Ninety-sixth Post ~ Bruschetta-topped breaded tilapia

This was a really simple meal.  So simple, in fact, I considered not blogging about it.  But then, after thinking about my post labels such as "quick dinner," I thought, perhaps I should blog about it for just that reason.

So here you go.

Here's what you'll need:
~ 1 tilapia fillet (I used frozen, and recommend going fresh.  However, this method of preparation will be so flavorful, you won't even notice the difference)
~ Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
~ Premade bruschetta
~ Coarse-ground sea-salt
~ EVOO and/or butter

For the side I made the always-delectable roasted brussels sprouts.  See this post for easy-to-follow instructions to for preparing one of my favorite veggies in an oh-so-sweet way.  The only change I made was to exchange fresh thyme for garlic.

Start the brussels sprouts roasting.  Sprinkle ample breadcrumbs on a plate.  Generously coat both sides (including the little nook and cranny) of the tilapia fillet.  Start some EVOO heating in a pan.

: : PAUSE : :

Today something unimaginable happened.  I ran out of EVOO.  Somehow, I thought there was more in the bottle than there was, but sure enough, I tipped it into the pan, and about a teaspoon-full came out.  I thought it might be enough to sautee the tilapia, but unfortunately, it wasn't.  So I added about a tablespoon of butter (not too bad, calorie-wise, right?) and that gave the fillet the most delicately, deliciously browned edges.  Definite accidental win.

: : UNPAUSE : :

So after the tilapia is breaded, set it into the oil or butter or both.  Let it sizzle away while you stir the brussels sprouts.  Salt the upturned side of the tilapia, then flip it.  When it's done, top it with the bruschetta (remaining juice and all).  It doesn't take a lot (I saved about a tablespoon of bruschetta for this meal from when I cooked the lamb and tortellini earlier this week).

I enjoyed tonight's meal with another fabulous chilled glass of the Vinho Verde by Gazele.  Absolutely divine on such a hot summer's night!

Yours in the love of good food and wine,
AL

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The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Eighty-ninth Post ~ Bruschetta Tortellini with Breaded Pork Medallions Sautéed in Roasted Tomato Oil

A confession from the Accidental Chef:  Tortellini and pork tenderloins are sort of my go-to meal in a time crunch.  I have it down to such a science, I can have it from raw ingredients to the table (er... TV tray) in 15 minutes.  In order to do so, you have to have a few things stocked and on-hand:

~ Breading mixture: In my freezer I keep a plastic container that originated from one of my first purchases of fresh grated parm from Wegman's cheese shop.  One day, running short of supplies (or craving more cheese, I can't remember which) I made up for a lack of cheese or breadcrumbs by mixing the two together.  It has become my "can't-live-without" thing in my kitchen.  I keep it in the freezer because I routinely toss pork or chicken around in it before sauteeing, so I figure freezing will keep it fresh.  The mixture consists of basically half Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and half grated parmesan.  Along the way, if I have a few extra bits of fresh herbs that are going to wilt soon, I'll toss those in, too.  So there's probably some thyme and oregano floating around in there.  As it starts looking empty, I dump some more parm and breadcrumbs and herbs in as I have them.

~ Pork tenderloins: I buy club packs of pork tenderloins from Wegmans and spend about 20 minutes opening them, slicing them into medallions, separating the pieces into appropriate servings, wrapping and freezing them.  It's a 20 minutes well-spent, because I can toss one of the packets onto the counter to thaw and have dinner set for the evening.

So now that you know my freezer basics, on with the show.

I got two pre-made things from Wegmans this week that I've been enjoying tremendously: Roasted tomatoes in oil and a container of bruschetta.  The tomatoes were used last night in a remix of my original Ratatouille recipe (this time I nixed the eggplant in favor of some baby bellas that needed to be eaten) but I saved the oil, infused with the sweet flavor of the roasted tomatoes and embellished by spices, herbs and garlic.  The bruschetta I munched on with baguette slices, but I had purchased it mainly with tortellini in mind.  So here's what I ended up doing for tonight's meal.

Here's what you'll need:
~ Pork tenderloins sliced into medallions
~ Italian breadcrumbs (optional parm and herbs mixed in)
~ Tortellini (I swear by Barilla's tortellini - tonight's was cheese and spinach)
~ Oil from roasted tomatoes
~ Coarse-ground sea salt

Now: here's the science.  Master these steps and this will be your easy-peasy go-to dinner, too!

In a small pot, start some salted water boiling.  Lid on.  It'll heat faster.  Open up your package of pork.  By now, your water is boiling, so add your tortellini and start the timer for 10 minutes.  Put a colander in your sink.  Put the oil in a stick-free pan and turn it on medium heat.  Open the plastic container of breadcrumb mixture and, with a fork, turn each medallion in the mixture, setting each into the simmering oil.

