Greek Style FIsh with Rice Balls

I love fish; my dad has been bringing home fresh catcher fish since I can remember. He would spend all weekend fishing in some forest way off in the nowhere, and come home with up to 40 fish! 

Having so much fish, Ive always been in charge of coming up with creative ways to cook, the fish; smoke it, shallow fry it, deep fry it, bake it. 

Being in love with Greek culture, this is my way of being creative and blending my passions together: various cultures and cooking. Hope you enjoy this one! 

Ingredients:

12-15 filets of fish

Fish Marinade:
1 cup of olive oil
1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
2 cloves of garlic
1 Tbs Basil pesto
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Rice Balls:
1 1/2 cups of brown rice
1 Tbs olive oil
2 cups of vegetable/chicken broth
1/4 cup of red wine
3 egg yolks
Salt and pepper to taste

Assembly:

Fish:

1. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Transfer half of the mixture into one plastic bag and half into another.

2. Place half of the fish into one marinade and half in the other. Massage the fish in the plastic bag; this is to make sure that the marinade gets all over the fish. All to marinade for 4-8 hours.

3. Once marinade process is done. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place fish on a baking sheet drizzled with olive oil, and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Rice Balls:

1. Combine vegetable broth and wine in a medium pot. Bring to boil, add rice. Stir and bring back to boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Allow rice to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Once liquid is absorbed and rice is soft, add olive oil and take off heat. Incorporate egg yolks. When the rice mixture is cooled, roll rice into golf size balls (or larger). Put them on a oiled pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

2. When they're finished, place the rice balls in a warm tomato sauce so that the rice absorbs delicious tomato flavors! 

Serve Greek style fish along side the rice balls covered in tomato sauce! 

The fish I used for this recipe is Perch… DELICIOUS! 

These rice balls aren't in tomato sauce; simply drop them in a saucepan with warm tomato sauce!

ENJOY! 

Rosemary Orange Chicken

My favorite colder, winter time meal is roasted chicken. Its the perfect hardy dinner that one needs after a snowy and bitter afternoon. The smell of apples, oranges and rosemary combined with crispy chicken is almost divine. For me, theres no better meal to cook for my family in December. 

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

1large potato

1 medium apple

1/4 cup of celery

2 oranges

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

1 basil leaf

2 Tbs salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried parley

3 Tbs olive oil

Assembly:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Make sure your chicken is thawed if it is frozen. Take the chicken and place on a clean cutting board (make sure you have an apron on and have washed your hands with soap and water). Drizzle olive oil all over the chicken and use your hands to massage it all over the chicken. Wash your hands again.

3. Sprinkle half of the salt, pepper, dried parsley and rosemary over the chicken, and massage it in. Wash your hands again.

4. In a large bowl, place the peeled and diced potato and apple. Cut the orange into fourths and then again each fourth in half. Add the celery and sprinkle in the rest of the salt, pepper, herbs and chopped basil. Take the other orange and squeeze all of the juice out over the mixture.

5. Transfer chicken into a roasting pan. Place half of the potato and apple mixture inside the cavity and half around the chicken.

6. Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on how large the chicken is. You will know the chicken is done when the skin is brown and crispy and then the meat is fork tender. 

(Unfortunately I didnt take a  picture of this meal) 

You may choose to baste the chicken every 10 minutes or so with the drippings in the pan. This will help the chicken in absorbing the juices from the fruit and veggies, and get the skin crispy. 

STAY WARM! 

ENJOY!