Last week I wrote about the little home-based retreat I’m taking this weekend. And I wrote about a meal I was looking forward to preparing. By the time you read this, I will have made and consumed this wonderful meal. The centerpiece of this meal was a roast fish dish with roasted root vegetables…and I’ve gotten a couple of requests for the recipe.
Being a generous soul, and hoping I can help the author sell a few good books, I’ve decided to pass along the recipe and the information for getting said book.
While I find the Food Network a bit hit and miss (they allow Sandra Lee to muck up my airwaves, after all!), there’s one chef whose show has inspired me repeatedly. Ina Garten, otherwise known as the Barefoot Contessa, has just the approach to food I find most satisfying. She starts with the best ingredients she can get, and then she prepares them simply in ways that bring out the best there is to get from them. She talks about entertaining in ways that remind me how much fun it’s supposed to be to feed friends, family and neighbors.
Last week I picked up her book Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor From Simple Ingredients. That’s where I found the bass recipe. It also happens to be on sale at Amazon right now, if you’re looking for a book full of excellent recipes and great tips for entertaining with a minimum of panic.
If you need inspiration to go out and get your own copy, here’s what tipped the scales for me. I present you with the recipe for Prosciutto Roasted Bass With Autumn Vegetables:
2 Cups peeled, seeded and diced butternut squash
2 Cups peeled and diced Yukon Gold potatoes
2 Cups peeled and diced parsnips
2 Cups peeled and diced carrots
(all in 1/2″ dice)
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
6 (8 oz) skinless fish fillets such as striped bass or halibut
6 thin slices prosciutto di Parma
1/4 Pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
6 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Lemon wedges for serving
Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit
Place the butternut squash, potatoes, parsnips and carrots on a sheet pan and drizzle with 1/3 Cup olive oil. Sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and toss together. Spread out in a single layer and roast for 30 minutes, turning once during cooking. After 30 minutes, toss with the garlic and roast for another 10 minutes until all the vegetables are tender and starting to brown.
Meanwhile, line another sheet pan with aluminum foil, and place a baking rack on top of the foil. Brush the fish fillets on both sides with olive oil and season them liberally with salt and pepper. Wrap each fillet with a slice of prosciutto to form a wide band around the center of the fillet, overlapping the ends on the skin side. Arrange the fillets on the rock with the prosciutto seam side down and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until barely cooked.
While the vegetables and fish are roasting, melt the butter over medium heat in a medium-sized saute pan. Add the rosemary sprigs and cook over low heat until the rosemary leaves are crisp and the butter begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Discard the rosemary, stir in the lemon juice, and set aside.
To serve, place the fish on a platter on individual plates, spoon the rosemary butter on top, and surround with the vegetables. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve hot.
Trust me, this recipe is far from the only delicious one in the book. Go get it – or one of Ina Garten’s other books – and give some other recipes a try. You won’t regret it.
She also has a fantastic recipe in that book for curried butternut squash soup!
Comment by Sara A — January 23, 2009 @ 10:50 am