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.

Baked Haddock Fillets with Dill Pesto, Polenta Cakes, Oyster Mushrooms, and Roasted Carrots

Face it.  If it wasn't for the fact that I post photos on this blog, much of the food I cook would end up haphazardly mushed together in a bowl - all function, no form.  But sometimes, human beings are inclined to make the world a prettier place.  Much like the way we decorate our homes, create works of art, or put on makeup for special events, sometimes I like to take my everyday glasses-and-ponytail plates and turn them into prom queens. 


oyster mushrooms

In the recipe below, I've taken three very simple dishes - baked haddock, polenta, and baked carrots - and I've given them a special presentation with a bit of elegance.  Fresh dill is the glue that holds the recipe together.  Originally, I bought a large bunch of fresh dill for use in another recipe, but there was so much of it left that I needed to put the rest to use.  What better way than to transform it into a garlicky pesto?  The dill pesto's flavor complements each element of the dish, especially the oyster mushrooms, whose mild flavor and delightful texture add an earthy element that keeps this presentation grounded.  Try this recipe sometime when you're feeling artistic!




Dill Pesto

2 cups fresh dill (fronds only - discard the stems)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil*, plus more if necessary
pinch salt

Combine the ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Blend until the mixture is consistent and creamy. 


* This is probably the only instance in which I will ever encourage you to NOT use an extra-virgin olive oil.  Oils labeled "pure olive oil" or simply "olive oil" will work best with this recipe; flavorful virgin olive oils will overpower the other flavors in this recipe. 


Polenta Cakes with Dill

1 cup instant polenta (I prefer Pastene brand)
5 cups water
2 t. salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 T. butter
1/2 cup grated pecorino romano

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, bring the water, salt, and dill to a rolling boil.  Next, add the polenta in a steady stream, stirring quickly and constantly (this prevents lumps from forming).  Continue stirring, and once the polenta has thickened up considerably, add the butter and the pecorino.  Stir until they have melted into the polenta. 

Pour the polenta into a buttered 9x13 baking dish.  Set the polenta aside to cool for about 20 minutes, then using a round cookie cutter or the lip of a pint glass or tumbler, cut the polenta into round cakes.  Serve the extra polenta as leftovers. 


Baked Haddock Fillets with Dill Pesto, Polenta Cakes, Oyster Mushrooms, and Roasted Carrots

4 3-oz. haddock fillets
4 slices fresh lemon
4 T. butter
4 sprigs fresh dill
4 polenta cakes will dill (see recipe above)
4 very thin carrots with tops, tops trimmed to 1", halved lengthwise
1 bunch fresh oyster mushrooms, divided at base into 4 portions
1/4 c. dill pesto (see recipe above)
2 T. olive oil
splash lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350.  Place the haddock fillets skin-side down in a baking dish lined with foil (the foil doesn't aid the cooking, it just makes cleanup much easier).  On each fillet, place 1 T of butter and a sprig of dill, and top each with a slice of lemon.  Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. 

Once the fillets have baked for 10 minutes, add the carrots to the dish.  Bake for an additional 5 minutes.  In the meantime, place 4 polenta cakes in a separate baking dish.  Once the carrots have baked for 5 minutes, add the polenta cakes to the oven to warm them.  Bake for 5 more minutes, adding the oyster mushroom portions to the dish alongside the polenta rounds for the last two minutes of cooking. 

While the fish, polenta, carrots, and mushrooms are baking, thin the dill pesto with the olive oil and a splash of lemon juice. 

When you are ready to plate the recipe, spoon the thinned pesto into the center of each plate in equal proportions, reserving about a teaspoonful.  Place a polenta round in the center of the pesto.  Next to each polenta round, place one of the oyster mushroom portions, and finally, top the polenta cake with a fish fillet.  Use two of the carrot halves to border the polenta and fish.  Finally, dot the edge of the plate with the remaining pesto.  Serve with a chilled white wine.

Make Room for Mexican!

Even since I purchased my Spanish and Mexican cookbooks, I've had culinary tunnel vision.  But when I wind up cooking dinners like the one I made, I can't bring myself to think it's a bad thing!  Using a few simple, fresh ingredients, you can whip up a delicious Mexican feast in next to no time.  Most of the ingredients are easy to find, but you may have to search to find chayotes, which are a squash variety native to central America.  If you cannot locate chayote, substitute yellow summer squash.  Serve with seasoned rice.

