Pan-fried Trout with Bacon

Yes, another photo-less entry. Only because my camera has possibly died on me and I feel compelled to share this recipe with the world (or whoever reads this…).

I’m of the school that believes that everything tastes better with bacon. People always like to play the game with me where they name things thinking that they wouldn’t taste better with bacon and I prove them wrong. I won’t lie, I have a dream of having a caramel sundae with bacon. Think about it, sweet buttery goodness and crunchy salty bacon picking up on the saltiness of the caramel… think about it.

A few weeks ago I realized that I’d never cooked trout. For no reason. Luckily Loblaws had trout on sale so I bought some and threw it in the freezer for when the spirit moved me to try something new. The other day I decided that the time was now to give trout a try so I logged onto Epicurious.com and searched for “trout NOT smoked”. I threw “NOT smoked” in there because when I just searched for trout there were entirely too many recipes for smoked trout… who knew that was such a big thing?

As I was browsing through the recipes there were a LOT of recipes for trout cooked with bacon. And I mean A LOT. So i figured this was the path to go down. I chose this recipe from Bon Appetit circa 2001.  It was give 3.5 forks out of 4 and the comments were overwhelmingly positive.  A good start.

Not only is this dish delicious it also is super quick.  I would say from start to finish under 20 minutes for the fish.  There is minimal chopping required (only the green onions) and this can be done while you’re sauteeing the bacon.  I made a few substitutions as I was going along.  I realized at the last minute that I didn’t have any lemon.  I freaked out a little because I figured I would need the lemon to cut the saltiness from the bacon, capers etc.  But a quick google search revealed that I could substitute 1/2 tsp white vinegar for 1 tbsp lemon.  WHO KNEW!  I was going to use lime juice but I knew that was wrong… the vinegar was oh so right.  I also didn’t feel like buying fresh tarragon so I used dried.  It worked out just fine.

If I still had dinner parties this would be on my list.  It is such unexpected greatness.  Who would think that trout and bacon would blend so beautifully?  Granted, everything tastes better with bacon, but still!

PAN-FRIED TROUT with BACON

Makes 2 servings; can be doubled

4 bacon slices
5 tablespoons butter
2 8- to 10-ounce trout, boned
All purpose flour
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons drained capers
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Crumble bacon. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add 1 tablespoon butter and stir to melt. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Coat flesh side of fish with flour; shake off excess. Add fish, flesh side down, to skillet. Cook 2 minutes. Turn fish over. Cook until just opaque in center, about 2 minutes. Transfer fish to 2 plates. Pour off drippings from skillet; wipe skillet clean. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in same skillet over medium heat. Add all but 2 tablespoons onions; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in bacon, lemon juice, capers, and tarragon. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over fish. Sprinkle fish with 2 tablespoons green onions.

From Bon Appetit via Epicurious.com

Honey-Tamarind Baby Back Ribs

Every once in a while I eat something that makes my heart (and stomach) absolutely melt. It’s that moment where I take a bite and am absolutely blown away by what’s in my mouth.

About 3 hours ago I had that experience.

I’m doing a trial subscription to Food and Wine and was browsing through the most current issue when I came across this recipe for Honey Tamarind Baby Back Ribs. I scanned the ingredient list and realized that I had everything to make the recipe except for honey and ribs and decided to forge ahead anyway.

I precooked the ribs last night and then finished them off with the sauce tonight.  Let’s just say that as the ribs were warming in the oven I may have been eating spoonfuls of sauce.  Or maybe I won’t up to that… but I’d defend anyone caught sauce slurping.

And without further delay I present the recipe for the best ribs ever.

