Here’s another really easy weeknight dish; we based the recipe on one found in Fresh Spanish. Traditionally, this stew is made with tuna, but any firm-fleshed fish will work. We used mahi-mahi and were very pleased with the results.

Lisa says:

Yay soup! 

Chris says:

This cold weather certainly gets me in the mood for it… 

Lisa says:

What fish is this? 

Chris says:

Mahi-mahi, but the original recipe used tuna… 

Lisa says:

Mmmm, it’s good. 

Chris says:

Capers rule. They’re like little bursts of salt. 

Lisa says:

So’s the salt. 

Chris says:

Okay, tonight you earn the sigh…

Fish and Potato Stew
12 oz mahi-mahi (or any firm-fleshed fish), cut into large bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
red onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 small roma tomatoes, skinned, seeded, and chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1/2 tbsp mild paprika
3/4 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into large bite-sized pieces
salt and fresh ground black pepper
parsley, chopped
capers

Arrange the fish in a shallow bowl and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside.
Heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan, add the onion and garlic, and cook over medium heat until softened. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, bell pepper, paprika, and potatoes, and stir to mix well. Add just enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Add in the fish, return to a boil, and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Serve ladled into bowls and garnish with parsley and capers.

2 Servings

Tonight’s salad comes from Food & Wine’s Quick From Scratch Herbs & Spices Cookbook — I’ve said it before, but these recipes do indeed live up to the name: they’re certainly very quick to prepare. Also, more than any other cookbook we’ve used, the meals end up looking almost identical to the pictures in the book. Perhaps it’s due to the simplicity of the recipes themselves?  Nothing wrong with that; simple recipes are perfect for quick weeknight dinners…
 

Chris says:

We heart cilantro. 

Lisa says:

I think everyone knows that by now. 

Chris says:

So, what’s the verdict? 

Lisa says:

Delicious — and nice sized portions! 

Chris says:

I know! I’m glad I cut the recipe in half and just made two servings’ worth. 

Lisa says:

That rules. I love the mango, it adds just enough sweetness.

Chris says:

I’m a fan of the avocado. With the avocado, onion, and cilantro, it’s almost like a deconstructed guacamole!

Lisa says:

Uh… sure… and where does the rice and chicken fit in?

Chris says:

In my mouth, obviously.

Lisa says:

Oohh, my goodness…

Chicken, Mango, and Rice Salad
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
1 1/3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
3/4 cup chopped red onion
1 mango, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 avocado, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
3 1/2 tablespoons lime juice (about 2 limes)
3/4 cup chopped cilantro

Cook the rice in a large pot of boiling, salted water for 10-15 minutes, or until done. Drain and set aside. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts, then grill until done, about 5 minutes on each side, depending on thickness. When chicken is cool enough to handle, dice into 1/2 inch pieces. Toss the rice, chicken, onion, mango, avocado, and the oil, salt and pepper, lime juice, and cilantro.
Can be served warm, or refrigerate for at least an hour and serve cold.

4 Servings

Lisa has running group on Tuesdays, so I try to find recipes that can be prepared relatively quickly and don’t depend on exact timing — and so we can eat as soon as she walks in the door! This pasta dish from Fitness Food fit the bill: tuna steaks are grilled and placed upon a bed of wheat-noodles that have been tossed with plenty of cilantro, green onions, and an asian-inspired dressing. Any recipe that includes the words “one large handful of cilantro” gets my vote!

Lisa says:

Fitness Food rules.

Chris says:

See? You go for a run, you have run-worthy food waiting for you when you get home.

Lisa says:

I love the green onions.

Chris says:

…and of course, the cilantro?

Lisa says:

Of course!

Chris says:

I’d totally make this again if we wanted a quick pasta-and-fish meal. It took all of 20 minutes to make.

Lisa says:

Good, because I’d totally eat it again!

Tuna Steaks on Cilantro Noodles
1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp spicy sesame oil
salt
pepper
oil spray
2 6-oz tuna steaks, at room temperature
8-oz wheat linguine
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 large handful cilantro leaves, chopped
lime wedges

Mix the lime juice, fish sauce, sweet chili sauce, sugar, and oil in a small bowl with a whisk, and set aside.
Pat the tuna steaks dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan over high heat and spray with the oil. Add the tuna and cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until cooked to your liking. Transfer the steaks to a warm plate, cover, and keep warm.
Meanwhile, place the noodles in a large pot of salted, rapidly boiling water and cook according to package directions, until al dente. Drain well. Add half the dressing, half the scallions, and half the cilantro, and toss well.
Divide the noodles between two plates, then place a tuna steak on each. Mix the remaining dressing with the scallions and cilantro and drizzle over the tuna and noodles. Serve with the lime wedges.

2 Servings

I came across these two dishes in The Olive and The Caper when looking for recipes that used fennel, which showed up in our CSA box this week.  The shrimp was incredibly easy to make and FAST — the tomatoes took a little more work (and a lot more time!) but were well worth it.  They went together perfectly.

Lisa says:

Whoa, looks fancy. Hey, I like these stuffed tomatoes — almost like dolma!

Chris says:

The author calls it “Tomatoes Stuffed with Ancient Ingredients”.

