Fish Friday: Yellowtail Snapper

So my husband met our favorite fisherman at the docks today to pick up our fish. This would basically be the only time in my life where I feel a bit like Ina Garten. But don't worry, that feeling will pass. We got some glorious yellowtail snapper, so fresh it was practically insulting. I decided to pan fry it and make a lemon butter pan sauce.

First I dredged the fish in flour seasoned with Paula Deen's house blend, then I added it to a pan sizzling with Smart Butter. (I usually work with real butter, so this was a risk.) The fish cooked perfectly on 3 minutes per side. The trick is to put the thicker fillets in the middle of the pan and the skinnier ones on the sides. Then I removed the fish and added a bit of flour, some more smart butter and the juice of half a lemon. I whisked all this together and then added some white wine. I stirred and stirred and then tasted. EW!!! Not good, I wonder if my lemons were just bigger than the ones called for in the recipe I was trying but ALL I could taste was lemon. I tried adding more wine and even some water, but I couldn't get the taste right. I poured it out, sauteed some spinach and made an Uncle Ben's 90 second rice bag of basmati rice and hoped for the best. The fish was delicious topped with a little fresh chopped parsley (the heat from the fish wilted it nicely), the rice needed a bit of butter and salt, the spinach was fine. I am danged disappointed in the pan sauce. Oh well, you live you learn, I just need another recipe.

Chicken in White Wine

I love wine. I don't drink enough of it at any one time to justify buying a bottle unless I am also going to cook with it, so you know I am ALL about cooking with it. Tonight I sauteed some seasoned chicken breasts in bacon fat (yes I did) and then removed them from the pan and sauteed some chopped onion. I deglazed the pan in white wine and let it reduce. Then I added a pat of butter and some mushrooms and mixed those together into a sort of duxelle. When they were cooked I reduced the heat to low and allowed the chicken breasts to continue to cook until done. Then I covered them to keep warm.

Meanwhile I added a handful of celery and baby carrots to my pressure cooker. I added some salt, 1 TB of butter, 1 C of brown rice and 3/4 C of "mushroom water". When you reconstitute dried mushrooms, the water they are left sitting in can be saved and frozen for future us, it adds delicious flavor. I added another 1 1/4 C of plain water to the rice as well and started it on high pressure for 25 minutes.

I then cut the stems off some brussels sprouts and a few of the tough outer leaves and microwaved them in a little butter and water and sea salt for about 5 minutes.

Right before I serve the plates I will remove the chicken from the pan and briefly wilt the last of my baby spinach, and serve the chicken on top of that.

My husband stopped at the store for milk and saw some gorgeous cream puffs in the bakery on his way to the dairy case. So... guess what we are having for dessert?

Oh yeah baby! I AM BACK!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken -- an experiment

I have never made this particular dish before, heck, I've never even HAD this particular dish before, but my husband saw it on a commercial for an Italian eatery that is at closest a 2 1/2 hour drive from here. (Seriously, I live closer to Cuba than I do a Walmart; but I digress.) Anyhow, through the wonders of the internet I was able to find some promising sounding recipes. I cobbled a recipe of my own from about 3 different internet links since I didn't have ALL of the ingredients in any one, or I wasn't willing to do something (like pan-fry) in another.

So without further ado, Parmesan Crusted Chicken!

I flattened 2 chicken breasts to a uniform thickness by placing the chicken in between two pieces of cling wrap and pounding them with the underside of my iron skillet. Then I salted, peppered and onion powdered the breasts. Then I took them through a standard 3-step dredge, first flour (shaking off the excess) then 2 beaten eggs, and finally my own bread crumb mixture, a blend of dried parsley flakes, oat meal, bread crumbs and freshly, finely grated parmesan cheese. Then I placed the breasts into a baking dish, lightly lubricated with olive oil. I popped them in the oven at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes.

For side dishes I am making some sauteed spinach with chopped onion and finished with a splash of balsamic vinegar. Also a simple steam in a bag mix of veggies, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli. Should be good. I will let you know how it comes out.