Baked Fish with Risotto Primavera and Parmesan Cheese Garlic Bread

Originally published April 7, 2009

Not too long ago My wife and I were in Dallas for market (the World Trade Center in Dallas)--we do this twice a year. People always tell me, "Oh, what fun it must be to go to market!" Well, to me, market pretty much sucks. We have appointments booked from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. All those hours are spent with manufacturers' representatives who want to sell you whatever you will buy. We always leave exhausted. It is far from being fun, but you have to keep up with new product offerings. It is important to go.

This year we decided to only make a few appointments so we could venture from the same old showrooms we always visit and see new lines we might want to offer at www.distinctive-decor.com This allowed us to get to our hotel much earlier in the evening. So, we went out to eat. One night we ate at a really loud and dimly lit restaurant named Avanti in Dallas. It is a yuppie-ish Italian restaurant. My wife had spinach lasagna that she washed down with a beer and I had the dish that I am writing about here- baked fish with risotto primavera (which also was washed down with a beer). The food was good, but best of all it was fairly simple--simple enough for me to deconstruct and make for myself.

Baked Fish

The fish for this dish needs to be a white-fleshed fish. Cod, red snapper, flounder, mahi-mahi or striped bass work well. Season the fish on both sides with salt, pepper and paprika. The paprika promotes browning. Cook fish in 1 T. of olive oil for 3-4 minutes on one side in a hot pan. Flip the fish, squeeze lemon over it and slide the pan into the oven set at 400 degrees. Cook 10 minutes. Remove when the fish begins to flake.

Risotto Primavera

2-3 Cups of Risotto (Arborio) or Short-Grain Rice

1 broccoli head cut into small pieces

3-4 Carrots cut into strips

2 Zucchini squashes cut into strips

¼ Medium Onion Finely Diced

¼ C. White Wine

8-10 Cups of Chicken Broth or Stock

Grated Parmesan Cheese

¼ Cup heavy cream (essential for a primavera)

1 T. Italian seasoning

½ Cup water

Salt to taste

Cut broccoli into small pieces and cut zucchini and carrots into ribbons. You can do this with a julienne peeler. Sauté carrots, zucchini, broccoli and Italian seasoning. Add ½ cup water to steam. Once water has evaporated remove vegetables to a tray.

Pour 2 T. olive oil into a medium sauce pot and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the arborio rice and stir to coat the rice in oil. Deglaze with the white wine and allow the wine to absorb while stirring. Add chicken broth one cup at a time and stir until broth has been absorbed. Risotto gets its creaminess from the starch content of the Arborio rice grains and the action of rubbing them together by stirring. Keep adding stock until the rice is a dente, but tender. Grate in Parmesan cheese, add cream and stir in the vegetables. If the risotto is too tight you may add more stock or cream to loosen it.

Italian Bread Appetizer

Small sourdough loaf, split

4 garlic cloves

4 T. Butter or Olive Oil

Parmesan cheese

Dry basil

Split the sourdough loaf and brush to coat with the garlic butter or garlic oil. (Create the garlic oil/butter by heating the fat and simmering the garlic cloves in the fat for 10-15 minute.) Sprinkle an even layer of parmesan onto the bread and drizzle a little more garlic butter or oil on top. Cook under the broiler at 400 degrees until lightly browned. As soon as the bread is removed from the oven sprinkle crushed dried basil on top. All you want is a dusting of basil.

Basil Oil

2 cups of fresh basil leaves (not packed)

Juice of 1 lemon

½ cup olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Once mixture is smooth, pour into a squeeze bottle

and use. Spoon the risotto on the plate and lay the fish across the risotto. Next squirt basil oil over the top of the fish in a nice design. Make it pretty!

Lemon Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Risotto

Originally published January 29, 2009
I picked up the know-how on the lemon chicken from the famous New York eatery, Rao's Restaurant. They published a cookbook quite a few year's back and this recipe stood out to me. I thought its tartness would go very well mushroom risotto. Boy, was I correct. My mushroom risotto is very rich and needed an uplift from the lemon pan juices. When you serve this dish make sure to lay down a bed of risotto and lay a piece of chicken on top. Spoon a couple of spoons full of the pan drippings on top of the chicken so that it runs down to the risotto--the result: gastronomical heaven.
This is my "go to" recipe when we entertain 8-12 people in our home. Guests absolutely love it. The secret is that you can prepare this meal in little time. The chicken is super simple and can cook while you are working on the risotto.
Here is the recipe and instructions.

Italian Lemon Chicken

(Inspired by Rao’s Restaurant in NYC)

1-2 chickens cut into pieces (bone in and skin on--don't skimp on the skin)5 Garlic Cloves

Juice of 2-3 Lemons

1 T. Red Wine Vinegar

Salt and Pepper

¾ Cup Oil

Do not season the chicken. All flavor is imparted by the vinaigrette. Making the vinaigrette is easy. Simply place the above ingredients (excluding the chicken) in a blender and blend well. I use an immersion (stick) blender for this. Taste and make sure your marinade is tart, but not overwhelmingly tart.

Arrange unseasoned chicken pieces in a roasting pan or lasagna dish. Place under a 500 degree broiler on the middle rack. Cook for 10 minutes and flip. Cook 10 minutes longer and remove the chicken from the oven. Apply the vinaigrette liberally-coating to each piece of chicken. Any leftover vinaigrette may be poured into the roasting pan. Place back under the broiler for 3 minutes and it will be ready.

Tomatoes & Squash Medley

2 Small Squash

2 Small Zucchinis

1 Clove Garlic Minced

1 flat of Cherry Tomatoes (Halved)

2 t. Italian Herb Seasoning

2 T. Olive Oil

Slice the squash and zucchini on the bias (diagonally slice). Add oil to hot pan and add the squashes, tomatoes and seasoning. Sauté until the squashes are tender.

Creamy Mushroom Risotto

2-3 Cups of Risotto or Short-Grain Rice

1 Flat of Mushrooms Sliced

¼ Medium Onion Finely Diced

¼ C. White Wine

8-10 Cups of Chicken Broth or Stock

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Heavy Cream (Optional)

Of the three dishes here, this risotto is the more challenging of the three, but don’t worry—it is easy, too.

Pour 2 T. olive oil into a medium sauce pot and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid. Add the rice and stir to coat. Deglaze with the white wine and allow the wine to absorb while stirring. Add chicken broth one cup at a time and stir until broth has been absorbed. Risotto gets its creaminess from the rice grains rubbing together as they release their starch. Keep adding stock until the rice is a dente, but tender. Your rice grains should not be crunchy--just firm. If they are crunchy add more stock and cook longer. Grate in Parmesan cheese. If the risotto is too tight and clumpy you may add more stock to loosen it. When you serve risotto it should relax when it hits the plate, not be in a clump. You may also add cream at this point, but adding cream is cheating! Most restaurants do add cream because they do not have the time to stir the risotto.