: : PAUSE : :

If your apartment's fire alarm is as finicky as mine, you may need to add the steps "Fling door open repeatedly to ventilate the fire alarm to stop its screeching" and "try coaxing puppy out from under sofa and finally give up" to your steps.

: : UNPAUSE : :

Stir the tortellini, and, as the pork medallions cook half-way up, turn them gently, being cautious of oil splatter.  Miraculously, as the tenderloins are nearing done, your timer will go off.  Pour the contents of the pasta pot into the colander.  Place the tenderloins on a plate.  Drain the remaining oil from the stick-free pan.

At this point, add whatever sauce you're going to use for the tortellini into the pan.  Tonight it was bruschetta. In past nights, it's been sundried tomato pesto, or regular basil pesto.  Sometimes, it's spaghetti sauce and velveeta.  Toss it around in the pan on medium heat for a little under a minute.  Top with some grated parm, if desired.  Which in my case, is nearly always.

Pop onto a plate and enjoy!  I paired tonight's dinner with an award-winning Pinot Grigio from Vetter Vineyards.  It was refreshing and crisp, echoing the flavors of the bruschetta nicely!

Yours in the love of good food and wine,
AL

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The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Eighty-eighth Post ~ Garlic Rosemary Salmon with Bruschetta Zucchini

This is a really easy way to prepare salmon - any fish, really!  Here's what you'll need:

~ Salmon fillet (this was a small wild-caught Alaskan fillet)
~ EVOO
~ Crushed garlic (one clove)
~ Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
~ Coarse ground sea salt
~ Herb of choice (rosemary worked well!)

For the veggies:

~ One small zucchini (or yellow squash)
~ Pre-made bruschetta (as previously posted, I am in love with Wegman's bruschetta!)
~ EVOO
~ Small amount butter

Preheat your toaster oven to 400 on broil.  Line a pan with aluminum.  In a prep bowl, crush one clove garlic and add some EVOO.  Mix it up!  Unwrap the salmon but keep it right in the paper - easier cleanup!  Lightly sprinkle Italian breadcrumbs over the fish.  With a fork, spread the garlic-EVOO mixture over the fillet.  Don't worry about covering the whole thing; aim for a nice line down the center.  Sprinkle on some more breadcrumbs and grind on some salt.  Rest a sprig of rosemary over the whole thing and pop it into the toaster oven.

In a stick-free pan, start some EVOO and about a tablespoon of bruschetta heating up.  Slice the zucchini and add it to the pan.  Toss it around, and just when it's finished cooking (about 5 minutes) add a smidge of butter and toss it a few more times.

By now the salmon should be done (and smelling heavenly of garlic and rosemary!) - depending on the size of the fillet, you may wish to time out your veggies differently.  This fillet was thin, so it cooked within 10 minutes at the most.

The end result is that the breadcrumbs, garlic and EVOO cook into an intensely flavored, crispy topping while keeping the salmon moist and delicate.  Super simple; great results!

I enjoyed this meal with a Spanish Grenache-Tempranillo blend by Don Ramon.  It was fruitier than I expected from an old-world oak-aged red, but it was refreshing, like tart cherries.  All in all, a decent pairing.

Yours in the love of good food and wine,
AL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Seventy-sixth Post ~ A new spin on pork florentine

I meant to thaw out a portion of pork tenderloin, but instead accidentally thawed one that I had already cut into medallions.  It had occurred to me earlier that day that I had all the ingredients that I typically find in a pork florentine - namely, spinach, cheese and mustard - so I decided not to allow my initial plan to be thwarted by my attempt at making my life easier (by pre-slicing most of the tenderloins I bought last week).

So I punted.  And, as testimony to the name of this blog, The "Accidental" Chef - I think that a lot of good things are the direct results of wrinkles in plans.

Here's what you'll need to create these miniature versions of pork florentine (which could become an elegant appetizer if ever an occasion called for it!)

~ Pork tenderloin (cut into medallions)
~ Spinach (I thawed some frozen spinach)
~ Mustard (I use country-style Grey Poupon)
~ Cheese (I had extra brie, so that's what I used.  I have a professor who once told me, "You could bake brie on my shoe and I'd probably eat it."  In my world, this is just proof-positive that he's a genius.)
~ Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
~ Fresh herb of choice (for me, thyme, naturally)

For the side, I tossed some green beans with some garlic and EVOO.  I made them ahead of time, and then just fired them up again before I was ready to eat.

Thaw the spinach ahead.  Preheat your toaster oven or other heating apparatus to 350.  Lay the medallions out on a foil-lined pan.  Spread a dab of course-ground mustard on each one.  Put a bit of spinach on each.  Over that, lay a slice of brie and dust breadcrumbs over all.  Pop them in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until juices from the pork run clear.

They came out beautifully golden and full of flavor.  I paired this meal with the remaining chardonnay I had from Vetter Vineyard.  It paired perfectly with the melted brie and the fruit-forward nature of this wine complimented the savory, rich flavors in the pork florentine.

