Hump Day Dinner Part II

Malia and I had finished baking parts of our dinner feast the night before. We still need to broil up some fish, make a sauce, and roast some veggies. But more importantly, we decided we needed some wine before we began. Jenny bought us a lovely Yellowtail pinot grigio. (I always believe it's nice to have a glass in one hand before putting a spatula in the other.) Nice and crisp on the tongue, with notes of green apple.

Natalie added to the pre-party with some delicious appetizers of hummus, smoked salmon spread, cheese, and crackers. We had to restrain ourselves from eating more, knowing how much food was to come in an hour.

After turning on the oven to 400 degrees, we tossed some onions, garlic cloves, carrots, bell peppers, and asparagus in olive oil, salt, and garlic pepper. We put those in a pan to roast for 35-40 min. Thinking the fish would only take 20 min to cook, we waited awhile before we began with the rest of the meal. Boy did we underestimate how fleshy the red snapper was. I had never worked with this fish before, and assumed it would be similar to a tilapia. The fillets were much bigger than that of a tilapia, but less steaklike than a tuna or swordfish. It took approximately 30 min to broil these all the way through.

Because we chose a simple seasoning of oil, salt, and pepper for the fish, we needed a little something extra to serve with the red snapper. Two cans of roasted red pepper, sauted onion and garlic, basil, salt, pepper, a touch of evoo went into the blender. This mixture was reduced to a thicker consistency on the stovetop for about 5-10 min on low heat.

The final product was served to our hungry friends, with a side of veggies and challah.

The fish was moist and slightly salty. The roasted red pepper sauce added a nice touch of sweetness with the bell pepper and sauteed onion. The veggies were a little lukewarm by the time they were served, but were still delicious. Roasted vegetables have a slightly caramelized flavor, making it one of my favorite (and simplest) ways to serve vegetables. The challah might have been the highlight of dinner in my opinion (and not just because I helped make it!) It was soft, buttery, and slightly dense. The cinnamon came through and the sesame seeds added a nice crunch as well as another complimentary flavor. Plus, the smell was amazing.

I think the rest of the gang would agree, this was an excellent way to finish hump day!

Thanks for joining us!