A Grill, My Man and Some Caribbean Halibut

I glanced out at him. Sitting there on the back deck. So calmly. iPad in one hand. Tazo lightly sweetened iced tea in the other. And I thought to myself, "What is it about guys and grilling? Is it primal?" On any other night, should he be asked to come up with dinner, my sweetie will ask for the phone and call 1-800-Got-Pizza but give him something to grill and....Wow! Furthermore, he could go for weeks, months, years even, without grilling but you call him back to his rightful position and he's whipping out "4-star" salmon, New York steaks and halibut like he's been doing it everyday. And so it was this particular summer evening as he patiently attended our halibut steaks.

I fear I must confess to you that I tend to be a bit bossy. Some of you may have already figured this out. Others of you may have been the victim of my bossiness. (Sorry dear brother and sister, but I was and still am the eldest.) It's not that I have a need to control everything as much as I need my life to have a certain order to it. I have a particular threshold for chaos, noise, clutter and non-premeditated events and once we go past that threshold, well...I become the "Boss Lady" as my sweetie refers to me when I'm in that state of mind. And the same applies to cooking. I am constantly thinking about the order in which each dish needs to be prepared. When this dish needs to come off the stove. Or the fish off the grill. Or the drinks poured. Or the salad dressed so that everything, more or less, is ready at the same time.

A few years back, when my big kids were little and the chaos was at its peak, my sweetie and I became disjointed in our efforts to get his grilled dish and my non-grilled dishes on the table at the same time. So one night, in a "Boss Lady" fit, I said, "Just let me do it from now on." And being the wise, patient man that he is, he stepped aside knowing, "And this too...shall pass."

Which brings us up to this particular summer evening. Maybe it's that the chaos is not so great now that the children are getting older. Maybe it's because I'm getting older. Maybe I'm just plumb tired and I'm loosing my "Boss Lady" edge. Or perhaps, down deep, I've realized that while I can grill, I don't really love it. Not like my guy. But whatever it is, I'm learning...a little bit...to Let Go and embrace some of the chaos, noise and unscheduled events.

Seeing my daughter already in the kitchen making cupcakes, I was struck by the unprecedented notion to call the boys in and give them each a job as well. Which I did. And while they were all working away...my daughter folding berries and mint chocolate chips into her buttercream frosting and me not saying a thing. Nope. Not one word about that combination of ingredients. The 10-year old chop, chop, chopping up the veggies for our salsa with chopping bits flying here and there and me not making one comment about the little bits creating a colorful pattern on the floor. And the 5-year old dipping his fingers into the guacamole, licking it off and dipping again to make sure it tasted just right and me not saying anything about germs or the green streaks appearing on his shirt which he was using as a napkin...yes, while all of this was going on, I was overcome by the feeling that despite the mess, I was truly delighted that we were all in there. There was something so, so...comforting about it. And then, not wanting him to feel left out, I went over to where my handsome man was relaxing and said, "Hey sweetie, I'd really appreciate it if you could grill the halibut. The last time I did it, we ended up with blackened fish bits all over the place." He looked up at me and without questioning the request said, "Sure."

And so it was that he was reinstated to his rightful position as "Grill Master." (Although, we never can be too sure what might happen the next time "Boss Lady" shows up but for now...) And what's more, when it was all said and done, thanks to the extra help, I was left with an unscheduled half hour. A non-premeditated half hour. I faltered for a minute not knowing what to do with myself this was so unheard of...but then, I picked up my camera and headed outside and walked to where the sun was just slipping behind the hills. Without that bit of unencumbered time, I would have missed....

The final moments in a work day.

The last bits of light before the sun slipped behind the hills.

Our own coastal range putting forth its best, yet humble, effort to embody the spirit of the original Blue Ridge mountains.



Caribbean Halibut with Tropical Salsa
Adapted from Weber's On the Grill

This is a recipe my sweetie found, purchased all of the ingredients for and declared we should have it for dinner. Perhaps he realized, subconsciously that he had been patient long enough and the time had come for him to take the "Grill Master" position back over from the "Boss Lady." Whatever it was, I'm so glad he did because this dish is amazing. So fresh. So easy. So "summery." The most time consuming part is chopping up the ingredients for the salsa but if you happen to have an offspring handy that is obsessed with weaponry, hand him a Chef's knife and tell him to have at it. And truly, if you were completely short on time, but still wanted to try this out, you could skip marinating the fish and just season it with some olive oil, salt and pepper before grilling. But don't skip the salsa. It "completes" the dish.

