You Got to Have Sole!

We don’t often cook a whole fish. We like to cook so that we have lots of leftovers. However, McCall’s Meat and Fish had Dover Sole, and we decided to make it. We used a recipe for: Sole A La Meuniere from The Balthazar Cookbook by Keith McNally, Riad Nasr & Lee Hanson. The fish was beautiful and very easy to cook. Of course the hard part was filleting the cooked fish.

We made fantastic Oven-Roasted Potatoes. They turned out extremely crispy. They are delicious. They are from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. This is a fabulous recipe. They are easy to make and we HIGHLY recommend them! You can find the recipe in our blog of: April 10, 2010. Click the date to get the recipe.


With the fish and potatoes we served: Garlic-Sauteed Cabbage also from The Splendid Table. It is a great preperation of cabbage. 

Sole A La Meuniere

The Balthazar Cookbook

Keith McNally, Riad Nasr & Lee Hanson.

Ingrediaents

6  Dover sole fillets

1-1/4 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, plus more to taste
3/4 cup flour

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

12  tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

Juice of 2 lemons (14 cup)

¼ cup flat-leaf parsley

The perfect sole meuniere is golden brown, which is a result of a harmonious balance between the brown butter . and the lemon. It's a fast and simple dish and characteristic of classic bistro cooking.

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Dry the sole fillets and season both sides with % teaspoon of the salt and the white pepper. Dredge the fillets in the flour and shake off the excess.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick saute pan over a medium-high flame. When the oil smokes, add 2 fillets and cook for 3 minutes on each side. • Transfer to a baking sheet, place in the warm oven, and continue with the next 2 fillets. Add oil as necessary, heating to the smoking point before adding the fillets. Repeat with the remaining 2 fillets.

Transfer all the cooked fillets to the oven and wipe the saute pan clean with a paper towel. Add the butter to the pan over a medium flame. It will melt, foam, subside, and then begin to bubble again and turn a nutty brown. Add the lemon juice, parsley, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and several grindings of white pepper to taste. Serve the fillets on warm plates with the sauce spooned over.

Garlic-Sauteed Cabbage

Cavolo con Aglio

The Splendid Table – Lynn Rosetto Kasper

This old-fashioned dish from Romagna is a garlic lover's delight. Slow cooking in olive oil turns the garlic nutty and golden. Cooked cabbage is then browned in the garlic oil. Serve it with roasted meats and poultry. A dividend of the dish is how good it is tossed with fresh pasta

1 large head green cabbage (about 2 pounds – we use Savoy Cabbage

Salt (optional)

4 to 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 large cloves garlic, cut into

1/4-inch dice Salt and freshly ground black

pepper

Method            Working Ahead: The cabbage can be boiled early in the day, and the garlic can be sauteed then too. Refrigerate the cabbage, covered, until about 1 hour before sauteing. Keep the garlic covered at room temperature.

Cooking the Cabbage: Cut off any bruised outer leaves of cabbage. Trim away the tough base, but leave the core so the wedges remain intact. Cut the cabbage vertically into eight wedges. Bring a 6-quart pot of water to the boil (adding 1 tablespoon salt, if desired). Drop in the cabbage and boil, uncovered, 10 minutes, or until the core is barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain in a colander, rinsing the wedges with cold water to stop the cooking. Then spread the wedges on paper towels to dry.

Sauteing the Garlic: Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over the lowest possible heat. Cook the garlic slowly, stirring frequently, 8 minutes, or until pale gold on all sides. Do not cook to dark brown, or it will turn bitter. Lift out the garlic with a slotted spoon and spread it on a plate. Reserve.

Finishing and Serving: Have a serving bowl warming in a low oven. Chop the cabbage into bite-size pieces. Turn the heat under the saute pan up to medium-high. Add the cabbage and saute about 10 minutes, turning with two wooden spatulas. Use higher heat if necessary to brown the pieces. Once it is browned, season with salt and pepper. Stir in the reserved garlic, and cook a few seconds to blend the flavors. Turn the cabbage into the warmed bowl, and serve hot.