Trout and Leeks

When I went to my local fish market yesterday the least expensive thing they had next to cod was trout filets. I picked up a pound and wondered how I would make this typically bland protein sing. Over the next 24 hours I hit on a plan: I would season the filets, bake them in foil and serve them over leeks, parsnips and a fancy rice blend.

The rice was a no brainer--we just followed the directions on the package and proceeded with the rest of the meal.

The key to the whole dish was the leeks and parsnips and Nina took the lead on this part of the dish. The first step was to slice both very thinly. Then she sauteed the parsnips in a healthy dose of oil until they started to turn transparent. At that point she added the leeks and allowed the mixture to sautee until the parsnips were well carmelized and were sticking to the bottom of the cast iron frying pan. Once the leeks were also transparent she removed the mixture from the heat and kept it on warm.

In the meantime Nina grated two tablespoons of ginger and sliced a lemon into thin slices. She then took the filets and placed about a tablespoon of thin butter slices on them, spread the ginger over them, and placed two lemon slices on each. She then wrapped the filets in foil and pre-heated the oven to 350 degrees. When the oven was hot she baked the fish for about 20 minutes.

We plated the meal by first laying down a bed of rice, then a layer of leeks and parsnips, and finally the fish on top. It was a bit tricky to get the filets on there in one piece, but with two spatulas we managed.

A Solid Meal

A couple of weeks ago we had a few chicken breasts left in the meat drawer. Maybe it was because Nina's cousin Ana was staying with us for a few days--a reminder of our wedding--or maybe it was because I just really felt the need to finally try making a couple of these dishes myself, but yesterday I went entirely by the Krstic family playbook: Vienna schnitzel (made w/ chicken instead of pork), dill and parsley peas, and potato salad.

To give the master her due, I ceded the pea preparation to Nina. My understanding of the process, though, is as follows. Let two pounds of frozen peas thaw at room temperature for one to two hours. Dice one large onion into pea-sized pieces. Chop about two cups of fresh dill and about one cup of fresh parsley very finely. Sautee the onions in a few tablespoons of vegetable oil until translucent. Add the peas and enough water to make the peas float. Add vegeta (a Serbian spice blend) until the water tastes salty (about two tablespoons). Cook the peas on a low simmer for about twenty minutes. Add the parsley and dill and allow to cook for two to three additional minutes. Slowly add cornstarch while stirring until the mixture is slightly viscous. Serve warm.

The potato salad I felt competent to conquer myself. I cubed about ten potatoes and then boiled them in salt water until I could just pierce them with a fork. I then drained them and ran cold water over them and allowed them to cool while I prepared the rest of the dish. That consisted of about three quarters of a cup of finely diced "dry neck" (a kind of cured pork) and two or three diced onions. I sauteed the dry neck in two to three tablespoons of oil until they started to brown. I then added the onions and continued to sautee until the onions were translucent. I tossed the potatoes gently with the sauteed onions and meat, perhaps a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Chill before serving.

The Vienna schnitzel is fun to make as long as you like to get dirty. Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally and pound the halves until they are very thin. Coat them in lightly beaten egg, then mustard (I like Gulden's spicy brown) and finally dredge them in bread crumbs. Fill a skillet with enough vegetable (or similar) oil to just cover the cutlets and heat it until it just starts to shimmer. Fry the chicken in the oil until the bread crumbs brown slightly. As long as you keep the oil temperature steady the chicken should just finish cooking when this happens.

This hearty meal is a bit like a happy meal: all of a kid's favorite flavors without a lot of attention to balance, but man is it good! Prijatno!

Nina's Birthday

As usual I was determined to serve Nina a truly special dinner for her special day. Since she declined to make any requests, I devised a menu. The weather in the past week or so has taken on the crisp edge of fall, so I decided to go for hearty, homey flavors. For an appetizer I selected Butternut Squash Soup. The choice of entree meat--pork--was not necessarily related but my choice of an apple and leek puree seemed to me to do justice to the fall theme. I thought Potato pancakes made the perfect starchy complement to the meat and puree. I was stuck for a long time on a side dish, and the ultimate outcome is admittedly more August than October, but since it came to me in a dream I could not decline my muse: sauteed zucchini and cherry tomatoes. For dessert I served that old standby: grilled pears with vanilla ice cream. Recipes follow.

Butternut Squash Soup
Lacking squash soup experience, I turned to allrecipes.com for guidance and selected a likely candidate. My only innovation was to add just a dash of mace and a dot of cinnamon. In retrospect I should have added considerably more salt and pepper, but overall the result was delicious.

Pork
I selected a couple of comely bone-in pork loin chops to start with. These I marinated for about seven hours in the following:

• 3 to 1 apple cider vinegar to olive oil
• 3 to 1 finely dried sage to chopped fresh rosemary
• Honey in about half the amount of the herbs
• A small amount of salt

Shoot for about one cup of marinade per pound of meat.

When they were done marinating, I grilled the chops on direct medium, turning them halfway through. I also added a substantial dose of applewood smoke.

Puree
The puree was absurdly simple: I sliced the tender portion of a few leeks and cored and sliced a comparable amount of apple. These I boiled together until soft. I then blended the mixture with some sour cream. The one lesson I learned is that sour cream is best used sparingly. The puree was spooned over the pork chops and potato pancakes for serving.

Potato Pancakes
Although I know that Cook's Illustrated has a great article on potato pancakes I had no idea where to find it when I started, and thus found myself relying once more on allrecipes.com. I used this recipe, but to ensure that the pancakes would not be slimy inside I first blanched the shredded potatoes. In hindsight I also could have been more aggressive with the salt.

Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes
Nothing special here: I simply cut some fresh zucchini into small pieces and sauteed them together with some diced onions. The cherry tomatoes I cut into wedges and added them with the spices to cook until just soft. The spices consisted of a healthy dose of dried basil, some dried oregano, and some salt and pepper.

Grilled Pears w/ Vanilla Ice Cream
Grilled pears are a complete no-brainer but taste sooo good. I prefer Bosc pears, which I prepped (actually Nina prepped them--I'm sure she helped with other things here as well that I'm forgetting) by brushing them with a little melted butter mixed with cinnamon. I then grilled them on direct medium heat until tender. Serve over ice cream.

Overall the results were delicious, and unless Nina is lying to me in the most egregious manner she thought so too. Happy Birthday, Nina!!

A Dinner Party

On Friday, September 26th, we held a dinner party for some close friends. The menu consisted of chicken, dill and parsley peas, garlic green beans and mashed potatoes. The big winner was the dill and parsley peas, one of Nina's specialties.

Dill and Parsley Peas

• 1 lb. frozen peas
  
• 1 medium onion
• 1 cup fresh dill
• 1/3 fresh parsley
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Vegeta
  

Chop the onions into pea-sized pieces. Saute them until slightly translucent and then add the frozen peas. Continue to cook until the peas are thawed. Add Vegeta to taste. Simmer for about 20 minutes to infuse the seasoningin to the peas and onions. Add dill and parsley. Stir in corn starch slowly until the dish is thickened slightly.

The only reason the garlic green beans were not the number one dish is that the peas were superlative. Usually the green beans make the night.

Garlic Green Beans

• 1 lb. green beans
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt to taste

Heat the garlic in the oil over low heat for at least 30 minutes. Make sure that the garlic does not crisp or burn. Steam the green beans until they are slightly softened--they will turn bright green when ready. Drain the green beans and toss in the garlic oil, adding salt to taste.