Grilled fish with a warm potato salad

Unintentionally, it's now 3 weeks later since my last post, and honestly i cannot make promises to change this bad habit, not even to myself. The reason this time.... nothing in particular, i don't know when the time flies. Moreover, Easter Lent started 3 weeks ago, and it's hard for me browsing online and looking at different blogs, especially if there is any photo that makes your mouth water. I am having an easier time not craving the forbidden foods (meat, fish, all dairy, eggs) if i don't see anything. On the other side, it's been hard finding ideas because we are not salad people, and Gabriel loves something more consistent.
Today i am posting a fish dish because on March 25th, each year, we can eat fish, even if it is during Lent. Today christians celebrate the Annunciation - which is the revelation to Mary by the archangel Gabriel that she would conceive a child to be born the Son of God. This is one of the only two days when fish is allowed during Easter Lent, the other being Palm Sunday.

I didn't make this today, and i know i am not going to make it for tonight, even though it is very good and easy to make, but i promised Clara i will make some "pickled" fish (saramura) and maybe some stuffed sole, as i feel quite ambitious right now :)).
Fish is Clara's first choice of "meat", always. Salmon is her favorite, no matter how it is prepared, and then snapper, cod, sole and all other white fish. She would ask for fish everytime and pick it over any beef, pork, or chicken, and i am so happy for that. Fish and crab are the only seafood she likes, the rest - shrimp, mussels, clams, oysters, lobster - did not make it on her list yet. She would rather go to sleep hungry and crying than take a bite of them.
My problem when i cook fish for her is what will it be the side dish. She would always ask for plain rice and a salad, or maybe potatoes (fried, mashed, or baked), and that's about it. So the roasted asparagus you see in the picture it was only on our plates, hers had only potatoes and a cucumber-radish salad.

Now, i don't have a recipe for the fish, i just sprinkle it with salt, pepper and some sweet smoked pepper (i love the sweetness and the smokiness), brushed it with oil and grilled it for about 2 minutes per side.
The warm potato salad is so easy to make, i cannot really call it a recipe either, but i'll try to come with something:
- boil sliced red potatoes in salted water until fork tender, but don't overcook them as they will break and become mushy (use about 2-3 potatoes/person, depending on their size)
- while the potatoes are boiling, prepare the vinaigrette for them:
1/3 cup olive oil,
1/4 cup rice vinegar or white balsamic vinegar,
1-2 seeded and finely chopped tomatoes,
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill,
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon,
2 tablespoons chopped chives or green onions,
salt & pepper to taste.
Whisk everything together well and try to crush the tomatoes into the vinagrette with a fork. Drain the potatoes and while they are still hot, pour the dressing over them and mix slowly so you don't break the slices completely. Adjust the seasoning if needed by ading more salt & pepper, or whatever spices you'd like.
Plate the warm potatoes, top with roasted/grilled/boiled asparagus and then with the grilled fish. On top of the fish, i put one more spoon of the tomato dressing and some chives.

I love the licorice taste of the tarragon, the freshness of the dill and chives, the acidity from the tomatoes and i could have these potatoes any day with anything or just by themselves.

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Peste la gratar cu salata calda de cartofi

Fara sa vreau, au trecut iarasi 3 saptamani de cand am postat ultima data, si cinstit vorbind, mi-e greu sa promit sa schimb asta, chiar daca e o promisiune facuta mie. Ce motiv am avut de data asta.... nimic in particular, habar n-am unde si cand a trecut timpul. Intre timp a inceput postul Pastelui, si mi-e tare greu sa ma plimb pe net si sa poftesc la diferite mancaruri de pe blogurile mele preferate. Asa ca e mai usor sa nu poftesc daca nu le vad :)). Si asa mi-e greu sa gasesc idei pentru mancaruri de post consistente, nu suntem genul care mancam numai salate in fiecare zi....
Azi - mancare cu peste pentru ca e Bunavestire si e dezlegare in fiecare an, chiar daca pica in Postul Pastelui. Si cum nu sunt decat doua ocazii (azi si in Duminica Floriilor), de-abia asteptam

