Recipe #27 - Parmesan-Potato-Crusted Halibut with Roasted Tomato-Zucchini "Salsa"

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I had a guest to cook for this time, which was very refreshing. I'm beginning to be able to read my parents' faces like a book whether they like or dislike the recipe. Probably not a good thing, lol.

So, I had the pleasure of meeting and cooking for the talented John Bukaty. He is a family friend of my third cousin, Billy Hodes and much of the Hodes family.  He generously donated a piece of art to my Silent Art Auction and Wine Tasting for St. Jude back in September.

John was headed through Memphis in the process of relocating in New Orleans and needed a place to stay for the night. Luckily for him, I'm on a cooking roll this year :)

Check out his inspiring story and impressive art work at http://johnbukaty.com.  

I found this recipe in the "Food Features" section of the Wednesday edition of The Commercial Appeal. It was titled "Dinner for Two", but, of course, when I cook it's never just a dinner for two. So, naturally, I doubled the recipe.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread the tomatoes and zucchini out on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes. Immediately transfer to a bowl and add the garlic, scallion, Italian seasoning and sherry vinegar. (The heat from the vegetables will soften the garlic, scallion and seasoning.) Set aside.

Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees. Combine the Parmesan, potato flakes, thyme and salt and pepper. Press even amounts onto the top side of the halibut filets. Heat the canola oil over medium-high heat.

Quickly flip each fish fillet, coated side down and cook until golden brown, but not browned. Carefully flip and sear the other side. Transfer to a baking sheet.

Finish cooking in the oven another 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve over the warm salsa.

I paired the fish with my father's last bottle of his homemade chardonnay that he brewed, bottled and donated to the Silent Art Auction & Wine Tasting event. It was bittersweet to watch it go, but muy tasty.

I paired the halibut with Recipe #26 - Snow Covered Green Beans. The lemon juice in the beans complimented the fish very well. This seems like a complicated recipe, but it went very smoothly, especially if you have a everything cut up and portioned before hand.

Bukaty made a comparison between cooking and painting before he left. He said that before starting a painting, like starting a recipe, you have to have all your "tools" laid out. You have to have your "ingredients" portioned out and you have to be able to visualize the end product.

I thought it was an extremely insightful observation. Being an artist and now becoming a cook, I was able to relate on both levels.

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Rating: 7
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
For the salsa:
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, or to taste

For the fish:
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mashed potato flakes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 (6 to 8-oz.) halibut fillets, skinned

Recipe #19 - Zucchini, Corn, and Basil Fusilli with Bacon

I wanted to make something with zucchini, mainly because I don't have a lot of experience with it and wasn't sure if I even liked it. I think that zucchini, like cauliflower, is not a very memorable veggie. No matter what one do it it seems.

This recipe was super quick and easy. Thirty minutes tops, start to finish. Probably even more quick if you bought pre-cooked bacon.

I started by cooking the bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp. Depending on how fatty the bacon, drain on paper towels; discard drippings from skillet.

Meanwhile, cook fusilli in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then add vegetables to pasta in pot and cook, partially covered, 2 minutes (water will stop boiling). Drain.

Add pasta with veggies to skillet along with pesto and 1/4 cup reserved cooking water and toss. Season with salt and moisten with additional cooking water if necessary (in my case it was necessary).

Serve onto a plate then top with crumbled bacon and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. I also added crumbled feta cheese, which was not part of the original recipe, but definitely added a little something something to it.

Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 7.5
Ingredients:
6 bacon slices
1 pound fusilli pasta (extremely cute pasta)
3 ears corn, kernels cut from cob (I used frozen corn)
1 1/2 pound zucchini, coarsely chopped (1/2 inch pieces)
1 (1- to 7- ounce) container basil pesto