Halibut en Papillote - A Make Ahead Meal

Halibut en Papillote

My cousin, Therese, loves to eat healthy, as do I. So whenever she visits the menu is focused on fish, vegetables, and no carbs. Just recently, she and her husband, Tom, took a drive from NJ to Westchester to visit to my parents in their new home in Westchester. This past January we moved them from Long Island to be closer to us, and fortunately our family and their friends have been willing and gracious to make the trip to visit them. We hadn’t seen Therese and Tom since before the pandemic so it made perfect sense to feed two birds with one crumb. They started out early in order to extend their stay to include dinner at our house. Lucky us.

Keeping it light yet ensuring it would be filling was my main goal. So, we started off with mezze-style appetizers that would do just that.

All make ahead appetizers. Just plate before guests arrive.

Also, top of mind was trying to make as much ahead of time as possible. This was a Friday night dinner and I was going to be busy most of that day. Whenever you can give yourself a running advantage to ease your work load on the dinner day, the better. Here’s what I prepped the day before.

• Cut the crudite and kept in glass jar with wet paper towels. Carrots are kept in a covered jar of cold water.

• Made White Bean dip

• Grilled Eggplant

• Roasted Tomatoes

• Made Marinated Feta

• Store bought olives (Offering store bought items also helps ease the work load.)

Made ahead on the day of:

• Roasted Spiced Carrots

  • Cut carrots lengthwise. Season with cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, salt, pepper, oil. Roast at 425 degrees until tender and browned. I made this in the afternoon, then warmed it up at the same time the Halibut baked

• Roasted Onions

  • Cut in thick slices or in wedges. Season with Magic 3 (oil, salt, pepper). Roast at 425 degrees until caramelized. I made this at the same time as the carrots, then warmed it up at the same time the Halibut baked.

• Halibut en Papillote

  • While the onions and carrots were roasting I prepped each packet and refrigerated them. Then baked it while we enjoyed the appetizers. You can prep this up to 4 hours ahead of time.

The night before while the tomatoes were roasting I set a simple but fun table. I wanted to give a nod to dinner. So I pulled out two matching runners that featured a sea creature and laid them across the short end of the table. This create a bridge from one side to the other. I picked up these runners at IKEA years ago, and have used them in so many ways. I love the bold, graphic contrast to the neutral tone. An inexpensive purchase that has paid off. I then chose complimentary napkins, swaddled the silverware in the center, then secured it with a napkin ring. The flared top of napkin gave the illusion of a fishtail. Another nod to dinner. The flowers were trimmed and rearranged from the ones my niece, Gianna, brought over for dinner earlier in the week. Glasses and some candles to make it moody, and we can call the table done.

This meal was a strike right down the alley for Therese’s palate. But not to worry, everyone else enjoyed it, too.

Making fish en papillote is not only a fun way to serve the main course but can be prepped ahead of time, placed in the fridge and baked right before serving. Oh, and wait, there is more; you don’t need exact amounts, or exact ingredients. Something near and dear to my heart. Use the type of fish and vegetable in the amounts that work for you and your guests. And if that wasn’t enough, it’s protein and veg all in one neat packet so you don’t need a side dish of vegetables. (I made more veggies because Therese loves, loves, loves vegetables.)

Ingredients

Halibut 6-7 oz/person ( you can use cod, snapper, flounder, salmon)
Onion, rounds
Scallion, long strips
Carrots, strands
Zucchini, rounds
fresh thyme
Lemon slices
Olive oil, salt, pepper
White wine

Instructions

1. Slice the vegetables accordingly. This is an important step since everything will be baking together at the same time. It is essential that the ones that need more cook time be cut more finely than those that don’t. I used a vegetable peeler for the carrots, while the onions and zucchini I cut in thicker rounds. The scallions I cut in long strips.

2. Place the parchment paper on a baking sheet. Start placing the lemon slices, onions, zucchini on top of each other at the center of the parchment. This way when you fold over you will have enough paper to fold and tuck.

3. Then place the fish, carrots, thyme and season with salt, pepper a drizzle of oil and splash of white wine.

4. Fold the parchment paper over the fish/veg pile then starting at one corner fold the paper all the way around creating a seal. You can either bake right away or if you are making ahead, place the entire baking sheet in the fridge until you are ready to bake.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.

