The first recipe below was the starting point for the meal prepared Saturday night, and the second is an old family favorite. I had little to do with Saturday’s dinner, but watched appreciatively as Best Beloved cooked up a storm. It was a pleasant change of pace, and he enjoyed the prep work as much as the final product as he parceled out little bowls of parsley and capers, and as he sliced the grapes.
We started at the fish store, where instead of sole, we chose some nice flounder fillets. Full disclosure – we did not have any grape juice – so we doubled up on the wine instead.
The Tall One is home for Spring Break and it was nice to have another opportunity to try to fill him up. His appetite is still voracious, so the challenge to keep his fires stoked is a little daunting. We also prepared a big spinach salad and some baked potatoes, with bakery éclairs for dessert. We were all gathered in the cozy kitchen, listening to French Café on Pandora, snacking a little plate on cheese and crackers, sipping the wine that wasn’t intended for the cooking pan, watching the chef in his element.
Fish Piccata
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 Dover sole or petrale sole fillets (we used flounder)
All purpose flour
1/2 cup seedless red grapes, cut in half
1/4 cup white grape juice
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 tablespoon drained capers
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper; dust both sides with flour. Add to skillet; cook until browned and just opaque in center, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer fish to platter. Add grapes, grape juice, wine, and butter to same skillet. Bring mixture to boil, whisking up any browned bits. Add capers and parsley. Simmer sauce until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over fish.
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sole-Piccata-with-Grapes-and-Capers-236566
Usually we make chicken piccata, or some dimly remembered variation on it, with wine and lemons. Best Beloved is always jonesing for recipes that include capers, so this fit the bill in a rich fashion.
Another family caper fave is this recipe:
Chris’s Chicken Club Salad
serves 4
Cook 1/2 pound bacon, crisp and crumbled (be sure to save the fat)
1 cup bread, cubed (use nice, firm French bread – Pepperidge Farm white won’t work)
3 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed and chilled
2 fulsomely ripe tomatoes, quartered
1 head Romaine, torn (not cut) into bite-size piece
Dressing:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon capers
Sauté the bread cubes in the bacon fat, tossing constantly to toast all the sides. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper. (I harden our arteries a little with some Lawry’s Seasoning Salt.) Put the chicken in a bowl, cover with dressing, add the capers, parsley, chives and pepper and toss to coat each piece with dressing. Chill for half an hour. Arrange lettuce on each plate and mound the chicken salad on the lettuce. Crumble the bacon on top, surround with tomato quarters and top each with the crunchy, wonderful croutons.
You just can’t go wrong with good tomatoes and bacon!
“No good fish goes anywhere without a porpoise.”
-Lewis Carroll
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