Pasta With Double Sun-Dried Sauce

 

We tried two new recipes: Pan-Roasted Fish Fillets With Herb Butter and Pasta With Double Sun-Dried Sauce. They were both good. This is an easy recipe for frying fish and of course the Pasta sauce was super rich. We started with a Caesar Salad. Our friend Guillermo had brought the Sun-Dried Tomatoes back with him from Italy and gave them to us. Greatly appreciated.

Pasta With Double Sun-Dried Sauce
New York Times
INGREDIENTS
Yield:4 servings
 
Salt
1       cup sun-dried tomatoes, each cut in half (not in oil)
¼      cup extra virgin olive oil
3       cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1       dried chili
20 to 30    oil-cured olives, pitted
1       pound long pasta, like linguine
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley leaves.
 
PREPARATION
 
1.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Mince ¼ cup of the tomatoes.

2.  Put oil in a large, deep skillet or casserole over medium heat and add garlic, chili, minced tomatoes and olives. As soon as mixture sizzles, lower heat a bit and continue to cook.

3.  When water comes to a boil, add remaining tomatoes to it; simmer for a minute, then scoop them out with a slotted spoon and add to skillet, along with about ½ cup water. Simmer while pasta cooks in same pot tomatoes were cooked in.

4. When pasta is tender, drain it, but leave it wet; reserve a little cooking liquid. Add pasta to skillet and toss with solids, adding a little reserved cooking liquid (or more olive oil) if needed. Add salt if necessary, a lot of black pepper, and serve, garnished with parsley.

Pan-Roasted Fish Fillets With Herb Butter
New York Times
 
A blast of heat in a cast-iron pan and a basting of golden butter does wonders for plain fish fillets. This life-changing method is adopted from a former chef and current fishmonger, Mark Usewicz of Mermaid’s Garden in Brooklyn, who also teaches cooking classes in topics like “How to Cook Fish in a New York City Apartment.” The cooking time is so short that the smell — which, if your fish is fresh and not funky, should not be overpowering — will dissipate quickly. And in the meantime, you have an easy dinner of tender fish with a toothsome crust, anointed with nutty, lemony brown butter and perfumed with herbs.
You can use virtually any fish fillet, skin on or off, as long as it is not too thick. If the butter is browning too fast, reduce the heat and add a nut of cold butter to prevent scorching, or squeeze in the juice of half a lemon.
 
INGREDIENTS
Yield:2 servings
 
25- to 6-ounce fish fillets, like black bass, haddock, fluke, striped bass, tilefish, snapper or salmon, ½- to 1-inch thick
Salt and ground black pepper
3       tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
2       tablespoons unsalted butter
2       sprigs fresh thyme, tarragon, chives or another herb
1       tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley, optional
Lemon wedges
 
PREPARATION
 
1. Pat fillets dry with a paper towel. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.

2. Heat a heavy 10-inch nonstick or cast-iron skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil. Place the fillets in the pan, skin side down (if applicable), laying them down away from your body. If fillets have skin, press down gently with a spatula for about 20 seconds to prevent curling.

3. Lower heat to medium and let sizzle until fish is golden and caramelized around edges, about 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully flip fillets and add butter and thyme to pan. Tilt pan slightly to let the melted butter pool at one end. Use a spoon to baste the fish with the pooled butter. Continue basting until golden all over and cooked through, 45 to 90 seconds more, depending on the thickness of your fish. Serve immediately with chopped parsley (if using) and lemon wedges.