throw it on the grill. Check back tomorrow and see what happens. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!