Last Night's Meal

It may be Fall but that doesn't mean that all of our meals need to be stick to your ribs, comfort food fare every night. Don't get me wrong, I love all those hearty dishes like Mac n' Cheese, Stew, Chili, and anything you can braise, but sometimes it's nice to have a lighter meal (and a bit easier on the waistline with all those holiday parties that are coming up). So we had some Dover Sole. A nice light fish that is very easy to prepare but a real pain to fillet. I watched the fishmonger work for about 20 minutes to fillet 2 fish.
  
So pretty simple stuff. I made some Bulgar Wheat (½-¾ dry) and just followed the directions on the pack. Then I started to heat up my griddle (Using a flat griddle instead of a fry pan that has high sides is much easier with such a thin, delicate fillet of fish). I added half a chopped shallot and a minced clove of garlic to some oil in a heated pot [Medium Heat]. Let this saute till translucent then added a rough chopped bell pepper and stired. As this is happening I added some olive oil to the skillet and when it got hot added the seasoned Sole fillets. They will only take a couple of minutes for each side, so pay attention (you can do this after you finish the Bulgar if you you don't feel like multi-tasking). Toss a couple handfuls of baby spinach into the pot and let wilt, then add your drained Bulgar along with some chopped herbs of your choice (I used Tarragon and Flat Leafed Parley) and a couple sliced scallions (green onions to you yanks ;-). Stir all this up and give it a little S&P to taste. The fish should be done (you would of had to flip it during this last step). Now mound some of the Bulgar on a plate and lay the fillets over the top, serve with a wedge of lemon and possibly some salad on the side (that's what we did).

A great, light, midweek meal that is quick to prepare and pretty much guilt free!!

Great Wine, but the Truffle steals the show!!

Last night was the monthly 'Wine Dinner' at our favorite local restaurant, Bacco. I've been to quite a few of these and like all those before, it didn't disappoint. Dinner was based on the Cuisine of the Piedmont region of Italy which is inspired by the farmers and peasants fondness for fresh food products of the area. Wine also was from the region with an excellent Barolo, served with the 3rd course, from the vineyards in the Monforte, Serralunga, & Castiglione Falletto areas. This wine was full of vibrant fruit and rich plum flavors that went excellently with the Braised Beef and Truffled Potato Puree. Also the Gavi di Gavi 2008 La Meirana Bruno Broglia was a great way to start the evening as it was paired with the trio of Aperitivo. The flavor was very fresh with a hint of almond and nice fruity accents. I could see this being a perfect wine for a nice summer day to accompany seafood or any light dish. Even with that in mind it did well to stand up to the Truffle Pâté smeared Crostini.

The food suited the weather well and with seasonal ingredients and hearty recipes the night was delicious and filling. Black Truffles were ever present, really stealing the show as it made it's way into 4 of the courses.

It's Blogging Time!!

So I've been away too long and it's time to get this blog up and going again. I've made some really fun trips with a lot of food experienced and I've tried some new things in the Kitchen. You might of also noticed that the page looks a little different. I'll be constantly trying to update it and add some new interesting bits too. More cookbooks to check out, more interesting food facts, recipes, restaurants, things about food/cooking in general and possibly a voyage into some video (don't laugh!). Most of all I plan on being a much more attentive blogger. I'm very excited and I hope you are too.
        
Soon on the menu is an easy japanese dinner and the up and coming Bacco Vinotecca Wine Dinner (which I have written about before) that I will be attending with my wonderful wife, Shira.
                    
Can't wait to sink my teeth into all this.

Cheers,
Dan