Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

Ginger-crusted Halibut

May 24, 2021 by Mary 4 Comments

I adore halibut. And I love ginger. So I made up this dish of Ginger-crusted Halibut, not sure how it would really work and it was amazing!

You must have super fresh ginger. Slice a big three-inch knob lengthwise on a mandoline. Then wrap that ginger around, covering both sides of your filet, pan sauté in grapeseed oil and butter and voila! Total deliciousness.

You see, I was afraid that you wouldn’t be able to cut through the ginger and just desecrate the beautiful fish while eating it but no, as long as your ginger is super fresh, creamy yellow in color, sliced very thin, this worked. And it was not overly spicy, which was another concern. It was just right with the butter mingling in.

Ginger-crusted halibut cut with arugula and tomato salad. — So very moist and flakey.

Halibut, although expensive, is such a delectable fish. Creamy white, solid but flakey tender – big flakes.

Make sure not to overcook it – 118 degrees F on the internal temperature is perfect.

Quick and easy is this recipe of Ginger-crusted Halibut. I really wouldn’t call it a recipe so much as it is an idea – that I think you will LOVE.

Ginger-crusted halibut with rice and salad. — A super easy lovely dinner!

I served this with steamed Jasmine rice and a little tomato and arugula salad. Total yumminess.

Make and serve with LOVE.

I’m sure you’ll make this again and again.

GINGER-CRUSTED HALIBUT – serves 2

One 3” long knob of super fresh ginger
1 lb.piece of Halibut fillet
1 Tbs. grapeseed oil
1 Tbs. butter
Extra virgin olive oil – a few drops
Salt
Pepper

Peel the ginger and thinly slice it lengthwise on a hand mandoline.

Wash and pat dry your fish fillet. Put a few drops of olive oil on and rub it all over. Follow this with salt and pepper and then wrap the ginger crosswise around the fillet. Do this on both sides of the fillet, carefully wrapping the ginger and patting it down so it sticks.

Heat grapeseed oil and butter in a cast iron or non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Carefully place the ginger-wrapped fish fillet in. Saute for about 4 minutes. Carefully loosen it on the bottom, gathering all the ginger and flip it over, being careful not to splatter yourself.

Saute on the other side for about another 4 minutes. Test with a thermometer – it should register about 118 F degrees.

Carefully remove, cut in half, serve and enjoy!!

I know you’ll LOVE this!

Ginger-crusted halibut sautéing in a black cast iron skillet. — Be sure to flip over ever so carefully.

Lovely Citrusy Shrimp

February 21, 2021 by Mary 8 Comments

Crisp, cool, clean. I think that is what we need right now. And that is what you have in a dish like this Lovely Citrusy Shrimp. I certainly needed this with all of the construction going on in my apartment. I am almost losing it, as it is all taking way too long: One, because of my slow contractor who tends to have to do things two or three times because of poor planning or just not honoring my request to begin with and two: because of Covid and a slow delivery of appliances. But really, honestly, that is not what has slowed things down. At any rate, this dish I made up of Lovely Citrusy Shrimp is A. Maz. Ing. If I may say so.

I am ever so very grateful that I have the upstate house to escape to from all of the awful dust in the city apartment. When I walk into that country house front door now, it is accompanied by audible sighing and an enormous sense of relief, thanking God that I can walk into my other home that is clean, put together and most importantly, a place where I can cook! And so I cook for the next week, planning the dishes around appropriate meals for lunch and dinner that would warm up well.

Cara Cara Oranges

Cara Cara oranges are great because they are so, so juicy, only slightly sweet and just a little bit acidic – all just the right amount – but they are only available in the winter. So please take advantage of them now. And because the segments are the most beautiful color, the designer in me LOVES to use them. Talk about brightening up a dish!

And the small amount of black beans – well they add a certain creaminess, pulling the dish all together.

So you’ve got the heat from the jalapeños, the acid and slight sweetness from the oranges and tomatoes, beans connecting everything and the leeks to add color and interest. This really works!!

