TBT: Rice & Kebabs

So I know I just did both a rice dish as well as a kebab dish. But, I thought I would share with you a couple variations from my previous posts, to show you the versatility of these two concepts. 

Grilled Vegetable Kebab 

When I made those beef kebabs last week, my mushrooms didn't have the robust flavor I was really hoping for. I think it's because we didn't cook the kebabs at a high enough temperature and I didn't season them properly. So I thought I would redeem myself with this vegetable kebab.

I cut a whole zucchini in 1 inch pieces and used large whole mushrooms. I tossed the vegetables in olive oil, s&p, garlic powder and red chili flakes and then began to skewer the kebabs. Then we cooked the kebabs on the highest heat to really get a char on the veggies. Probably about 15 minutes or less. 

I'm not going to lie, those mushrooms were probably the best I have ever had, and I was super sad I only included 2 mushrooms on each kebab!

Tomato, Lemon & Basil Rice

So in a previous post, here, I talked about how I cook rice- lots of water in gradual increments for about 45 minutes. Letting rice take it's time really allows for the rice to cook properly and it gives off a creaminess without needing to add milk, butter or cheese. In this post I cooked the rice the same way as my previous post. With 5 minutes remaining on the rice and while the remaining liquid cooked off, I added quartered grape tomatoes, lemon juice, lemon zest, freshly chopped basil, s&p, red chili flakes. garlic powder and a small tab of butter. 

It was pretty fantastic and I just so happened to bring the leftovers for lunch today!

Hope you enjoyed my quick post today, doing anything fun this weekend? Maybe a grill out? I'll be back at my Alma Mater (also Maegan's Alma Mater) this weekend to watch my sister graduate. So proud of her and also sad to think its been so long since I was there. 

Grilled Mahi Mahi with a Saffron Cream Sauce

Fish Special:  Grilled Mahi-Mahi with a saffron cream sauce and served on a bed of lemon rice and roasted asparagus

On Sunday, after my husband and I finished 9 holes of golf, I cooked up this beautiful and delicious dish. Earlier in the day, I stopped by the local fish market and picked up a fresh piece of Mahi-Mahi. I initially had wanted to pick up a piece of halibut for this dish, but the halibut was a bit expensive, so I went with another white fish, a little more in my price range. As always, use what looks best to you.

The fish had been flown in that morning so it was super fresh. In order to not overpower the natural flavor of the fish, I used a simple seasoning of salt and pepper. I cooked the fish on the grill, skin-side down for 10 minutes and at the last minute, I squeezed 1/2 a lemon on top of the fish. (See the bottom of this entry for tips on cooking fish on the grill)

A big part of this meal was the timing. I started the rice first, estimating it would take about 40 minutes. Once the rice was on, I started preparing the saffron cream sauce. After 25 minutes, I started the asparagus and dropped the fish on the grill after 30 minutes.

I wrapped the asparagus in aluminum foil with butter, garlic powder, red chili flakes, fresh thyme and salt & pepper. I placed the asparagus on the top shelf of the grill and let cook for 15 minutes.

Saffron Cream Sauce

Saffron is pretty expensive, so if you don't have it in your house, simply exclude it from the sauce and you will still have a lovely cream sauce to go with the fish. Also, there are many recipes for a saffron cream online, however I thought it would tasty and visually appealing to add tomatoes to the sauce. It sure did give the fish one last pop of color and texture. However, be sure not to cook the tomatoes too long otherwise they will break down and become mush.

1 diced shallot

2 minced garlic cloves

3 tbls butter

1 medium tomato diced

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2- 1 cup heavy cream

2 pinches saffron

Cayenne pepper (to taste)

Saute shallots and garlic in the butter over medium high heat until shallots are translucent and garlic is lightly browned. Add tomatoes and saute for one more minute. Add white wine and cook until wine reduced by half- couple minutes. Then add heavy cream, saffron and cayenne pepper.

Lemon Rice
For the rice, I used slow cooking brown basmati rice.  I don't follow the cooking instructions on the bag, because I find that I never have enough water to properly cook the rice, based on the instructions. Here is how I do it, based on 1 cup of dry rice:

Step 1: Fill sauce pot with 2- 3 cups of water, add a pinch of salt and a bit of oil to the water. Bring to a boil.
Step 2: Add rice and lower heat to medium, a gentle boil
Step 3: Watch the pot over the next half hour, adding more water in 1/4 cup increments as needed. Continue tasting rice throughout cooking process to measure doneness.
Step 4: When rice is the texture of your liking, turn heat on high to remove any residual water, and squeeze a half of a lemon in the rice.

Cooking tips for cooking fish on the grill:

• Don't mess with it once on the grill: I only cook fish on the grill if the skin is still on it, otherwise I will use a piece of aluminum. I don't like dealing with the filet falling apart, so I also do not flip the fish. 
• Simple seasoning: When cooking with high quality fish, use only a simple seasoning of salt and pepper as to not mask the flavor of the fish.
• Cook for 8-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. When the fish is done, it should be flaky with a fork.
• Lemon: When the fish is almost finished cooking, squeeze half a lemon on top.

Would you try this dish? Did you know that Dolphin Fish is the same thing as Mahi-Mahi?

Bon Appetit!

Mary 

Pasta with Easy Alfredo Sauce

Hope you all are having a wonderful "First Day of Spring"! Here in Chicago it feels anything but Spring- it's currently 4 degrees.

Everyone has their go-to pasta dish- veggies, protein and a sauce. I made an "everything but the kitchen sink" pasta on Monday night after a long day. It was quick, delicious and extremely satisfying!

Pasta is a great way to use leftovers or aging vegetables. My broccoli was approaching a week old and I had leftover chicken from a dish I made over the weekend. I added sun dried tomatoes to add color, sweetness and add a bit of pizzazz to the dish and served it over a bed of rigatoni.

The special homemade feature here is the simple alfredo- no roux needed!



Pasta
Rigatoni
Chicken
Broccoli
Sauteed onion
Sun dried tomatoes
Toasted Pine nuts
Red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
Garnish with Basil

Saute onion and broccoli in a large deep pan. Use a lid to help cook the broccoli while the pasta boils and you prepare the sauce. Add cooked pasta and remaining ingredients to the pan. Add alfredo and toss until combined. I use red pepper flakes in a lot of dishes to cut the savoriness and add a kick to the dish.

Alfredo
4 oz unsalted butter
1 c. milk or cream
1 c. freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
2-3 minced garlic cloves

In a small saucepan, add butter and garlic over medium- high heat. Lightly brown garlic and add milk/cream to pan. Use cream if you want a thicker sauce, however I had milk in the house (and by house I mean 700 sq.ft. apt) so that's what I used. Add cheese and whisk into butter and milk mixture. Whisk until cheese is combined into the sauce. Add alfredo to pasta and combine with all ingredients.

I'm pretty sure mincing garlic is my least favorite thing to do in the kitchen- besides cleaning. I use a garlic press, saves time and avoids large chunks (because usually I am not patient enough to get it completely minced).

What is your "go-to-pasta"? How would you have made this dish differently? I'd love to hear from you, and would LOVE it if you would become a member!

And by the way- didn't Maegan have some great posts?! If you didn't catch them, click on the following links- Beer Batted Fish, Veg Pot Pie


Thankssss!

Mary