Thai-Style Halibut with Coconut-Curry Broth

I have to admit that while I like fish (mild fish at least), I don't love it or crave it like pasta. I usually buy it because I feel like I should, since I know it's so good for me. So I really appreciate a fish recipe that's not boring and makes me look forward to dinner. This one not only has a rich, flavorful broth, but it includes greens, so you're killing two birds with one stone. Or two fish with one hook. Or even better, just stop killing stuff.

THAI-STYLE HALIBUT WITH COCONUT-CURRY BROTH

Yield: 4 servings

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

4 shallots, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)

2 ½ teaspoons red curry paste (or 2 teaspoons curry powder)

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup light coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon (plus more as needed for seasoning)

4 (6 oz.) pieces halibut fillet, skin removed

5 cups washed baby spinach, steamed for 2 minutes

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

2 scallions (green part only), thinly sliced

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

freshly ground black pepper

2 cups cooked brown rice, for serving

1.      In a large saute pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until reduced to 2 cups, about 5 minutes.

2.      Season the halibut with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Arrange the fish in the pan and gently shake the pan so the fish is coated with the sauce. Cover and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 7 minutes.

3.      Arrange a pile of steamed spinach in the bottom of 4 soup plates. Top with the fish fillets. Stir the cilantro, scallions, and lime juice into the sauce and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the sauce over the fish and serve with rice.

from Ellie Krieger

shallots, cilantro and scallions

adding red curry paste to shallots

pouring in chicken broth

pouring in coconut milk

fish added (I used cod instead of halibut)

flaking the fish

The fish was kind of falling apart, so I
just flaked it all and served it like a stew.

spinach

fish on top of spinach

cilantro, scallions and lime juice added to the broth

broth added to the bowl

thai-style halibut with coconut-curry broth
(except it's really cod)

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Saag Paneer (Spinach with Indian Cheese)

This saag paneer is a little different from the ones I've had in restaurants (the paneer cubes aren't usually spiced and the dish tends to be saucier). Of course if you want, you can always add cream or coconut milk to loosen it up. I hope it doesn't seem like I'm down on this particular recipe though, because I liked it. I just want you to know it might not be exactly the same experience. But this went fast at my house.

SAAG PANEER (SPINACH WITH INDIAN CHEESE)

Yield: 4 servings

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Kosher salt

3 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

12 oz. paneer (Indian cheese), cut into 1-inch cubes

1 (16 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 medium white onion, finely chopped

1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and minced (about 1 tablespoon)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large green serrano chile, finely chopped (seeds removed if you don't like it too spicy)

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup plain yogurt, stirred until smooth

1.      In a large bowl, whisk together the turmeric, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons oil. Gently, drop in the cubes of paneer and gently toss, taking care not to break the cubes if you're using the homemade kind. Let the cubes marinate while you get the rest of your ingredients together and prepped.

2.      Puree the thawed spinach in a food processor until smooth (or chop very finely with a knife).

3.      Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the paneer as the pan warms. In a couple of minutes give the pan a toss; each piece of paneer should be browned on one side. Fry another minute or so, and then remove the paneer from the pan onto a plate.

4.      Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to the pan. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and chile. Now here's the important part: saute the mixture until it's evenly toffee-coloured, which should take about 15 minutes. Don't skip this step - this is the foundation of the dish! If you feel like the mixture is drying out and burning, add a couple of tablespoons of water.

5.      Add the garam masala, coriander and cumin. If you haven't already, sprinkle a little water to keep the spices from burning. Cook, stirring often, until the raw scent of the spices cook out, and it all smells a bit more melodious, 3 to 5 minutes.

6.      Add the spinach and stir well, incorporating the spiced onion mixture into the spinach. Add a little salt and 1/2 cup water; stir and cook about 5 minutes with the lid off.

7.      Turn the heat off. Add the yogurt, a little at a time to keep it from curdling. Once the yogurt is well mixed into the spinach, add the paneer. Turn the heat back on, cover and cook until everything is warmed through, about 5 minutes. Serve.

from Aarti Sequeira

spices and oil

folding in the homemade paneer cubes

paneer cubes marinating

pureed spinach

browning the paneer

onion, garlic, ginger and chile

caramelized

adding spices

adding spinach

adding yogurt

adding paneer

saag paneer

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Chicago Steakhouse Sandwich

It would be tough to find a heartier sandwich than this one. And I love that it's a full meal all in one package, complete with greens. I'm also crazy about the little garlic chips you make to go with the spinach. I recommend making some extra because I wanted to snack on the whole pile. I think someone needs to sell those in bags. Not me...so if you like to sell, feel free to take the idea and run with it. If you become a garlic chip magnate and want to thank me, I'll take a beach house. Nothing fancy (ocean view and pool of course, but you can leave out the jacuzzi).

