Wander. Cook. Eat.

One thing I’ve missed in the pandemic is going to the movies. My favorite place to see a movie is the Plaza Theater. Sure, during the pandemic they set up a drive-in in the back parking lot. And I LOVED seeding Clint Eastwood in Fistful of Dollars at the drive-in. However, I’m so glad to be able to go back inside at the Plaza to see movies on the big screen.

Founded in 1939 it is Atlanta’s oldest operating cinema. It has old school style. This summer they are showing some classic movies that were made for the big screen. Case in point: last weekend I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark there. (Indian Jones is the best!) This week Jurassic Park is showing and in a few weeks: Jaws. So, what are you waiting for? See you at the movies!

I’ve know that eating fish is really good for you, but for some reason fish just was never in my regular cooking rotation. It is hard to change your diet. So, last year to help me eat more fish I signed up for a Wild Alaskan Company* subscription. I have loved it! Getting their combo box has encouraged me to try different kinds of fish. One of my favorite has been halibut. This halibut with roasted red pepper sauce recipe is now a regular in my dinner lineup. If you make the red pepper sauce over the weekend, the rest of the dinner comes together quickly for a yummy, healthy weeknight meal.

Bonus: you will have red pepper sauce left over. This sauce is adapted from a recipe I learned on a Tuscan cooking vacation with Chef John Wilson. He served it over his AMAZING ricotta gnocchi. It is also great on top of grilled chicken or cheese tortellini.

*This link will give you $25 off your first Wild Alaskan order and I’ll get $25 off my next order for referring you.

Skip to make-ahead tips and detailed instructions.

5 from 1 reviews

Halibut with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

April 24, 2021

Servings: 2 - 4

Difficulty: Moderate

Print This

By: wandercookeat

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers (medium sized)
• garlic (2 medium or 1 large cloves)
• 3 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• pinch of sugar
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt + additional for seasoning
• pinch of black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. of crushed red pepper
• 1/3 c. chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2-4 halibut fillets
• 3-4 c. spinach

Directions

• Step 1 Roast the red peppers using your favorite method. My favorite method: Heat oven to 425°. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Place red pepper on sheet pan and roast for 25-30 min. Peppers are done when they have dark charred spots. Remove pepper from oven and put in a brown paper bag to ‘sweat’ for 15-20 min.Peel skin off of peppers and remove seeds. Coarsely chop the peeled, roasted peppers and put them in a food processor.
• Step 2 Coarsely chop the garlic. Add the garlic, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, sugar, 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, pinch of pepper, and crushed red pepper. Process for 10-15 seconds until it is your desired consistency and the ingredients are well blended. Taste and adjust the sugar and salt as needed.
• Step 3 Put red pepper mixture in a small sauce pan. Add chicken broth. Stir together and simmer on med-low heat for 5-10 min.
• Step 4 Salt and pepper the halibut fillets. Heat olive oil in oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Add halibut to pan and cook on one side for 3-4 minutes until it is brown on the bottom. Flip fish over. Put pan in the oven and cook for 4-6 minutes. Fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.
• Step 5 While the fish cooks, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and season with a little salt. Saute until the spinach wilts, but it still bright green (about 2-3 min.).
• Step 6 Divide spinach between two plates. Place halibut on top of spinach and top with 2-3 Tbsp. of red pepper sauce. Serve.

Make Ahead Tips

Making the sauce is what takes the most time, so I recommend making it in advance if you are making this for a weeknight meal. You have two options for making this ahead of time:

1. Roast the read peppers ahead of time. After they come out of the oven, put them in container with a tight fitting lid to ‘sweat’. After you sweat them for 15-20 min, put the container in the fridge. They can stay in the fridge for a day or two until you are ready to peel them and finish making the sauce.
2. Make the red pepper sauce ahead of time (steps 1-3). Store in the fridge for several days until you are ready to make the halibut.

Detailed Instructions

Step 1. Roast the red peppers using your favorite method. My favorite method: Heat oven to 425°. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Place red pepper on sheet pan and roast for 25-30 min. I usually turn them once during roasting. Peppers are done when they have dark charred spots. Remove pepper from oven and put in a brown paper bag to ‘sweat’ for 15-20 min. (This makes them easier to peel.) Peel skin off of peppers and remove seeds. (See this article for tips on peeling a red pepper.)

Step 2. Coarsely chop the peeled, roasted peppers and put them in a food processor. Coarsely chop the garlic. Add the garlic, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, sugar, 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, pinch of pepper, and crushed red pepper. Process for 10-15 seconds until it is your desired consistency and the ingredients are well blended. Taste and adjust the sugar and salt as needed.

Step 3. Put red pepper mixture in a small sauce pan. Add chicken broth. Stir together and simmer on med-low heat for 5-10 min (while the halibut cooks).

Step 4. If you roasted the peppers ahead of time, preheat the oven to 425°. Salt and pepper the halibut fillets. Heat olive oil in oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Add halibut to pan and cook on one side for 3-4 minutes until it is brown on the bottom.
Flip fish over. Put pan in the oven and cook for 4-6 minutes. The amount of time will depend on how thick the fillets are. Fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.

Step 5. While the fish cooks, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and season with a little salt. Saute until the spinach wilts, but it still bright green (about 2-3 min.).

Step 6. Divide spinach between two plates. Place halibut on top of spinach and top with 2-3 Tbsp. of red pepper sauce. Serve.

Happy Chinese New Year!! I decided the best way to kick off the Lunar New Year was with dumplings. So, tonight I ordered takeout from one of my favorite restaurants on Buford Highway, Northern China Eatery. In my humble opinion, they have the best dumplings in Atlanta. Tonight’s dinner did not disappoint: Shanghai Juicy Buns, green beans, and Pork & Chive Pot Stickers (pictured above). Happy Year of the Ox!!

If you have a hankering to try your hand at making dumplings at home, their frozen dumplings are great, too. On our trip to North Carolina last fall my friends and I picked up a bag of pork buns and shrimp, pork, and chive dumplings and made a dim sum dinner one night. Delicious!!

When I do my holiday baking, these chocolate espresso crinkles are at the top of the list. They are tied with the apple cake or my favorite. I am addicted to these cookies. The original recipe came from Cooking Light. However, since several people on my Christmas list can’t eat gluten, I’ve adapted them to be gluten-free. I’ll be honest – I can’t taste the difference between the gluten and gluten-free versions. They are both full of gooey, chocolatey deliciousness.

A heads up: the dough for these cookies needs to chill at least 2 hours before you roll it for baking. The good news is the dough will stay well in the fridge for several days. I just keep the dough in the fridge and roll them out and cook them as I need them. This dough also freezes well. If you go ahead and cook them all at once you can store them in an air tight container on the counter for several days (if they last that long)!

Skip to equipment notes and detailed instructions below.

This recipe has no ratings just yet.

Chocolate Espresso Crinkles

December 24, 2020

Servings: About 2 Dozen

Difficulty: Medium

Print This

By: wandercookeat

Ingredients

• ½ c. rice flour (½ c. = 3 oz.)
• ¼ c. pecan flour or almond flour (¼ c. = 1.5 oz.)
• ¼ c. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 ¼ c. powdered sugar, divided
• 5 ½ tsp. canola oil
• 1 ½ oz. unsweetened chocolate squares
• 1 tsp. espresso powder
• ¾ c. packed brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
• 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 large egg whites

Directions

• Step 1 Combine rice flour, pecan flour, 3/4 c. powdered sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk to combine, being sure to break up any large chunks of powdered sugar.
• Step 2 Fill bottom of double boiler with ½-inch of water and heat over medium-low heat. Coarsely chop the unsweetened chocolate squares. Combine the canola oil and unsweetened chocolate in the top of the double boiler and place on top of the simmering water. Stir it occasionally until melted. Once it is melted, remove from heat and stir in the espresso powder until it dissolves.
• Step 3 Pour chocolate espresso mixture into a bowl and let it cool for 5 min. Then add the brown sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla and mix well.
• Step 4 Add the egg whites to the chocolate espresso mixture and stir in with a whisk. Whisk until the mixture looks shiny and smooth.
• Step 5 Add flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir just until combined. Cover dough with plastic wrap and put in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours, preferably over night.
• Step 6 Preheat oven to 350°. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Put remaining powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Stir with a fork or whisk to break up any clumps. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in powdered sugar. (Each should be completely covered in powdered sugar.) Place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
• Step 7 Cook at 350° for 11 min. You still want them to be a little soft in the middle. Cool cookies on the pan for a few minutes, then place on a wire rack too finish cooling.

Equipment Notes

I melt the chocolate using a double boiler* since it makes it less likely I’ll burn the chocolate. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can improvise one or use the microwave to melt the chocolate. If you improvise one, just be sure to use a heatproof bowl so you don’t burn yourself when you remove the top bowl from over the simmering water. (I’ve done that before, which is why I now own a double boiler.)

Detailed Instructions

Step 1. Combine rice flour, pecan flour, 3/4 c. powdered sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk to combine, being sure to break up any large chunks of powdered sugar.

Step 2. Fill bottom of double boiler with ½-inch of water and heat over medium-low heat. Coarsely chop the unsweetened chocolate squares. Combine the canola oil and unsweetened chocolate in the top of the double boiler and place on top of the simmering water. Stir it occasionally until melted. Once it is melted, remove from heat and stir in the espresso powder until it dissolves. If you don’t have a double-boiler, you can improvise one (pictured here) OR melt the chocolate over low heat stirring constantly.

Step 3. Pour chocolate espresso mixture into a bowl and let it cool for 5 min. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla and mix well.

Step 4. Add the egg whites to the chocolate espresso mixture and stir in with a whisk. Whisk until the mixture looks shiny and smooth.

Step 5. Add flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir just until combined. The dough will be stiff and sticky. Cover dough with plastic wrap and put in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours, preferably over night.

Step 6. Preheat oven to 350°. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Put remaining powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Stir with a fork or whisk to break up any clumps. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in powdered sugar. (Each should be completely covered in powdered sugar.) Place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Once they are on the cookie sheet, put them in the oven immediately – otherwise the powdered sugar starts to dissolve.

Step 7. Cook at 350° for 11 min. You still want them to be a little soft in the middle. Cool cookies on the pan for a few minutes, then place on a wire rack too finish cooling.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See Disclosures for details.

I know it is Thanksgiving week and I should be posting a recipe for a beautiful roast turkey. But… this is a weird year. We are having a smaller crew (6 people) but we are skill cooking a 13 1/2 pound turkey. That means lots of leftovers which I plan to turn into turkey chili or turkey lasagna or both. Both of these require chicken broth, but why would I use canned chicken broth when I could use homemade turkey stock?

I know what you are thinking: ‘I just spent all day cooking Thanksgiving dinner, why would I make turkey stock?’ But I promise it is SO easy and SO much tastier than the store bought stuff.  Plus, it uses ingredients you probably already have on hand for the turkey – what are you going to do with the rest of that celery anyway?

It only takes 10 min to chop the veggies and put everything in the pot. After that, it just simmers on low for 4 hours while you take a nap or watch a football game or do Christmas shopping online. I promise, it is worth the 10 min of effort!

Skip to detailed instructions and pictures.

This recipe has no ratings just yet.

Chicken or Turkey Stock

November 26, 2020

Servings: 6 cups

Difficulty: Easy

Print This

By: wandercookeat

Ingredients

• 1 chicken or turkey carcass
• 1 large onion
• 1 large or 2 small carrots
• 1 large or 2 small celery stalks
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp. whole peppercorns
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 2 sprigs of parsley
• 10 c. water

Directions

• Step 1 Clean and coarsely chop the onions, carrots, and celery.
• Step 2 Put chicken/turkey carcass in a stock pot with remaining ingredients (onions thru water). Heat on low and simmer for about 4 hours. Do not bring to a full boil – keeping it at a low simmer makes for clearer stock. If you want really clear stock: do not stir it and skim the foam and fat from the top periodically. If you don’t care about clear vs cloudy stock, don’t worry about skimming. Just let it simmer.
• Step 3 After about 4 hours, remove stock from heat and let cool slightly. While the stock cools, set a fine mesh strainer on top of a large bowl or measuring cup. Strain stock into the bowl. If you don’t have a fine mesh strainer, you can put a cheesecloth or coffee filter in a regular strainer.
• Step 4 Cool and store in the refrigerator overnight. Skim off any fat that has solidified on the top. Then, store for a few days in the fridge or freeze for future use.

Detailed Instructions

Step 1. Clean and coarsely chop the onions, carrots, and celery.

Step 2. Put chicken/turkey carcass in a stock pot with chopped onions, carrots, celery, herbs, spices, and water. Heat on low and simmer for about 4 hours. Do not bring to a full boil – keeping it at a low simmer makes for clearer stock. Skim the foam and fat from the top periodically.

Stock simmered 1 hour

Stock simmered 2 hours

Stock simmered 3 hours

Step 3. After about 4 hours, remove from heat and let cool slightly. While the stock cools, set a fine mesh strainer on top of a large bowl or measuring cup. Strain stock into the bowl. Note: I cool the stock before I strain it to make it less likely I’ll burn myself while I’m straining the stock.

Step 4. Cool and store in the refrigerator overnight. Skim off any fat that has solidified on the top. Then, store for a few days in the fridge or freeze for future use.