Italian Style Fish

This recipe was easy and had that good for you feeling. Wonderfully light and perfect served with greens. Very low fat filled with fresh goodness

Ingredients: serves 4

4 fillets of Orange Ruffy, Halibut, or Tilapia

1/2 c chopped Italian parsley

1 clove minced garlic

1/2 crushed red pepper

2 tbs minced shallot or onion

8 callamata olives quartered lengthwise

2 c diced tomatoes

1. Salt and pepper fish. Put olive oil (enough to really coat the bottom)in fry pan and get hot. Fry fish in hot pan (this will put a nice brown on the the fish) till opaque (about 3 minutes per side).

Set fillets on serving platter or plates.

2. In the same pan heat 1 tbs olive oil and 1 tbs butter. When melted and sizzling add parsley, shallot, crushed red pepper and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes.

3. Add olives and tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are soft and the mixture is slightly saucy. You may with to add a few tbs of water during the process if you like it a little runnier. Spoon over fish and serve.

Cook's tip: Never add anything to cold olive oil on the stove. It will absorb it and get greasy. Using a hot pan will put a nice sear on things keeping juices in.

Fusilli with Beet Greens and Ricotta

5 tbl Extra virgin olive oil

1 tbs butter

4 cloves of garlic

1 small diced shallot or yellow onion

1/3 cup finely sliced sun dried tomatoes packed in oil

1 red hot pepper seeds removed and minced

2 large bunches of beet greens (stems removed cut into 2 inch pieces)

1/2 cup cream

salt and pepper to taste

10 oz fresh ricotta

1 lb fusilli or ghemelli pasta

Put your water on to boil and season water with salt. Prepare all your ingredients while you wait on the water to boil.

Put a large skillet on the stove and get it hot. Add oil and butter. Press you garlic into the pan and saute with onions until translucent. Add hot chile to the pan. I like to add about 1/2 the seeds as well for a mild spice. Add the sun dried tomatoes and saute to release flavors. Turn on very low heat and add your pasta to boiling water to prepare as directed.

Put your ricotta into the bowl you plan to serve your pasta in. This allows it to come to room temp.

Add your beet greens to your skillet and stir until wilted. Take 3 tbl of your boiling pasta water and stir into ricotta. Did you know that this allows the starches in the pasta water to mix with your cheese for instant sauce? Drain pasta and set aside.

Meanwhile add the cream to your skillet and salt and pepper to taste. Add skillet mixture to ricotta and mix. Add pasta, toss, and serve.

Serves 6