Calamari with Peppers and Couscous ~ Καλαμαράκια με Πιπεριές και Κους-Κους Μυρωδικών

(Συνταγή στα Ελληνικά στο τέλος της σελίδας)

Today's dish was something of a revelation for me. It's neither fancy nor gourmet yet it is so delicious and filling, not to mention colourful, that I think is going to be a permanent fixture on our weekday table.  

Tuna - Sardine - Olive Rillettes #FrenchFridayswithDorie - Αλειμματα με Τονο - Σαρδέλες - Ελιες

There's been a bit of a confusion on our group's Facebook page about this week's recipe, Tuna Rillettes. Have we done it before or not? And if we had, was this going to be a make up week for those who missed it?

I've missed way to many recipes to be concerned with whether we have done it or not. Chances were that it was one of those that I've missed. 

It turns out it was not! There are three recipes for rillettes in Dorie Greenspan's fabulous cookbook Around My French Table, one with sardines that the group did before I joined, in April 2012, one with salmon that has not been chosen yet and one with tuna which was our assignment for today. I have to say that even though technically I had missed the sardines it was not because of my inability to properly schedule my life to cook on time and participate with the group every week. And so I decided to try both the sardines and the tuna and throw another one made with olives on the side as well!

Oven Roasted Anchovies with Tomato and Oregano Brown Rice / Γαύρος Πλακί και Καστανό Ρύζι με Ντομάτα και Ρίγανη

I'm gearing up for my month by the sea. It starts this Friday. Hooray!!!. I can't wait but, in the main-time. there are so many things to be taken care of. Don't you just feel that the last few days before your vacation are always the most demanding, tiring and long?

This year, Georgie, Psipsini and I will be going to the place were I spent all my childhood and early adulthood summers, Fourka Beach, a long sandy stretch of beach in the middle of the west coast of the Kassandra Peninsula of Chalkidiki. To say that I just love this beach feels like an understatement. I feel safe and at home when I'm there and I can really let go and relax, enjoy the simple pleasure of an early swim in the crystal sea, a refreshing iced tea under the umbrella, a plateful of oven roasted anchovies. 

Fresh anchovies, I think, are a bit undervalued in the "west". Maybe because they are so small many home cooks think that they are bound to be difficult to clean. Rejoice! There is really no reason to clean them as thoroughly as with big fish. Just cut open their belly and clean the cavity of the insides and that's it. Don't worry about the bones. They are so tender, once cooked, you can actually eat the fish whole. At least this is how my mother taught me to eat them...

Fresh anchovies are a staple of the Greek summer table. They are cheap and quite versatile. Roasted with tomato and onions, grilled with lemon and oregano, fried coated in flour, marinated in vinegar and garlic, there are so many ways to enjoy them. I roasted mine with onions, peppers, capers and laurel and served them alongside a brown rice, tomato and oregano risotto. Brown rice doesn't have to be a blunt, wintery food. It can be transformed by adding a little bit of oregano, fresh tomato and onion and hey presto you have a light nutritious summer meal smelling and tasting of the Mediterranean sea.

Oven Roasted Anchovies with Tomato and Oregano Brown Rice
Serves 2
Ingredients

• 500gr anchovies, fresh or frozen (you can keep the heads and eat them whole because they are so tender)
• 2 yellow onions, sliced
• 2 small laurel leaves
• 2 green peppers, sliced
• 1 tablespoon capers, washed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Rice

• 1 cup brown rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 tomato chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Wash the anchovies and spread them evenly in a heat-proof baking pan. Mix in the peppers and the onion slices, the capers, laurel and olive oil - I mixed everything together using my hands so that the fish were covered with the olive oil. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

For the Rice

1. Cook the rice in the water until it is ready - about 40 minutes. Add more boiling water if needed.
2. In a pan heat the olive oil and lightly brown the onion, about 4 - 5 minutes. Then add the tomato and oregano. Add the cooked rice to the tomato - onion mix and heat through.
3. Serve and enjoy!

Salmon with Swiss Chard

Today has been a full day. 
After about 2 and 1/2  weeks, the temperature rose above 0C thus, I decided to go to the gym. My trainer, Ante, was quite judgemental concerning the pour state of my muscles but I chose not to listen. I know my body...I am not an athlete. Not so long ago I weighted 90kg (that is 198 pounds for my American friends) and now I fluctuate between 62kg and 64kg depending on how cold the weather is. 

But anyway, I completed my workout quite successfully and headed back home to get ready for a nice afternoon with a bunch of girls to watch a friend's of ours television début.   

In the meantime I cooked a light but quite tasty and filling meal for my husband to have in my absence. 

I love salmon (who doesn't right?) in all its forms: raw, smoked, poached, sheared or roasted. 
I also like spinach very much but for some strange reason I never seem to find it fresh in the market when I need it. So instead, I chose to use Swiss chard which, here in Croatia, is the main green leaf vegetable that people feed on year round. It took me some time to get used to its bitter, earthy flavour but being an equal opportunities advocate and with the added help of onions, garlic, lemons and olive oil, I managed to create a flavourful green bed for my foil roasted salmon fillet to sit on.

Herb Salmon with Swiss Chard
Adapted from  "The Food Doctor Ultimate Diet" by Ian Marber

Serves 1

Ingredients
300gr salmon fillet
A handfull of chopped dill
A handfull of chopped parsley
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1 clove of garlic, crushed
200gr washed fresh Swiss chard
1 medium onion cut into thin wedges
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Lemon pepper

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180C. Rub the fish with the lemon juice and zest and coat it with the herbs.
Place it on a slightly oiled foil sheet and season with black pepper and the crushed garlic.
Fold the ends of the foil into a parcel and cook for 20 minutes. 
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a non stick pan and sauté the onion for 3 - 4 minutes. Set aside.
Prepare an ice bath: Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice cubes.
Boil the chard  leaves for 5 - 8 minutes (depends on the tenderness of the leaves). 
Remove from heat and immediately drop into the ice bath. This will help maintain the vibrant greenness of the chard. 
Strain and season with salt. Let it stand for 1 - 2 minutes so that most of the liquids that are released by the salt drain as well. 
Put the pan with the onions back on the stove and add the strained chard. Season with lemon pepper and salt and sauté them together for 2 minutes.
To serve make a nice bed of the sautéed chard and onions and place the salmon fillet on top.

This is what my husband ate today...as for me...well as I said earlier I was out with the girls and this can only mean one thing....Pizza and Wine!! 
I guess Ante is right to shout at me and my underachieving muscles...