Fish Wrapped in Vine Leaves with Yogurt Sauce

About 10 years ago a vine appeared in my garden and wound around the fence, looking beautiful.  It disappeared when the weather turned cold but reappeared each spring.  I finally took a good look at the leaves last year and realized the visitor was a grape vine. When I saw a recipe for cooking fish wrapped in vine leaves I was determined to give it a try using my very local grape vine.  If you don't have your own grape vine, buy a jar of preserved leaves.  I do not remember the source of this recipe but I got it from a Mediterranean cookbook.  This is my first try at steaming fish.  Shmooshed yukon gold potatoes and roasted asparagus complete the meal.

Be sure to make the yogurt sauce.  It is delicious.

12 large vine leaves, fresh or preserved

4 skinless turbot fillets (7 oz. each, checked for bones)

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 sprigs fresh dill

grated zest of 1 lemon

Cook leaves in boiling water ( 30 seconds for preserved, 5 minutes for fresh leaves).  Drain, pat dry with paper towels.  

Prepare steamer saucepan partially filled with water and bring to a simmer.

Place vine leaf, shiny side down, on work surface.  Slightly overlap another leaf, shiny side down.  Finally, place a third leaf in the center.  Place a turbot fillet in middle of leaves, season with salt and pepper and top with a dill sprig and a quarter of the lemon zest.  Wrap one fish fillet in leaves and turn edges in.  Repeat with 3 other fish fillets.  Arrange the 4 parcels in a steamer.  Cover and steam gently for 10 minutes or until the fish feels firm when pressed.

Yogurt Sauce

3/4 cup yogurt

3/4 cup ground walnuts

2 tsp. finely chopped dill

1 garlic clove, minced

While the fish is steaming, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl.  Serve the sauce alongside the steamed fish parcels.

Serves 4 

NOTES: I couldn't find turbot so I used flounder fillets. 

The sauce is delicious on any plain fish and many different vegetable dishes  This recipe makes more than is needed for one meal and is extremely easy to prepare.

Zucchini and Mushrooms, Indian Style

As you can tell, I love to use my Indian spices to prepare veggies.  This combination of zucchini and mushrooms tasted wonderful with the addition of a few spices.

1 tbl. vegetable oil
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 dried red chili pepper
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. garam masala
3 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
1 lb. mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (I used a combination of shitake and brown mushrooms)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbl. dried, unsweetened coconut, optional

Heat corn oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  When oil is hot add ginger, garlic, red pepper, mustard seeds and garam masala.  Saute about 1 minute mixing ingredients together.  Add the zucchini to the skillet and mix it with the seasonings. Cook over medium heat until almost tender, stirring a few times. Add the mushrooms and combine all the ingredients. Stir occasionally until the mushrooms are tender.
Add salt and pepper, to taste and the coconut, if using.

Crunchy Swiss Chard

  You don't normally think of swiss chard as crunchy but adding mustard and cumin seeds before sauteeing the greens, transforms them.  Toasted sliced almonds,  added at the last minute, provides even more oomph. Swiss chard has never tasted this good before.

1 tbl. vegetable oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 of an onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bunch swiss chard, leaves and stems separated and chopped
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, lower heat and add the cumin and mustard seeds.  Cover skillet until the mustard seeds stop popping.  Add the onion and garlic and saute until onion is translucent. Add the chopped stems and continue to saute until the stems are tender.  Add the leaves and toss mixture with a big spoon.  Continue to cook the greens, mixing the ingredients occasionally until the greens are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste and sliced almonds.  Toss all and serve.

Serves 4 as a side dish

Note: The greens are also delicious at room temperature

Tandoori Spiced Chicken Breasts

Rachel came in from Portland Oregon to spend a few weeks in New York and see the family. For our first family dinner, I made this delicious spicy chicken dish. Served with basmati rice and stir fried veggies, we had a wonderful Indian feast. The recipe is modified from the one in Gourmet's April 1999 issue. It is a keeper. Please do not be turned off by the long list of spices. There is nothing difficult about the preparation and if you don't have one of the spices, simply omit it.

For spice paste

1 large garlic clove

1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1 small, fresh red or green chile

1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt

1 tbl. fresh lemon juice

2 tsps. grated peeled fresh gingerroot

1 1/2 tsps. ground coriander seeds

3/4 tsp. turmeric

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

4 chicken cutlets, about 1 1/4 pounds

2 tsp. vegetable oil

For yogurt sauce

1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

a pinch cayenne

1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves

Make spice paste

Mince garlic with salt and mash to a paste. Wearing protective gloves, mince chile (including seeds for a spicier paste) and in a bowl stir together with garlic paste and remaining spice paste ingredients.

Make 3 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep in each chicken cutlet and rub spice paste into cuts and all over chicken. Marinate chicken, covered, 30 minutes at cool room temperature.

Preheat broiler and line broiler pan with foil. Arrange chicken without crowding into pan. Brush chicken with 1 tsp. vegetable oil and broil about 3 inches from heat 10 minutes. Turn chicken over and brush with remaining 1 tsp. vegetable oil. Broil chicken until lightly browned and just cooked through, about 10 minutes more.

Make sauce while chicken is broiling. Stir together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and serve with the chicken.

NOTES: I doubled the recipe and had the leftovers for another dinner. I reheated the chicken gently in a microwave.

Gilled Scallop "Ceviche"

Rosalie and Stan were coming over for dinner. I went to the farmer's market and bought beautifully fresh scallops. They would be wonderful as a ceviche but my guests don't eat raw fish. What to do? How about marinating gently cooked scallops in a ceviche marinade? Gourmet Magazine came up with the idea a few years earlier. I followed their 2007 recipe with some modifications.

1 1/2 lbs. large sea scallops (about 20)

3 tbl. extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

1 small navel orange

2 tbl. fresh lime juice

3/4 seedless cucumber, halved lengthwise, cored, and thinly sliced (2 cups)

2 tbl. thinly sliced shallot

1 to 2 tsps. finely chopped fresh jalapeno chile

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Toss scallops with 1 tbl. oil, salt and pepper in a bowl.

2. Saute scallops in a hot, lightly oiled, skillet or ridged grill pan until just cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. While scallops cool, cut, peel, including white pith, from orange with a sharp paring knife, then cut segments free from membranes. Coarsely chop the segments and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in lime juice, cucumber, shallot, jalapeno (to taste), and remaining 2 tbl. oil. salt and pepper, to taste.

When scallops are cool enough to handle, halve each crosswise (quarter if large), then add to cucumber mixture, tossing to combine. Marinate, covered and chilled, until cold, at least 1 hour. Just before serving, stir in cilantro.

NOTES: This dish can be served as an appetizer for 6 people but I served it as a main course with potato salad made with Yukon gold potatoes tossed with a vinaigrette. A tossed salad and crusty bread rounded out the meal.

Mustardy Salmon

I cook salmon often and am always on the lookout for new ideas. This dish has a lovely mustardy flavor and the low heat cooking results in tender rosy salmon. It is also quick and easy. The recipe is on the Epicurious website.

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 tbl. extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tb. bread crumbs (I use Panko)

1 tbl. chopped parsley

1 tsp. fresh tarragon, chopped

2 tsps. mustard seed, crushed

1 tbl. white wine vinegar

1 tbl. lemon juice

2 tsp. prepared Dijon mustard

salt and pepper

4 5 oz. salmon fillets

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Combine the remaining ingredients, except the salmon, to make the topping. Put the fillets in a baking dish and place the topping on the four fish fillets.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the fish is opaque.

Serves 4

Note: Any firm white fish fillet would work well in place of the salmon. This versatile dish can be served with practically any veggie and rice or potatoes. It would also be great on top of a salad with some crusty bread.

Chickpeas and Chard

I had a big bunch of chard in the fridge that was rapidly aging and giving me guilt whenever I opened the refrigerator door. What to do with it? Why did I buy it?

When I couldn't take it any longer I found this recipe in Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen. I slightly simplified the recipe and loved the result.

1 tbl. olive oil

1 large onion, finely diced

pinch or 2 of saffron

2 garlic cloves

salt and pepper

1 cup cilantro leaves

1/4 cup parsley leaves

1/2 tsp. ground cumin or more to taste

2 tsp. tomato paste

14 chard leaves (or whatever you have) with stems

2 15 0z. cans chickpeas, preferably organic, with liquid, or 3 cups home-cooked

1. Heat the oil in a wide skillet. Add the onion and saffron. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 12-15 mins. Meanwhile, pound the garlic with 1/2 tsp. salt, cilantro, parsley and cumin to make a rtough paste. When the onions are golden and soft, add the paste to the pan along with the tomato paste and work all into the onions.

2. Slice the chard leaves off their stems. Put them in a wide pot with 2 cups of water and cook, covered, until wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Set leaves aside in a colander, reserving the cooking water.

3. Trim the chard stems, cut into fine dice and drop them into reserved chard water. Simmer until tender, about 10 minutes, then turn off heat.

4. Add the chickpeas to the onion with their liquid or 1 cup water or stock. Coarsely chop the chard and add it. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the stems. Taste for salt and pepper.

Serves 4

Notes: I served this dish with brown basmati rice and a salad. Saffron wasn't available so I skipped it. I highly recommend Eden brand organic beans. I couldn't get the hang of turning the garlic, etc. into a paste so just cut everything up very finely.

The leftovers had a second life. The next day the rice, veggies and beans were turned into soup with the reserved cooking liquid and additional veggie broth.