As I mentioned, I was short on time. Therefore, I didn’t have time to photograph the en papillote part. However, I did have images from the time I made it with red snapper. Which is actually an excellent example to demonstrate the many variations of this technique. In the pictured below, I used Red Snapper, Spinach, Zucchini Strips, Scallions.

With the many variations that can be made the list seems endless. But let me give you a few ideas. Other vegetables that work well: Asparagus, Spinach, Kale, Yellow Squash, Cherry Tomatoes, Olives, Capers, Basil, Sun-dried tomatoes, Broccolini.

You can even use potatoes if you slice them thin.

As you can see, this method affords a huge range of flexibility and versatility depending on your guests tastes. That is also another huge benefit. Since they are made in individual pouches, you can customized them for each guest. This might seem like asking for trouble having to make different combos for each guest. But it does allow you to accommodate guests who have allergies or food sensitivities. Or just the pesky ones who don’t like certain veggies!)

All in all, it was a fun evening of healthy eating and a great time catching up with family we love.

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Feta Stuffed Yellow Squash Bake

For awhile now I’ve been making a stuffed zucchini over quinoa with roasted tomato dish that has been very popular with my customers. So when my longtime friend, Dianne, said she was coming for lunch I thought that might be a good choice. However, as I started to look through what I had just hauled home from the grocery I realized I didn’t have all the ingredients and didn’t have time to shop again. So, improvisation was in order.

The grilled zucchini version I mentioned above is stuffed with goat cheese, sautéd kale & onions served over quinoa with roasted grape tomatoes and roasted garlic oil. Although I didn’t have most of those ingredients, I was hell bent on rolling something. What I did have was yellow squash, red onions, vine ripe tomatoes, feta and leftover herb/garlic salsa. Sounded like a solid line up to me with rolling potential. I also knew I would be short on time the day of the lunch, so this was a test to see if parts/all of this dish could be made ahead of it.

Feta, Tomatoes, Red Onion, Yellow Squash, Herb/Garlic Salsa.

This recipe was me getting back to my roots. My something from nothing style. My cooking comfort zone. Basically, my typical method of inventing a recipe; see what I have, think about how to combine them with other available items, and then use only the quantities I have on hand. This is why sometimes I am delayed in sharing recipes ideas with you. Often times I get halted by having to measure ingredients and be precise so I can properly write them up in a post. Other times I think the recipe might feel like too much of a hodgepodge dish to share. But honestly, those turn out to be some of my best creations. Which is why the intention of this post is to encourage you to experiment with the ingredients available in your fridge and pantry, and use them to the best of their ability. In that spirit, the below ingredient list will be approximations.

Ingredients

1-2 Yellow Squash, sliced thinly
2-3 Tomatoes, thick slices
1-2 red onions, thick slices
Herb/Garlic salsa*
Feta
Magic 3: Olive Oil, Salt, & Pepper

*Herb/Garlic Salsa: finely mince parsley, cilantro, basil, crush garlic, salt, red pepper flakes (optional), Olive Oil
You can also use the salsa I use for my Marinated Feta

Instructions

1. Thinly slice and grill the yellow squash in a cast iron pan with just a tad of oil so they don’t stick. Note: Do not put too much oil because they will soak it up and get soggy instead of browned. Brown on each side then set them aside on a paper towel.

2. Cut the tomatoes and red onion into thick slices and add them to an oiled roasting pan, season with salt & pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Cut nice thick slices.

I made this the day before, covered and refridgerated until the next day.

3. Meanwhile, cut chunks of feta cheese and place one piece on each end of the squash then roll it up.

The amount of feta you use is up to you. I used a healthy teaspoon for each.

I also made these the day before and stored them in a glass container. Then added them to the roasted veggies and baked together on the day of the lunch.

4. Once the onions & tomatoes are roasted on one side turn them over add the rolled squash and brush everything with the herb/garlic salsa. Roast for another 10-12 minutes

If you are making this the day of, follow the directions above. If you are making it the day before, then roast the onions and tomatoes but do not add the squash. I did grill and stuff the squash, then kept the rolled up pieces in a glass container. I added them to the pan right before I warmed up the entire dish. I added some extra salsa.

All the flavors blend so beautifully together. This is a great side dish but also can be used in several other ways.

Here are a few ideas how to serve it up.

• Toss the tomatoes and onion over pasta then place the rolled squash on top. Maybe crumble more fresh feta on top.

• Add fried eggs on top and serve with crusty bread for a breakfast or brunch.