This meal comes together so quickly, if you take the time to chop everything beforehand and get the waters boiling for the bulgar and the beans.

Cooking your shrimp

Never, ever, overcook the shrimp. Then you just have rubbery nonsense with no flavor. It usually takes about 2 minutes sauteing on one side. It will turn pink on that side and then likely 1-2 minutes on the other side.

Here you go!

LOVELY CITRUSY SHRIMP – serves 2

2 Tbs. olive oil – plus more to drizzle on finished dish
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, cut in half lengthwise, all sand washed out and sliced ¼” thick
5 slices of jalapeños, – sliced on a mandoline, with seeds and membranes
12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined with the tails left on
Heaping ⅓ cup chopped fresh tomatoes
3 Tbs. dry Vermouth
2 Tbs. canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 Cara Cara orange, peeled with a knife, sliced, then cut into chunks
½ cup chopped fresh basil

Wash, chop and prepare all your ingredients to be ready to throw into the skillet as this dish comes together so fast, you must be prepared.

Wash (2 -3 times), drain, and pat dry your shrimp, laying them out on paper towels. Salt and pepper one side.

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat, add leeks and jalapeno and saute for about 5 minutes, allowing them to soften and get fragrant and lightly brown, stirring frequently. Then push the leeks and jalapeno off to the sides of the pan.

Raise the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp in one layer, and cook for 2-3 minutes until they are turning pink on one side. At the 1.5 minute mark, add the vermouth and let it sizzle for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes while you are turning the shrimp. Add the black beans and the oranges to warm them as the shrimp should only cook on the other side for 1-2 minutes.

Then add the chopped basil, a good drizzle of olive oil, lots of LOVE and serve!

I served this with bulgur and haricot vert – total deliciousness!!

Grilled Flounder with Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney, Rosemary and Sage

September 3, 2020 by Mary 9 Comments

How many of you adore eating fish but are longing for ways that are quick and easy and would love to add a new zing to just a regular old piece of grilled fish with EVOO, salt and pepper? And how many of you have a refrigerator full of various condiments that take up too much room? I know. So this simple recipe of Grilled Flounder with Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney, Rosemary and Sage delivers on taste and ease all in one!

You don’t necessarily have to go out and buy The English Provender Co. Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney. Although this is very tasty with a savory sweet hot vibe, I say you should try to use up something you already have that has the same vibe. Wouldn’t that be even better?

Of course you could also dress up a piece of fish with my versatile Green Sauce, but that takes more work than I was willing to do last night. ( I can be so lazy…)

Think of flavors you LOVE…

Since it is only me eating now, I am trying all kinds of flavor combinations and I have been fascinated by mixing up sweet summer fruits with meats and fish. I mean, why not? I want to eat something new, surprising and different. After all, being totally alone in this Covid time, cooking and eating (and drinking wine) are the highlights of my day, so I love experimenting.

And I have made a commitment to myself to clean out the fridge of all of these jars! You see, my kids stayed in my apartment in the city for nearly seven weeks and cleaned out that fridge of outdated things and used the others, so now I want to do that here, upstate.

I have tons of jam that I never use on toast. I want to attack those – maybe on grilled pork chops soon…

Get creative!

I hope this post will spur some creativity on your part. Go ahead and try an unusual combination. Have fun! Experiment and enjoy. But remember to always make it with LOVE.

GRILLED FLOUNDER WITH SWEET TOMATO AND CHILI CHUTNEY, ROSEMARY AND SAGE – serves 2

1 lb. fillet of flounder
Extra virgin olive oil
½ TBS. The English Provender Co. Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped
1 sprig of fresh sage
Salt
Pepper

Preheat your grill or oven to 425 F degrees. Use a grilling vegetable pan for the grill.