Ingredients:

4 halibut fillets, about 6 oz each
canola oil

Marinade:
1 c orange juice
1/4 c soy sauce
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Salsa:
1 c finely diced ripe pineapple
1/2 c finely diced ripe banana
1/2 c finely diced cucumber
1/4 c finely chopped red bell pepper
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Start by whisking all the of the ingredients for the marinade together in a medium bowl. Add your halibut and turn to coat them evenly. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap, put them in the fridge and let them marinate for 1 hour, turning once or twice.

Meanwhile, make your salsa by simply combining all of the salsa ingredients above in a medium bowl and setting aside.

Once the fish is ready, prepare your grill for cooking over medium to medium-high heat. (350-450 degrees.) Remove your halibut from the bowl and discard the marinade. Pat the fish dry with paper towels and then brush both sides with canola oil. Make sure your grates are clean and then grill the halibut for 8-10 minutes, turning once or until the halibut just begins to flake when you poke it with the tip of a knife.

Slide your heavenly fish onto a plate. Top with the salsa and perhaps a side of rice and some tossed greens and enjoy. You can almost feel the Caribbean calling as you bite into this medley of tropical flavors. Now where's my umbrella drink??


All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

Phew....I made it. Lack of sleep and all.

If you do not see a video screen above this line, click here to be taken directly to my site or here for the AM Northwest site.

Well, I made it. Wasn't sure how it would go down considering my serious lack of sleep. So glad I made the decision to stay up even later than it already was and iron the pants that no one saw. (Shhh. Don't tell my parents. They wouldn't be pleased at the hour I finally turned out the lights. Isn't it the case that no matter what age we are, we never stop being somebody's child and we always know what they're thinking?)

Before I go on air, I, of course, have thought up all of these wonderfully witty and informative comments to make but when I'm actually in the middle of the whole thing....I forget them all. So, one thing I meant to say is that for an even quicker version of these fish tacos, you could make them with the beer battered cod or halibut you find in your freezer section. My sweetie tends to lean more toward the beer battered guys while I, myself, am a "grilled fish" girl. Either way, make a batch up, get yourself a couple of "cold ones" with a slice of lime, turn up the mojito music and welcome in summer!

Cheers,
Carrie

PS: In case you'd like the link to the recipe, here it is...link.

All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

Movin' On Up to the Big Leagues

No long post yet this week as I've been gearing up to make these Fabulous Fish Tacos on AM Northwest tomorrow morning. Since it appears I've been a very, good girl, the kind producer that I work with at AM Northwest has moved me up to the live morning show. I'll be the first guest on Wednesday's show and if you happen to be in the Portland area, near a television at 9:00am, flip it on to KATU Channel Two...voilà, there I'll be fryin' up some fish.

Wish me luck though. I'm definitely not as organized as usual. Nor do I have myself to bed at a decent time. Must be something about my three chickens at home full-time making it difficult to concentrate. Or it could have nothing to do with them and it's simply my own procrastination and I'm just looking for someone to blame.

Either way.....cheers!
Carrie


All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

Fabulous Fish Tacos...Without the Franticness

I pulled my receipt out of the parking meter and glanced at the expiration time, "10:16 am." I couldn't believe it. Considering that I had just paid for an hour's worth of parking meant I had arrived at the market only 45 minutes after it opened. This was a first for me. I usually arrive much, much later. At the height of the crowds. Just when many of the vendors start selling out of their produce for the day. But no. Today was different. The sun was shining for the first time in weeks and by golly, I was going to make the most of the next 24 hours before the rain returned the next day...or so "they" were predicting. (You know, the almighty "they.")

Going around to the back of the car, I pulled my new farmer's market cart out of the trunk. A little contraption I had researched on line called the "Hook N' Go." I was hoping that it might be able to give my lower back and arms a reprieve during this weekly jaunt. I unfolded it and then, grabbed my bags and "hung" them on the rungs. "Huh...," I mumbled as I sized-up my new contraption and considered that the bags hooked on the "Hook N' Go" seemed to drag on the ground once they were hooked. "Nevermind that....I'm sure it will be fine once they are filled with food," I said to myself. Then, waving off someone gesturing for my parking spot, I grabbed the "Hook N' Go" and took off with a determined and confident gait.