• Place in a shallow bowl, add more oil or herb oil, and serve it with crostini

I’m sure there are other uses. I’ll let you come up with your own, and hope that you share your ideas. This was a nice improv from my usual stuffed zucchini dish. I’m actually glad I didn’t have zucchini because I wouldn’t have been forced to think of something new. When life gives you yellow squash, stuff it and roll with it.

As I mentioned, this post was to encourage you to think of your usual recipe box. And let’s say you didn’t have on hand the above ingredients to make this recipe as is. Here are some substitutes to help get your creativity engine going.

If you don’t have red onion:

• yellow onion

• Shallots

• Scallions

If you don’t have yellow squash:

• zucchini

• Eggplant

• Sweet potato

• Potato

If you don’t have feta:

• goat cheese

• Ricotta

• Mozzarella

• Cream cheese

• Any cheese, but you may need to modify how you cut it. If you have a hard cheese, maybe grate it. If a softer cheese, then spread it over the grilled vegetable.

  I hope these help jumpstart some ideas of how you can switch up the main ingredients yet still keep the basic premise in tact. Continue creating and stirring your food with love.

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Spring & Easter Table Setting

I have long pined over creating a table setting that featured multiple layers of floral patterns on top of each other; from tablecloth to napkins to dishes. However, as I embarked on making my mental vision a reality, I encountered a major issue. My dream was way more fantasy. Believe it or not, after rummaging through my vast linen collection I realized that I didn’t quite have the variety of floral patterns I had envisioned in my noggin. And because I’m the type of person who just can’t give up on an idea, I did the next best thing. I found other patterns with the intended color scheme and worked from there.

This is just the napkin selection and a few tablecloths.

With the floral theme still running through my brain, I selected the closest linen I had to Spring florals. A pinkish toned tablecloth with leaf-like swirls resembling flowers. I remember when I purchased it from an upstate vintage shop and thought it was unlike anything I had. You may think I’m tripping on some hallucinogenic imagining that these swirls look like flowers, but I was desperate.

As I continued my search for napkins among my collection I was dumbfounded not to find a single one with any real floral print or even pink tones. But then again, would I really have bought such a thing? It was at that point when I realized that the table setting would be something different from my original vision.

An intense pattern of swirls that could be flowers, no?

I pulled out a napkin set that had similar but not exact colors. Roosters and checkerboards were as close as I could find.

I used a simple fold and roll method

Given the intense pattern of the tablecloth I felt it might be overwhelming on its own. A table runner would help provide some visual relief. Yet another pattern, not floral, but tones that would complement.

A striped table runner is another pattern. It’s simplicity allows for visual interest without taking away from the tablecloth.

The search for florals continued to be a bust. No floral plates like my little head hoped for. So, instead I pulled out a more ornate plate with gold adornments, followed by soup and salad plates with gold trim.

Dishes with gold accents.

At this point, my only option was to keep building on the new theme, and upped the ante with green and gold trimmed glassware and votives. Now I at least had a pattern on pattern theme working. Florals became swirls. The key to layering different patterns is to find a common thread of complementary colors.

Fancy glasses and votives with some gold trim help to elevate the table.

With my choices laid out it was time to set the table.

All the table setting pieces ready to be placed.

The runner definitely breaks up all that pattern and the stripes down the center act as a landing strip for the candles.

Fold, roll and wrap the napkins with a ‘floral’ themed enhancement.

Typically, I stack all the dishes, but opted to keep the salad plate on the side to hint at the original floral theme allowing the leaf design to be seen. Plus I knew I would be individually plating the salad to ensure my guests ate that course. Having the plate out makes it easy to grab and pile on the salad.

Finished place setting with utensils for each course.

Pre-plating the salad makes serving a breeze. Dressing is served in bowl for guests to add to their liking.

A pretty inviting way to welcome your guests to the table.

Side note; I find that if you plate it and serve it separately before the main meal, everyone eats it. If you place a large bowl of salad with all the rest of the meal, people often times say, “I’ll serve myself later.” And later becomes, “I’m too full.” So get your greens in early.

