Halibut with Chimichurri and Roast Broccolini

You learn something new everyday.  Yesterday I learned a new word from someone at work - "preantepenultimate."  It means fourth from last.  Today I learned that kabocha squash doesn't roast very well.  Unlike acorn squash or delicata squash, kabocha is really fibrous and starchy.  It reminds me more of a sweet potato than a squash.  I think it would work really well in a braise or a stew.  Once upon a time in China I had a stewed pumpkin dish at a banquet that was delicious.  I think the kabocha squash would work really well in that dish.  But it didn't roast so well.  No matter, I had this post on deck anyway from the meal we made last night, which I guess I should talk about rather than just babbling about my kabocha squash debacle.  Let's see...  What should I say about the fish?  I thought it was really light and tasty - the perfect dish for the warm spring weather that we have been having recently.  Of course now that I said that I just know the temperatures are going to drop and we'll get snow next week.  I thought the chimichurri worked really well with the meaty halibut, although I'm not sure how well it would work with a more delicate fish.  I wish that I could have grilled or broiled the fish for some extra smokey flavor and char, but we don't have a grill and our broiler is beyond super powered so it wouldn't so much have cooked the fish as incinerated it.  So I decided to go the safe route and bake/roast our halibut filets instead.  As for the broccolini, we got the idea to roast it from Ina Garten's Parmsesan-Roasted Broccoli, but I think that roasting broccoli works a little better than roasting broccolini.  The broccolini is already so tender to begin with that it gets a little extra crispy, but that's ok.

Recipes after the jump!

Roast Broccolini with Parsley, Garlic and Anchovies and Salt and Pepper Salmon

For whatever reason, broccolini is a vegetable that we don't often make in our apartment.  I honestly don't know why that is because I love broccolini.  Broccoli I can take or leave, but broccolini is delicious.  Broccoli has a tendency to turn to mush, but I find that well-cooked broccolini has a really nice tender consistency and sweetness that I thoroughly enjoy.  It also adapts to different flavor profiles and cooking methods fairly easily.  I generally saute broccolini, but I have found that roasting it gives it a nice nutty flavor.  I adapted this dish from a recipe in Cooking in the Moment, which called for broccoli rather than broccolini and grilling rather than roasting.  But I figured that the sauce that the broccoli was tossed in sounded intriguing.  So I went ahead and modified the recipe and we served the broccolini with our favorite Salt and Pepper Salmon.  I can't believe that I haven't posted the salmon recipe before (although I know that I have included the link to the recipe in several of my past posts), but if you have a really nice center-cut salmon fillet I am of the opinion that there is no better way to simply prepare it.  With just a little evoo, butter, s&p you end up with a phenomenally crispy skin and buttery medium-rare salmon.  As for the broccolini, it is delicious.  The dressing has a ton of flavor and is very well-balanced.  If you are worried about the anchovies, don't be.  They don't taste fishy at all - instead they are salty, nutty and savory.  Their rather intense flavor is nicely balanced with the bright lemon zest, the fresh parsley and the spice of the chili flakes.

Recipe after the jump!

Pan-Roasted Squab, Polenta and Broccolini

What do you do when you're flying solo for Thanksgiving?  Well, I guess Alex and I weren't really flying solo, since we were together, but we were both away from home for our first Thanksgiving together.  And seeing as I didn't get off work until almost 11pm on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, we literally didn't have a clue what we were making.  So Thursday around 1 pm we trudged on down to Fairway to try and figure out a nice Thanksgiving meal for the two of us.  Alex was thinking poultry (although to be honest I wasn't really thinking at all) so we headed to the meat counter and found some cute little squab.  Now I like squab, but it has certainly never occurred to me to buy it and cook it at home.  I would have been more excited about some guinea hens or some duck breasts, but seeing as it was already after 1 pm on Thanksgiving Day, we picked up the squab and ran with it.  After we decided on squab I decided that I wanted to make polenta and some sort of greens to do with it.  So I picked up some red kale, some broccolini and some arugula.  I figured that between the two of us we would figure out some sort of vegetable recipe with those options.  I considered picking up some other vegetables too, but figured there was no point in being over-ambitious, especially seeing as I am going to have to work all weekend again.  So we got home, and started with Google to get some inspiration.  Then I stumbled across a recipe for Barbequed Squab with Porcini Mustard in The Babbo Cookbook and we decided to use that roughly for inspiration with our squab.  As for the polenta and the broccolini, we relied on Epicurious to point us in the right direction there. 

So we essentially used the Batali marinade of honey, balsamic, evoo, thyme and red onion to marinate the squab for about 6 hours before cooking it.  Then we seared both sides in a cast iron pan, before tossing it in the oven to roast.  Beware, because of the honey and balsamic in the marinade the squab skin goes from completely raw to almost burnt very quickly.  So you're going to go to flip over the squab after searing the first side and think that you totally ruined it.  But you didn't.  At first we were totally worried that we had burnt the squab and were going to have to order Chinese takeout or something, but that's just what happens with this marinade.  Although the Batali recipe calls for grilling, and also calls for the breastbones on the squabs to be removed (neither of which we did), we did weight the squab down on the pan as he recommended to give the bird a crisp skin and ensure quicker cooking.  Now cooking and eating squab requires that you get over your fear of serving poultry with the slightest bit of pink inside, because like duck, this squab should be served medium-rare.  We read somewhere that overcooked squab has a flavor and texture similar to liver.  Gross.  So anyway, we were very careful not to overcook the squab.  And the meat was tender and juicy, rather than liver-like.  However, it was almost crying out for some sort of sauce.  The Batali recipe called for a porcini mustard to be served with the squab, but that just didn't do it for me.  I was thinking some sort of agrodolce sauce or a fig mostardo would be phenomenal with the squab.  Something a little sweet, a little sour, and with a hint of black pepper to it would really have elevated the dish to another level.  It was good, but it just needed something.

As with all Thanksgiving feasts, I was way more into the sides than the main course.  The broccolini was delicious - something I definitely plan to make again and again.  The combination of the smoked paprika, garlic, almonds and sherry vinegar was genius.  I loved it.  And then the polenta was totally luscious and decadent - the corn gave it that little something extra, a little sweetness and brightness, that I really enjoyed.  I will definitely be making both the polenta and the broccolini again, although I will have to decide what dishes to serve them with next time as I'm not sure that the squab will be a repeat experiment...

I hope that everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving!

Recipes after the jump!