After a few months of playing with makeup at a department store and NOT HAVING A LIFE, I am back on the map (and not LIVING at said department store any longer) with plenty of time to cook in my beloved kitchen for my beloved family. I apologize that I have not been around. Now lets get to it.
I've said it before and I will say it again. I LOVE french food. Specifically provencal style cooking. Light, fresh and perfect for summer/spring. I made this very easy dish a few days ago for a dear friend who after a hard day of work (she is a Doula) she deserved a huge glass of white wine and a perfect piece of fish.
I will make this dish again very soon and will post photos. The camera was with the hubs in San Fran so I couldn't capture it's beauty for you. Just use your imagination.
If you're cooking for a crowd (and this is a great dish for a crowd) just use your noggin and double up the ingredients!
Turbot with roasted vegetables and sauteed spinach
1 large fliet of Turbot (this is hands down, THE MOST delicious fish I have EVER cooked/consumed. Cod or any other buttery white fish would work also in this dish but I'm telling you, if you can find Turbot, you will NOT be disappointed!)
A tablespoon of homemade pesto (recipe below)
2-3 tablespoons white wine (dry-like a sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio)
1/2 tablespoon of butter
2 russet potatoes (Peeled and sliced into 1/4 in-1/2 rounds)
2 shallots (roughly cut)
1 bulb of fennel (cut into pieces - http://www.bonappetit.com/tipstools/tips/2009/06/how_to_chop_fennel_list )
1/2 cup whole pitted kalamata olives
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
2-3 large handfulls of fresh spinach
1 tablespoon of dried herbs de provence (you can find this amazing mixture of dried herbs at any supermarket. It's DIVINE!)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pesto recipe:
a handful of fresh basil
a handful of fresh parsley
1 clove of garlic
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2-3/4 cup good olive oil
Put everything in a food processor (or chop everything finely and add olive oil in a bowl) and shop until smooth and pretty. Make a day ahead for flavors to marry but its delicious right after you make it too!
Now get cookin:
Preheat oven 400 degrees
prep the vegetables except for the spinach (potatoes, fennel, shallots, olives, onion and 2 cloves of garlic chopped) and put on a non stick baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and generous amount of salt and pepper (about 1/2 tablespoon of each) then rub the herbs de provence in the palm of your hand to release the aromas and sprinkle evenly onto vegetables. Mix with clean fingers so everything is coated evenly and place in Oven. Set timer to 35-40 minutes (You will need to stir the vegetables once at around the 15-20 minute mark so they cook evenly and don't burn).
While veggies are cooking, prepare the fish.
I used a large piece of tin foil (double it up to prevent leaking) to create a pouch to cook my fish in so it would be perfectly moist. place fish on the foil, season with a little salt and pepper, drizzle with a few tablespoons of pesto and make sure it is nicely seasoned with pesto. I also squeezed a bit of fresh lemon juice on top. create a pouch for the fish and lastly pour the wine into the pouch before crimping it sealed.
Put the fish in the oven with the veggies and cook the fish for 20 minutes.
Lastly, to add a little green to the mix, I did a quick saute of garlic and spinach in a pan on the stovetop. Drizzle a little Olive oil on med-high heat, cook garlic in oil for just a few seconds and then add the spinach, season with salt and pepper and cook until it starts to wilt. Remove from heat and place on large platter along with the roasted veggies (they should be slightly crispy on the outside and golden) and put the filet of fish on top of everything and pour the liquid from the pouch over the fish. I love this dish family style because people can just dig in.
**IMPORTANT**
Please remind your guests to be careful eating the fish because it can contain pin bones (very sharp and dangerous if swallowed) and I broke the fish into tiny pieces for my daughter to make sure she wouldn't have any bones.
Serve with crusty bread and pesto and a dry white wine or cotes du rhone! You'll be in heaven!