Ok, with the table set, it was time to move onto the actual florals. Since this was a last minute table setting, and I don’t travel to the city like I used to with my usual floral stop at Dahlia - Grand Central, Trader Joe’s would have to do. They typically have a decent selection at reasonable prices. I have to admit that I got excited about the colors I saw in the store but once I got home I realized I completely missed the mark on the pink tones. However, the purchase was made and I had to push on. I’m starting to feel like the theme went from layered florals to “ just make it happen and make it pretty.” I honestly thought the colors were more fuchsia than red hued but oh well. Pops of yellow and green made it all feel fresh and Spring like. The large yellow jug added more seasonal brightness and helped to tie it back to the napkins.

Definitely a burst of floral color

The key to a well composed arrangement is color blocking and keeping to just a few colors that complement one another.

The colors were a bit off but it still adds a happy feel.

In the end the reds and yellows echo the colors in the napkins.

Happy colors.

As for the meal, this was a Palm Sunday lunch. I told my sister, Alyssa, that it would be simple since all this was a last minute idea. But alas, I made much more than a simple meal for just six of us. It ended up being quite filling, and delicious. So, if you want something a tad different for Easter, this menu could work for an simpler meal than the usual extravagant lamb dinner. Here goes:

Appetizer

• Roasted Grape Tomatoes in Garlic Oil

• Whipped Feta
  This is an easy way to elevate a humble chunk of feta. Simply place the desired amount in a mini food processor and buzz it until smooth. One important note: rinse the feta block with cold water first to remove some of the saltiness. For some reason, once blended it brings out even more of the salt flavor.

• Garlic Bread

Oven roasted grape tomatoes, whipped feta, garlic bread

First Course

• Cauliflower Soup

• Mixed Greens with Apple/Orange/Cucumber & Date Dressing: I used my Bibb, Arugula Butternut Squash Salad recipe swapping out the lettuces with mixed greens and the butternut squash with apple, orange and cucumber. All the rest of the ingredients and dressing remained the same.

Individually plated salad of Mixed greens with apple slices, orange segments, sliced cucumber, peptias and dried cranberries.

Main Course

• Pork Loin basted in Rosemary Garlic Butter
  Sear the pork loin (seasoned with salt & pepper) in a cast iron skillet on both sides. Remove from the pan and add butter, sprigs of rosemary and several whole garlic cloves slightly smashed. Once butter is melted, return the pork to the pan and spoon the butter over the pork to finish cooking and flavor the meat.

Rosemary Garlic Butter basted Pork Loin.

• Seared Shrimp with garlic & parsley
  Marinate the shrimp with crushed garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes. Sear in a cast iron grill pan. Remove shrimp and add white wine to deglaze the pan and pour over shrimp.

• Basmati Rice with herb garlic oil
  Make a “chimichurri” sauce of finely chopped parsley, cilantro, scallions, crushed garlic, lemon zest and squeeze of lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
  Cook Basmati rice 1 : 1.5 ratio to water. Bring water and rice to a boil, lower heat, cover and cook for 13 minutes. Keep the lid on, remove from heat and let steam for another 5-8 minutes
  Add as much of the herb garlic oil as desired. You can make the rice and oil ahead. Then right before serving warm the rice and add the sauce. I used a cast iron wok to ‘fry up’ the rice and then added the sauce to finish.

Sautéd shrimp and Herb Oil Basmati Rice

• Oven Roasted Red Onions
  Onions are an overlooked vegetable. When oven roasted they become caramelized, sweet and delicious. Cut them in half, trimming the stem end but still leaving enough of the core to hold the onion pieces together when you cut them into quarters. Place on sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees until browned and caramelized.

• Broccoli Rabe
  Wash, trim and boil the broccoli rabe until tender. Sauté in oil, garlic slices and season with salt & pepper.

Oven roasted red onions, the humble vegetable turned the star. Broccoli Rabe with garlic oil.

Dessert was a large platter of fruit and a few Saint Joseph Italian pastries. Apologies there are no photos of that course. Even though everyone said they were stuffed, they grabbed the fruit and pastries before I could get a picture. Just image a colorful array of seasonal fruit, along with luscious filled pastry.

I hope this inspires you to pile pattern on top of pattern and let your imagination work with whatever you have on hand. I started with an idea, veered off the flower garden and landed on an array of swirls, roosters, stripes and sparkle that still made me smile. A lesson in forging forward in whatever direction the universe provides and making the best of what life has to offer.

