Halibut Dinner with Mom & Dad

My folks are leaving for a short trip to Boston tomorrow morning, and it might be the last chance to see them before Hawai'i. They had some stuff to pick up that I borrowed, as well as some stuff to drop off, so we decided to make a night of it. They found a great recipe while watching a TV show, and came over and cooked it for us. It was seared halibut over mixed greens and gorgonzola smashed potatoes, with a pesto sauce and a little parmesan cheese. It was really delicious, and fun to cook together.



Braised Greens

1 tspn olive oil
1 tbspn minced garlic
1/4 cup prosciutto, sliced thin
1/4 cup pine nuts
4-5 cups washed and chopped tender greens (collard, kale, mustard, beet, chard, etc)
1/2 cup basil leaves
2 tbspn balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium high heat and saute proscuitto, garlic and pine nuts until the pine nuts are golden - about 1 minute. Add the greens, basil, vinegar, and salt & pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the greens are tender crisp. Sprinkle with grated parmigiano.

Smashed Potatoes
1 lb red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
2-3 oz gorgonzola cheese
2 tbspn butter
1/4 cup milk or half & half
1 tspn salt
1/2 tspn pepper

Place potatoes in a pot of boiling salted water, cover, and cook until tender - about 15-20 minutes - then drain. Transfer cooked potatoes to a bowl and add gorgonzola, butter, milk, salt and pepper. Mash the potatoes, skins on, until fairly smooth. Add extra milk if potatoes are too dry. (Note: Potatoes can be made a day ahead, and reheated in a casserole dish at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.)

Pan-Seared Halibut
4 - 6 oz halibut filets, skin removed
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tbsnp basil pesto

Season filets with salt and pepper. In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat and sear filets for 4-5 minutes per side, until opaque through. Remove from pan and brush with pesto sauce.

Sauteed Cherry Tomatoes
2 tbspn olive oil
1 basket cherry tomatoes, washed and stems removed
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 tspn salt
2 tbspn basil pesto

In a saute pan, heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook for 15 seconds. Add tomatoes, salt and pesto and cook just until the tomatoes begin to blister, but no longer.

Put it all together

Place 1/2 cup potatoes in the center of each plate. Top with a layer of greens and then top with halibut filet. Scatter each plate with cherry tomatoes and garnish with fresh basil.