Grouper with Basil Vinaigrette

I had a bad day at work today. After arriving home late and walking my dog, I was pleasantly surprised to see that not only was my husband cooking dinner for me tonight, my friend Dino was also over and doing his share of what was to be an incredible meal. I sat down at the island to chill out and watch them. Dino was making a salad with romain, carrots, red onion, goat cheese and pancetta bits topped with a marvelous homemade dressing. My husband was cooking some garlic infused wild rice and grouper, a fish similar and from the same area as red snapper, only meatier. The preparation was not complicated at all, but the end result seemed elaborate (my husband says the best recipes are the simple ones). He topped this with a tangy basil vinaigrette. I thoroughly enjoyed every single bite. 

Given our dinner tonight was impulsive, we didn't buy any wine. We did however, have a bottle in the liquor cabinet that we purchased this past summer to use for sangria. And the only reason I am mentioning this wine is because I was pleasantly surprised by it's rich flavour. If you're on a budget, this Two Oceans cab/merlot from South Africa should fit the bill. 

What you’ll need

Fish:

Grouper

Fresh basil

Lemon juice

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Rice:

Wild rice

Chicken stock

Garlic

Salad:

Romain lettuce

Sliced carrots

Pancetta bits

Red onion

Goat cheese

Dressing:

Olive oil

Truffle oil

Lemon

Balsamic

Dijon 

Garlic

Whole wheat baguette

What to do

For the salad, mix all the ingredients together except the pancetta and cheese. While you're frying up the pancetta, set the goat cheese on top to soften it.

Afterward, add the pancetta to the rest of the salad. Mix together all the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad. Top with some of the softened goat cheese.

For the fish, mix together the basil, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the grouper and broil for 10 minutes. When you cook the rice, cook it in chicken stock and add in some chunks of garlic. It will add some wonderful flavours to your rice.

Serve with whole wheat baguette.

Total time, approximately 45 minutes.

Herbed Chicken Tofu on Ceasar Salad

Tonight's dinner was fabulous. (did you expect anything less?) My husband picked up some Louisiana corn chowder and La Soyarie herbed tofu from Herb and Spice and served the tofu on a bed of romain and arugula greens with his amazing homemade ceasar dressing and croutons.

To the salad he added some chopped cucumber and green onion. For the dressing he mixed together egg yolks, olive oil, garlic, anchovy paste, a bit of tabasco, pepper, lemon juice and his secret ingredient – Dijon mustard. The croutons were made with garlic, oil, oregano and chili flakes on toasted bread then cut into cubes. Delicious!

Chicken with Hummus and Yummy Veg

The best thing about having a long day at work, followed by an energized bike ride home, then a long walk with my dog, is finally coming home and sitting down to enjoy an amazing meal. I consider myself an insanely lucky woman to have the husband that I have. After days like today, i'd probably just settle in at home with some toast or raisin bran (Yes, i'm thinking of you Teresa!). I guess having someone to cook for can make all the difference in the world. Especially someone who appreciates it. And I appreciate it soooo much, you can't even imagine. Tonight's dinner is very fun and has a ton of flavour. I've even got leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

What you’ll need

Red onion

Red pepper

Cubanelle pepper

2 Chicken breast

Hummus

Olive oil

Oregano

Chili flakes

Cumin

Pita bread

What to do

Cut the chicken breast into cubes or chunks. Cut the peppers and onions into long wedges. Toss the veggies in olive oil with oregano, chili flakes and cumin. Place them in an oven safe pan. Toss the chicken in the leftover mixture and place in pan on top of the veggies. Cook for 16 minutes or so on broil, until black a bit. Stir once. 

Spread some hummus on a plate. 

Place the veggies and chicken on top. Serve with pita.

Total time, approximately 30-40 minutes.