Summer Lunch - All Day Eating with Friends

JuanCarlos and I are super fortunate in many ways. And when it comes to the friend category, we absolutely score. We have the most amazing friends, all over the country. One such lovely group lives in Princeton, NJ and are always willing to make the long drive to visit us. Given the time they invest in traveling, JuanCarlos and I make sure that we prepare an all day affair filled with delectable bites. The food ranges from easy and simple mixed with some other items that require a tad more prep. But the fun part is that we keep it casual and flowing, bringing out items as they are ready. It allows us to mingle, chat, and relax without any formal schedule yet with plenty of food from which to choose. It’s like a grazing event.

Louisa & Rocco sampling the appetizers.

I actually love this type of entertaining because it affords me the opportunity to prepare a variety of different plates. Sometimes I get overly enthused, and just want to offer up the world… on a platter. It feeds my need to experiment plus have a group of food lovers to test out my ideas. I will admit that often times I have to reign myself in for parties. I get so excited, wanting to make more dishes than are humanely possible to consume, unless an army shows up. That said, I do a good job of keeping to amounts that makes sense.

I know I’m always giving advice about making a plan, having a budget, being organized, etc. All of which are necessary. Having a list, knowing what to buy, prep and what to make when, plus staying within your financial limits all are essential. I keep to the first rules diligently. List making, organizing, prepping; that’s my jam. Which is why I included a printable complete shop/prep/menu list at the end of the blog if you choose to replicate this menu. However, one thing I will admit openly; we rarely, if ever, follow a budget. JuanCarlos and I are both of the same mindset. If we are hosting, we will make whatever we deem is appropriate for the occasion and not be concerned about the cost. I don’t recommend this approach for everyone. Having a budget in mind helps to keep you on track and from over buying.

Ok, enough chit chat. This post is going to be chock full of food, so the least said the better. Although, I believe I’ve past that point already. Onward!

Table Setting

I’ve said it a thousand times, as my many posts dedicated to table settings will prove, and I will continue to say it. DO NOT skimp on your outdoor table. Plain and simple: Make it inviting.

Note: If you want me to stop saying it, send me some photo examples of your tables and I will dispense with the repetitive table setting suggestion.

I chose a bold green and black tablecloth that is similar to the one I recently featured Green & Black: A Graphic Table Setting.

I laid a neutral table runner with a bold, black graphic design across the wooden table that was used as a buffet. . I felt that the dramatic outline paired well with that of the tablecloth. I then kept everything else extremely simple.

I bought this khaki colored table runner from IKEA. It was the stark, graphic print that attracted me.

Big white plates, white napkins with a simple rectangle fold placed on the plate lengthwise with the utensils atop. Flowers were from Trader Joe’s. Nothing expensive or extravagant put a fresh pop of color that complemented the tablecloth colors.

Simple but still feels special.

I love the contrast of magenta and lime green. In a pinch, you can’t beat Trader Joe’s for flowers.

Drinks
Have a variety of drinks, but don’t go overboard. I can tell you from experience, people aren’t expecting to have every drink option under the sun. We used to offer a full bar, but through the years have pared down considerably on our offerings.

First tip, know your crowd. If most of your guests enjoy beer over wine, buy accordingly. Our groups are typically wine drinkers. No surprise there. So we offer a variety of wines, sparkling and flat water plus I usually make home iced tea as a non alcoholic option.

Second tip, be gracious; pour and refill your guests glasses. Sure, you would hope they feel comfortable serving themselves, but not everyone will. And it certainly makes them feel special when you are an attentive host.

Keep ‘em refreshed!

Starter | Appetizers

Have a 2-3 different dishes.

You all know that I’m a huge fan of the ubiquitous cheese/charcuterie platter. Since this was a warm August day I wanted to keep the starters less fussy without tons of cheeses melting in the sun. Instead I skewed this a bit lighter with a more tamed grazing platter.

Grazing Platter

Mortadella, French Breakfast Radishes with herb salted butter, salchichon, marcona almonds and dates.

Instead of the big cheese/charcuterie platter, I opted for a more simplified version I dubbed The Grazing Platter.

Watermelon Salad

Watermelon Squares topped with feta, pickled red onions & mint drizzled with balsamic vinegar over a bed of arugula

Nothing more refreshing than watermelon. Up the ante and top it with tangy feta, sharp pickled onion and the fresh herbaceous hit of mint, a drizzle of balsamic adds sweetness. It’s a party in your mouth.

Stuffed Endive

Endive stuffed with whipped cream cheese & goat cheese two ways:
Strawberry | Grape tomato | Basil
Sautéed Peas | Shallots with Pea Shoots.
Click here for recipe

Endive are the perfect vehicle to deliver food into your mouth. I love stuffing them with tons of fillings. These offerings were perfect for a hot summer day.