Thoroughly wash and pat dry the fish. Coat both sides with a thin film of olive oil. Salt and pepper on one side only. Then spread on the Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney. Top with chopped rosemary and lay the sage sprig on top.

Spray the grill pan with high heat grilling spray or if using the oven, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Grill or roast for about 5 minutes.

Use 2 spatulas to remove the fish to a platter. Cut in half and serve.

Enjoy!

My dinner – with 1/2 sweet potato and fresh cut arugula and tomatoes from my garden!

Gustus Vitae Taste of Provence Roasted Fillet of Sole

July 27, 2016 by Mary 10 Comments

Gustus Vitae is a Californian crafter of authentic, artisan, small batch seasoning blends and gourmet finishing salts. Using locally harvested herbs and spices, their all natural, certified non-GMO ingredients are blended in small batches, before being packed by hand in their unique magnetic tins. Yes! It’s true! The bottom of this can is magnetized so you can stick it anywhere where there’s metal and it will always be within each reach! And you will want this within easy reach because the herbs are so fresh and flavorful, even thought they’re dried, you’ll want to use this on anything and everything.

The Taste of Provence is an amazing blend of fragrant, fresh herbal flavors. Use this on chicken, meat, vegetables or fish to create a bright, perky, delicious dish.

Besides the tin being magnetized, I love the entire package, particularly the lid that swivels so you can just sprinkle out the right amount, either through 3 small holes or large long one. It’s very nifty!

The recipe I made here is so stupid easy – it’s perfect for a quick weeknight meal that is really special tasting, all because of this Gustas Vitae Taste of Provence.

I wanted you to taste the herbs pure, so the dish is really simple. I mentioned before that I have really been getting into finishing a protein with an acid, mainly a citrus, lemon or lime or even orange. But the difference is that in some cases, I have been roasting that citrus before using it on the dish and that obviously produces a different flavor, less bold and sweeter with still a little acid.

So here I roasted the lemon and squeezed it on to finish. I also did one version where I placed the fish on top of peeled sliced oranges and that produced a delicious result too, but I neglected to take pictures. Either way, give this a go! You will LOVE it.

I served this with some sautéed Chinese cabbage and garnished both with cilantro or you can use any green herb. I really should have added a tomato for color to this picture but actually I kind of like this duotone plate. Sometimes you just need things simple. Truth be told, it was so good and gobbled up so fast, it didn’t matter.

GUSTUS VITAE TASTE OF PROVENCE ROASTED FILLET OF SOLE – serves 2

2 fillets of sole
Olive oil
Salt – preferably French Grey
Fresh ground pepper
Gustus Vitae Taste of Provence seasoning
½ of a lemon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash your fish and pat dry with paper toweling.

Slick a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Lay the fish on the pan and drizzle a little olive oil on top of the fillet, spreading it around evenly with your fingers.

Season the fillets with salt, pepper and Gustus Vitae Taste of Provence seasoning.

Place the lemon cut side down on the pan and roast the fish for 10 – 12 minutes, until done and white throughout.

Remove the fillets to your dinner plates, squeeze on the roasted lemon and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve with LOVE and enjoy!

Laiki Rice Crackers Crusted Flounder

December 19, 2015 by Mary 14 Comments

These Laiki Rice Crackers taste like they should be bad for you, they’re that good. They’ve got a great crunch, flavor and just the right amount of salt I crave. And they’re made with just 3 ingredients, rice (red or black), oil and salt. They’re whole grain and baked so they really are good for you!!

Obviously these crackers are just great on their own. Or pair with any dip, hummus or salsa. But crush them and use them to coat fish, chicken or even vegetables and you’ve now gone to a whole new level. Because they’re made with rice, they’re completely gluten-free and gluten-free people often have difficulty with crispy coated proteins because flour and panko are not gluten-free.

So here, I crushed each .74 oz. bag to coat a fillet of flounder. I painted the fillets first with a hot Korean sauce I made, which added some nice flavor and heat. And then the crushed crackers added just the right amount of crunch. You could also use a Dijon mustard or even just olive oil and then pat on the crushed crackers.

