Get Cookin' With Sole Food

Mashed New Potatoes and Carrots with Spring Onions and Basil

What do Belgian lace, a baby’s skin, and Pebble Beach’s manicured greens have in common with fillet of sole? Pampering brings out the best in them. Once queen of the sea (as far as food lovers were concerned), and a staple at ladies’ luncheons and Diamond Jim Brady’s gazillion-course food orgies at the legendary Delmonico’s restaurant, the crown of this sweetest of fish slipped when chefs succumbed to the grill’s smoky pleasures.

Although you fire up the barbie for salmon, prawns, and tuna, a pound of prime Dover or petrale sole will soon crumple into the ashes on the grill. On the other hand, some recipes insist on oversaucing, which swamps sole’s delicate flavor and texture in a sea of cheese, cream, and eggs. I say leave perfection alone. Pamper your sole with gentle heat and complementary, but understated seasonings such as leek, white wine, and a fragrant herb. For a great party menu, puree sweet peas and anise-flavored fennel into a brilliantly hued soup and offer an old-fashioned mash of basil-flecked new potatoes and carrots.

Feet and Fish?

Menu Nutrition Information:
Total Calories	2200
Menu Per Serving Information:
Calories Per Serving	550
Fat (gm)	15.0
Fat (%)	24
Protein (gm)	37.2
Protein (%)	27
Carbohydrates (gm)	64.3
Carbohydrate (%)	50
Saturated Fat (gm)	4.1
Monounsaturated Fat (gm)	4.6
Polyunsaturated Fat (gm)	5.0
Sodium (mg)	648.5

Green-on-Green Baby Pea Soup

Peas usually get paired with mint, but I like the hint of anise in the fennel, highlighted by the fresh basil. A lettuce garnish tops this verdant, lush soup. While nothing can beat fresh produce, one of the few frozen vegetables I heartily endorse is frozen baby peas. Empty them into a bowl before you begin other preparations and they will thaw sufficiently by the time you add them to the soup. You can prepare the soup ahead of time, cover, and refrigerate, then reheat it before serving. Do not cover or overcook it when you reheat beacuse it will darken.

Kitchen Lingo

Julienne means to cut into narrow threads. For this lettuce garnish, stack the lettuce leaves and loosely roll them into a sausage shape. Slice into 1/4-inch disks and unravel before adding to the soup. You can prepare this simple step ahead of time, wrap the garnish in a paper towel and plastic wrap, and refrigerate until serving time.

1 teaspoon grapeseed or other mild oil
1 large shallot, peeled and chopped
1 small fennel bulb, stems and bottom, removed, bulb thinly sliced
1 cup low-fat chicken broth
2 cups fresh or frozen baby green peas, thawed
1 cup low-fat milk
5–6 fresh basil leaves
3 butter lettuce leaves, washed and patted dry, cut into julienne strips

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and stir for 1 minute or until they begin to soften. Add the chicken broth and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to medium, add the fennel, and cover. Simmer for 10–15 minutes or until the fennel is tender but not mushy. Add the peas and cook uncovered for 2 minutes.
Pour the mixture into a blender jar and puree with the milk and basil until smooth (the texture will be slightly pebbly).
Reheat the soup if necessary and pour into individual serving bowls. Garnish with the julienned lettuce.

(Serves 4)

Menu Nutrition Information:
Total Calories	503
Menu Per Serving Information:
Calories Per Serving	125.8
Fat (gm)	2.2
Fat (%)	15
Protein (gm)	8.2
Protein (%)	25
Carbohydrates (gm)	19.5
Carbohydrate (%)	60
Saturated Fat (gm)	.6
Monounsaturated Fat (gm)	.4
Polyunsaturated Fat (gm)	1
Sodium (mg)	274.2

Fillet of Sole with Leeks and Tomatoes

For a make-ahead menu, you can prepare the leeks and wine stock ahead of time and reheat with the tomatoes before adding the sole. Covering the fish with parchment paper and foil and a tightly fitting lid intensifies the heat and allows the sole to cook quickly, retaining its fresh flavor and firm texture. If you do not have a lid to match your baking dish, cover with foil, pressing it tightly around the dish to form a seal.

Quick Tip

Covering and cooking leeks and onions in a small amount of water is called sweating and is an excellent way to release their full flavor instead of sautiing them in large amounts of oil.

2 teaspoons grapeseed or a mild, virgin olive oil (not extra virgin)
2 leeks, thinly sliced
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 small clove garlic
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup dry white wine (you can substitute water or use all fish stock)
1/2 cup fish stock or bottled clam juice
2 Roma tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 pound Dover or petrale sole, rinsed under cold water and patted dry with paper towels
1 tablespoon whipped butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

In a skillet or oven-proof baking dish large enough to hold the sole in one layer and for which you have a tightly fitting lid, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic and stir for approximately 1 minute until they begin to soften. If they begin to brown, remove them from the heat immediately before they begin to scorch, reduce the heat then continue cooking. Add the water and reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Continue cooking over low heat for 5 minutes or until the leeks are tender.

