Menu ideas and recipes for chicken, rice, sea bass, flounder, broccoli, flank steak, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, duck fat and potatoes
One-pot fish dinner
When I saw this one-pot gingery chicken and rice with peanut sauce recipe, I thought, hmm, I’ll do it with fish instead. I was going to add fillets of black sea bass about 15 minutes before the rice finished cooking but lost track of time, so I baked them before adding them to the pot. I loved the sauce, and the cukes and cilantro as a garnish. Next time, I might make it with brown rice and add some greens to the pot.
Another fish dinner and a new take on broccoli
This spiced and fried haddock (flounder, in my case) recipe from my pretend best friend Nigella was a bit of a disappointment because I could barely detect the flavors of the odd spice mix—ginger and paprika. Next time, I’ll increase the amounts.
On the side, not the broccoli purée recipe she featured as a side for the fish, but thanks for the idea, Nigella, but the New York Times version, which we really loved. It’s fun to have broccoli in a new format.
Sunday dinner
For the big meal of the week, I marinated flank steak, broiled it and then let it sit on chopped rosemary and thyme while it was resting. On the side, balsamic-maple roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon—a preparation that’s becoming a regular in our house. We also had roasted wedges of butternut squash spiced with cayenne, cinnamon, and smoked paprika.
But wait, one more side and it’s a good one… A while back, I roasted a duck—and saved the fat. Finally, I, well, remembered I had it, and found a good reason to use it—crispy duck fat potatoes. Oh my, potatoes never tasted so good. I’m thinking about rendering chicken fat (schmaltz) for a slightly less luxurious version.
Now, go make something good in your kitchen!
Grabbing the Gusto 