Lisa says:

What, like the old stuff in the pantry?

Chris says:

You’d think so! Not sure about the title, but whatever. It’s good. And I really, really, like the shrimp. It’s really tender and really picked up the flavor of the cooking broth — the wine, the salty olives.. yum! What are you doing with your bread?

Lisa says:

I’m going to make a sandwich… a little bit of yogurt — like a curly-lou — a titch of salt… a shrimp or two… and some bulgur. Mmmmm, soooo good!

Chris says:

You’re quite the chef!

Lisa says:

Soos!

Chris says:

This is actually pretty filling, I wouldn’t have thought so from the recipes themselves.

Lisa says:

Yeah, it is. I usually like the veggies better when the filling includes meat, but these are delicious.

Chris says:

Great success!

Shrimp with Fennel, Green Olives, Red Onion, and White Wine
2 lbs medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
2 cups dry white wine
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1/2 medium red onion, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup fennel stalk, coarsely chopped
8 large green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced fennel fronds

Put the shrimp shells, wine, water, and salt in a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until the shells turn pink, 2 minutes. Remove and discard the shells. Add the onion, chopped fennel, olives, and oil to the pot and return to a boil. Simmer until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes, then stir in the shrimp and simmer until they begin to turn pink, about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with the fennel fronds, and serve.

6 Servings

Fresh Tomatoes Stuffed with “Ancient Ingredients”
6-8 large summer-ripe tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large rib celery, with leaves, finely chopped
1 large poblano pepper, sedded and finely chopped
1 cup medium-grind bulgar
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 cup greek yogurt (thick)
6 sprigs cilantro and mint

Prepare the tomatoes by cutting 1/4″ off the top. Set the caps aside. Use a paring knife to cut the cores and pulp out of each tomato, leaving a 1/4″ shell. Discard the core. Finely chop the pulp and place it in a strainer over a bowl to collect the juice. Strain any juices that have accumulated in the shells into the bowl as well. (You’ll have the tomato caps, tomato shells, chopped tomato pulp, and tomato juice).
Heat the oil in a medium-size pan over medium heat. Add the onion and stir until it wilts, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, poblano pepper, and chopped tomato pulp. Stir over medium heat an additional 3 minutes.
Add in the bulgar, wine, chickpeas, and salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool, stirring occasionally, for at least 10, and up to 45, minutes.
Stuff each tomato shell with a heaping 1/2 cup of the bulgur mixture. Arrange the tomatoes in a large wide pot or baking dish so they are tightly packed in one layer. Place a cap on each tomato. Pour all the strained tomato juice into the pot (not over the tomatoes).
Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the tomato shells soften, 10 minutes. Set the lid ajar, and continue simmering until the bulgur is fluffy and the shells are quite soft, 10 minutes more.
Remove from the heat and set aside for 15 minutes to cool.
To serve, lift the tomatoes onto a serving platter. Set the caps to the side of each tomato. Spoon 2 tbsp of yogurt over each tomato, and place a cilantro sprig on top. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

6 Servings

After spending almost an entire week in Northern Italy, it was time to journey down to Rome for a few days.  We stayed in the Appio Latino district, a few underground stops from the city center.  We found the best restaurants were away from the super-touristy spots, hidden in small side streets, and sometimes didn’t even have menus!  We had a great (and cheap!) dinner our first night in Rome at a place where the owner just asked what we liked, and brought something out to match our requests.  Our favorite find, though, was Pompi, an awesome breakfast/bar/dessert joint just a block away from our B&B.  It didn’t matter what time of day you went in, it was always crowded… with good reason: morning croissants, evening tiramisu, late-night drinks, all were great.  We loved the late-night food/drink culture in Rome!

Favorite cultural “what-the?” moment: We eventually tired of pizza and pasta, so we sought out and found… a Mexican restaurant!  It was surreal being in the center of Rome having an Italian waitress explain to us how to assemble and eat fajitas.  :)

The Cinque Terre region is famous for its white wines (trails connecting the five villages go right through the vineyards), and being right on the Mediterranean, seafood was fresh and plentiful.  We had dinner at Marina Piccola our first night, and I was thrilled with the mixed seafood appetizer plate, which included the tenderest octopus I’ve ever eaten, along with anchovies marinated in olive oil, fried anchovies, an anchovy fritter (they heart the anchovies here!) and a bacon-wrapped scallop.  Fantastic.  Trattoria Dal Billy was a fun find, with great food and quite the entertaining waitstaff.  Nothing like having booze-soaked fruit spoon-fed to you after dinner, while being told that it’s POISON!

The end of our Italian journey took us to Venice, with great beer, bellinis, and pizza at Birraria La Corte.  We enjoyed the feel of the place so much that we ate here two nights in a row.  It also helped that it was 50 feet from our hotel.  ;)  The gelato was plentiful, but our favorite “snack” in Venice were these green pistachio cookies that every other bakery in town seemed to make.  I’m pretty sure we had six of these fist-sized cookies in just a couple of days…

If it weren’t for all the hiking, walking, stair-climbing, sightseeing, etc., I’m sure we would have packed on quite a few pounds on this trip — but hey, the site’s called We [Heart] Food for a reason!