Nu am facut pestele asta azi, si nici nu o sa-l fac diseara, pentru ca i-am promis Clarei ca facem saramura si poate daca am tine entuziasmul ce ma incearca de azi dimineatza, si niste peste umplut (rulouri). Pestele e carnea preferata a Clarei, intotdeauna. Somonul este prima alegere, indiferent cum e pregatit, apoi orice fel de peste alb. Cere peste cel putin o data pe saptamana si intotdeauna il prefera carnii de porc, vita sau pui, ceea ce ma bucura tare mult.Pestele si crabul sunt singurele care ii plac, restul - creveti, scoici, midii, stridii si toate celelalte nu sunt inca pe lista ei. Mai degraba s-ar culca nemancata si plansa toata decat sa le guste. Singura problema care o am cand gatesc peste e ce garnitura sa fac. Clara cere invariabil orez simplu si o salata sau poate cartofi, si cam atat. Asa ca sparanghelul din poza era in farfuriile noastre, Clara a avut numai cartofi si o salata de castraveti si ridichi.
Nu am o reteta pentru peste, il presar cu sare, piper si niste condimente de ardei dulce afumat (care imi plac la nebunie), il ung cu ulei si la gratar cam 2 minute pe fiecare parte.
Salata de cartofi e tare simplu de facut, nu pot sa zic ca e o reteta, dar cam astia sunt pasii:
- se fierb feliile de cartofi (din cei rosii, fara sa ii curatati de coaja, cam 2-3 de persoana, depinde cat sunt de mari) in apa sarata pana cand se patrund cu furculita, dar nu mai mult sa nu inceapa sa se sfarame,
- in timp ce fierb cartofii, se prepara vinegreta:
~ 75 ml ulei
~ 50 ml otet de orez sau alb balsamic
1-2 rosii tocate marunt (fara seminte)
1 lingura marar proaspat tocat
2 linguri tarhon proaspat tocat
2 linguri iarba ciorii sau ceapa verde tocata
sare si piper dupa gust
Se amesteca toate ingredientele impreuna zdrobind putin rosiile cu furculita. Se scurg cartofii de apa si cat sunt inca fierbinti se toarna peste ei vinegreta, amestecand usor sa nu se zdrobeasca feliile de cartofi de tot. Se mai adauga sare si piper daca e nevoie, si orice alte condimente va plac.
Se aseaza intai cartofii pe farfurie, apoi niste sparanghel pregatit la cuptor / fiert/ pe gratar si desupra pestele. Am pus o lingura din sosul de rosii pe peste si niste iarba ciorii (chives). Mie imi place gustul de anason al tarhonului, prospetimea mararului si a cepei verzi, si aciditatea rosiilor, asa ca as putea manca salata asta cu orice sau nimic langa ea

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Asparagus Tart/ Tarta cu Sparanghel

I am returning with some of the recipes from that January dinner, and the asparagus tart is the first one. My friends liked it a lot, they said it's like a bistro tart or quiche, tasty and very presentable. Not that my cutting it in small squares made it very presentable, but this time you have to trust me, the photo is not as good looking as the tart.

My ingredients were for a 18"x13" baking pan, so if you are making this in a different sized pan, adjust them accordingly. I think they will be enough for two round 10"-11" tarts.

The pie crust I made it using the same recipe as for the apple pie:

2 sticks margarine

7 tablespoons chilled water

3 tablespoons white vinegar

flour as much as needed - (this is how some Romanian recipes for desserts are, dont' you love them, especially when you just started baking and have no clue how much is actually needed or how the dough should look like.....)
Mix all ingredients with your fingertips, with a fork or in the food processor pulsing it. Form a ball, then press it into a rounded disk and refrigerate it for 30 mins. Roll the dough 1/8 inch thick, lay it in the pan, trim if necessary and poke it with a fork all over. Bake for about 20 mins at 375 F, until slightly golden.

1 1/2 pounds asparagus

1 red bell pepper chopped
While the pie crust is baking, boil the asparagus for 2 min in salted water, drain and put in a bowl with icy cold water to stop the cooking.

For the filling you need:

1/2 cup cream

2 eggs

3 tbsp cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup Parmesan

1 tablespoon fresh dill and 1 tablespoon thyme, chopped finely

Mix all ingredients together, until blended well. Fill the pie shell with the cream mixture, arrange the asparagus in the cream and sprinkle the red pepper. Bake for about 20 min until the custard is set.

Let it cool completely before cutting it. It could be made up to 8 hours ahead of time.

You could use puff pastry dough or the pie shells from the stores as well, just make sure you are poking the crust with tehf ork so it would have air pockets. And, if you have some small tart shells, maybe you could make them bite sized and really pretty, how I would like to if I find the time to make them one day soon.

Tarta cu sparanghel

Ingredientele mele au fost pt. o tava dreptunghiulara de 25x40, asa ca voi schimbati cantitatile in functie de tava voastra, dar cred ca ajung pentru doua tarte rotunde cu diametrul de 20-25.