(Oh, and no photo because I inhaled the ribs entirely too quickly)

ACTIVE TIME: 20 MIN
TOTAL TIME: 3 HRS
SERVES: 4

Naturally tart tamarind keeps the honey-based barbecue sauce from becoming too sweet for the luscious, slow-cooked ribs. Opt for dark, runny tamarind concentrate instead of tamarind pulp, which needs to be soaked and strained before using; it’s available at Asian markets.

ingredients

• 2 racks baby back ribs (5 1/4 pounds)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup clover or other mild honey
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Asian chile paste, such as sambal oelek

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 275°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Put the ribs on the baking sheet and season on both sides with salt and black pepper. Bake the ribs, meaty side up, for 2 1/2 hours, or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, blend the honey, ketchup, soy sauce, ginger, tamarind, garlic and chile paste until smooth.
3. Increase the oven temperature to 450°. Drain the fat from the baking sheet. Brush the ribs with the barbecue sauce. Roast the ribs, bony side up, for 10 minutes, until richly browned. Turn the ribs over, brush with more sauce and roast for 5 minutes, until browned. Brush the ribs with the remaining barbecue sauce and roast for 5 minutes longer, until deeply browned and glossy. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand for 5 minutes. Cut the racks into ribs and serve.

Sushi Bowl

Every once in a while I’ll make something new and think to myself how amazing it is that such simple ingredients can make such a great meal. The main ingredients in the sushi bowl are rice (duh), avocado, tofu and nori, nothing complicated at all but this may top my list as favourite comfort food.

Regular sushi is one of my favourite meals but I haven’t been out for sushi in ages for some reason. Every time I flip through Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking I see this Sushi Bowl recipe and think that the picture looks delicious but never ever make it. Not sure why. A few weeks ago Heidi Swanson posted about it on 101 Cookbooks and I immediately felt like I just HAD to make it.

This is a perfect lazy Summer meal.  The dressing adds a great fresh and bright flavour to the dish and the fact that you can get away without using the oven makes it great for summer.   The key to the dish is great avocado and perfectly cooked rice.  My local corner store/fruit market always has huge, flavourful avocados for an ok price.  They are so buttery and delicious and actually taste like avocados.  Love them.  Brown rice is one of my favourite things as well so a bowl of avocado and brown rice is a piece of heaven.  The toasted nori adds a nice mildly fishy taste that adds a nice kick to the dish.

I haven’t made this again just yet but the almost brand new package of nori is calling my name and I’m thinking this dish is in order once again.  The next step is thinking about what else can be thrown in.  Maybe a hint of wasabi in the dressing?  Some seaweed salad might work great or some pickled vegetables.  If I didn’t despise cucumbers those could work as well.

Enjoy!

Sushi Bowl Recipe

2 cups short-grain brown rice
3 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
2 (4-inch) square sheets nori seaweed
6 ounces extra-firm tofu

grated zest and juice of one orange
grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons (raw) brown sugar (reg. sugar is ok too)
2 tablespoons shoyu sauce (or soy sauce)
2 tablespoons (brown) rice vinegar

4 green onions, chopped
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Rinse and drain the rice two or three times. Combine the rice, water, and salt in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and simmer gently until the water is absorbed, about 45 minutes.

Toast the nori in a preheated 300F degree oven or a medium-hot skillet for a few minutes. Crumble or chop coarsely.

Drain the tofu and pat it dry. Cut the block of tofu lengthwise through the middle to make four 1/4-to 1/2-inch thick sheets of tofu. Two at a time, cook in a dry skillet or well-seasoned skillet over medium-high for a few minutes until browned on one side. Flip gently, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy. Let cool, enough to handle, then cute crosswise into matchsticks (see photo). Repeat with the remaining sheets.

To make the dressing, set the sheets aside. Combine the orange juice lemon juice, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 1 or 2 minute, the add the shoyu and vinegar. Return to a gentle boil and cook another 1 or 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the zests.

When the rice is done, stir in 1/3 cup of the dressing and add more to taste. Scoop the rice into individual bowls and top with the toasted nori, green onions, tofu, avocado slices, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Makes 4-6 servings.

(From Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson)