Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book (23 page)

Crisp the taco shells and blister the tortillas on the grill or in the oven. Glue the softened flour tortillas onto the crisp taco shells with a few spoonfuls of mashed black beans. Fill each tortilla-wrapped taco shell with half a piece of fish, flaked, and top with some cabbage slaw and crème frâiche. Serve 2 tortilla-wrapped tacos per person.

Halibut is quite a firm fish, and this recipe can stand up to the outside grill. The green onions are so flavorful your friends will be green with envy for the recipe.

SERVES 4

Preheat the oven to 400°F. On a rimmed baking sheet, coat the tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of the EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes for 15 minutes, or until they burst.

Season the fish with the lime zest, salt, and pepper, then coat in 1 to 2 table-spoons of the EVOO. Roll the fish evenly in the chopped green scallions.

Heat a sauce pot with a drizzle of EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and crisp it up, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and onions to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes to soften. Add the vinegar and brown sugar, stir, then add the hot sauce. Add the roasted tomatoes and mash them with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Add a splash of water and keep warm over low heat.

Heat a drizzle of EVOO in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish and cook for about 5 minutes until well browned; turn and cook until the other side is brown and the fish is firm.

While the fish cooks, heat 2 cups water and the milk in a medium pot and bring to a bubble. Whisk in the polenta and cook until it thickens, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter, honey, and mustard; season with salt and pepper.

Serve the fish topped with the BBQ bacon tomato sauce, with the polenta alongside.

I made this dish for the lovely Kate Hudson when she stopped by our show and stayed to hang out in the kitchen. She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside, truly a fun girl. Plus, I discovered we have more than a few things in common: we love to cook, we love indie music (we both married indie rockers), and we both blow off going to the dentist far too often. In a kinda odd coincidence, we both admit to having temporary crowns that are crumbling because rather than two weeks, we've had ours for two years … and counting. Kate the Great, this one is for you.

SERVES 4

Preheat the outdoor grill or a stovetop grill pan to medium-hot.

Toss the fish in a large bowl with the juice from 2 lemons, the hot sauce, 1 tablespoon of the EVOO, and salt and pepper. Skewer 2 pieces of fish onto a metal skewer followed by a bay leaf. Continue adding fish and bay leaves to make 3 skewers of fish.

Thread the red and yellow bell pepper chunks and the onion wedges onto 2 skewers and dress with another tablespoon of the EVOO, salt, and pepper. Thread the cherry tomatoes on one or two skewers.

Place the pepper-onion skewers on the grill, turning after a couple of minutes. After 4 minutes, place the fish skewers on the grill with the veggies. Rotate the fish skewers a quarter turn every 2 minutes. After the first turn, add the tomatoes on their skewers. Continue to cook all the skewers, turning occasionally; the peppers and onions will cook in about 12 minutes, the fish in 8, and the tomatoes in 5 to 6 minutes total.

While the skewers are cooking, bring 1½ cups of the chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Slice half a lemon into disks and add to the stock, then add the olives. Bring the stock to a boil, stir in the couscous, turn off the heat, and let stand for 5 minutes.

To a food processor, add the pine nuts, parsley, mint, garlic, Parmigiano, the remaining ¼ cup of stock, salt, and pepper. Turn the processor on and stream in about ¼ cup EVOO. Stir the pesto into the cooked couscous.

For the yogurt sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon zest and juice, cumin, salt, and pepper.

Fluff the couscous with a fork and place the couscous on a platter. Top with the fish and vegetable kebabs and remove the skewers. Fill the flatbreads or pitas with fish, vegetables, and yogurt sauce as you eat.

My mom still remembers my grandpa Emmanuel's favorite breakfast. He would take leftover cold pasta, fry it in olive oil, then pour eggs over top with a sprinkle of cheese. My husband never met Emmanuel but this kind of meal is why they would have loved each other so—neither would have been able to get enough of it!

SERVES 4

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. When it boils, salt the water liberally and add the pasta. Cook the pasta for 3 to 4 minutes or according to package directions; drain.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Heat 3 tablespoons of the EVOO in an ovenproof medium skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and crisp for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for a minute or two. Beat the eggs with the milk and season with a little salt and lots of black pepper. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and combine with the pancetta mixture. Scatter half the parsley into the pasta and pour the eggs over the mixture. Let the eggs settle and begin to firm up, then transfer the pan to the oven. Bake the frittata for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and sprinkle the cheese on top. Return to the oven and bake for another 3 to 4 minutes, until golden.

Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion with the remaining parsley. Dress the salad with the remaining 3 tablespoons of EVOO and season liberally with salt and pepper.

Cut the frittata into 4 wedges and serve with salad alongside.