Trout in Red Wine with Chiles, Cocoa, and Hazelnuts

If you have a fisherman in the family, surely you’re familiar with cooking trout in lemon butter or simply grilling them over a campfire. In Northern Italy, where trout is plentiful, it is often cooked red wine with lemon, cloves, parsley and dill. In France, Trout Amandine, a preparation featuring lots of butter and toasted almonds, is king. In Mexico, fresh trout are grilled with chiles, garlic, and lemon or lime juice.

Unable to decide which of these three traditional preparations I wanted to use on some fresh rainbow trout I scored at Mercato del Mare, I decided not to make a decision, but to whip together a recipe combining all three recipes. Cooked in red wine, topped with toasted hazelnuts, and simmered with chiles, garlic, and a bit of unsweetened cocoa, which adds depth to this dish just as it does in traditional Mexican molé sauce, you get to experience the best of three very different trout dishes!

Trout in Red Wine with Chiles, Cocoa, and Hazelnuts

For the trout:
2 whole trout, cleaned
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup / 235 mL red wine vinegar

For the sauce:
2 slices streaky bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon / 15 g butter
1 large shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 dried chiles, crushed
2 bay leaves
A few sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup / 235 mL dry red wine, such as Chianti or Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Juice and rind of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon / 5 g unsweetened cocoa powder*

To serve:
Handful minced flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup / 60 g toasted hazelnuts
2 tablespoons / 30 g. minced pea shoots
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Hazelnut oil*


First, place the trout in a glass or ceramic dish. Pour in the wine and minced garlic, shake, and set aside to marinate for a half hour.

While the trout is marinating, prepare the sauce. Using a heavy-bottomed pot large enough to fit both trout, heat the butter over medium-high heat, then add the bacon. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the bacon begins to crisp, then add the shallot, garlic, and chiles and continue to cook until the shallot begins to soften. Add the bay leaves, thyme, red wine, lemon juice and rind, and cocoa powder. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently to loosen up any browned bits of bacon at the bottom of the pot.

While the wine sauce is cooking, remove the trout from the vinegar and discard the vinegar and garlic. Place the trout in the pot with the wine sauce, shake the pan a bit to distribute the sauce over the trout, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 15-20 minutes, or until the trout flakes easily.

While the trout is cooking, combine the parsley, hazelnuts, pea shoots, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

To serve, use a fish spatula to transfer each trout to a warmed plate. Sprinkle the inside of each trout with the parsley/hazelnut/pea shoot mixture, and sprinkle on top as well. Drizzle each trout with hazelnut oil, and serve piping hot alongside roasted potatoes.

* To purchase ingredients used in this recipe, click the link(s) below:

Scharffen Berger Cocoa Powder (Google Affiliate Ad)

La Tourangelle Roasted Hazelnut Oil (Google Affiliate Ad)

Nutritional information: serves two. 711 calories, 25 g fat, 10 g carbohydrates, 45 g protein.

Turbot in Sherry Cream Sauce with Cranberries and Porcini Mushrooms

If you read Bacon, Butter & Booze on a regular basis, you know that there is little that excites me more than cooking with something I’ve never tried before. When I saw turbot featured in Mercato del Mare’s “Today’s Catch” newsletter, I couldn’t wait to try it!

Turbot is a flat fish, similar to flounder or sole, with a delicate flavored flesh and a texture similar to cod. Be careful not to overcook it, and you’re in for a real treat! Turbot is often simply cooked in a wine sauce, but I’ve dressed it up a bit in a Spanish-inspired cream sauce featuring seasonal touches of cranberry and porcini mushroom. This recipe is perfect to serve on a crisp, cold night with roasted potatoes and a glass of aged sherry.


