Catfish Sloppy Joe's

From Fish Without a Doubt: The Cook's Essential Companion by Rick Moonen and Roy Finamore.

These are just as sloppy and delicious as you could hope for. Soft, tender potato rolls are my choice for serving, but any hamburger bun will do. 

Serves 8

Accept Substitutes
Sloppy Joes are great made with tilapia, but you could try skinless salmon, char, or trout too.

1/2pound catfish fillet (bloodline trimmed; see book, page 37), cut into 1/3- inch dice
Coarse salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced green bell pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
Barbecue Sauce for Fish (recipe follows)

For serving
8 hamburger buns
Softened butter
Potato chips

1. Season the catfish with salt. Let sit on the counter.

2. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When the pan’s hot, add the oil, onion, and bell pepper. Sauté, stirring often, until the onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the paprika and sauté, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the catfish and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in the barbecue sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 6 to 7 minutes, until thick.

3. Meanwhile, heat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Butter the buns and toast them on the griddle.

4. Fill the buns with the catfish mixture and pile some potato chips on top for crunch. Serve these Joes while they’re hot.

Barbecue Sauce for Fish

Fish deserves its own special barbecue sauce. This one isn’t aggressive in the least, so it’s perfectly suited to the soft nuances of seafood. The flavor of the clam juice wafts through the sauce. Makes about 1 3/4 cups

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup minced onion
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Coarse salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 cup clam juice
1 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground white pepper

1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil, onion, garlic, thyme, and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and water in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, swirling the sugar in the skillet, until the sugar dissolves and the caramel is dark amber. Add the vinegar and clam juice and boil until the caramel has dissolved.

3. Add the caramel and clam juice mixture to the onion, along with the ketchup, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and white pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer the sauce for 20 minutes. Let cool.

4. You can make this well in advance. It will keep for days in the refrigerator.

Mediterranean Veggie Panini

What else can I do with the zucchini I get from my friends garden, seemed to be a question I had last year.  I can only make so much zucchini bread and my husband is not a big fan of it for a side dish.  Since I was also given a small eggplant I started thinking Mediterranean.  Hmm,  I love hummus... 

Ingredients:

2 zucchini (cut into thin slices)

1 eggplant (cut into thin slices)

* olive oil

oregano, salt and pepper to taste

4 roasted red pepers

1 cup feta (crumbled)

4 tablespoons hummus

8 slices of bread

balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Lightly brush the zucchini and eggplant in olive oil and season with oregano, salt and pepper.

Grill the vegetables until tender and nice and golden brown.

Assemble sandwich including a slash of balsamic vinegar.

Lightly brush the bread in olive oil and grill until golden brown on both sides.

Chicken Pesto Panini

This is my very favorite sandwich. The havarti is such a delicious mild cheese that melts so nicely. For a change, replace the tomato slices with roasted red peppers.



Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced horizontally to make 4 portions or 1 (16-ounce) package chicken tenders, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 cup prepared pesto
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 (16-ounce) loaf ciabatta bread, sliced in half horizontally
4 slices pre-sliced havarti cheese
2 tomatoes, sliced
15 fresh basil leaves (optional)

Directions
In a plastic bag, combine chicken tenders and 1/4 cup of pesto, set aside and let sit for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup pesto and mayonnaise. Spread mixture on both sides of ciabatta; set aside.

Preheat an oiled grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill chicken tenders 5 minutes per side. Remove and let rest for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and re-oil the grill pan.

Place cheese on both halves of bread. Add arugula, then tomato, then basil leaves, then pesto chicken to bottom piece. Top with top half of bread. Place onto the grill pan and place a heavy pan on top of the sandwich. Grill for 3 minutes per side or until cheese starts to melt.

Cut into 4 portions and serve.

Ham, Brie, and Apple French Toast Panini

This is so yummy. It was inspired by the Monte Cristo. If you don't have a sandwich press this works fine with a Forman Grill, griddle or a frying pan
Makes 2 sandwiches

Four 1/2-inch-thick slices brioche

4 teaspoons Dijon mustard

6 thin slices (about 3 ounces) Black Forest ham or other ham

1/2 apple, cored and thinly sliced

3 ounces brie, thinly sliced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat sandwich press according to manufacturer's instructions. Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, beat the eggs with the salt and pepper. Dip brioche in eggs to coat each slice.

