We had friends over for dinner a couple of nights ago. They’re both fairly picky and I wanted to stretch their palates a little bit further…time to get creative. So I made up a pasta dish and cooked a very mild fish to go along with it. Oh, and Scallops too…they were on SALE! Moohahaha.
See this?
You have to get one. Don’t have an extra $250 laying around for a Le Creuset?
See this?
It’s an Immersion Blender aka Stick Blender aka Smart Stick aka Boat Motor.
See these spices?
Click da pic.
Click da pic.
I’m going to be using them for the forthcoming food and I’d highly recommend purchasing them from www.thespicehouse.com — I really should be making some money for how much I’ve been pushing this company lately.
Dear Spice House,
If you’re reading this. Please give me some free stuff.
With Love,
Ryan Detzel
Moving right along to…
Creole Spinach Pasta!
You’ll need:
Olive Oil
1 Large Shallot
6 Cloves Garlic
Small Bag of Spinach
Handful of Fresh Tarragon
2 Cups Chicken Stock or Broth
1 Cup Cream
Creole Seasoning
Parmesan Cheese
Pasta of Choice
First, add a few tablespoons of Olive Oil to your pan over medium heat…
We’ll get things going with a Large Shallot and 6 Cloves of Garlic chopped…
Oh…hold on a second. Allison is swinging Finn around and he’s laughing…
Now add a small bag of Spinach leaves to the pot…
Keep cooking over medium heat until the spinach gets nice and wilted…
To that, I’m adding a nice handful of fresh Tarragon…
And then 2 cups of Chicken Stock or Broth…
1 Cup of Cream…you can use half and half if you prefer…
And let that all simmer together for a few minutes…
1-2 Tablespoons of Creole Seasoning can be added to the sauce…
1 Cup of grated Parmesan would do well here…
And now it’s time to buzz it all together!
This will finely mince up all of those Spinach Leaves and Tarragon stems into a nice, creamy sauce…
Let the sauce simmer until you can add your cooked pasta of choice…I’m using Fettuccine…
And there you have a new creation, Creole Spinach Pasta. This smells dangerously tasty.
Next up is a delicious and delicate, farm-raised Turbot. It’s good to eat and it’s a sustainable fish…
Seasoned liberally on both sides…go big or go home right? I’m using Back of the Yards seasoning…
Here, I’m implementing a “bronzing” technique as described in this post. Sear the Fish on one side for about 2 minutes and then pop it into a 375 degree oven for about 6 minutes without turning the fish over. I cut my Turbot in half to fit in the pan properly.
While that Turbot is in the oven, I might as well use something to pick up that extra seasoning from the plate…how about Scallops?
Crusting the top and bottom…
Hot pan with just a small bit of oil…
Sear on each side for about 90 seconds…
And that’s it! Let them rest for a couple of minutes and they’ll be perfect.
Time for the fish to come out of the oven…
Flip that fish over to reveal the beauty…
Dinnertime!
As for the picky eaters? They loved it.
This post is forever long and I’m sure I’ve missed stuff…feel free to ask questions if something is unclear! Other than that…Bon Appetite!
