Friday, March 4, 2011

Cooking at home (my mother-in-law's home but home nevertheless)

Per my previous post, there is great local fish available here in Sarasota year-round, and that means not just in restaurants but in the good supermarkets as well. We bought some wild mahi-mahi fillets at Publix, along with some pan-wilted Catalan-style spinach and ate dinner at home, which is nice even on vacation once in a while.
The recipe is easy:
Heat a grill.
Combine 1/2 tsp. ground cloves, 2 tbsp. olive oil, a few twists of fresh ground black pepper, a splash of red wine vinegar, and a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice in a non-reactive (that's fancy talk for plastic or ideally glass, metal reacts with acids in vinegar and lemon juice and will ruin the flavor) dish and let the mahi fillets marinate for 20 minutes.
Grill the fillets for about 5 minutes on one side then turn and grill 2 more minutes. The correct time will depend on the thickness, but err on the side of a little less, as fish will keep cooking a bit at rest. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with Catalan spinach below.
For the spinach, wash and drain it very well. Plump 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries in hot water for 10 minutes and drain. Heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat until it starts to shine. Toss in 2 tbsp. pine nuts and stir until the oil until toasted golden. Add spinach and stir well to saute until it starts to wilt. Add the raisins and stir 2 minutes more.
In terms of wine pairings, my best recommendation would be slightly off-dry Gewürztraminer or Riesling, preferably Finger Lakes or Alsace. My personal favorites are Salmon Run/Dr. Frank and Hermann Wiemer in the Finger Lakes and Trimbach and Hugel in Alsace. 2008 was a great year in Alsace, and 2004 Dr. Frank is a Gold Medal winner.
If you're in the NY metro area, shops that I know that stocks Wiemer wines include Red, White, and Bubbly in Park Slope, Astor Wines in Manhattan (which also stocks Salmon Run) and Zachy's in Westchester. Slope Cellars also has some Finger Lakes stock, but I don't remember which specifically. Dr. Frank is harder to find here, but they ship most places online or check their distributor list. If you really want to experience Finger Lakes wine, go visit and tour the wineries. The region is beautiful in late spring and summer, and there are many good wineries besides those two. I also recommend Standing Stone, Red Newt (eat lunch at the lovely bistro), and Lucas, and if you need a break from wine, try the fabulous Ithaca Beer or Finger Lakes Distilling, on which I can offer personal comment yet. As a proud Cornell alum, I have a special fondness for the area and its fine beverages.
Most reasonably stocked wine shops will have some selection of Alsatian whites, and Hugel and Trimbach are two of the biggest and best-known producers. I can also highly recommend a visit to Alsace. Strasbourg is a beautiful, old city in which I spent far too little time, and the countryside is the epitome of picturesque provincial France, albeit with Germanic names and efficiency.
Bon appetit et cheers.

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