Yours in the love of good food and wine,
AL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Sixty-ninth Post ~ Pork Tenderloins with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto and Tortellini

This post is something of a continuation of the theme of "Ode to Wegmans Classic Italian" from this post a short time ago. These ingredients are always in my cupboard and freezer. I'm not sure if there's ever been a day that tortellini hasn't sounded good to me for dinner, and, well, you know my thoughts on pork tenderloins being the most perfect, versatile cut of meat out there and Italian breadcrumbs being just about the best stuff ever.

So tonight's dinner was, in my opinion, something of a culinary no-brainer.

~ Pork tenderloins (cut into medallions - the thinner they are, the faster they'll cook)

~ Italian breadcrumb

~ (optional) fresh or dried thyme

~ EVOO

~ Tortellini (I'm a fan of Barilla's three-cheese)

~ Salt

~ Wegman's sun-dried tomato pesto (which has been sitting patiently in my freezer since I opened it)

Start your salted water boiling. In the mean time, slice the pork and pour some breadcrumbs into a shallow dish. Add some thyme if you wish. By now, the water is rolling, so pour in some tortellini and set the timer for 10 minutes.

Don't put a shellacked bamboo spoon on the edge of the pot with the tortellini, though. You'll spend the first five minutes wondering what that deliciously sweet smell is, and the next five minutes obsessing over the giant blackened spot on the handle of your beautiful spoon.

Coat the tenderloin medallions generously in the breadcrumbs. Get some EVOO smoking in a stick-free pan. Drop in the breaded tenderloins and cook until golden.

Transfer the pork to a plate. In the same pan, dump the strained tortellini and a spoonful of pesto. Turn off the flame and toss the pasta until it's well-coated.

I served tonight's meal with the remaining 2004 Italian red by Saladini Pilastri. It was starting to dry out, so enjoying it with tonight's meal was a wise decision. It was still fruity and oaky, and paired as well with this meal as it had with the lamb.

All in all, a satisfying, quickly-prepared meal!

Yours in the love of good food and wine,

AL

Sixty-sixth Post ~ "Italian Classics"-Inspired Tilapia

This post could be titled "An Ode to Wegman's Italian Classics." I have had a long-standing love-affair with Wegman's Italian Classics seasoned breadcrumbs. Just the right amount of parmesan. Just the right amount of basil. Just the right amount of salt. My habitual "comfort food" dish of late has been chopped chicken tenderloins rolled in these savory morsels and sautéed in EVOO... but I have found yet another use for them: fish!

In the mood for something home-cooked yet quick this evening, I grabbed a fillet of tilapia as I zoomed through Wegmans. At $1.87 for this hearty serving, tilapia is not just yummy - it's cheap! I had intended to do something fun with the leftover cilantro and lime I had in the fridge, but my attention was grabbed by something in the chilled prepared pasta aisle - Wegman's sun-dried tomato and basil pesto. Who could resist something that enticing? Into my cart it went. So here's what you'll need for this meal:

~ Fillet of tilapia (light and flaky is the key - you could probably substitute halibut, monkfish or catfish as well)

~ Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

~ EVOO

~ Wegman's (or your local wonder-market) sun-dried tomato and basil pesto

~ Green beans

~ Scallion

~ Jarred (or crushed) garlic

~ Coarse-ground sea salt

Dump some frozen french-cut green beans into a pot with some water. Snip in one scallion and some jarred garlic. I couldn't even be bothered to crush any fresh garlic tonight. Scallions are one of my new favorite on-hand items. They add so much flavor to a dish without being overwhelmingly oniony. Let those simmer until they're done to whatever level you like your beans cooked. I like french-cut green beans al dente, so I turned them off just about as soon as they really started simmering.

Into a pan put a little jarred garlic and about a tablespoon of olive oil. Start it heating. Generously coat the tilapia fillet in the seasoned breadcrumbs and set it carefully into the hot oil. As I flipped it, I would sprinkle some more breadcrumbs over it so that it gave it a little extra crispiness.

As soon as the fish is done (it won't take long!) serve it on a plate and spoon a bit of the pesto over it. A little goes a long way - believe me! I saran-wrapped the rest of the pesto and put it in the freezer - I am envisioning it tossed with some pasta (tortellini?) along with some breaded pork tenderloins for a quick and savory dinner sometime in the near future.

I added a little butter to the beans, topped the tilapia with pesto and served it with a Chenin Blanc from MAN Vintners of South Africa - a gift from Nozomi and her husband. It was fresh and citrussy but heartier than a Sauvignon blanc. It paired with the lighter tones of the tilapia but also stood up to the zesty, savory quality of the pesto. A good match!

Yours in the love of good food, wine, and occasional culinary shortcuts,

AL

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The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.