Baked Snapper
juice of 1 lime
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 t. dried oregano
2 whole snapper, cleaned*

Preheat the oven to 350. In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, garlic, and oregano. Now, make shallow incisions in the bodies of the fish on each side.  Place the fish in a baking dish large enough to accomodate both fish without them touching, then pour the lime juice blend into the fish's cavities and rub into the incisions, as shown in the photo.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.  Serve with Veracruz salsa.   

* You can also use fillets of firm whitefish, such as cod or tilapia, if you don't want to use whole fish.  If the fillets are less than 1 inch thick, reduce cooking time to 20 minutes. 

Veracruz Salsa
generous splash olive oil
2 fresh serrano chiles
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
2 shallots, sliced into thin strips
4 tomatoes, diced
1/2 c. picked jalapenos
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 cup green pimiento-stuffed olives
generous grind fresh black pepper
salt to taste

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the chiles, garlic, bay leaves, and shallots, and cook until the shallot has softened, stirring intermittently.  Next, add the tomatoes, jalapenos, and cinnamon.  Cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until the tomatoes are no longer firm.  Now, add the olives and salt and pepper, and cook just until the olives are heated through.  Serve over baked fish.  This is also delicious added to rice.  　

Chayote Salad
2 chayotes, peeled and halved
2 tomatoes, diced
1 shallot, sliced into thin strips
3 T. olive oil
3 T. white wine vinegar
1 t. dijon mustard
1 t. anise seeds
salt and finely ground black pepper to taste

Boil the chayotes for 5-10 minutes, until the flesh has softened up a bit.  Let cool, then dice.  Combine the diced chayote and all remaining ingredients in a large glass bowl.  Serve cold.  　

Stinging Margaritas　
1/2 cup tequila
1 cup Simply Limeade
splash Triple Sec
1 serrano chile, halved
kosher salt mixed with a dusting of cayenne, to rim glasses

Combine all ingredients except salt in a cocktail shaker with a few ice cubes.  Shake for 30 seconds, then pour into margarita glasses rimmed with the spiced salt.  Recipe serves two. 

Around the World in Eighty Bites - Ireland

Playing off a popular stereotype about the Irish, a popular (and somewhat offensive) joke goes, “What do you call a six-pack and a boiled potato?  An Irish seven-course meal.”  Yeah, yeah, the Irish are known for their love for potatoes, but the sadly ironic fact is that potatoes became a staple in Irish cooking mainly because Catholics who were denied property rights needed to be able to feed their families cheaply and without grazing land for livestock.  Ladies and gentlemen, meet the nutritionally-dense potato, which was introduced to the Emerald Isle by traders and explorers and which originated in South America (specifically Peru, as my Peruvian friend informed me last night). 

Trust me, friends – there’s more to Irish cuisine than potatoes.  With its extensive seashore, fish and shellfish are very popular in Irish cooking, and a St. Patty’s Day feast would be incomplete without a loaf of crusty soda bread (with or without currants).  Kale and cabbage are turned into beautiful dishes, and the superb quality of Irish dairy and beef is appreciated worldwide.  Accents notwithstanding, my favorite thing to come out of Ireland is its delicious whiskey!

For my latest installment of “Around the World in Eighty Bites,” I decided to use traditional Irish ingredients – salmon, potatoes, and kale – cooked individually, but brought together with a delicious, decadently rich sauce based on Irish Whiskey and butter.  I picked up a pound of salmon and some oysters from Mercato del Mare last night, along with some curly kale at Alba’s Produce.  Sure, both of these spots are a little out of my way on a work night, but when you’re cooking with very few ingredients, each needs to stand out and not get lost on the plate.  This is especially true when you are entertaining – don’t subject your guests to garbage! 

To time this meal correctly, put the potatoes in the oven first, then put the salmon in the oven about 15 minutes later, and start the kale right after you close the oven door on the salmon.  Make the whiskey butter while the potatoes are broiling.  And - last but not least - go ahead and sip a little whiskey while you're cooking.  It builds character. 

Baked Salmon with Whiskey and Thyme

6 sprigs fresh thyme

1 pound salmon fillet, cut into 4 oz. strips

About ¼ cup Irish whiskey, such as Jameson

5 pats butter

Preheat the oven to 375.  Place the thyme sprigs crosswise in a rectangular baking dish, spaced about an inch apart.  Then, place the salmon strips, skin side up, across the thyme lengthwise, so the salmon and thyme are criss-crossed.  Splash the whiskey in the baking dish so that it evenly coats the bottom of the dish, and then place a pat of butter between each salmon strip (including between the end pieces and the walls of the dish). 

