Pan Fried Flounder (Haddock) with Poblano Corn Relish

Earlier this week Shea and I went to the grocery store and got all of the ingredients for this recipe. We bought an avocado, which was not quite ripe but was getting there. Yesterday I was home alone (Shea has night class), and I was hungry. I ate the avocado that Shea was planning on using for this recipe.

Shea was slightly annoyed when he came home and the I had eaten the avocado, but I promised that I would get a new one the next day. When the next day came around, I was feeling lazy and did not want to go to the store to buy the avocado, but in Shea's wisdom, he insisted that I did. And boy, it was worth it! This meal was one of my favorites we have ever made, and the avocado made all the difference in the relish.

We decided to use Haddock instead of Flounder, and used frozen corn instead of fresh corn. Both substitutions turned out perfectly well.

Pan Friend Flounder with Poblano Corn Relish
Courtesy of Food and Wine
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pan-fried-flounder-with-poblano-corn-relish

1. 1 large poblano chile pepper, cut into thin strips
2. 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
3. 1 small onion, thinly sliced
4. 1 ear of corn, kernels cut off
5. 1 garlic clove, minced
6. 1/2 large Hass avocado, diced
7. Juice of 1/2 lemon
8. 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
9. Salt and freshly ground pepper
10. Four 6-ounce flounder fillets
11. All-purpose flour, for dredging

1. In a large nonstick skillet, spread the poblano strips in an even layer and cook over high heat, without stirring, until lightly charred, 3 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and the onion and cook over moderate heat until the onion is lightly browned, 3 minutes. Add the corn and garlic and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Transfer the relish to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Gently fold in the avocado, lemon juice and cilantro and season with salt and pepper.
2. Season the flounder with salt and pepper. Dredge the flounder in the flour, shaking off the excess. In each of 2 large, nonstick skillets, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Add 2 fillets to each skillet and cook over moderately high heat until golden brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook just until the fillets are white throughout, about 1 minute longer. Transfer the flounder to plates and top with the poblano relish.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

My birthday is on March 15th, so naturally St. Patrick's day is a fun way to extend my birthday activities. This year, Shea and I decided to make the traditional corned beef and cabbage to start the day off right.

I originally wanted to "corn" my own beef, so I started searching the internet and fount Michael Rulhman's recipe (http://ruhlman.com/2012/03/corned-beef-recipe/). Shea convinced me that we should just buy a corned beef, and we ended up buying the Boar's Head corned beef (it was delicious and so easy).

All I did was boil the Boar's Head corned beef with the included spice packet in Guinness for about 4 hours; remove the beef, and then boil cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. 

To be honest, I was really impressed with out this dish turned out. I didn't know that I liked corned beef until this year, and now I hope that it becomes a birthday/St. Paddy's day tradition for us! Except maybe next year we will be brave and will "corn" our own beef...!

Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad

While on the search for some gluten-free and vegetarian recipes, I came across this delicious recipe at my favorite food blog, Smitten Kitchen. While I was worried that this wouldn't be substantial enough to eat as a main dish, it actually did fill both Shea and I up as an early lunch on a Saturday morning.

I had to cook my carrots for longer than the recipe suggests, more like 60 minutes. In the end, the extra time was totally worth it. I had perfectly soft carrots that were just beginning to caramelize. I also added a bulb of roasted garlic to my carrots for just a little bit of an added flavor boost. It was terrific!

Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad
Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/08/roasted-carrot-and-avocado-salad/

1 pound carrots, scrubbed or peeled and cut into two-inch segments (angled if you’re feeling fancy)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 an avocado, pitted and sliced (we had a mega-’cado and only used 1/4 of it)
Juice of half a lemon

Roast the carrots: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Toss the carrot chunks in a medium bowl with two tablespoons of the olive oil, cumin and as generous of a helping of salt and pepper as you like. (We like a lot. Especially with sweet things like carrots.)

Spread them on a roasting sheet (I lined ours with foil because despite having a dishwasher these days, old must-create-fewer-dishes-at-all-times habits die hard) and roast for about 20 minutes, or until tender and browned. Of course, roasting time will vary depending on the thickness of your carrots. Our heftier chunks took over 30.

Finish the salad: Once the carrots are roasted, arrange them on a serving platter with slices of avocado on top. Drizzle the salad with the last tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice and extra salt and pepper, if it needs it. Eat immediately.

Lentil Soup with Broccoli Rabe

After a weekend of eating lots of heavy foods during our NYC trip for Shea's birthday, we knew that we needed to eat something a little bit lighter this week. As per usual, we were looking for a recipe that we could make to eat for two nights in a row while Shea is at night class. We did a quick google search, and found this recipe for an easy soup that we already had most of the ingredients for at home.

The only two changes we made to this recipe were substituting 1 quart of water with 1 quart of chicken stock for some extra flavor, and substituting broccoli rabe with regular broccoli. After it was all done cooking, I thought the flavor was a little bit bland, so I added some hot paprkia, a little bit of cayenne, and a touch of cumin. When it was all said and done, it was a tasty and healthy dish!

Lentil Soup with Broccoli Rabe
Courtesy of Food and Wine
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/lentil-soup-with-broccoli-rabe

1. 2 tablespoons cooking oil
2. 1 onion, chopped
3. 2 carrots, chopped
4. 2 ribs celery, chopped
5. 1 clove garlic, minced
6. 1 pound lentils (2 cups)
7. 2 1/2 quarts water
8. 2 tablespoons tomato paste
9. 1 bay leaf
10. 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
11. 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
12. 1 pound broccoli rabe, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths (about 2 quarts)
13. Grated zest of 1 1/2 lemons

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the lentils, water, tomato paste, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the broccoli rabe until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.
4. Stir the lemon zest into the soup. Remove the bay leaf. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each serving with some of the broccoli rabe.

NOTES Variations
Omit the broccoli rabe. Shred ten ounces of raw spinach, escarole, or Swiss chard leaves and stir them into the soup five minutes before it's done.

The lentil soup is also delicious on its own, without any greens at all.