Last week I cooked a fathers day dinner for my dad. It turned out fantastic. I thought I would share the recipes.
First off here is how it looked when it was done:
My favorite part of the meal was the mashed potatoes and sunchokes. Here is the recipe I started with, but I had to change:
3 cups peeled and diced Sunchokes (Also called Jerusalem artichokes)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Place the Sunchokes in a 2-quart saucepan, and cover with water. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil simmer for 15 minutes, or until easily pierced with a knife. Remove from the heat, drain, and place the Sunchokes in a food processor with the heavy cream, butter, salt and white pepper. Process for 10 to 15 seconds, or until a smooth puree is formed. Remove from the bowl of the food processor, and place in a heat resistant bowl set over a water bath to keep warm for serving.
It turns out that Sunchokes are very hard to find. I searched the whole city and finally found a little co-op on riverside that carries them. Unfortunately they didn’t have that many. So I made mashed potatoes with this recipe and added all the Sunchokes I had. (About two thirds potato and one third Sunchoke.) They were SO GOOD. I couldn’t believe how good they were, I would take them over regular mashed potatoes any day of the week.
Here is the recipe for the Grouper. I thought the salsa turned out perfectly, I loved the taste of it and it was really spicy. The fish itself was above average, but nothing to write home about.
Pan Seared Grouper with Tropical Salsa
2 cups cubed mango
2 cups cubed pineapple
2 cups cubed papaya
1 cup diced roasted peppers
1 bunch diced cilantro leaves
2 limes, juiced
2 tablespoons diced jalapenos
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 to 10 ounces grouper fillet per person
Cajun spice, for coating
Mixed greens, for serving
To make the tropical salsa: Mix all ingredients except oil, grouper and Cajun spice. Let sit while you prepare the grouper.
To make the grouper: In a cast iron frying pan, heat olive oil until smoking. Coat both sides of grouper with Cajun spice. Place coated grouper in pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side (depending on thickness) until done. Transfer grouper to a serving dish, placing on top of mixed greens. Spoon Tropical Salsa on top of fish.
You may notice they don’t say what kind of roasted peppers you should use. I roasted Red Bell peppers and some small red peppers that I didn’t get the name of. They were very spicy and very good. I also roasted the jalapenos. I didn’t add the cilantro to the salsa as I hate the taste of cilantro, but if you like it I’m sure it’s a good addition.
Finally just some Roasted Asparagus:
2 bunches medium asparagus
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Grated or shaved Parmesan, optional
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Trim the woody ends from the asparagus, usually about 1 1/2 inches. Lightly peel the remaining stalks (not always necessary, but more of a personal preference). Spread the spears in a single layer on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and roll to coat thoroughly.
Roast the asparagus until lightly browned and tender, about 8 to 10 minutes, giving the pan a good shake about halfway through to turn the asparagus. Arrange the roasted asparagus on a serving platter and top with some Parmesan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
I used both white and green asparagus, and they were wonderful.