Intermezzo

This is a small course that we like to serve in between the appetizers and the main meal. I know what you are saying… Food in between the food courses? Well, I did say it was an all day eating affair. For this occasion we served a surf and turf tasting of scallops and grilled meats.

Butter Seared Scallops with Peas/Shallots

These scallops were seared in a cast iron pan on the grill. I used some of the pea/shallot mixture leftover from the endive dish to accompany the scallop. It was a beautiful pairing, and a tasty bite.

Seared scallop with peas

If you can’t get fresh, use frozen peas.

Grilled Meat

No explanation necessary. Grill up some of your favorite meats and serve it family style on a wooden board.

My husband loves, loves, loves to grill. He also loves to have his friends around him while he grills. So offering up both the scallops and the meat right off the flames is right up his alley.

Pluma is the end of the pork loin from an Ibérico pig from Spain. It is moist and tender, and quite the special bite of grilled pork.

My happy grill master, JuanCarlos, chatting it up with Ivor.

Dinner

Salmon Burgers

with Buns & all the fixings (raw red onion slices, pickled red onions, heirloom tomato slices, basil & pea shoots. People can choose whatever floats their boat.

Click here for recipe.

Build a burger station.

Heirloom tomatoes in big slices, raw and pickled onions, fresh basil. Just that is a great salad!

My gluten & egg free salmon burgers. On this occasion, I encrusted them in cornmeal to give them an extra crunch.

Pea shoots and micro greens are more delicate for the salmon burgers. Plus I had leftover from the endive appetizer, so use what you have.

Our friend, Louisa, has celiac intolerance, and I am wheat intolerant. The gluten & egg free salmon burgers were ideal for us and the rest of our guests. While they enjoyed the burgers with a bun, we each choose a different way to stack our burger using a tomato slab; making it our own.

All the other guests enjoyed the bun.

Tomato on top…

Tomato on the bottom…

Spicy Slaw

I love serving this salad because it complements so many dishes. It pairs great with grilled meats or fish. It’s a natural with burgers. So it made sense to sit alongside my salmon burgers.

Click here for recipe.

Spicy Slaw, a crisp, refreshing and hearty salad.

Smashed Baby Potatoes with herb garlic oil

Nothing hard about this one. And the best part is that the majority of this can be made ahead. I use new potatoes, but you really can use any potato you like. Boil them up fork tender but not overdone. Drain well and let them cool slightly on a baking tray. Then using the bottom of a glass or a measuring cup press down on each potato smashing them flat but still keeping them together. You don’t want to fully smash or they will completely fall apart. If making ahead, refrigerator until you are ready to fry them up. To finish them, you can either bake them at 400 degrees in the oven with a drizzle of oil, salt and pepper. You can fry them in a cast iron pan on the stove or on the grill, as we did.

I love serving these with either my marinated feta or a simple herb garlic oil, much like a chimichurri sauce. Simply mince cilantro, parsley, basil, chives, crushed garlic, lemon zest, squeeze of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. If you want to kick up the heat, add red pepper flakes. You can add whatever herbs you like or have. Make it your own.

Nothing better that the crispy skin of a potato with the soft interior. Slather with herb oil and you are in heaven!

Grilled Asparagus

If you have grill fired up, might as well throw on some asparagus. It’s a great summertime green BBQ vegetable.

Dessert was a variety of my ice cream sandwiches. More wine and after dinner drinks. We ate. We drank. We talked. We laughed and ate and drank some more. We love spending time with our Princeton pals, and feel so incredibly fortunate that they make the drive to our little haven in Westchester.

My chocolate chip cookie with vanilla chocolate chip ice cream. All homemade, of course.

Chocolate crisp cookie with vanilla chocolate chip ice cream.

Lemon spice cookie with strawberry basil ice cream.

Now this may feel like a ton of food for 6 people. But remember we paced ourselves and were nibbling all day. You don’t have to make all of these. Try a few. But if you do want to tackle this entire menu check out the printable Prep list document for the entire shop, prep, to do rundown.
I hope you have friends that you would enjoy spending all day with. If you do, make it special. It’s worth every minute!

