Halibut Osso Buco. Yes, you read that right!

(photo wildalaskansalmoncompany.com)

You know Osso Buco, don't you? Traditionally made with veal shanks, Osso Buco is one of those standbys from nearly every upscale Italian, sometimes even French, restaurants and home kitchens. But if your meat market is like MY meat market, veal shanks are dear. Very dear. So when I saw this recipe in 2001 for halibut prepared osso buco style, it sounded wonderful. I promptly made the dish and we have enjoyed it several times since. You just have to visualize the above halibut steak resting on a bed of herbed and garlic mashed potatoes.

If there's a down side to this, it's that a bit of the preparation must be done at the last minute. And there's a modicum of chopping and mincing to be done. You can make the mashed potatoes an hour or so ahead. You must make the pan sauce ahead - the bed the halibut rests in while it bakes. But, at the last minute you have to saute the fish and bake for 10-15 minutes before plating this up. And then there's the gremolata, an essential - absolutely essential garnish for osso buco - can be made a few hours ahead too. What's gremolata, you ask? Simple: lemon zest, parsley and garlic. Mix them together and let them sit just a bit to meld their flavors before garnishing the fish with it.

There's only one caution: be sure to use low-sodium broth because the broth mixture is reduced (boiled down to a fraction of its original volume) and salted broth would concentrate that salt. Not good - unless you use low sodium. But this is a wonderfully aromatic dish, and anything placed atop a mound of garlic mashed potatoes is bound to be delicious.

Osso Buco-Style Halibut and Whipped Potatoes with Herbs
Recipe: Adapted from a recipe in Bon Appetit, 2001
Servings: 6
SAUCE & FISH:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion -- chopped
1/2 cup carrot -- chopped
3/4 cup celery -- chopped
2 whole garlic cloves -- minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup white wine
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup crushed tomatoes -- in puree
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup lemongrass -- chopped
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 whole bay leaf
2 pounds halibut fillets
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
POTATOES:
1 1/2 pounds potatoes -- Yukon Gold preferred
5 whole garlic cloves
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mixed herbs -- fresh, chopped (your choice)
GREMOLATA:
1 whole lemon
1/4 cup fresh parsley -- minced
3 whole garlic cloves -- minced
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrot and garlic; sauté until brown, about 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook 2 minutes. Add white wine and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, scraping up browned bits, about 5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, orange juice, lemongrass, soy sauce, thyme and bay leaf, and simmer until mixture is reduced to 3 cups, about 50 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat oven to 350°. Sprinkle halibut with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add fish to skillet and cook until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer fish to plate. Pour off oil from skillet. Reduce heat to low. Add balsamic vinegar to skillet; simmer 1 minute. Add sauce. Whisk in butter. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce into 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Place fish atop sauce in dish. Bake until fish is opaque in center, about 10 minutes.
3. Divide potatoes among 6 plates. Top potatoes with fish and sauce. Sprinkle with Gremolata and serve immediately.
4. POTATOES: Cook potatoes and garlic in large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well. Return potatoes and garlic to pot. Using handheld electric mixer, beat potato mixture at low speed until smooth. Add butter; beat until melted and smooth. Increase speed and whip potatoes just until light and fluffy. Stir in herbs. Season with salt and pepper; serve.
5. GREMOLATA: Using vegetable peeler, remove peel in long strips from lemon. Mince lemon peel. Transfer to small bowl. Mix in parsley and garlic. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Serving Ideas : This could be almost a complete meal, but it's also nice served with a few asparagus spears, or steamed broccoli on the side. A lightly dressed green salad is a nice accompaniment.
NOTES : This recipe appeared in the April 2001 Bon Appetit magazine. I lightened it up just a little bit, although it was a fairly low-calorie and low-fat dish to begin with. Be sure to use the low-salt ingredients mentioned. If you don't have them, don't add any additional salt as the recipe mentions.
Per Serving: 444 Calories; 11g Fat (22.4% calories from fat); 45g Protein; 38g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 55mg Cholesterol; 961mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 5 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat.

To view a printable recipe, click on title at top.

Shepherd's Pie with a Latin Twist

Ah, Shepherd's Pie. A favorite of mine. But not something that particularly comes to mind when the temperature is in the 80's, does it? I made a batch of this last winter and one lone casserole was still languishing in the freezer awaiting a night when I can't cook. I've been diagnosed with a broken toe (1) and a very severe ankle sprain, and have been advised to use R.I.C.E.: R(est), I(ce), C(ompression), and E(levation). So, frozen Shepherd's Pie was a godsend last night.

So, just what is Shepherd's Pie? Traditionally it's a ground or minced lamb dish with some vegetables, always some peas, a bit of gravy or sauce, topped with mashed potatoes and baked until hot. Its lineage is British. Cottage pie means it's made with ground beef. Here's a bit of history from HGTV (yes, really):

The magic of pies dates back to King Henry VIII. Legend has it that
the British ruler was livid when he found out that one of his abbots was building an elaborate and expensive kitchen. The wise abbot took the wind out of the King's anger by sending him a delicious, warm pie. Early pies were predominantly made with meat. Two early examples were shepherd's pie and cottage pie. Shepherd's pie was made with lamb and vegetables, and the cottage pie was made with beef and vegetable. Both are topped with potatoes.

