Cooking for Two (21 page)

1.
To make the filling, place the bread crumbs, shallot, garlic, cheese, parsley, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and salt in a food processor fitted with the chopping blade or a large blender. Pulse four or five times, until well chopped. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, then pulse to incorporate. Add the crawfish meat and pulse four or five times to chop and combine. The mixture should be coarsely chopped, not puréed or pastelike. Set aside. The recipe can be made in advance up to this point; store the filling, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Let it come back to room temperature before proceeding.

2.
Prepare the artichokes by first cutting off the stems so each artichoke has a flat bottom to stand on. Pull off any small, tough leaves (or petals, since artichokes are technically flowers) still adhering to the outside of the bottom, as well as the bottom two layers of larger leaves. Rub the bottoms of both artichokes with half of the lemon. Lay the artichokes on their sides on your work surface; use a heavy, serrated knife to cut off the top third of each. Rub the tops with the lemon half. Spread the leaves open and use a small spoon, preferably a grapefruit spoon, to scoop out the center, including the hairy fibers that come up off the choke. Rub the insides of each artichoke with the other half of the lemon.

3.
Stuff about one-third of the crawfish mixture into the center of each artichoke. Use the remainder of the stuffing to fill in between the outer leaves, pressing down gently to pack the filling in. Stand the stuffed artichokes up in a 3-quart oval or round pot large enough so that they are not squeezed together. Add enough water to come up about ½ inch. Place the lemon halves in the pot, quartering them if necessary to fit. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over and around the artichokes.

4.
Set the pot over medium-high heat and bring the water to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the bottoms of the artichokes are tender when pierced with a knife.

5.
Remove the artichokes from the pot, tent with foil to keep warm, and raise the heat to high. Boil any remaining liquid in the pot until it is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Pour this reduced cooking liquid over the artichokes and serve immediately.

Substitute 15 medium precooked cocktail shrimp, cleaned and deveined, for the crawfish tail meat. Or substitute 8 ounces cooked lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage.

F
ISH
F
ILLETS IN
P
ARCHMENT
makes
2 servings

N
othing is easier than baking fish in an envelope of parchment paper. Herbs and vegetables will melt into a sauce you can serve over the fillets or accompanying rice. Parchment paper—a thick paper safe for baking—is found with the aluminum foil and plastic wrap in supermarkets and gourmet stores. Jarred artichoke hearts and olives carry a lot of salt, so there’s no salt added to the dish.

1.
Position the rack in the oven’s center and preheat the oven to 450°F.

2.
Lay one piece of parchment paper on top of the other on a large lipped baking sheet. Lay the fish fillets in the center of the paper. Top with the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and olives. Drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice; sprinkle with the pepper. Fold the parchment closed, crinkling it to make a tight seal.

3.
Bake for 12 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through. Serve immediately by unwrapping the paper and placing one fillet on each of two plates. Top with the vegetables and any cooking liquid.

Wrap each fillet individually in parchment packets, topping each with half the spices and vegetables. Transfer one intact, baked packet to each of two plates; unwrap the packets and eat the fish and vegetables right out of them.

C
OD
R
OASTED
O
VER
S
WISS
C
HARD
A
ND
G
ARLIC
makes
2 servings

I
n this quick dish, a cod fillet is set on a bed of steamed greens, then baked in the oven. It’s light enough for a spring evening but comforting enough for a winter supper. If you like, substitute other light greens for the chard, such as beet greens, escarole, or dandelion greens.

1.
Rub the cod fillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil; gently massage the salt and pepper into the flesh. Set aside.

2.
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 500°F. Heat a medium oven-safe skillet or sauté pan over low heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the garlic all at once, then cook for 2 minutes, taking care not to brown the garlic. Raise the heat to medium and lay the wet greens in the skillet. Toss them once or twice, to get the garlic strewn throughout the leaves, then cover the pan and steam the greens for about 3 minutes, or until they are wilted but not limp.

3.
Uncover the pan and place the prepared cod fillet on top of the greens. Place the pan in the oven and roast the cod fillet and greens, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, until the cod is cooked through. To tell, either cut it open, or insert a thin dinner knife into the thickest part of the fillet, hold the knife in the flesh for 10 seconds, then remove
it and touch its side to your lips, taking care not to cut yourself. The knife blade should feel warm (for a firmer fillet) or hot (for a fillet cooked through).

4.
Remove the pan from the oven (be careful—it’s quite hot), drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the cod fillet and greens while they’re still in the pan, and serve immediately.

S
NAPPER
F
ILLETS
S
AUTÉED
W
ITH
O
RANGE AND
P
ECANS
makes
2 light servings

S
ince the fillets are placed on top of salad greens, then dressed with a sauce from the pan, this easy, fresh-tasting sauté is something like a composed salad, ready in minutes. If you want a simpler dish, substitute a small 4-ounce can of orange sections, packed in water, drained and rinsed, along with 1 tablespoon orange juice for the fresh orange supremes. You can also substitute any number of thin fillets for the snapper, including talapia, orange roughy, or trout.

1.
Season the fillets with ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper; set them aside. Arrange half the greens on each of two dinner plates; set them aside as well.

2.
Cut ¼ inch off the top and bottom of the orange, so that it will sit flat. Stand it on a cutting board, then cut down the sides of the fruit with a paring knife, following the fruit’s natural curve, thereby removing the rind and the white pith underneath. You may also cut off a small amount of the flesh. Once the rind and pith are removed, hold the fruit in one hand over a small bowl and use a paring knife to cut between the membranes, letting the orange supremes and any juice fall into the bowl. Once all the supremes are removed, discard any remaining pith. You should have about ½
cup supremes and juice
.

3.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Swirl in 1 tablespoon of the oil, then slip the fish fillets into the pan. Cook for about 1 minute, then gently turn with a wide metal spatula and cook for about 2 more minutes. Once the fish is cooked through, transfer the fillets to the two prepared plates, placing them on top of the greens.

4.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pan, then slide in the red onion rings and soften for about 1 minute, stirring often. Sprinkle in the pecans and sauté for 1 more minute, just until they begin to brown. Add the orange supremes and any juice, the vinegar, and the remaining salt and pepper. Cook for about 1 minute, or until the mixture is bubbling and slightly reduced, then pour as a dressing over each of the two plates, coating the fish and the greens. Serve immediately.