Baked Red Snapper

Red Snapper was on special this week at the grocery store, so here's a nice Asian-style recipe for the files:

Sesame-Ginger Baked Snapper

2 lbs. red snapper fillets
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
3 Tbsp. hot sauce
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or run through a garlic press
2 Tbsp. sherry
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
Juice of one lemon
1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley

Oil a 9x13 inch glass baking pan. Rinse and pat dry snapper and coat with a light film of oil in pan.

Combine all remaining ingredients except parsley and pour this marinade over fish. Cover pan with foil and let sit at least one hour in refrigerator.

Place fish in 375 degree oven and bake 25-30 hour, or until fish is flaky and firm.

Serve with chopped parsley sprinkled on top.

We paired this light dinner with some steamed jasmine rice and broccoli tossed with Parmesan and lemon.

Enjoy!

March Mushroom Madness

I had never tried shiitake or oyster mushrooms before, but my local supermarket had them on sale for 99 cents a package, so I decided to play around in the kitchen. The following dish was slurped up by my hungry crew, although they did remark that it was a bit bland after all that spicy Indian food we’ve been scarfing down.

March Mushroom Madness

1 (14 oz.) pkg. gluten-free fettuccine or other noodles
1 (3.5 oz.) pkg. oyster mushrooms, chopped
1 (3.5 oz.) pkg. shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ cup white wine
½ stick butter
½ cup ricotta cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook pasta al dente and rinse with cold water. Drain and set aside.

Melt butter in sauté pan. Add garlic and swirl around 1-2 minutes. Add onions and stir until golden, about 3-5 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté several minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add white wine and turn to high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and reduce pan juices to half. Add ricotta and adjust seasonings again.

Pour hot sauce over noodles and toss to coat.

Serve with Parmesan cheese.

If my garden were in season, I would have added a handful each of chopped Italian parsley and snipped chives, not only for looks but for taste.

Serves 4-6.

Italian Soul Food

My mom sent me a delicious-sounding recipe for polenta with Gorgonzola she had spied in one of the culinary mysteries by Katharine Hall Page. This is a fun culinary mystery series starring a minister’s wife/amateur sleuth sprinkled with lots of great recipes. Unfortunately, Gorgonzola is not a gluten-free item. All those stinky, glorious cheeses like Blue, Gorgonzola and Stilton are on the verboten list as they are made with bread mold.

Believing as I do that one should always listen to one’s mother, I scoured some other polenta recipes and came up the following version:

Polenta with Gruyere and Roasted Vegetable Marinara

1 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal
1 small minced onion
3 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
½ lb. Gruyère cheese, grated
2 small zucchini, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp. rosemary
Kosher salt
Olive oil
½ lb. sliced mushrooms
2 cups tomato sauce

Toss zucchini, garlic and mushrooms with enough olive oil to coat in glass baking dish. Sprinkled with salt and rosemary. Roast in 400 degree oven until soft and caramelized, about 45 minutes. Mix with tomato sauce.

While vegetables are roasting, bring 3-1/2 cups of water to a simmer in a saucepan. Gradually stir in cornmeal and onion with a wooden spoon. Simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in butter, eggs and 1 cup of Gruyere. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread the mixture evenly in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake until the topping is melted and lightly browned, about 10-15 minutes.

Serve with roasted vegetable sauce.

This is a very rich dish, so serve on the side with something plain, like broiled fish or a garden salad.

Serves 4-6.