Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Salt Cod Brandade

• Ingredients:
  
• 
  
• 1/2 pound salt cod
• 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 head garlic
• 1/2 cup cream
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 pound Yukon potatoes
• 12 piquillo peppers
• 
  

Soak salt cod in cold water to cover for about 12 hours, changing the water twice during this period. 

Pour cream into a small saucepan, and add half a head of garlic. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to a minimum and infuse for 45 minutes. At the same time, pour 1/4 cup of olive oil into a small saucepan and add the other half head of garlic. Heat until garlic starts to sizzle, reduce heat to very low and infuse for 45 minutes. Strain cream and oil separately, and keep them warm.

 Combine 2 cups of the milk,  and the cod in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cook until cod flakes easily, about 15 minutes. While cod simmers, cook potatoes. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

 

Drain cod and potatoes, and transfer to a food processor. With machine running, slowly add the infused oil, followed by the cream. Pulse until smooth, then season with pepper to taste. Use a small spoon stuff 8 of the peppers with this mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve. (You can prepare the dish several hours in advance up to this point.)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Warm 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add stuffed peppers, and transfer to the oven for 20 minutes. 

Recipe from New York Times

Morrocan Pan Seared Fish with Orange Bell Pepper Tapenade

Ingredients

1 fish steak (salmon, halibut, sea bass)

1 orange bell pepper

1 tsp of morrocan tagine spice mix

3 tbsp of pine nuts

2 tbsp of parmesan (cream cheese or feta or goat cheese)

Canola oil

Olive oil

Lemon

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. To make tapenade; roast orange bell pepper, remove skin and dice. Mix the bell pepper in a blender with pine nuts, cheese and a bit of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and add some lemon. 

Season fish with salt and pepper and tagine spices. Heat a pan to high heat, add canola oil and sear fish to create a crust.  Then place pan  in the oven at 350 for 6 to 10 minutes. (optional to cover the pan and cook the fish in the pan at a lower heart. 

To serve spread tapenade over fish. Can be served along with couscous and steamed french green beans. 

Seafood Risotto

Ingredients:

1 chopped shallot

1 cup of arborio rice

2 cloves of garlic crushed

1 or 2 cup of seafood stock

1 small bottle of clam juice (optional)

1 teaspoon of dry thyme

1/2 cup of dry white wine (optional)

1/4 cup of light cream (optional)

1/2 cup of frozen peas (optional)

Seafood 

Can be done with shrimp only or a mix of shrimp and mussels, clams and scallops.

Olive oil

Lemon

In a large shallow pan saute the shallots and garlic in olive oil. Add the rice and toast for a few seconds, mix in the thyme. Deglaze with the white wine and when all the wine is reduced, add the clam juice stir constantly until it reduces. Then  start adding the seafood stock a 1/2 cup at a time. Stir and let reduce then add more stock. When the rice is almost cooked, adjust the salt and pepper and add the defrosted peas. When the rice is cooked blend in the cream if using.  

While the rice is cooking, saute the seafood in a pan with olive oil so it gets a slight golden color. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the rice in a dish and place the seafood on top of it. Put some lemon rind over the season and serve with lemon wedges on the side. 

Sardine, Chickpea and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

1 can of sardines

1/2 cup of cooked chickpeas

1 persian cucumber cubed

1 tbsp of parsley

2 tbsp of french feta or goat cheese (optional)

Olive Oil

Lemon

Combine all the ingredients and season with olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper

Fish "En Papillote" in a bed of CousCous

Ingredients

6 cherry tomatoes halved

(or some sun dried tomatoes)

2 Artichoke hearts (optional)

1 Steak of firm fish about 1/2 inch thick

(salmon, sea bass or cod)

1 small onion sliced thinly

1 clove of garlic chopped (optional)

2 springs of thyme or some basil

(or prepared pesto)

4 pitted olives 

1/2 Cup of couscous

1/2 cup of chicken broth

1 lemon cut in thin slices

Parchment Paper

Olive Oil

Preheat the oven at 375 degrees. In a small bowl cover couscous with chicken broth and let it stand for 10 minutes or until the couscous has soaked all the broth. Take a piece of parchment paper of about 20 inches and place the couscous in the middle. Season well with salt and pepper. Then put the slices onions and garlic over the couscous. Season the fish with salt and pepper on both sides and place it over the onions. Cover the fish with the lemons, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, and herbs. Take the two edges of the parchment paper and roll them down to seal the fish. With a stapler, staple the paper so it stays in place. Roll the sides and staple them also. Put the fish in the oven and cook for about 15 to 25 minutes depending on how thick the fish steak is. 

Moroccan Style:

Season with tagine mix, red pepper flakes. Make a bed of couscous. Cover the fish with raisins, parsley, shallots, and baby spinach. 

Asian Style:

Marinate the fish overnight in a mix of miso sauce, agave, grated ginger, mirin, and tamari. Cover the fish with chopped green onions, chopped bock choy and slices shitake mushrooms. Serve over cooked soba noodles drizzled with coconut or sesame oil and a splash of lemon. 

Calamari with Pimenton El Angel

Ingredients

3 squids cleaned and sliced

Pimenton El Angel to taste (Spanish smoked paprika)

2 tbsp of chopped parsley

1 splash of white wine

1 crushed and chopped garlic clove

1 tsp of lemon zest

Olive oil

Fry the squid in olive oil in medium high heat until sides turn light golden brown. Add garlic, lemon zest and sprinkle with Pimenton El Angel, lower the heat to medium cook for 1 more minute. Deglaze with a splash of white wine and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Birthday Bay Scallops Gratin

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium shallots, minced
• 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto di Parma, minced
• 4 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Pernod (optional)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1/2 cup panko (or breadcrumbs)
• 6 tablespoons dry white wine
• 2 pound fresh bay scallops
• Lemon, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place 6 (6-inch round) gratin dishes on a sheet pan.

To make the topping, place the butter in the bowl of an electricmixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you can also use a hand mixer). With the mixer on low speed, add the garlic, shallot, prosciutto, parsley, lemon juice, Pernod, salt, and pepper and mix until combined. With the mixer still on low, add the olive oil slowly as though making mayonnaise, until combined. Fold the panko in with a rubber spatula and set aside.

Preheat the broiler, if it's separate from your oven.

Place 1 tablespoon of the wine in the bottom of each gratin dish. With a small sharp knife, remove the white muscle and membrane from the side of each scallop and discard. Pat the scallops dry with paper towels and distribute them among the 3 dishes. Spoon thegarlic butter evenly over the top of the scallops. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the topping is golden and sizzling and the scallops are barely done. If you want the top crustier, place the dishes under the broiler for 2 minutes, until browned. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkling of chopped parsley and serve immediately with crusty French bread

Recipe from The Barefoot Contessa

Watercress and Sardines Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup of watercress

1/2 cup of canellini beans

1 can of sardines

2 green onions chopped

2 tbsp of mayonnaise, 

2 tbsp of lemon juice

2 tbsp of olive oil

1 tsp of dijon mustard

Spicy Shiraza sauce to taste

Make a creamy dressing mixing mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and spicy sauce.

In a bowl mix sardines, canellini beans, watercress and green onions. Add the dressing and season with salt and ground black pepper. 

Benefits of watercress

http://hubpages.com/hub/Health-Benefits-of-Watercress