October Saturdays! As we close in on the end of October, we’re seeing the last of the fall harvest. I love the cuisine that accompanies the shorter days and cooler nights of the late fall.
Another great week of dining lies ahead. It’s time to plan ahead and create your grocery orders.
In Italian, Zuppa di Mare means soup of the sea. Tonight we’ll use leftover halibut. I happen to think that “Zuppa di Mare” sounds tidier and more appetizing than “fish soup.”
You’ll be combining pieces of leftover baked halibut with chopped shrimp in a tomato, red wine and broth base. Add fresh onion, fennel, celery and peppers, along with Italian spices and capers to complete the final touches on this dish.
Throw together a nice green salad to add to the mix and a piece of fresh fruit as a finish. Fantastico!
This Middle Eastern-inspired lentil dish works perfectly with beet or mustard greens. You can also use chard.
I recommend using red lentils for this dish, they cook faster. Curried lentils are paired with the strong flavor of hearty greens and the relatively neutral flavor of a lemon quinoa. It all turns into a tasty, ultra-nutritious meal that’s good for your blood vessels and even better for your taste buds.
Delicata Squash are now appearing at the farmer’s markets and grocery stores. Depending upon where you live they may be called “Peanut Squash,” “Bohemian Squash” or “Sweet Potato Squash”. They offer a light and sweet flesh that plays well with almost any flavor combination.
Hawaiian is the flavor theme today as you create little dugout canoes of squash filled with rice, pineapple, coconut and toasted pecans. A delightful delicata delicacy!
Scrub squash well before cooking. You can eat the skin as well as the tender flesh.
Halibut season will run into November so, before it’s over, let’s have some baked halibut with Sicilian pesto. Brussels sprouts are a treasure trove of phytonutrients and rich in vitamin K, so I’ve put them into tonight’s menu as well.
The trick to enjoying sprouts is good seasoning and not over cooking. Tonight they’re wrapped in a delicious honey/orange sauce and baked to perfection. You’ll get a little sweetness and acidity of citrus combined with the earthy and tangy flavor of the sprouts.
This kale dish is based on a favorite Hot ‘n Sour Soup from a Seattle restaurant. Tonight we skip the soup part and add more vegetables…in this case, kale. This cozy, comfort-food version of stir-fry combines hot, savory, sweet and sour flavors with lots of texture.
If using homemade marinated grilled tofu and if needed, make Marinated Grilled Tofu (Extra Recipe Info.) during the day today. You’ll need to thaw some frozen, ultra-firm tofu this AM.