Blackened Hake with Cheddar Cauliflower

This is a riff I did on southern shrimp and grits. I knew I wanted to cheddar the cauliflower, but wasn't sure how to do the fish. Then, I thought of a great, spicy shrimp and grits I had in Charleston, and thought a blackening would work well.

Ingredients

Hake filet, about 14 ounces for two servings

Blackening spice (or mix together some paprika, cayenne, onion and garlic powder, salt and black pepper...possibly some dry thyme and parsley ground fine. Make it as hot as you would like!).

One head of cauliflower, ideally cheddar (orange color)

Two cloves garlic

A small handful of shredded cheddar cheese

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Cut cauliflower into relatively small pieces. Peel garlic and leave in clove form. Put a sautee pan over medium heat, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and add cauliflower and garlic to the pan. Roast for about 10-15 minutes until you get a little caramelization and the cauliflower gets tender. Add about a half cup of water to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Put into a food processor, and add the cheddar and process until just a little chunky. Add back to the pan to keep warm.

While the cauliflower is cooking, heat a pan over medium-high heat. Spread the blackening spices onto a board and roll the fish until covered. Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan (it should just start smoking) and add the fish and cook until about 3/4 cooked through and nice and blackened (but not burned) on the bottom. Turn over and finish cooking on medium heat.

Add the cauliflower to a plate, top with the fish and enjoy!

Very Mushroom Risotto

I had a small epiphany when perusing one of Mario Batali's cook books. In it, he grinds dried porcini mushrooms into a powder to coat a steak. That made me think that doing the same thing in the risotto would make a really, really mushroom risotto...I was right!

Ingredients:

1/4 oz dried porcini mushrooms

About a cup mixed mushrooms sliced (crimini, shittake, oyster)

1 medium shallot diced finely

1/2 stalk celery diced finely

1 large clove garlic, sliced finely

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon thyme leaves (or regular thyme)

8 oz risotto or orzo, about a cup

4 cups chicken stock (or about 2-3 if the orzo)

White wine

Olive oil

1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

Directions:

Take the dried porcini and break into smaller pieces so they can fit in a spice grinder (or coffee grinder) and grind until you have a very fine powder. You should have about 1 tablespoon.

Sautee the mushrooms over medium high high heat with some olive oil, until they are browned and cooked. Remove from the pan.

Lower the heat to medium, add a few tablespoons olive oil and add the celery, shallot and garlic and saute until soft, a few minutes. Add back the mushrooms (but save a few to garnish the plate) and then the risotto and thyme and cook a few minutes until the risotto is translucent. Add about a half cup of wine and cook down. Then add the stock about a cup at a time and cook until the rice is al dente.

You should have a slightly soupy mixture to which add a little more olive oil (or a couple of tablespoons of butter) and the parmigiano and stir. This should tighten the mixture, though it should not be too thick or thin.