Place in the oven and bake for approximately 13-15 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through.  Serve with Whiskey Butter Sauce.

Whiskey-Braised Kale

1 pound kale, ribs removed

Splash Irish whiskey

¼ c. chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

4 sprigs fresh thyme

4 pats butter

Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan with a lid.  Cook over low heat until the kale is wilted.

Whiskey Butter Sauce

½ stick butter

Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh thyme

¼ cup Irish Whiskey

Pinch finely ground black pepper

Melt the butter and let it begin to brown slightly.  Now, add the thyme, whiskey, and pepper.  The butter will froth when the whiskey is added.  Cook over high heat until you can no longer detect a strong alcohol scent and the sauce has reduced slightly.  Whisk a few times with a fork or small whisk, and spoon over your salmon, potatoes, and kale. 

Red Potatoes with Whiskey and Thyme

1 pound red potatoes, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/3” slices

Splash whiskey

Leaves from 4 sprigs fresh thyme

Salt & pepper to taste

4 pats butter

Preheat the oven to 375.  Combine all ingredients except the butter in a baking dish, toss to coat the potatoes with the whiskey and spice mixture, then add the butter. 

Place in the oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes, stirring once or twice. 

Now, once the potatoes have cooked and the salmon is done, place the dish under the broiler and broil for about 5 minutes, or until the edges of the potatoes begin to turn golden.  Remove from the oven and serve with Whiskey Butter Sauce.

Oysters Camelot, Baked Salmon, and Truffle Fries

If the dinner I had last night sounds like something you'd see served up on a fine restaurant menu, good - that's exactly what I was going for.  However, fancy as it may sound, my meal took only 15 minutes to prepare, cost very little (although I admittedly had some of the ingredients in stock and didn't factor these into the price), and the results were delicious! 

The Island Creek oysters were $1 each.  Considering that a half-dozen oysters generally costs between $10-20 at a restaurant, that oyster shucking lesson I had last weekend paid for itself!  Oh wait - it was free.  Even better!  Any oyster lover should learn to shuck (shall I insert "go shuck yourself" joke here?).

So what is "Oysters Camelot," you may ask?  Here's the story behind the dish - while watching an episode of "Top Chef D.C." in which the contestants' challenge was to create a cold dish and serve it to the judges on the Presidential Yacht ("Think of the Kennedys," Judge Gail Simmons instructed the cheftestants), I decided that if I was a contestant, I'd serve oysters on the half shell.  But how would I make it interesting and relevant?  By serving them with an out-of-the-ordinary sauce based on our most famous political family, the Kennedys.  I used a little malt vinegar and Jameson whiskey to add a taste of Ireland and to honor Joe Kennedy's days as a bootlegger, seasoned  with finely minced shallot.

I combined the vinegar, whiskey, and shallot in a small bowl and spooned a few drops over each opened oyster, and voila!  Not only did I discover a delicious way to serve oysters, I had enough left over to use as a marinade for my salmon, which I simply baked at 425 for 10 minutes alongside my truffle fries.

Truffle fries - delicious, decadent, demystified.  A small bottle of black truffle oil and a jar of truffle salt is all you need to create these tasty treats at home.  Truffle oil usually costs between $5-15 per bottle, but since each drop contains massive blasts of flavor, you don't need much.  It will pay for itself over time, as it keeps well.  A jar of truffle salt will probably cost between $5-10, and the same principle applies.  The flavor-to-volume ratio is stacked in your favor.  The real way to make truffle fries is to slice a few russet potatoes lengthwise into thick strips, toss them with olive oil, and bake for 40 minutes in a 450-degree oven. As soon as you take them out of the oven, sprinkle them with a few drops of truffle oil and a few pinches of truffle salt, shake them up in a basket or bowl to distribute the seasonings, and serve piping hot. The time-saving way is to buy a premium brand of frozen French fries (Alexia Foods is my favorite brand - no trans fats, no artificial flavors, and no preservatives), bake according to instructions, and then season with the truffle oil and truffle salt as instructed above.

So there you have it - Dom Perignon flavors on a Franzia budget.

Croí follain agus gob fliuch!