Shanghai

$

I was excited that we ate here this evening because i've been wanting to add them to my list of restaurant reviews. We eat at Shanghai fairly often. They have, in my opinion, the best asian dishes in Ottawa and the best dumplings i've ever had. Ever. I get so excited leading up to eating them it's crazy. We got our usual tonight, the Shanghai Dumplings – pork-filled wontons, pan seared with fresh coriander and chives on a bed of bean sprouts and rice sticks, Vegetable Pad Thai – rice vermicelli, tofu, green peppers, egg, coriander, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots and peanut and chili sauce, and Coconut Curry Shrimp in Spicy Peanut Sauce – shrimp served with a sauce of thai red curry, coconut milk and peanut on a bed of broccoli. I absolutely love these dishes. They have so much flavour and the coconut curry shrimp peanut sauce is to die for. Tonight we brought in the food, but it is a wonderful restaurant to eat at. It's not your traditional bright Chinese food type of spot, it's very warm and cozy inside with red walls, dim lighting and great service. They always showcase local artists work on the walls and they have fun theme nights or live DJs every now and then. If you've never been, go, you won't be disappointed. If you happen to go on a Saturday night after 9, you'll have a very entertaining evening – their Saturday night karaoke is the most interesting karaoke i've ever been to. Apps range from $1.50 to $7.50 and mains from $6.95 to $16.95.

www.shanghaiottawa.com

Chicken with Lemon and Tarragon

Tonight's dinner was divine and right out of a magazine. My husband started us (my mother-in-law was in town) off with a rillette, olives and baguette. Then he served a homemade celery soup, followed by our main, the chicken with lemon and tarragon served with wild rice. I didn't get all the details of the soup, he made it while I was walking the dog. But it was pretty much a mish-mash of leftover vegetables from the fridge, mainly celery, puréed into this delectable soup. I do have the recipe for the chicken though. It's actually quite easy, but if you didn't know, you'd think there was more work involved in it. The meat literally fell off the bone as you ate it and the lemon gave it the perfect tang. Serve with wild rice.

What you’ll need

Chicken drumsticks

Garlic

Olive oil

Lemon juice

Lemon slices

Tarragon

Salt and pepper

What to do

Toss the chicken in an olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper mixture then place them in a baking dish. Sprinkle the tarragon on the chicken and then add in the lemon slices. Cook at 425 for one hour. 

Total time, approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes – mostly spent in the oven.

Vittoria Trattoria

$$+

Well it's been an Italian week for me to say the least. I've got my month's worth of starch and i'm ready to take on the world! We had a friend in town last night who was in the mood for Italian and wanted to eat in the market. So that was a no-brainer. Vittoria Trattoria has been consistently good for as long as I can remember. The atmosphere is perfect for an evening out, with dim lighting, beautiful stone walls and excellent service. They also have a pretty extensive wine list suitable for the average joe to the the most knowledgeable wine connoisseur. There's always a sommelier on staff who can help you choose the best wine. And he did just that last night, bringing us a delicious bottle of Colognole Chianti Rufina (2003). The wine went wonderfully with my choice in dishes, I went for the specials of the night, a roasted pumpkin purée to start and calabrese sausage with spinach, red onion, mushrooms and red peppers on whole wheat spaghetti with a marsala rosé sauce. The soup was absolutely divine, with a great blend of spices and the pasta had a medley of flavours that worked together and complimented the slight spiciness of the sausage. I've got leftovers for my lunch today and i'm just counting down the minutes until I can dig into it. Apps range from $7-$14 and mains from $13-$36.

www.vittoriatrattoria.com

Smelts

Please allow me to introduce you to one of my best friends – Dino. I met him on my husband's and my second date 9 years ago. He was the second man I ever met who skillfully prepared amazing meals. The evenings my husband wasn't cooking, we were over at Dino's enjoying one of his many mouthwatering dishes. We don't eat at his place as often anymore, but when we do it's always a treat, and tonight was no different. We snacked on some homemade bruschetta when we arrived. Then he served a light fried smelts dinner on bok choy. It was very yummy. I didn't take down a specific recipe, although I did follow him around with a camera (not a hosts favorite thing in the world i'm sure!) – but he was very accommodating. 

Homemade bruschetta.

Mmmmm smelts....

Toss the smelts in some flour and fry them with butter. Squeeze some lemon juice on them and sprinkle with salt and voilà!