I had Shepherd's Pie when I visited England for the first time in 1977. Fell in love with it at first bite. It's comfort food, to be sure. Kind of a casserole, if you will, but delicious. Great made with leftovers; in fact, I think that may be part of its origin too, since our Shepherd's Pie doesn't include a crust, just the thick layer of mashed potatoes. You have a leftover lamb roast and mashed potatoes? What better use of it than to make a leftovers Shepherd's Pie.

So, some years back I read a recipe in Cooking Light for a jazzed-up version of the dish, and tried it. It added zucchini among other things and contained quite a few vegetables; probably more than the original version would have. It may have used ground chicken, but over the years I've reverted back to the lamb. But what's unique about this is the addition of chipotle pepper AND the use of sweet potato and regular potatoes mixed together. I always - always - make a large batch of this because it's a great dish to freeze. If you're not so sure you'll like it, just make a half a recipe and you'll have sufficient for several people. If you like Shepherd's Pie, then you'll undoubtedly love this dish. If you're not crazy about hot, spicy food, leave out the chipotle. It'll be fine that way, just not quite as zippy. The sweet potatoes and Maui onion add a sweetness to the overall dish and some people are turned off by meat tasting sweet. If that's your M.O., just use white potatoes and regular onions and you'll have a traditional pie with a zip. I've served this to guests on more than one occasion, to great raves.

Lamb Shepherd's Pie with Chipotle Sweet Potatoes
Recipe: adapted considerably from Cooking Light, 2002
Servings: 18 (makes 3 casseroles)
Preparation Time :1:30
FILLING:
2 1/2 pounds ground lamb -- lean cut
2 whole sweet onions -- Maui or other type, chopped
1 1/2 cups carrot -- chopped
5 cloves garlic -- minced
2 whole zucchini -- minced
1 cup celery -- chopped
1 1/2 cups mushroom -- chopped
2 1/2 cups frozen peas -- defrosted
1 cup chopped tomato -- canned, in juice
1/3 cup fresh parsley -- minced
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon salt -- or to taste

POTATO TOPPING:
2 whole chipotle chiles canned in adobo -- minced
2 1/2 pounds potatoes -- Yukon Gold preferred
1 pound yam -- or sweet potatoes
1 cup milk
2/3 cup ricotta cheese

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add chunks of the potatoes and yam; reduce heat and simmer until yam is done and remove those pieces. Continue boiling the potatoes until they are tender, then drain and set aside to cool slightly.
2. While the potatoes are simmering, in a large frying pan heat a little olive oil and add the onion, celery and carrot and sauté for about 7-10 minutes. Cut up the zucchini, mushrooms and garlic and add to the pan, and cook for another 5-10 minutes until zucchini is barely done. Add the parsley, tomatoes, tomato paste, season with salt and pepper and cook for just a few minutes. Remove the vegetables to a bowl and set aside. Drain the frying pan and add the ground lamb and sauté it until it is thoroughly cooked. Drain the meat onto a paper towel if any grease needs to be blotted. Clean out the pan a little bit with paper towels, then add back the lamb and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer, then add all of the vegetables and heat through.
3. Combine the yam and potatoes and using a mixer, whip them until there are no visible lumps. Add the milk, chipotle chiles and ricotta cheese and mix until just combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the lamb mixture equally into 3 casserole dishes. Spoon the potato mixture on top and using a spatula or flat spoon, push into the corners and more or less "seal" the potatoes to the sides of the casserole dish. This last step really isn't required, but it keeps the meat and vegetable portion from drying out. You may, if you want, add some grated Cheddar cheese to the top of the potatoes, but it's not really necessary.
4. If baking immediately, bake for 30 minutes at 400°. If you refrigerate the dish first, it will take nearly an hour to heat it through. Sprinkle the top with additional parsley when serving it. If heating leftovers, it doesn't take all that long to heat - about 2 minutes in the microwave for a serving.
Serving Ideas : This casserole is easy for freezing ahead. Sometimes potatoes get a bit soft and runny when they've been frozen, but once they've been heated again they'll be just fine. If you are freezing one or more of these casseroles, put a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the potatoes and push it in so it's touching everywhere, even in the corners. This will prevent freezer burn from sitting on the potatoes.
NOTES : Shepherd's Pie has been a favorite of mine since my first trip to Britain in 1977, so anytime I find a new version of it I'm glad to try it. Historically, in Britain, the Pie is made with lamb, but it can be made with ground beef as well. If you use the very leanest beef, it won't have a whole lot of flavor, unfortunately. I usually increase the amount of vegetables called for in this. If you use the Maui onions, you'll notice a sweetness to the meat and vegetable section, so you may prefer to use traditional yellow or white onions instead. The original recipe called for just sweet potatoes on top, but I thought that might be a bit too sweet, so mixed them, using about half of each. That, combined with the chipotle chile, gives the potatoes a very rich color.
Per Serving 321 Calories; 17g Fat (46.6% calories from fat); 16g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 53mg Cholesterol; 275mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
To view a printable recipe, click the title at the top.