As I walked under the familiar canopy of trees and approached the market, I noticed that it was teeming with people. I couldn't believe it. "It's only 9:15. Where did all of these people come from? I'm supposed to have the market to myself." A flash of disappointment and anxiety rippled through my body. I mentally went through my list. A 1/2 flat of strawberries was at the top. The one type of produce that always sells out. "But I have to do the circle," I lamented to myself. Like our canine companions, I always have to circle the market once before I buy anything. Checking out deals. Inspecting the produce for the best quality. As I dove into the crowd, I could sense that this was not a day for leisurely shopping. No circling. Just "grab n' go." The vibe here was frenetic. All of Portland had been trapped in a car wash for the past month and we were out and we were hungry and we were frantic to pack as much into this one day of sun as possible. As for the "Hook n' Go"....I may as well have been trying to push a "wide load" double stroller through a crowd of black crows with all the squawking and the cranky looks going around.

Hungry, I saddled up to the Tart Lady and bought a blue cheese, asparagus, mushroom tartelette. Beautiful, to be sure but....cold. "Oh well...." While I was pulled over to the side trying to eat a few bites a "lovely" couple noticed my "Hook n' Go." "Well, that's an interesting cart. What's it called darlin'?" I rattled off the name and explained that it was new. Turning to his wife, he says, "Honey, we'll have to check that out online." and they were off. Back into the crowd I started buying up a few items...a baguette, some sugar snap peas, a bit of basil goat cheese, some fillets of pacific rock fish, a bottle of wine from Twist. I plopped these into bag number one and all was well.

Rounding the corner, I spied a huge pile of zucchini. Not expecting this until later in the season, I delightedly grabbed a few with visions of grilling them up with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. After my purchase, I pulled over to the side to get them into bag number two. Clearly, the handles were too long. It would, in fact, drag once it was "hooked." While I was concentrating on tying a knot to shorten the handles, another "lovely" couple walked up to take a look at the "Hook N' Go." "Well, look at that. What kind of contraption is that?" "It's a Hook N' Go. I'm just trying it out for the first time today." "Those bags are going to drag." "Yeah, well, I haven't worked out all the kinks. This is the first time I've taken her out for a spin." "Hmmpf, shoddy design," he mutters under his breath as he walks away shaking his head with his wife following right behind. I wanted to take the zucchini back out of the bag that was not dragging and whack him on the head but the knot I had to tie to shorten the length prevented me from reaching back into the bag. In the distance I could hear, "Leavin' on a Jet Plane" being sung by the band of the day. "What?! This is not appropriate market music. Where's the bluegrass?" But no, "Don't know when I'll be back again...." just kept being sung over and over. "What is going on here?" My normal, calming, zen experience at the market had been anything but. I just wanted to go home. With my 1/2 flat of strawberries hooked on my arm and my bags hooked on the...."Hook n' Go"...I headed back to my car.

Once home, there was the rush to unload the car and then, to give the lawn some attention. To pull some weeds. To fix lunch. To finally, plant my vegetable garden. To clean myself up and then, to put to use the purchases I had made earlier. Around 7 pm, I laid out buffet style the corn tortillas, the grilled fish, my "special sauce", some chopped up cilantro, mango and napa cabbage and then, rang the cow bell called everyone for dinner. Once everyone was seated, I took a deep breath and could finally feel myself relax. I watched as my family thoroughly enjoyed their fish tacos and chatted about this and that. My sweetie remarked to me, "These might be the best fish tacos I've ever had." The sun was definitely starting to disappear in preparation for the next day's rain but as I sat there with my family I didn't mind so much. At the end of a long and productive sunny day, I was finally having my "zen moment" surrounded by my sweetie and my curiously calm chickens....and the wine I purchased earlier probably helped too...I'm just saying.


Fabulous Fish Tacos

I don't know about you, but my "main squeeze" and I are always on the hunt for the best fish tacos whether we're buying them or making them. So the recipe that follows is a conglomeration of many of the fish tacos I've had, keeping in mind that I like to keep it simple and three children, as well as a main squeeze with a discriminating palate, need to like them as well. Also, for these particular fish tacos I made them using Pacific Rock Fish which was highly recommended to me by Linda Brand Crab at the Portland Farmer's Market and let me tell you...she was wasn't just trying to sell fish when she said they'd be perfect for fish tacos. Yum! This recipe is so simple yet feels "rawther special" and I find it could easily be made on a weeknight or on the weekend for guests. Cheers....

