Except, a few weeks ago, I was NOT me, and I blame it on a stunning fillet of halibut. It was just sitting in the case at the seafood counter, and it was thick, and white and PRETTY and I JUST HAD TO HAVE IT. So I bought it. No plan for how I was going to make it. Just boom. And there I was, a proud owner of a beautiful piece of fish, and I needed to do it justice.
Immediately upon arriving home with this piece of fish in tow, I consulted my trusty binder full of recipes (ala Binders full of women). I flipped to the seafood section (yes, I organize my binder of recipes into categories... I know, I'm a nerd), and I found this recipe from Shape magazine for Pesce all' Acqua Pazza:
It's actually a recipe from Teresa Giudice's (she's one of the "Real Housewives of New Jersey) cook book, and apparently Pesce all' Acqua Pazza means "Fish in Crazy Water," which is pretty perfect considering that Teresa is CRAY CRAY, and also... I had just "survived" Sandy, where I experienced CRAZY amounts of water outside my front door, and in fact, inside my front door. (I was never in any personal danger, but it was a surreal experience, and I am, in fact, a survivor, right?!?)
It was like destiny. Except, I didn't have any of the other ingredients handy. (This is why I'm a planner, people!!)
So I made a second trip to the grocery store (thank goodness it's a short half mile walk away), and picked up the remaining ingredients. But forgot THE MOST important one... a bottle of dry white wine.
Which, at the end of the day is not a problem considering I'm surrounded by at least three liquor stores within a 2 block radius... except that two of those three were still not open yet as they were still cleaning up after Sandy. I lucked out that the only store open had a bottle of cheap dry white wine.
And then, FINALLY, after three trips for ingredients, I cooked.
And I sipped (hey, I had an open bottle of wine in front of me!):
Here's the recipe:
Pesce all' Acqua Pazza, slightly adapted from Teresa Guidice
Serves 4, 5 minutes prep, 35 minutes cooking time
1 T olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, juiced (Teresa calls for the full lemon, thinly sliced, but the rind made the sauce bitter, so I'm steering y'all clear)
4 4-to-6 oz skinless fillets of halibut (or Chilean sea bass fillets or cod)
1/4 t salt
1/8 t freshly ground black pepper
3 T chopped fresh Italian parsley (garnish)
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium. Add onion and cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes or until softened. Mix in garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
2. Add 2 cups water along with the tomatoes, wine and lemon slices (only use lemon juice, trust me here!), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
3. Place fish in the simmering liquid and cover; cook for about 15 minutes or until fish is opaque. NOTE: I overcooked the fish. A travesty, I know, so watch your fish closely and don't go away for 15 minutes. Maybe check on it every 5 minutes or so...
 |
| Look at this gorgeous fillet of halibut!!! AHHH SO PRETTY |
4. Using a slotted spatula, remove fillets and place one each into four bowls, then distribute the tomatoes and lemons evenly; tent each bowl with aluminum foil to keep warm.
5. Increase heat under the skillet to high. Boil the remaining liquid, stirring often, for about 5 minutes or until reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the foil tents from bowls. Pour broth evenly over fillets and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
As you can tell from my commentary, the original recipe called for lemon slices, but that turned the sauce bitter, which is a freaking shame because this recipe had SUCH potential to be SOOO FREAKING good. Next time I make it (if I ever make it again), just do lemon juice, even though the lemon slices are pretty...)
What I learned from this recipe: I shouldn't feel ashamed of being a planner. I like planning, as I feel I'm more efficient when I only have ONE trip to the grocery store instead of three... but at the same time, I was able to experience something beautiful that I might have missed had I not allowed myself to be spontaneous and go without a plan. So... I resolve to attempt more spontaneous experiences in my cooking life... even though I know I'll be planning 99% of the time :)
No comments:
Post a Comment