Foaia pentru tarta am facut-o ca pentru placinta de mere:

225 g margarina,

7 linguri apa foarte rece,

3 linguri otet,

faina cat cuprinde.

Se framanta un aluat care se da la rece o jumatate de ora, apoi se intinde o foaie de 3-4 mm, care se inteapa peste tot cu furculita si se coace cca 20 minute la foc potrivit.

cca 700 g sparanghel

un ardei rosu tocat marunt
Intre timp, am taiat sparanghelul si l-am fiert timp de 2 minute in apa cu sare, apoi l-am scurs si pus in apa f. rece cateva minute sa se opreasca fierberea.

Umplutura:

125 ml smantana lichida,

2 oua,

1/2 lingurita din fiecare: sare, piper, nucsoara rasa,

3 linguri cu varf de parmesan ras,

3 linguri de crema de cascaval sau Philadelphia,

1 lingura de marar tocat si 1 lingura cimbru proaspat

Se ameteca toate ingredientele cu mixerul si se toarna crema de branza in forma de tarta, apoi se aseaza sparanghelul si se presara cu ardei gras tocat marunt. Se coace la foc mediu inca 20-25 de minute. Se lasa sa se raceasca in forma si se taie cand s-a racit complet. Se poate face cu pana la 8 ore inainte.
Si se poate folosi foarte bine si foaia de pateuri, daca o intepati peste tot cu furculitza, incat sa nu creasca prea tare. Sau daca aveti niste forme mici de tarte, puteti face ce niste aperitive mult mai prezentabile, dar calculati-va timpul bine pt. ca sunt mai meticuloase.

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A Saturday Night Dinner from archives

The minivacation is over, we are back and have to get into the working mood. As you see I am blogging, not working, so the mood did not make a full come back yet. I will clean up the pictures and stories from Big Bear and put them together in a couple of days, so now I am looking through my old photos and recipes, and as I am cleaning the folders, I decided to post some of them.
This post is about a cocktail dinner party back in January, with some friends and my bosses. Everything was made with the great support of my husband - in charge of cleaning up the house, and my sister, who helped with the plating and cleaning up after me in the kitchen.
I don't know how you guys are when throwing a party, but I am all about the food. It doesn't matter that I am exhausted when the guests arrive, it matters to me that all that I planned is on the table. Last month I went to a dinner, where my friend planned everything so that she could enjoy her guests, so the appetizers were plated and the 2nd course, asparagus lasagna, was cooking while we had drinks and the appetizers. That's when I realized how different (not to say wrong) my thinking is and how it needs improvement.

This was a cocktail party because we were too many for a sit down dinner at our small table, and also because all of my guests enjoy small bites. I'll write now about the menu, but some of the dishes will show up separately afterwards.
The appetizers were:
* Greek olives and fresh mozzarella balls which I marinated for about 2-3 hours in olive oil with paprika, basil, chili flakes, salt and pepper
** pear slices with goat cheese mousse, topped with caramelized walnuts and red currants
I whipped 7 oz goat cheese with 5 tablespoons heavy cream, salt and pepper, then mound it on top of round pear slices. I put a hand full of walnuts in a small pan, sprinkled them with sugar and wet them with water (a tablespoon), then let the sugar melt and caramelize the walnuts over medium-low heat. I chopped the walnuts when they cooled down, then topped goat cheese mousse with currants and walnuts.

*** cucumber slices with sour cream, smoked salmon, dill and fish roe
We all like smoked salmon and this combination with cucumber is such a staple, but I loved my little forks and couldn’t wait to use them. I loooove dill, and it couldn’t be missing, and I added some lumpfish caviar which thought that looked good on top.

**** asparagus tart
This was so simple to make and was very tasty. I like asparagus grilled, roasted or steamed, and I wanted to use it this time, so this recipe was just perfect. I’ll post the recipe separately this week.

***** lettuce cups with orzo salad and shrimp
The lettuce leaves could be called anything but cups this time, as the Bibb lettuce (or Boston) was not very curvy, but was still tasty. The orzo salad is one of my favorite pasta salads of all times, and the original belongs to Ina Garten, but this one is slightly different from the one she has on the Food Network website, as I change it sometimes based on what I have in the fridge. This one will come in a separate post too.

****** "Chinese hats" made from won ton skins, with tuna tartar and microgreens

For the main courses we had salad with grilled salmon on skewers with an Asian orange glaze and bacon wrapped pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes and blackberry-wine reduction.

The dessert was almond tuile cups with raspberry and lemon sorbet and some chocolate sticks.

