Meet Miss Jones

Mr. Jones and I have a Valentine’s Day tradition that I’m pretty fond of. It started when we both had to work on our first Valentine’s together (in college), so we couldn’t go out to eat anywhere. Luckily, we worked together at one of the student hangouts on campus, so we spent most of the evening playing scrabble and serving coffee. One by one, our friends began returning from their dates, complaining about the long waits and crowded restaurants. And we decided — we didn’t want to mess with all of that. Instead, we would cook some sort of crazy, extravagant dinner for ourselves and enjoy each other’s company without reservations or loud dining rooms.

It’s a pretty good plan. I’m sure we’ll end up making adjustments when we have kids underfoot someday, but for now, we have a blast picking out the unusual dish we’re going to cook up and knowing that we aren’t waiting in any lines.

This year, we did seafood risotto, roasted asparagus, and a brie cheese plate. We’ve never attempted risotto before, but it turned out deliciously. Yes, it’s a lot of stirring, but that’s part of what makes it the perfect “team” recipe — when one of you gets tired of stirring, just trade off!

The recipe we used is below, and it turned out wonderfully without any adjustments. Though, I will give you a hint: if you happen to have any brie around, it’s pretty fabulous to put a little on your fork before scooping up a bite of risotto. So scrumptious.

Seafood Risotto

Bon Appétit | August 1998
Yield: Serves 6

• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 8-ounce bottles clam juice
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
• 3/4 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 pound bay scallops
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

1. Combine 2 1/2 cups water and bottled clam juice in medium saucepan. Bring to simmer. Keep warm over low heat.
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté until light golden, about 4 minutes. Add rice; sauté 2 minutes. Add wine; stir until liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add stewed tomatoes; cook until liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes.

As you slowly stir in liquid, the risotto will absorb it, becoming gradually creamier

2. Add 1 cup clam juice mixture to rice. Simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring often. Continue adding clam juice mixture by 1/2 cupfuls until rice is tender but still slightly firm in center and mixture is creamy, simmering until liquid is absorbed before each addition and stirring often, about 25 minutes. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, scallops and garlic and sauté until shrimp and scallops are opaque in center, about 6 minutes. Mix seafood into rice. Cook 3 minutes longer. Remove risotto from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl. Stir in chopped parsley and serve.

There are a number of comments in the recipe’s reviews with suggestions and tweaks, and some of them sound pretty delicious. I’m excited to try it again, with some more creative changes next time. Either way, risotto is a great bet when you have someone to keep you company (and help you sitr) in the kitchen.

To celebrate being back in sunny Florida, I decided to make something a little colorful tonight. Mixed with a little something from the sea.

I’ve been wanting to make fruit salsa ever since I ate Mango Mango’s Mahi Mahi (which has some of the best fruit salsa on the planet). If you’re ever in St. Augustine, you definitely have to try it. Or really, anything from Mango Mango’s. It’s all amazing.

I threw this recipe together from looking at a couple of recipes online, modifying it with what I had on hand. My secret to making it quickly was to grab a carton of fresh tropical mixed fruit while I was at Publix. It had chunks of pineapple, some strawberries, and kiwi. I only used half of it, and now I have enough left to make a green smoothie tomorrow morning.

Blackened Mahi Mahi with Fruit Salsa

Salsa
• 1 cup pineapple chunks
• 1 kiwi, sliced
• a few strawberries (optional)
• two green onions, white and light green parts, sliced
• pinch of fresh ginger
• 1/2 bell pepper (I used orange), sliced
• 1 small tomato
• juice of one lime
• small jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinaigrette
• a few sprigs of cilantro

Fish
• 2 Mahi Mahi fillets
• salt and pepper
• Cajun seasoning
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Combine all the salsa ingredients in a food processor (you can also just chop/dice them finely and combine in a bowl). Pulse briefly until the salsa is well combined/chopped, but not soupy. A few quick pulses should do it!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season the fish with salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Swirl a tablespoon of the olive oil in a cast iron skillet (or any skillet that you can place in the oven) over medium heat. Sear the fish for a minute and a half on each side, then place the skillet in the oven for 6 minutes. Top with salsa and add a fruity drink (especially if you have any of those fun umbrellas)!