Health Notes: Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Perhaps you’ve heard folks tell of the old days when kids were made to gag down a spoonful of cod liver oil every morning. The packaging was grim but the payload was what we now know as omega-3 fatty acids. Reaping many health benefits and found abundantly in fish, oily fish such as cod, salmon, and mackerel, contain the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids. But all fish contain these beneficial substances, even lean sole. Though some people take fish oil capsules, a more nutritious way to stock up on omega-3 is to eat fish often, which also offers lean protein and other nutrients, to say nothing of the delicious flavor you can’t package in a capsule.

Add the wine and fish stock and bring to a boil. (If you use bottled clam juice, a good substitute for homemade fish stock, freeze what you don’t use for another time.) Immediately reduce the heat and season lightly with salt and heavily with pepper and add the thyme. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes over low-medium heat.
Peel the tomatoes with a vegetable peeler, cut in half across the middle and squeeze out the seeds. Chop coarsely. When the leek mixture has finished cooking, add the tomatoes.
Bury the sole in the center of the hot vegetables (if prepared ahead, make sure you reheat the vegetables until they bubble or the fish will be underdone), spooning half of the liquid and leek mixture over the top. Place a piece of parchment paper, foil, or plastic wrap over the pan and press lightly into the fish and vegetables. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the sole is firm and cooked through, but not falling apart.
Place the sole fillets on a serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Bring the vegetables and juices to a rolling boil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until some of the liquid has reduced and thickened slightly. Stir in the whipped butter, spoon the sauce over the fish and serve immediately.

(Serves 4)

A Word About Cooking Leeks

Won’t an onion do? Not according to the Emperor Nero who insisted leeks gave him a good voice, or the Welsh, who claim the leek as their national emblem. An onion is harsh and brutish compared to a fragrant leek, and its flavor is unmatched in sauces and soups. Before using, discard the tough, flavorless green stem and root end, slice down the middle, and fan under cold running water to remove all grit.

Menu Nutrition Information:
Total Calories	1,045
Menu Per Serving Information:
Calories Per Serving	261.3
Fat (gm)	12.1
Fat (%)	42
Protein (gm)	23.4
Protein (%)	36
Carbohydrates (gm)	9.7
Carbohydrate (%)	22
Saturated Fat (gm)	3.4
Monounsaturated Fat (gm)	4.1
Polyunsaturated Fat (gm)	4.0
Sodium (mg)	217.8

Mashed Spring Potatoes with Carrots and Basil

As you leave winter’s chill behind, take this comfort food with you into spring. The key is to select from the newest crop of potatoes. Pass over the gnarly numbers that have begun to develop a greenish pallor or are sprouting weird shapes from the eyes. You want new spuds bursting with natural sweetness to compliment the freshness of carrots and the sparkle of basil.

1 pound fingerling, creamer, or very young red potatoes
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut in 1-inch lengths
1/3 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup spring onions, diced
1/3 cup nonfat sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Healthy Pantry: Fat-Free Sour Cream

It is a personal decision to eat processed sour cream containing some ingredients not found in a cow. More than ever, these products are truer to the originals, providing the same delicious flavor and mouth appeal as dairy sour cream. Weighed against the high calorie and harmful fat content of dairy creams, products that replace fat with vegetable gums, among other ingredients, can be an attractive and more healthful alternative.

Cut the potatoes into roughly 1 1/2 inch cubes (neatness doesn’t count—they will be mashed before serving). Steam or microwave for 10 to 15 minutes or until very tender. The variety of potato will determine exact time.
Steam or microwave the carrots for 8 to 10 minutes or until very tender.
While the vegetables are cooking, heat or microwave the milk until steaming but not boiling. Stir in the onions and set aside.
Place the potatoes and carrots in a mixing bowl and mash together until coarsely blended. Reheat the milk if it has cooled off and stir into the potato mixture. Fold in the sour cream and basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

(Serves 4)

Menu Nutrition Information:
Total Calories	652
Menu Per Serving Information:
Calories Per Serving	163.0
Fat (gm)	0.7
Fat (%)	4
Protein (gm)	5.5
Protein (%)	13
Carbohydrates (gm)	35.0
Carbohydrate (%)	83
Saturated Fat (gm)	0.2
Monounsaturated Fat (gm)	0.1
Polyunsaturated Fat (gm)	0.1
Sodium (mg)	156.4