Something Fishy

Another short(er) post today. I have a few work things to take care of, as well as school work that's still undone. Anyone who is planning on starting an online course should know they will be doing two things: reading a lot and writing a lot. Sometimes it is overwhelming. I'm hoping to have another more-substantial post later in the week.

Obviously, from the theme of this blog readers can gather that I love to cook. Less-well known is how much I love to garden. Gardening and cooking make a wonderful combination--especially when I'm able to grow my own vegetables for my meals. Living in an apartment, however, doesn't leave much room for a garden. Having no balcony or patio to populate with pots leaves even less. Right now, I have five pots arranged by my front door and under my living room window that constitutes the little garden I have now. A range of color from my impatiens, marigolds, poppies, pansies, and English daisies greet anyone who stops by. I'll have to take some pictures to possibly include in a future post.

This last weekend, I made a pot of split-pea soup for my mom: comfort food since she is sick. Scooter and I also enjoyed our share. Then Sunday night, I decided to try a fish recipe that I had been eying for a couple of weeks: sautéed sole with orange-shallot sauce. The original recipe can be found here.

What you'll need:
4-6 fillets of sole
1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper (or to taste)
2-3 Tbs. olive oil
1 large shallot, chopped fine
1/2 c. white wine
1 c. orange juice w/ pulp
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. butter or margarine
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

What you'll need to do:
1. In a metal pie pan (or plate if you don't have one), mix together the flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge the sole fillets in the flour, thoroughly covering each side with flour. Gently shake off any loose flour.
2. In a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, heat 1 Tbs. of the oil. Add the fish and cook until each side is lightly browned, no more than 4 minutes per side. Don't cook more than two pieces of fish at a time. Add a little olive oil after each batch, as the flour will soak a lot of it up. After cooking all the fillets, put them on a plate, cover, and set aside.
3. Add the shallot to the frying pan and cook, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Add the white wine and bring to a simmer. Cook the wine down until little liquid is left. Add the orange juice and mustard. Stir everything together and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, allowing the sauce to thicken slightly. Add the butter and parsley, and stir until the butter is completely melted.
4. Serve fillets with rice and/or your vegetable of choice, topped with the sauce.

If you use a white wine that you like to drink for this recipe, that wine will complement the dish well if you have a glass with the meal. This is a relatively healthy meal that lacks nothing in taste. I would certainly recommend it!

Enjoy!