Because my pictures are not the best for all of these dishes, I'll post some now, and later, for each individual post I'll try to remake them and have a better picture hopefully.

O cina din arhive

Am revenit din mini vacanta noastra de la munte, si pana o sa pun pozele si povestile impreuna, am zis sa fac curat prin pozele vechi si pe cele pe care le pastrez sa incep sa le postez treptat. Asa ca incep cu o petrecere din Ianuarie, cand ne-am adunat cu sefii si niste prieteni. Am planificat meniul cu o luna inainte, schimbat planurile de nu stiu cate ori si nu as fi reusit sa termin toate fara ajutorul sotului meu si al surorii mele, care m-au ajutat curatand si aranjand masa.
Nu stiu cum sunteti voi cand aveti o petrecere, eu sunt obsedata si ma stresez numai in privinta mancarii. Nu conteaza cat de epuizata sunt cand vin musafirii, conteaza sa fie pe masa toate cate mi-am propus. Mai degraba ma obosesc mai tare decat sa tai ceva de pe lista. Si nici o data nu ma invat minte sa fiu mai calculata data viitoare. Insa luna trecuta am vazut cat de aiurea gandesc, cand am fost la cina la niste prieteni si Jennifer a planificat totul atat de bine incat a stat cu noi tot timpul, nu era deloc obosita. Aperitivele erau pregatite pe farfuriute incat numai le-a adus la masa cand ne-am asezat, iar felul doi, o lasagna cu sparanghel se cocea in cuptor cat noi am stat de povesti si sa ne cunoastem la un pahar de vin. Si desi mi-am dat seama ca asa trebuie facut, nu sunt sigura ca data viitoare ii urmaresc exemplul.
Pentru ca noi nu avem loc la masa pentru o cina formala cand sunt atatia invitati, am pregatit totul ca pentru un bufet. Meniul urmeaza mai jos, dar multe dintre retete o sa le postez separat zilele ce urmeaza, cand poate o sa am si timp sa le gatesc din nou si sa refac pozele.
Aperitivele au fost:
1. masline grecesti cu bile de mozzarella proaspata marinata timp de 2-3 ore in ulei de masline, busuioc, ardei iute, sare si piper
2. felii de para cu mousse de branza de capra frecata cu smantana lichida, cu nuci caramelizate si coacaze
Pentru mousse-ul de branza de capra am spumat cu mixerul branza de capra (200 g) si smantana lichida (cca 75 ml, din cea pt. frisca), cu sare si piper, pana a iesit o spuma. Nucile le-am prajit in tigaie cu cateva linguri de zahar si o lingura de apa, cat sa se caramelizeze. Am pus cu spritul branza pe feliile de para, iar deasupra nuci si coacaze.
3. castravete cu somon afumat, smantana, icre si marar
Combinatia asta e atat de clasica si de banala, numai ca voiam tare mult sa folosesc furculitele micutze pe care tocmai le luasem. Mararul imi place la nebunie, asa ca nu putea lipsi, iar icrele aratau dragut in varf.
4. tarta cu sparanghel
Mie imi place sparanghelul pregatit in toate formele - la gratar, la cuptor, oparit, asa ca am vrut sa il adaug la meniu si m-am bucurat sa gasesc reteta asta, pe care o voi posta separat saptamana asta.
5. cupe din frunze de salata cu orzo si creveti
Frunzele de salata de data asta nu au fost prea curbate incat numai a cupe nu arata, dar au fost la fel de gustoase. Salata de paste orzo e una din preferatele mele, originall ii apartine Inei Garten si reteta ei de pe website-ul Food Network e putin diferita, incat o fac dupa cum imi vine si in functie de ce am prin frigider. O s-o postez separat de asemenea.6. "palarii chinezesti" facute din foite de pachetele, umplute cu verdeata si tartar de ton
Pentru felurile principale am avut o salata cu gratar de somon, taiat fasii, pus pe frigarui, cu o glazura asiatica de portocala, si medalione de muschi de porc invelit in bacon cu piure de cartofi si sos de mure si vin rosu.
Pentru desert - cupe dintr-un aluat cu migdale cu inghetata de zmeura si lamaie, si niste sticksuri invelite in ciocolata. Nu stiu cum sa traduc numele retetei, se cheama almond tuile, si m-am gandit ca vine din franceza, dar pt. tuile am gasit tigla, iar desertul asta e mai mult ca o dantela decat o tigla.
Toate retetele pe care nu le-am scris aici o sa le postez separat imediat dupa ce le refac.

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