You can see with my photos that I used crushed red and black rice crackers to test it out and both flavors were delicious and equally as good, so it’s really your choice.

Have fun with this cracker this holiday season. So many ways to use as an appetizer dipper and then crush them to replace any sort of panko or flour you might use as a coating.

Experiment and have fun!!

Laiki coated fish on a plate with roasted potatoes and broccoli.

Laiki rice crackers crusted fillet of flounder with roasted potatoes and broccoli. Total yum!!

LAIKI RICE CRACKERS CRUSTED FLOUNDER – serves 3

1 Tbs. of Gochujang Hot Pepper Paste (Korean)
1 Tbs. all natural ketchup
1.5 lbs. fillet of flounder
Olive oil
.74 oz. bag of Laiki black rice crackers, crushed
.74 oz. bag of Laiki red rice crackers, crushed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and pat dry your fish.

Whisk together the hot pepper paste and the ketchup, or use 2 Tbs. Dijon mustard. Slick a rimmed baking sheet with oil.

Combine the crackers or keep separate, your choice. I coated ½ of the fish with each flavor.

Brush the ½ of the ketchup/hot pepper paste (or Dijon mustard) over one side of the fish. Coat with the cracker crumbs. Place fish, coated side down on the oiled baking sheet. Complete the top side with the ketchup paste and crumbs.

Bake in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes, until fish is white and cooked through.

Serve with LOVE and enjoy!!

Discover other unique, good-for-you products in our upcoming spring box – mails March 25th! You can download a gift card at check-out to put under the tree.

Striped Bass with Shallots, Fennel and Persimmons

January 18, 2015 by Mary 19 Comments

Ready to go into the oven to roast.

Do you think I will live long enough to cook all the recipes I’ve clipped from newspapers or marked in cookbooks? I have made it a New Years Resolution to go through all of the Times Dining sections I’ve saved from the past year that have piled up, that I never seem to have time to get through on my subway ride to work because there are just way too many business messages I need to take care of first. I used to keep piles of those clipped recipes on my kitchen counter for easy access and inspiration. When the piles got to be over a foot tall (seriously), one of my friends told me I was being ridiculous and to move it somewhere. So now I am hiding these piles – in a space in a kid’s closet, under my bed, taking up two deep drawers in a dresser. It’s pitiful.

And then you know what – I come home from work, late, starving and I just want to eat something good and different, so I just make something up, quickly, with what’s on hand, no time to read a recipe. So on Friday night, I made up this dish, always welcoming sweet and savory combos and this, this roasted striped bass with shallots, fennel and persimmons was really, really delicious and different! (and super easy)

Striped Bass Roasted with Shallots, Fennel & Persimmons - finished.

Sorry, I cut this already, getting ready to serve and then remembered to take a pic.

Here’s what I did.

STRIPED BASS WITH SHALLOTS, FENNEL AND PERSIMMONS – serves 2 – with a little left over

1 lb. striped bass fillet – washed and patted dry
Olive oil
1 shallot, sliced very thin on a mandoline
1/4 of a fennel bulb, sliced very thin on a mandoline
Salt – preferably French grey salt
Pepper – fresh ground
Paul Prudhomme’s seafood seasoning
2 persimmons, cored, peeled and sliced very thin

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Slick a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Lay out the shallot and fennel evenly in a shape mimicking your fish shape. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil on top and season with salt and pepper.

Lay your fish fillet on top, covering everything. Drizzle a little olive oil on top of the fish and spread around to cover with your fingertips. Sprinkle on Paul Prudhomme’s seasoning to your liking. Cover with persimmon slices and drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil on top of those.

Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the fish flakes to your liking.

Serve with love – enjoy!

A question for you all:

What is the difference between the dull and shiny side of aluminum foil? Can somebody tell me? I mean, I know they’re different but for what purpose, if any?