Ingredients

Sauce:
This sauce can easily be cut in half.
1 cup mayonnaise (Best Food, of course. What else is there??)
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2-4  tomatoes cored and chopped-approx 1-2 cups. (Amount depends on your love for the round, red orbs.)
pinch of salt

1/2 head fresh napa cabbage, shredded
1-2 fresh mangoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Some extra slices of lime

2 lbs pacific rockfish or other firm, fleshy white fish

1 package white corn tortillas

Optional: sriracha or chili sauce laid out on the table for those who like a bit of heat

Directions:
Prepare your sauce by mixing the first 5 ingredients together in a bowl. Then, set aside to allow the flavors to mingle.

Prepare the napa cabbage, mangoes and cilantro. And then, set aside, each on their own separate plate.

Lightly season your fish with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil. Grill over medium heat until just flaky in the middle. The rockfish took about 6-8 minutes total (3-4 minutes per side.)

While your fish is grilling, heat your tortillas. A trick I learned is to wrap the desired amount of tortillas in a barely damp paper towel and then, pop them in the microwave for 45 seconds or so. They come out heated through without being dried out. Now, you could get fancy and heat each one in a cast iron skillet but why?

Then, lay your fixin's out on the counter, pull your fish off the grill and call the troops to dinner. Or don't bother calling them, just ring your cow bell over and over and over until the incessant annoying noise causes them to finally abandon their...legos, fort in the woods, gmail chat...and arrive promptly at the table exasperated and saying things like, "Okaaaay Mawwwwwm. You can stop now." Explain to them to take a tortilla (or two), put some fish on it, drizzle on some sauce, sprinkle on their desired amount of cilantro, mangoes and cabbage, a squeeze of lime perhaps and then, after preparing yourself a plate, sit down with your family (or your cat, perhaps) and enjoy.

Yield: Enough for 2 adults and 3 children and a bit leftover


All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

Une Petite Pomme: The First Ever La Pomme de Portland Dinner Party

I simply must tell you about one of my dear, dear friends and an entertaining endeavor she took on. She recently had a dinner party. For three families. Including all offspring. Before I go any farther into her story, let me stop and ask you, "Aren't you impressed with just these details I've given you?!" Three families! Including kids! For dinner! I find that we seem to be at an age where nobody is doing much entertaining. Remember all those Christmas parties, "wine club" parties, block parties, progressive dinners, Birthday dinners, drinks on the deck, kick-off to camping barbecues?? Nope. No one's doin' them anymore. We're all just too dang tired. So the fact that my dear friend actually threw a dinner party, during this frenetic stage of life, leaves me duly impressed.

But wait, there's more. She didn't serve frozen lasagna and a Caesar salad from Costco. No. She made everything. From scratch. And to top it off, each and every recipe was from right here. From La Pomme. I feel quite honored and thank goodness I didn't exactly know what she was doing ahead of time or I would have felt a tad bit stressed out, worrying about the caliber of my recipes I've posted here and whether or not they are dinner party worthy. When I hooked up with her afterwards, she flashed me one of her beautiful, infectious smiles (the fact that she was still smiling is saying quite a bit) and shared with me that the party had been a huge success. The dishes had been so simple to prepare, so delicious to eat and....quite healthy to boot. Even the kids had enjoyed the offerings.

So you can share in the astonishment OR perhaps throw a dinner party of your own, I give you her La Pomme de Portland Dinner Menu:

Herbes de Provence Goat Cheese Spread

A Simple Salad

String Beans and Caramelized Shallots

Braised Pacific Halibut with Mushrooms and Leeks

Cinnamon Apple Crostata

I also feel compelled to share with you that another friend let me know that she made the Ginger and Garlic Stir Fry and her kids ate some particular veggies in that dish for the first time. Veggies they had not been willing to try before...and loved them.

And then, just the other day, another friend told me that she made the Pasta e Fagioli Soup I recently posted but instead of pasta, she used cheese tortellini. Her kids lapped it up. And another friend's husband proclaimed after she made him this same soup, "Well, we're never going to have that again, are we?" "Why not?", she asked. "Because I really liked that." She and I have the same problem of making things that the whole family loves but then, never making them again simply because we can't remember what we made. And so the hubbies, much to their dismay, never see that tasty dish again.