Turbot in Sherry Cream Sauce with Cranberries and Porcini Mushrooms

For the Cranberries and Porcini Mushrooms:
¼ c. amontillado sherry
¼ c. unsweetened dried cranberries
1 T. dried porcini mushroom bits*

For the Turbot:
1 lb. /455 g. turbot fillets
¼ c. amontillado sherry
Pinch salt

For the Sherry Cream Sauce:
2 T. olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch saffron threads*
¼ c. amontillado sherry
2 t. fresh thyme
½ c. heavy cream
Cranberries and Porcini Mushrooms, as prepared above
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

A few sprigs fresh thyme, for garnish


Start by preheating the oven to 350, then prepare the cranberries and porcini mushrooms. Heat the sherry in a saucepan or in a microwave, almost to a boil. Pour over the dried cranberries and dried porcini mushrooms; set aside.

Now, place the turbot fillets in an ovenproof baking dish. Pour the sherry over the fillets and sprinkle with salt. Place in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the sauce. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, then add the garlic and the saffron. Saute, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes or until the garlic becomes fragrant and turns golden. Do not let the garlic burn! Next, add the sherry and cook for a minute or so more, stirring constantly. Add in the thyme, heavy cream, the cranberries and porcini mushrooms along with the sherry that they soaked in, and salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir constantly for another minute or so.

Next, take the fish out of the oven. Using a fish spatula or a pancake turner, lift the fish from the baking dish and place on individual plates. Pour the sauce over each portion of fish, and garnish each plate with a sprig or two of fresh thyme.


* To purchase ingredients used in this recipe, click the link(s) below:

Fungus Among Us fam001 Fungus Among Us Organic Porcini Mushrooms- 2x0.5oz (Google Affiliate Ad)

Frontier Saffron 1 gram Bottle 18401 (Google Affiliate Ad)

Nutritional info: 313 caloreies, 16 g fat, 10 g carbohydrates, 18 g protein.

Blackened Grouper with Tequila Sunrise Slaw

I’ve been back from Florida for over a week, but apparently no one told my tastebuds. Each day since I’ve been back has been filled with citrus fruits, Island-inspired seafood recipes, and a few lovely Cuban-style black bean dishes. When I opened Mercato del Mare’s newsletter on Friday and saw that they had fresh Florida grouper for sale, I began to truly believe that while my brain belongs in Boston, my stomach belongs in Key West.

I wanted to serve something crunchy and cool with a little bit of a kick alongside the grouper, which I immediately knew I’d serve blackened. I’m still a little hazy on how my idea evolved and how I ended up inspired to make a slaw based on the tequila sunrise, a classic cocktail made with tequila, orange juice, and grenadine, a dark red syrup made from pomegranates or black currants. However I landed here, I sure am glad I did—this dish worked so well that it may be my signature summer dish going forward!


Blackened Grouper with Tequila Sunrise Slaw

For the Slaw:
1 large orange- zest in thin strips, segments diced
1 small jicama, grated with the large holes of a box grater
1 fresno chile, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 green onion, sliced
½ t. / 3 g dried chipotle flakes
2 T. / 30 mL tequila
2T. / 30 g pure pomegranate juice
1 T. / 15 mL olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Grouper:
6  2.5 oz. / 70 g portions grouper fillet
olive oil
Cajun seasoning

First, prepare the slaw by mixing all the ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Now, prepare the grouper. Heat a large cast-iron frying pan over the highest heat. It is hot enough when a drop of water dances across the surface rather than sizzling. Brush each grouper portion with olive oil, then coat in Cajun seasoning. Add the grouper to the hot frying pan and cook for about 1-2 minutes per side, or until the coating starts to turn black. Note, this process will create smoke – if you don’t want to deal with your smoke alarms, make sure to have your windows open and air circulating.

Divide the slaw into six portions and place on small plates, then place a portion of blackened grouper on top of the slaw on each plate.

Nutritional information: serves 6. 144 calories, 4 g fat, 10 g carbohydrates, 16 g protein.

Nothing on my "To-Do" List But Eating, Drinking, and Relaxing!

