Tilapia Over Leek Ragout Recipes

TILAPIA WITH CREAMY LEEKS

Steps:

• Whisk together sour cream and flour.
• Put leeks in a heavy skillet with butter, 1/3 cup water, salt and pepper. Cover skillet with a tight fitting lid and simmer over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until leeks are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in sour cream mixture and remaining 1/3 cup water.
• Season fish with salt and pepper and add to leeks and cook, covered, until just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Serve sprinkled with dill.

"V" IS FOR VEGETARIAN RAGOUT OVER CHEESE POLENTA WITH RED PEPPER COULIS

Steps:

• Whisk the cornstarch into the vegetable broth. Melt the butter over medium heat in a saute pan, and then add the chicken broth mixture, red peppers and garlic. Simmer 30 minutes. *Pour hot mixture into blender and blend until smooth to make red pepper sauce. While the pepper sauce is simmering, begin the polenta.
• Combine vegetable stock and cream in a large heavy saucepan. Heat to a gentle boil over medium heat, being careful not to burn. While whisking constantly, gradually add the cornmeal. Once cornmeal is incorporated, keep heat low and continue to whisk until mixture is slightly thickened and creamy. Stir in Parmesan, and season with pepper. (Since Parmesan is salty, add salt only if needed). Set aside in a warm place.
• Heat oil in a saute pan. Saute onion, garlic, carrot, zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant, until they begin to soften. Stir in tomato paste, chopped fresh parsley, thyme, and let cook until flavors integrate, about 10 more minutes. Add olives and heat through. Season with salt and pepper, as needed. Remove from heat and stir in fresh tomato. Let sit to rest.
• Place cheese polenta onto serving plate, making a well in the center. Top with vegetable ragout in the center, and spoon red pepper coulis over top. Garnish with fresh basil.

BROILED TILAPIA WITH MUSTARD-CHIVE SAUCE

Steps:

• For the fish: Preheat a broiler. Spray a small baking sheet or flameproof baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside.
• Drizzle the tilapia fillets on both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the fillets in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and broil until cooked through and the flesh flakes easily with a fork, about 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
• For the sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, agave nectar, and mustard until smooth. Whisk in the lemon juice and chives. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Transfer the tilapia to a serving platter and drizzle with the sauce.

LOW COUNTRY STUFFED QUAIL WITH OYSTER-LEEK RAGOUT AND HOMINY GRITS CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In medium sauce pan, render bacon over medium heat until bacon is crisp. Remove bacon, leaving rendered drippings in pan. Set bacon aside. In same pan as bacon, sweat onions and celery together until translucent. In a medium bowl, combine sweated onions, celery and reserved bacon with cornbread, pecans and melted butter. Pour enough chicken stock to bind all ingredients so that stuffing can be formed into balls and hold their shape. Stuff each quail with stuffing (approximately 1 1/2 tablespoon per quail). Season each quail with salt and pepper. Sear quail, breast side down, in a saute pan until golden. Turn quail and place in the oven. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until desired doneness is achieved.
• Place 2 Hominy Cakes on each plate. Top with 2 quail. Surround with Oyster and Leek Ragout.
• In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat, bring the water, cream, butter, garlic, salt, and pepper to a boil. Stir in the grits and bring back to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes, or until the grits are tender. If the grits need more liquid, whisk in some of the milk. Fold in the cheese and set aside in a warm place to be used later in making hominy cakes.
• Blanch Hominy in salted water until tender - omit this step if using canned hominy. Drain. Fold hominy into reserved cooked grits. With a 1-ounce ice cream scoop, scoop mixture onto a sheet pan. Approximately 12 scoops. Cool. Form hominy cakes into cylindrical cakes. Season flour with salt and pepper in 1 bowl. Mix eggs with water in second bowl and season bread crumbs with salt and pepper in third bowl.
• Dredge cakes in flour, then egg wash and finally panko (Japanese bread crumbs). Pan fry hominy grit cakes until golden brown. Place in oven to finish heating through, about 5 minutes.
• In medium saucepan over low heat, sweat shallots, garlic and leeks in butter for 3 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add oyster liquor and heavy cream to mixture; reduce by half. Adjust seasoning. Add oysters and poach until plump and just cooked through.

NEW ZEALAND RACK OF LAMB WITH SWEET POTATO MASH AND THREE BEAN RAGOUT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Drain and rinse all liquid off beans. Combine beans in a bowl and set aside. Begin cooking bacon in a saute pan. Begin roasting yams in preheated oven until soft, and remove to let cool enough to handle.
• Heat olive oil in another large saute pan for the lamb. Season the rack of lamb with salt and pepper. Place lamb into hot pan and sear meat all around.
• Remove bacon to drain on paper toweling. In same pan lightly saute onion and garlic in bacon fat until translucent. Add red wine and reduce by half.
• Place the lamb in a roasting pan and roast in the oven until done to your liking, about 15 to 20 minutes for medium rare, an internal temperature of 125 degrees F (this means that because of the 5 to 8 minutes of carryover cooking while it rests, you pull it out at 120 degrees F so it will end up at 125 degrees F for medium rare).
• When yams are cool enough to handle, peel off skin and add butter and cream and mash. Season with salt and pepper, as needed.
• Remove the lamb to a utility platter and let rest before slicing.
• Add demi-glace and tomato paste to the pan with the onion, garlic, and bacon fat, then incorporate all beans with mixture. Lower heat and simmer. Add rosemary and chives. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Place sweet potatoes in the middle of a serving platter. Surround potatoes with bean ragout. Slice rack of lamb in between bones and lay over potatoes. Spoon demi-glace sauce over and serve.