CHICAGO STEAKHOUSE SANDWICH

Yield: 4 servings

Steak:

1 (20 oz.) boneless rib eye steak

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sautéed Garlicky Spinach:

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 (10-ounce) bags fresh spinach, washed and stemmed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing:

2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh dill

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Sandwich Build:

1 fresh loaf crispy French bread, cut into 8-inch segments, buttered and grilled

1.      For the steak: Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Sprinkle both sides of the steak with salt and pepper. Place the steak in the hot skillet, reduce the heat to medium and sear until well browned, about 4 minutes. Flip the steak and cook until medium/medium-rare, about 6 more minutes. Set aside, loosely covered with foil, and let rest before slicing.

2.      For the sautéed garlicky spinach: Heat the oil and sliced garlic in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the garlic is golden brown and crispy. Remove the garlic and set aside on a paper towel to drain. Add the crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spinach and stir to combine with the oil. Cover and let cook over medium-high heat until the spinach is wilted but still bright in color, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and toss with the garlic chips.

3.      For the buttermilk blue cheese dressing: Mix the mayonnaise, buttermilk, blue cheese, dill, mustard and pepper together in a bowl and set aside. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.

4.      For the sandwich build: Slice the rested steak against the grain into 1/4-inch slices, removing any non-rendered fat. Place the steak slices on the bottom bun, top with the spinach and schmear the top bun with buttermilk blue cheese dressing.

from Jeff Mauro

blue cheese dressing ingredients

raw steaks

seared steaks

raw sliced garlic

crispy garlic chips

They're too small to dip - unless you don't mind everyone's fingers
deep down in the bowl (ew). But I still think they could catch on.

raw spinach

adding garlic to cooked spinach

I got the bread nice and toasty in the already hot
cast iron pan (it didn't seem worth turning on the
grill just for that).

sliced steak

As you can see, I like mine on the rare side.

topped with spinach & garlic

and blue cheese dressing

Chicago steakhouse sandwich

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Baked Sausage Meatballs with Spinach

I thought this recipe was interesting because the meatballs are rolled in bread crumbs and then baked in mini muffin tins. They do come out looking like mini meat muffins, but I've got nothing against those (why some of my best friends are mini meat muffins). I also liked the idea of sneaking some spinach in there. You don't really taste it much, which is good for people who like meat and don't get enough leafy greens (and by people, I'm talking about my kid). She and her friends happily scarfed these up and asked for more. Booyah.

BAKED SAUSAGE MEATBALLS WITH SPINACH

Yield: 20 meatballs (4 to 5 servings)

1/2 pound ground sausage

1/2 pound ground pork

1/2 pound ground beef

5 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained thoroughly

1/2 cup finely grated parmesan

1 whole egg

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, divided

1.      Preheat oven to 400º F.

2.      In a large mixing bowl, combine the sausage, pork, beef, spinach, cheese, egg, basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs. Using your hands, mix all ingredients until well incorporated. Use immediately or place in refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

3.      Place the remaining 1/4 cup of bread crumbs into a small bowl. Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1.5 oz. portions and place on a sheet pan. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds, roll in the bread crumbs and place the meatballs in individual, miniature muffin tin cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

slightly adapted from Baked Meatballs by Alton Brown

sausage, pork and beef

I used mild sweet Italian sausage. I also doubled the
recipe, since most meat is sold in 1 pound packages.
You can make this with any variety/ratio of meat you want.
I think sausage can be kind of overpowering, so I
mixed it with pork and beef for a milder flavor.

all the ingredients in a bowl

my little future food blogger getting into the action
(She probably thinks it's normal to take photos of your food.)

mixed

separated into meat globs

rolled into a ball and rolling in breadcrumbs

All I had on hand was Italian panko. It worked well enough,
but I would probably stick with regular Italian breadcrumbs
next time. The panko has a nice crunch, but didn't get as
golden and "well done" on top as I would have liked.

in the mini muffin tins

baked

baked sausage meatballs with spinach
(a.k.a. mini meat muffins)

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