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Shrimp & Fennel Lunch with a Friend - Casual Style Take 2

When I first starting writing this post, it was pre COVID-19 pandemic, and clearly my, and everyone else’s work life was significantly different. Also, our socializing style was absolutely different. That said, the premise behind what I originally wrote still remains the same; enjoying lunch with a friend. And so, let me continue on the thought and pleasure of sharing time with people you love - Take 2. And here’s to dreaming about the time when there will be a Take 3, 4 and beyond.

When you have your own company, and consult, it often times means you can create your own schedule. Work when others play, and play when others work. It creates an environment where you can be available for whatever opportunity lands on your doorstep. Work-Play balance is so important. I have never taken this for granted, and now more than ever I truly appreciate its freedom. I fully realize that many people do not readily have the ability to take a leisurely lunch with a friend mid week. But my work life affords me some awesome flexibility. So when my friend Donna, who is an ESL teacher, was going to be in my neighborhood, it was only natural that we lunch, as we have in the past. Now with the current pandemic situation, all of our work lives have been altered, and maybe it affords you a more flexible schedule and freedom as well. If it is, I highly recommend taking fully advantage. It is such a luxurious way to spend an afternoon; sharing a meal, a glass of wine and catching up time with a friend I adore.

Sure, one glass of wine at lunch can’t hurt. Especially when you start with a hearty bowl of Cauliflower Soup.

For this meal, I wanted to try out a recipe idea I had seen from Ina Garten. Her food and entertaining style are very similar to mine. (PS I didn’t copy her style. I discovered her long after my entertaining and cooking style was embedded in my heart.) I absolutely adore her!

JC and I love sautéing shrimp and getting a good sear on them, and so our go to method is usually cooking them in a cast iron pan to get a nice texture. But she cooked the shrimp in fennel which made them a bit softer in texture. I love fennel and I love shrimp. And so does Donna. That added up to - let’s give it a try. Since I was making this on the fly, and wasn’t actually thinking of sharing this on the blog, I didn’t measure anything (as is my typical style). However, Donna loved it so much and wanted to recreate it for her guests the following weekend, I had to come up with approximate measurements from my mind’s eye. I know you probably think that is an odd thing to say, but I can see and guestimate how much I’ve cut of an ingredient. And that is what I did went I sent Donna my approximations. I changed Ina’s recipe a bit to make it more my own.

Our Lunch Menu

A plate full of love. Polenta topped with the shrimp, tomato & fennel plus roasted root veggies topped with Marinated Feta.

Faux Creamy Cauliflower Soup
Green Salad
Roasted Carrots, Onions & Parsnips with Marinated Feta
Creamy Polenta
Shrimp with Fennel & Tomatoes, see below
Homemade Coffee Ice Cream

Creamy Polenta

Big Green Salad and Marinated Feta

Ingredients

1.5 lb shrimp
1 fennel bulb, cut in small pieces
4 large cloves of garlic, crushed
1.5 -2 c grape & heirloom cherry tomatoes
1/4 c parsley, chopped
1/8 c fennel fronds, chopped
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/3 c white wine
Magic 3 (salt, pepper, olive oil)

Instructions

1. Using about 1/4 c olive oil, sauté fennel until slightly softened.

2. Add the tomatoes, salt and black pepper and let cook down.

3. Then add the garlic and red pepper flakes and let cook for 5-7 minutes over medium low heat so not to burn the garlic.

4. Salt and pepper the shrimp, then add them into the pan cooking for about 2-3 minutes.

5. Add the wine and turn the shrimp over and cook until done.

6. Add the parsley and fennel fronds.

Cook the fennel and tomatoes down until the are softened. Then add the garlic and red pepper flakes.

Add the shrimp and wine and let cook for 3-4 minutes.

It is such a lovely combo of flavors.

I served this with polenta, but it plays just as nicely with rice or pasta.

A great way to start the lunch; warm soup and crisp white wine.

Since my creamy cauliflower soup is so easy to make, I whipped up a batch and we started with that.

For the vegetables, I just roasted heirloom carrots, parsnips and onions at 425 degrees until nicely caramelized.

The feta mixture is easy to make. All it entails is cutting up some herbs and aromatics, stirring it together and then pouring it over feta cheese. Next step: spread it on everything!!

Marinated Feta

Now that is a lunch made with love.

We finished the meal with some of my homemade coffee ice cream. Donna loved that too. It’s so easy to please a food lover. Just make yummy things and stir it with love. That’s how you create a ‘school day’ memory with a good friend.

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