Well, I know that it has been entirely too long since I have written a post and I probably have lost interest from most of you. But I am here to make amends and give it another go. Now that we are settled into our new house in SW Florida, I feel like I can make my comfy little office and accommodating kitchen into a somewhat professional working space worthy of le blog superiore. Or at least have further motivation to cook some great meals and write about them. I feel terrible that I have missed many opportunities to post some fantastic blogs about outstanding meals I've done in the past months. I will try to make up for a small percentage of my slacking in this blog by posting this incredible meal that came out of my kitchen during the first week of our residence.
My dad, good ole Paul, came to visit us over New Years. As a great big thank you for his generosity and thoughtfulness for bringing a bottle of 1994 Quilceda Creek Cabernet to share, I decided to cook us all a dynamite dinner. I wanted to cook fish, however, I was having a hard time coming up with a method of preparation that wasn't too light or salty. I have a great recipe for a Spanish style topping with capers and green olives, but I knew the salt would completely ruin the taste of the wine. As I wasn't absolutely sure how a 1994 Washington Cabernet was going to hold up, if it was past its prime or big and bold, I decided to stick with my intended white fish with heavier accompaniments. This recipe out of Nordstrom's Entertaining at Home cookbook (with some minor tweaks) was easy, if a bit time consuming, but had all the components of what I was looking for. A simple tomato based red sauce with roasted mushrooms and a creamy cheesy polenta.
The dish was a wild success and the wine paired famously. Probably in fact, one of the best bottles of wine that I have ever had. Thanks Dad!
Chilean Sea Bass with Wild Mushrooms on Three-Cheese Polenta
Recipe from Nordstrom's Entertaining at Home Cookbook
Serves 8
Tomato Sauce
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
4 Cloves garlic, minced
5 Plum tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Roasted Mushrooms
1/2 lb portobello mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, quartered
1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Roasted Sea Bass
olive oil for brushing
8 Chilean sea bass filets (7 oz each)
4 tsp chopped fresh thyme
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Three Cheese Polenta
6 cups water
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup diced Brie cheese (all rind removed)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup stinky cheese (stilton or bleu)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Preheat oven to 500 degrees
To make Tomato Sauce, in a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and swirl to coat bottom of pan. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until it turns light tan, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and canned tomatoes with juices and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes to blend flavors. Stir in the basil, remove from heat and set aside.
To make the Roasted Mushrooms, in a large bowl, combine all of the mushrooms, drizzle with olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet with salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly, and then arrange on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer. Bake until well browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
To make the Roasted Sea Bass, brush a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil and arrange the fillets on the pan without crowding. Sprinke each with 1/2 tsp of the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Bake until slightly browned and just barely firm but not cooked through, about 10 minutes, depending on thickness of fillets. Remove from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven to 400 F.
To make the Three-Cheese Polenta, in a heavy 4 qt saucepan over medium hight heat, bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the salt. Whisking constantly, add the cornmeal in a slow, steady stream. Adjust the heat so the polenta doesnt splatter, then cook, stirring frequently until all the water is absorbed and the cornmeal no longer tastes grainy, and the mixture is creamy, 18-20 minutes. Add the cheeses a little at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the mixture begins to firm up, stir in the heavy cream. The mixture should be pourable. Remove from heat.
In a baking dish large enough to accomodate the polenta, or in two smaller dishes, spread the polenta in an even layer. Scatter the mushrooms evenly over the polenta. Using a wide metal spatula, lift the fish fillets from their baking sheet and arrange them over the mushrooms. Evenly mask each of the filets with the tomato sauce.
Bake until heated through and bubbling slightly around the edges, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Serves 8
Tomato Sauce
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
4 Cloves garlic, minced
5 Plum tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Roasted Mushrooms
1/2 lb portobello mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, quartered
1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Roasted Sea Bass
olive oil for brushing
8 Chilean sea bass filets (7 oz each)
4 tsp chopped fresh thyme
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Three Cheese Polenta
6 cups water
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup diced Brie cheese (all rind removed)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup stinky cheese (stilton or bleu)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Preheat oven to 500 degrees
To make Tomato Sauce, in a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and swirl to coat bottom of pan. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until it turns light tan, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and canned tomatoes with juices and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes to blend flavors. Stir in the basil, remove from heat and set aside.
To make the Roasted Mushrooms, in a large bowl, combine all of the mushrooms, drizzle with olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet with salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly, and then arrange on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer. Bake until well browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
To make the Roasted Sea Bass, brush a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil and arrange the fillets on the pan without crowding. Sprinke each with 1/2 tsp of the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Bake until slightly browned and just barely firm but not cooked through, about 10 minutes, depending on thickness of fillets. Remove from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven to 400 F.
To make the Three-Cheese Polenta, in a heavy 4 qt saucepan over medium hight heat, bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the salt. Whisking constantly, add the cornmeal in a slow, steady stream. Adjust the heat so the polenta doesnt splatter, then cook, stirring frequently until all the water is absorbed and the cornmeal no longer tastes grainy, and the mixture is creamy, 18-20 minutes. Add the cheeses a little at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the mixture begins to firm up, stir in the heavy cream. The mixture should be pourable. Remove from heat.
In a baking dish large enough to accomodate the polenta, or in two smaller dishes, spread the polenta in an even layer. Scatter the mushrooms evenly over the polenta. Using a wide metal spatula, lift the fish fillets from their baking sheet and arrange them over the mushrooms. Evenly mask each of the filets with the tomato sauce.
Bake until heated through and bubbling slightly around the edges, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
wow looks great, I guess we will have to come visit to have some, cause no bass around here..wine now that we could do..lol
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