Familiar Patterns

 
The temperature, after many false starts, is finally rising in New Jersey. Although one still needs to wear a light jacket, the sun is shining through--a mood elevator for sure.

When my life gets crazy, as it is right now, I tend to become super organized. Controlling the quotidian aspects of my life makes me feel less out of control. I am one of those people who finds comfort in familiar patterns and the predictability of routine. And one of my patterns is very predictable as I've said before--I go into the kitchen to cook.

This week I made a few tasty dishes for week-night dining. As I was racing through the market one afternoon, I saw some very nice flounder filets. I knew that at home I had some shallots, garlic and feta cheese, so I grabbed a bunch of spinach as I flew through the produce aisle.

When I got home,  I poured some olive oil into a saute pan, added a large minced shallot and brought the pan up to heat. I cooked the shallot until it was starting to soften then added a clove of garlic, minced.

In the mean time I cleaned and chopped the spinach then dropped it into the pan and sauteed for a couple of minutes. When it was wilted I turned off the heat and tossed in a handful of cubed feta cheese, letting it soften a bit then setting it aside to cool.

When it was time to prepare dinner I laid out the filets and put about 2 tablespoons of filling on each one. I rolled them up and placed them into an oiled baking dish, sprinkled them with olive oil and a dusting of paprika.  Then into a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes until cooked through but not dry.

Not bad for a Wednesday night.

 

 Spinach and Feta Stuffed Flounder Filets

1 pound flounder filets (4)
10 ounces fresh spinach
1/3 cup feta cheese, cut into small cubes
Olive oil for pan
1 large shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika

Pour olive oil into saute pan, add minced shallot and bring pan up to heat. When shallots start to soften add minced garlic and saute until translucent.  Add spinach to pan and saute for about 3 minutes, until wilted.

Off heat add feta cheese and stir until it just begins to soften. Season with nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.

Season flounder filets with salt and pepper, then place about 2 tablespoons of the filling onto each filet. Roll fish filets and place in an oiled baking dish, seam side down. Drizzle fish with some olive oil and sprinkle with some paprika.

Bake in 400 degree oven, uncovered, for about 20 minutes until fish is firm but not dried out.

Serves 3-4

Dinner Tonight: Snapper with Zucchini and Tomatoes

It seems as if we've eaten a lot of great fish over the summer, and although I like to buy and prepare local fish, sometimes it just isn't possible. If you can find fresh red snapper, use it in this dish--it is worth the splurge. Red snapper is a firm white fish with with a sweet, nutty taste.  It lends itself very well to a myriad of preparations and flavor pairings.

This recipe makes good use of end of summer zucchini and tomatoes and is good accompanied by  orzo tossed with olive oil, parsley and toasted pine nuts.

 

Snapper With Zucchini and Tomato

Recipe from Cooking Light July 2012
Serves 2

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
Black pepper
2 6-oz snapper fillets
2 tablespoons white wine or dry vermouth
1 cup diced zucchini
1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Season fish with salt and pepper. Add fish to pan and cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.  Remove fish from pan and keep warm.

2.  Add white wine to pan and cook until liquid almost evaporates.  At zucchini, shallots, oregano, lemon rind, 1 teaspoon oil and a pinch of salt. Saute 3 minutes or until zucchini is tender.

3. Combine zucchini mixture, tomato, pinch of salt, remaining teaspoon of oil, basil and lemon juice.
Toss gently and serve with fish.

COOK'S NOTE:

I used more than 1 teaspoon of olive oil to saute the fish. I used 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano instead of fresh, and I tend to season my food more liberally with salt and pepper than Cooking Light. In the last step I added the tomatoes to the saute pan to warm then the rest of the ingredients.