Thank you Kim, Laura, Suzi and Tammy for sharing your culinary adventures with me. I love hearing about them but then again, I love food....actually it's more than love. A small obsession is more like it...

Happy Weekend to All....wherever you may be!!



All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

Braised Pacific Halibut with Mushrooms and Leeks

While my dear, sweet husband would prefer to remain anonymous on these here pages of "La Pomme" or at least, keep to the role of an extra...an extra, as in, one of the 70,000 in the stands of the filming of a great sports film...I do feel that there is something you should know about him. He is a man who knows what he likes. And, once he's locked on to that...tea brand, yogurt and granola pairing, holiday cookie from Trader Joe's...there is no deviating. Now, this is a good thing, especially if you're me. He's locked on to me and I don't have to worry. However, because of his highly "distinguished palate," preparing a meal for my guy can sometimes be...challenging. So, when his hunting and gathering takes him out of town, my mind starts racing and I immediately start thinking about all of the dishes I can prepare in his absence especially those involving mushrooms...for those fungi have never made my sweetie's "like list."

So, after a flurry of chopping and slicing and simmering and scooping and my man far, far away, I laid before my three children bowls of braised halibut with mushrooms and leeks for dinner. My anticipation of enjoying this fine meal could barely be contained. I sat down with excitement twinkling in my eyes. But, while the presentation was beautiful and the children dutifully ate their meal, somehow it was anti-climatic. There we sit. Just me and the three kids. Eating our meal. And then, sure enough, the 10-year old someone farts and it's all down hill from there. Somehow it seemed silly to have gone the extra effort for my off-spring when, honestly, they would have been just as happy with Costco chicken nuggets, frozen peas and applesauce.

I cleaned up the meal and headed up for the bedtime routine. Glancing at the chair in my daughter's room, I sighed. There would be no lounging in that chair, eavesdropping on my man and the littlest one through the wall as they "rehearsed" their rendition of "Up On the Rooftop" for the Preschool Holiday Program. The silence from the downstairs was almost haunting. No Sportscenter. No hollering from my sweetie to the 10-year old to "Get down here and check out this play." And, once I had the boys down and was scooping up the trail of legos left by the mysterious and elusive "Lego Poopin' Rabbit" that apparently inhabits our house, I glanced downstairs expecting to see my daughter snuggled up next to her Daddy watching their favorite show. But, no. They weren't there. So, although I was able to eat my mushrooms tonight which were quite tasty, somehow the pleasure was lessened by the absence of the one who matters most which gives rise to the question, "Is food really more pleasurable when it's shared?" Perhaps there is some truth to that.

Oh, gads. Look what I've done. I've gone and talked about my main squeeze. The guy who wants to keep his contributions to our lives anonymous. We'll just keep this a little secret between you and me. Shhh. Maybe he won't read this and then, he'll never know. Deal?

Braised Pacific Halibut with Mushroom and Leeks

(Inspired by a recipe of a similar name from Fine Cooking, October 2009)

For years, I didn't cook fish, only ordered it in restaurants. I don't know why. Somehow the whole process seemed to intimidate me. Now, the older, wiser me can't be stopped. We eat a lot of fish. Don't be put off by the "rawther fawncy" title of this recipe. It is so quick that it is worthy of weeknight status especially if you buy the mushrooms that have already been sliced. And, while the recipe calls for halibut sometimes I just can't stomach the price for that meaty guy and so, I've made this with petrale sole as well which is good but does tend to fall apart easily. I'm sure cod would be another tasty alternative. Enjoy.

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 pound, white button mushrooms, thinly, sliced (about 4 cups) (Feel free to use whatever your favorite mix of mushrooms might be.)

2 large leeks, white and light-green parts only, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

4 cups lower-salt chicken broth

1/2 cup of dry, white wine

5 skinless Pacific halibut fillets (about 4 oz each)

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Melt the butter and heat the oil over medium heat in a deep, straight sided saute pan with a lid. Add the mushrooms and leeks and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the broth and wine, raise the heat to medium high, and bring to a boil.

Season the halibut with salt and pepper. Nestle the fish among the vegetables in the skillet. Bring the broth back to a boil, cover tightly, and reduce the heat to low. Cook gently until the fish is just cooked through, about 7 minutes.

Serve the fish in shallow soup bowls, surrounded by the mushrooms, leeks and broth. Sprinkle the chopped parsley on top.

Yield: 5 servings....

All original text and photographs, copyright: Carrie Minns 2009