Grilled Tuna with Herbed Aioli

Image by roger_mommaerts via Flickr

I've been using this recipe for about a year now; the Aioli keeps in the refrigerator for about a month so you can use it for other types of fish as well; I've used it on Tilapia and Salmon. It gives your fish some Zing! The recipe is from Bon Appetit Magazine, July 2003 edition.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 4 7-0z tuna steaks (each about 1 inch thick)

Preparation:

Whisk together first 6 ingredients in shallow dish for marinade. Place mayonnaise in separate small bowl. Whisk in 1 1/2 tablespoons marinade. Set aioli aside.

Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Place fish in marinade in dish, turning to coat evenly. Marinate 1 hour at room temperature, turning fish occasionally.

Oil grill rack. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill fish to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium. Top fish with aioli and serve.

More Cheap Eats from the Garden ....

Image by sweet mustache via Flickr

Michael wanted me to post the recipes for the meal I created this evening, since he enjoyed it so much. It was simple and easy, and cost very little -- my estimate was around $7.50 for the entire meal. Since seeing the movie "Food Inc." last week I have tried to make a conscious effort to eat less processed meats and more fish (at least until I discover that the commercial fish industry is just as bad as the meat industry!!).

Here's what was on the menu:

• Pan-seared Tilapia with Cajun spices;
• Garlic & Parsley Red Potatoes; and
• Tomato Salad with Red Onion and Basil.

Tilapia
I found Tilapia (previously frozen) on sale at Walmart for $4.68/lb. The package I bought cost $5.04. I rubbed in some Cajun seasoning and Old Bay seasoning and let it sit for about 15 minutes at room temperature. I then added a bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or as Racheal Ray says, "EVOO") to a cast iron skillet and sauteed the fish for about 3-4 minutes per side. I put it on a serving platter and squeezed some fresh lemon on top. Total Cost: about $5.50.

Potatoes
I still had some small red potatoes left over from our potato harvest about a month ago. I boiled about a pound in some water to which I added about a teaspoon of salt and 2 cloves of smashed garlic. I cooked them until just tender (about 15 minutes) then drained them, added about a tablespoon of margarine and topped them with some chopped fresh parsley from the garden. Total Cost: since most of the ingredients came from the garden (except the margarine), I estimate about $1.00.

Tomato Salad
I sliced up three tomatoes that we picked this afternoon. I then sliced a red onion, also from the garden (picked about 3 weeks ago and cured). To the tomatoes and onion, I added about a tablespoon of EVOO, a splash of red wine vinegar and salt and pepper, and gently mixed it all together. I garnished the salad with about 1/4 cup of fresh chopped basil leaves. Total Cost: since most of the ingredients cam from the garden, I estimate about $1.00.

There it is, a great-tasting, healthy meal for about $7.50 -- maybe $8.00 -- for two people -- That's $3.75-$4.00 per person. It's amazing how much we are saving by having our own garden!

An update on Squash Blossoms

I experimented a little today with some squash blossoms -- I wanted to try and oven bake them rather than cook them in oil. I also thought I would stuff them with some mozzarella cheese. They turned out delicious, but they were a bit tricky to prepare and keep the cheese inside the blossoms. Here's how I did it:

Ingredients:

• 12 squash blossoms, stamen removed and rinsed (try to pick them while the blossoms are open, they will be easier to stuff).
• 3 large eggs, beaten - place in a shallow dish or tray for dipping the blossoms.
• 1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
• 6 large basil leaves, chopped fine
• Garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs - place in a shallow dish or tray for rolling the blossoms.

Mix the basil leaves with the cheese; add a few dashes of garlic and onion powder and salt & pepper. Place about 1-2 teaspoons of the cheese mixture inside the squash blossom and fold the petals up over the stuffing. Hold the flower together and dip into the egg mixture to coat, then roll the flower in the bread crumbs. Place on an olive oil-coated baking sheet. Spray the tops with olive oil cooking spray and bake in a 375-degree oven for about 10 minutes; turn over and bake another 5 minutes or until golden brown.

These are best straight out of the oven, while the cheese is nice and gooey. They may be a little tricky to make, but they are so worth it!

An Unusual Zucchini Bread Recipe

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I found this recipe on one of my favorite recipe websites and decided to give it a try, since we have an overabundance of zucchini these days and I'm wanting to use up as much as I can before I have no room left in my fridge. This recipe was just a bit different from the standard zucchini bread recipes I've usually made. It included a few different ingredients like curry powder, lemon zest and poppy seeds which you usually don't find in the average zucchini bread.

I did make a couple of adjustments to the recipe. I could not find crystallized ginger on my shopping expedition this morning so I omitted that. I also used only half of the poppy seeds that the recipe called for, as well as only half the amount of curry powder. I did not have whole wheat pastry flour but had a little bit of whole wheat flour. I used a cup of whole wheat flour, 1-3/4 cups of all-purpose flour and 1/4 cup of ground flaxseed. I also substituted vegetable oil for the butter. The results were perfect. The bread came out wonderfully moist and delicious. You can actually taste the lemon zest and the hint of curry powder; the flavors married quite well. I will definitely make this a couple more times this summer, and freeze some for gifts.

Here's the link to the recipe:

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/my-special-zucchini-bread-recipe-recipe.html

I hope you enjoy this unique Zucchini Bread as much as Michael and I do. And make a double batch -- it is so worth it!

Fried Squash Blossoms

Image by docman via Flickr

Well I finally was able to pick enough squash flowers so that I could make one of my favorite dishes, Squash Blossoms (or as my mother used to call them, Coogoots Flowers - Coogoots is the Italians' word for zucchini). I was able to get some beautiful open blooms from the yellow squash, zucchini and pumpkin plants; I had about a dozen blossoms in all, which made a perfect lunch for me and Michael.

Only pick the male blossoms (the ones without the fruit attached). Cut a bit of the stem as well so you have something to hold. Once you pick them they need to be used pretty quickly -- you will want to rinse them well to make sure there are no bugs, and remove the stamen from the centers. The flowers are quite fragile so be careful handling them. Lightly dry them, then dust with some flour. They then go into a batter made with the following ingredients:

4 eggs
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. finely grated parmesan or romano cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Beat the eggs well with a whisk; whisk in the flour and the cheese, the salt and pepper and mix well so that there are very few lumps. Drop the squash flowers into the batter and coat well. Heat about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat, and drop the squash flowers in; fry until golden brown and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and ENJOY!

This makes a great lunch, along with a green salad (of course with fresh ingredients from your garden!)

If you want to get really adventurous, try stuffing the blossoms with some cheese, or try some of the recipes in the following link. Mangia, y'all!

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• Five Ways to Eat Squash Blossoms (thekitchn.com)