Carefully place slices on the sandwich press, working in batches if you have to, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until bread is evenly browned. Remove to a work surface.

Spread a teaspoon of mustard on each slice, arrange ham on each of two slices. Divide the apple slices evenly among the two ham-topped slices of French toast, and do the same for the brie. Top with remaining two French toast slices, mustard side down.

Carefully place sandwich or sandwiches in press. Pull the top down, and cook until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the heat of your machine. Carefully remove finished sandwich(es) from press and serve right away.

Green Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Wraps

Thai curry paste is a mixture of chile, garlic, galangal, shallots and spices. Keep it on hand for an added flavoring kick when making simple sauces, salad dressings or sandwich spreads. Serve this lunch with fresh fruit; sliced apples are a great match.

Ingredients
1/2 cup regular or light coconut milk 

1 tablespoon Thai green curry paste

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro 

1 1/4 cups shredded cooked chicken 

1/4 cup shredded carrots 

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions 

2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts (optional)

4 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas or wraps 
1 cup shredded green leaf lettuce

In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut milk and curry paste until smooth. Stir in cilantro, chicken, carrots, green onions and peanuts and toss to coat. 

Arrange tortillas in a single layer on a flat surface. Place one-quarter of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top with lettuce and roll up tortillas burrito-style, tucking the ends in and wrapping each up snugly. Halve each crosswise and serve immediately or wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Grilled Taleggio Cheese with Sun-Dried Tomato Onion Jam

Taleggio is a semi-soft, washed-rind cheese from the Valtaleggio region in northern Italy, near Lombardy. It is characteristically aromatic yet mild in flavor and features tangy, meaty notes with a fruity finish. The texture of the cheese is moist-to-oozy with a very pleasant melt-in-your-mouth feel. The combination of the soft texture, pungent aroma, and buttery flavors has proven to be addictive especially when spread on fresh crusty bread. Think of it as an Italian brie.

Makes 2 sandwiches

4 (1/2-inch-thick) center slices sourdough bread (from a 9- to 10-inch round)
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons Sun-Dried Tomato Onion Jam (fig is nice too)
12 to 14 oz chilled Taleggio or Italian Fontina, sliced
1/4 lb escarole, center ribs discarded and leaves cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)

1. Brush 1 side of bread slices with oil and arrange, oil sides down, on a work surface. Spread jam on 2 slices of bread and divide cheese between remaining 2 slices. Mound escarole on top of cheese and season with salt and pepper, then assemble sandwiches.

2. Heat a dry 12-inch heavy skillet (not nonstick) over medium-low heat until hot. Cook sandwiches, turning once and pressing with a spatula to compact, until bread is golden-brown and cheese is melted, 6 to 8 minutes total.

Chicken, Bacon, and Blue-Cheese Sandwiches

A truly satisfying flavor trio. In summer, this sandwich is great with thick slices of fresh tomato instead of the roasted red peppers.
Makes 4 sandwiches

4  slices thick-cut bacon
1/4  cup  mayonnaise
2  teaspoons  Worcestershire
1  teaspoon  Dijon mustard
1  small garlic clove, minced
8  slices crusty white bread, lightly toasted
1/4  cup  roquefort or other soft blue cheese, at room temperature
4  leaves romaine lettuce (thick stem ends removed)
8  to 10 oz. meat from 1 whole rotisserie chicken, sliced
8  jarred roasted red peppers
1/2  avocado, cut into 12 thin slices


1. In a medium frying pan over medium-low heat, cook bacon, turning often, until just crisp, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, Worcestershire, mustard, and garlic. Spread this mixture on 4 toast pieces. On each of the remaining 4 toasts, spread about 1 tbsp. blue cheese.
3. Layer each blue cheese–topped toast with a piece of lettuce, 1/4 of the chicken slices, 2 red peppers, 3 slices avocado, and a slice of bacon. Top each with a mayonnaise-spread toast. Cut sandwiches in half and skewer each half with a toothpick to help hold it together.