Peter Gibbons, my hero!
taken from examiner.com

It’s not very often that I find myself able to simply sit down, relax, and watch a movie. All too frequently, my free time is spent at the gym, in the kitchen, or locked in my room furiously scribbling away thoughts and stories in any one of a dozen active notebooks. But on Friday night, after a jam-packed week at the office, I treated myself to a night of nothing.


Once the work day was finally done, I bolted out the door, scrambling to get to Salumeria Italiana before close. I made it in time and filled my basket with an assortment of goodies, including burrata and taleggio cheeses, farro pasta, and a jar of eucalyptus honey produced by Alce Nero, a group of organic farmers based in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region. Somehow I resisted the salumi counter―no small feat, considering what a rare occurrence it is for me to leave this shop without at least a few strips of their 24-month prosciutto.

Treats in tow, I rounded the corner onto Hanover Street, on my way to The Wine Bottega, where the team was pouring French, Italian, and Portuguese wines from Oz Wine Co., a Massachusetts-based importer of organic/biodynamic/sustainable wines. I left with two wines: an Aglianico-based red from Campania featured in the Oz array, and a recommended Montepulciano d’Abruzzo that I passed on my way to the cash register but couldn’t pass up when I saw that it was only $12.00.

Next stop? Mercato del Mare, because a food-gathering excursion to the North End that doesn’t include oysters is like a martini without an olive. I left with 6 Onset oysters from Buzzards Bay, MA, as well as a half-pound of local cod and inspiration for an interesting mignonette (recipe below).

Finally home!  I changed into pajamas, uncorked the Montepulciano, threw “What About Bob?” in the DVD player, shucked my oysters, plated my cheeses, kicked up my feet, sipped my wine, and basked in the glory of doing nothing. It was everything I thought it could be!



Curry Mignonette for Oysters

1 t. malt vinegar
1 T. mild white vinegar
1-2 drops vanilla extract
Dash hot curry powder

Stir the ingredients together in a small bowl; use a few drops to season oysters on the half-shell.


 

Onset oyster, Buzzards Bay, MA

 

Onset oyster with Curry Mignonette



Burrata - Cow's Milk; Puglia, Italy

Taleggio - Cow's Milk; Lombardy, Italy - drizzled with Alce Nero Eucalyptus Honey

Restaurant Week, Links I Love and Live By

Last night, my kitchen went unoccupied.  My friends and I took advantage of the Restaurant Week deals, and Umbria cooked for me!  Boston's Restaurant Week allows diners to choose three courses - a starter, an entree, and a dessert - for a fixed price.  Some restaurants offer more choices than others, and Umbria offered many more choices from the regular menu than many of the other restaurants.  I chose the tomato-basil soup, pappardelle with wild boar ragu, and cannolis.  Each course was sheer perfection.  My friends tried the house-cured prosciutto, seared ahi tuna, jumbo lump crabmeat, and filet mignon, which apparently had the texture of butter (Butter?  Yay!).  Rave reviews all around.

I'd love to try and duplicate the pappardelle with wild boar ragu, but A) where the heck do I find wild boar in Boston? and B) they garnished it with shaved black truffle.  I can't afford ingredients that are kept in locked cases.  I guess I could substitute pork shoulder for the wild boar, and I could drizzle the plate with truffle oil, but it would not be the same.  Umbria, I think I'm in love with you. 

Because I have no recipes to share today, I'll share the links to several food-related websites that I visit regularly.  Some are vendors, some are informative, and some simply inspire me. 

I'll start with the blog that started it all - my roommate's sister, Amy, started a food blog, and my roommate thought I'd be interested.  I was.  Her reflections on learning authentic Asian cooking are what inspired me to start my own blog.  I've always wanted to write about food, but I never knew where to start.  Amy's blog showed me how fun it is to follow someone's culinary journeys, so if you like my blog, check hers out:  Amy Learns to Cook and Bake. 

