Iron Skillet Seared Swordfish

Iron Skillet-Seared Swordfish Fillet

I'm not a fan of a monochromatic dinner plate - boring to say the least! But, I only had yellow tomatoes, no red ones in the kitchen, so monochromatic it was! However, the finished meal was delicious...well at least the swordfish was! The onion rings were Alexa brand  - and very good - but I had nothing to do with those. The tomatoes were heirloom and there were only yellow ones left out of the box, so, yellow it was. The swordfish...well anything that's basically white to begin with, which will become golden when grilled or sauteed, so we have a monochormatic dinner plate. Not pretty, but damn good delicious! 

The Throw-n-Go:

1 lb. or so swordfish steak
2 TrueLemon packets (use fresh squeezed lemon juice if you must)
fresh ground Tellicherry pepper (if you're lucky to have those tellicherry pepper corns)
grape seed oil

salt to finish

Heat your iron skillet to just smoking. In the meantime, wash and dry the swordfish fillet. On each side, sprinkle one packet of TrueLemon, fresh ground pepper and a smear of grape seed oil. When your skillet is smokin' hot, slap the sworfish fillet down and let it sit there for about 6 minutes. Flip it and let it sear for another 4 or so minutes. Turn off the heat, put a lid over it and let it rest for up to 10 minutes. And then LOVE it!

~~~

YUM!

'till we feast again! 

xoabb

Mushroom Risotto

Mushroom Risotto Topped w/Parsley

I've never attempted to make risotto - frankly it scared me! So, last Saturday I decided to try and conquer my fears and attempt to make an edible mushroom risotto. Since it was only George Brynnly and me eating, I knew if necessary I could throw the whole thing out if it turned out to be horrid. All three of us were pleasantly surprised it wasn't horrid - it was delicious! I found the recipe on the SimplyRecipes.com website. And now, without further ado, here's the throw n go: 

2 T. butter
2+ C. mushrooms (I used a large package of pre-sliced white mushrooms)
2/3 C. vermouth (or brandy)
5 - 8 C. stock (I used a bit of chix bullion and the rest beef as that’s all I had)
1/3 C. minced shallots or onion
2 C. arborio rice
1/3+ C. parmesan cheese (good quality)
salt & fresh-ground pepper to taste
2 T. chopped parsley

Bring stock to a simmer in a sauce pan. Melt butter in a deep, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and shallots/onions and sauté about 5 minutes, or until the onion/shallots are transparent. (If using fresh chanterelles, dry sauté first for a minute or two and let the mushrooms cook in their own juices before adding the butter.) Add the rice and stir to combine. Add vermouth or brandy, bring to a boil, and reduce liquid by half, about 3 - 4 minutes. Add simmering stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring to keep the rice from sticking to the edges of the pan. Stir the rice almost constantly — stirring sloughs off the starch from the rice, making the creamy sauce you’re looking for in a risotto. Wait until the stock is almost completely absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup. This process will take about 25 minutes. The rice should be just cooked and slightly chewy. Taste it! Stir in the parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place in a serving bowl and garnish with the parsley. Serves 6 - 8.

If you have left-overs, form them into patties, coat in panko breadcrumbs if desired, and sauté in butter till nicely browned. Top with some parmesan - and if you have it (I didn't), a bit of marinara sauce:

risotto rice cakes - packed for tomorrow's lunch,
along with chicken tetrazzini, there in the left-hand corner

Our meal:

hickory-fired strip steaks, oven-roasted broccoli, mushroom risotto

~~~

YUM!

'till we feast again! 

xoabb