Culinate - this website makes me want to eat.  And eat.  And eat some more.  Whether its authors are sharing recipes, reflections and insights, information about varieties of food and agricultural practices, or profiling well-known chefs and cookbook authors, Culinate always leaves me inspired and hungry.

Mercato del Mare - they taught me how to shuck oysters, and they may have created a monster.  Their website features a list of what's available in the store each day, recipes, and a super-fun, super-informative fact sheet on different varieties of seafood!  If you live in or near Boston, stop in sometime and see why I rave.

Salumeria Italiana - This is where I buy my bottarga and cotechino sausages.  When I need authentic Italian ingredients, I know they're only a few T stops away.  The store employees are more than happy to help you find whatever you are looking for, only I must warn you - everything looks so delicious that you'll probably leave with about four times as many items as you intended to purchase.  And for non-Bostonians, they ship to all 50 states!

Local Harvest - This website allows you to search your geographic area for locally grown organic produce, humanely raised meats, and other local food products such as tea, honey, jam, etc.  I support sustainable agriculture and non-industrial farming methods, especially where meat is concerned - it is better for the animals, it's better for us, and it's better for the environment.  Check out what's available near you! 

Slashfood - A great website featuring articles about all things food.  Their photography is so fabulous that I can almost taste the pictures!

iGourmet - I routinely scour this website in search of hard-to-find imported items. 

Harvest Co-op - This is where I buy bulk herbs and spices, rice, beans, nuts, grains, etc.  Great selection of organic bulk goods, sustainably raised meats, and vegan meat and dairy substitutes.  They also have a great selection of organic wines, and the South Street location always plays good music!  Many co-ops in the eastern U.S. honor Co-op Advantage coupons; check out the last page to see if your local co-op particpates. 

I hope these links excite you as much as they excite me.  Soon, I will fire up the stove again, but until then, arrivederci!

Weekend Update...

So much food to report on this weekend!  I'll start with Friday's farmers' market at Copley Square, where I picked up three peaches, a pound of Italian green beans, two purple peppers, four heirloom tomatoes, and a pound of callaloo.  Yes, callaloo.  I've never tried it before, but that's the point of this blog - trying new things and sharing my excitement when I find things I like. 

Outside of the two hours I spent at the animal shelter, today was devoted to food.  After leaving the shelter, I hopped on the T and headed to the North End to learn how to shuck oysters at Mercato del Mare's "Shuck U," a free oyster-shucking lesson which they offer every Saturday afternoon.  Shucking wasn't as easy as I thought it would be!  My first oyster was a bit of a chore, but with a little guidance I got the hang of it.  I cannot wait to buy my own oyster knife so I can slurp fresh oysters in my living room! 

I didn't leave the store with only knowledge; I also picked up a half-pound of cod and a half-pound of cockles so I could try out a version of a recipe I saw in the latest La Cucina Italiana (spoiler alert - it was delicious!).  Cheers to the staff at Mercato del Mare - their friendliness, their selection, and the wonderful neighborhood vibe sets them apart from other stores in Boston, and the fact that they have squid ink in the cooler has given me the motivation to get my rear end to the North End more often.  I didn't buy the squid ink today, but trust me - there's black pasta in my future. 

Once I got back to my apartment, I made a small batch of fresh pasta, delicious stuffed peaches, and finally, I made the main course - baked cod with cockles and tomatoes over fresh tagliatelle. 

Generally, I prefer cooking with salt cod over fresh since I feel it's easier to get the right texture from salt cod, but I gave the fresh stuff a shot, and boy am I glad I did!  Baked about 5 minutes per side, it was tender, flaky, and didn't have even a hint of dryness.  Here's a visual of the finished product:

Tomorrow, I'll post recipes and upload photos, and I'll tweet my progress as I make Callaloo, a Carribean stew similar to gumbo made with - duh - the callaloo leaves I bought yesterday.  Now go eat something!