How to Snag a Shark in your Kitchen

The greatest thing about watching grocery store ads is that I can meld a meal by piecing together food on sale. It's, at times, inspiring. I feel like a cornball saying that, but as a dedicated deal seeker I pay attention to essentials that I can save on.

Recently, Sunflower Farmers Market at 38th & Wolff in Denver advertised thresher shark. I had tasted shark once before and remembered its sharpness and steakiness. Much like a swordfish.

Thresher shark is a hearty, meaty fish that is extremely versatile and can be seasoned to anyone's taste. Great if you want a taste of the wild.

Another item that Sunflower featured in its Wednesday ad was mango. I had never bought a mango, cut into a mango nor craved a mango. All this has changed and since this dinner I've sought out, peeled and blended mangoes to my heart's delight.

To maximize the thresher shark's tenderness, I chose to pair it with coconut-ginger rice and mango salsa. I borrowed the rice recipe from a fellow blogger, Recipe Girl, and combined a mess of sweet and savory ingredients for the mango salsa. Mix in homemade mojitos and great friends and a menu is made!

Thresher Shark
Marinate 1 lbs. in:

• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 T. Tequila (or n/a orange juice)
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Place in fridge for about half hour. Watch the time because if you let it sit too long you may end up with ceviche, as the citric acid literally "cooks" the fish.

Have you ever handled a jicama?

It is very similar to a water chestnut in texture. Try it in stir fry, I did with some left-over shark the next night.

Mango Salsa

• Jalapeno pepper(s), seeded and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups mango, chopped and squared
• 1/2 cup jicama, diced
• 1/2 cup red onion, diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, dried and chopped
• Juice of 2-3 limes
• Marinate about a half hour for best results
  

Tips for salsa:

• Mangoes have rectangle pits?! What the ...
  
• Rounder limes end up juicing better. Roll it around the counter a few times to get the liquid loosened.
• I reserved a small portion without jalapeno, for those who can't stand the heat.
  

Voila!

Grill the shark for about 5 minutes each side.

Muddle the mojitos while cooking and serve.

"Salud y amor y tiempo para disfrutarlo."

Health and love and time to enjoy them.

Za, My Way

I love a good za. Pizza that is. And what a great time in history it is for the pie-lover!

The gourmet pizza revolution is up and swinging. In Minneapolis, Punch, Pizza Luce and the stand-by Red's Savoy are among the favorites branching out to several locations. Here in Denver Lala's not only has great go-to za, but I must say one of the best Caesar salads I've had in years--garlicky dressing, white anchovies and a "small" the size of most lobster platters. Among the other pizza joints we get our fill from are Basil Doc's, Two Fisted Mario’s Pizza, Proto’s and Denver Pizza Company, the last being my next stop.

Recently though our pizza and its fixins have been coming from the menu of my mind. With Pillsbury dough on sale, I picked up a couple rolls and set out for a homemade pizza pie.

Pizza #1

• Pillsbury Classic Pizza Crust dough (salted and peppered)
• Homemade pesto (basil leaves—about 15-20, one handful raw pine nuts, 2 tablespoons minced garlic, olive oil, Parmesan and squeeze of half lemon)
• 2 cut-up already cooked artichoke hearts*
• 10 cherry tomatoes (sliced)
• ¼ of Columbus Salame (cut into strips)
• 5 cloves roasted garlic (peel back white skin, cut ¼ of an inch of top, put in tin foil and douse tops with olive oil, tighten tin foil and roast 30 minutes at 400 degrees)
• ¼ cup shredded Parmesan, Romano and Asiago cheese mix
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• Few springs of rosemary (chopped and sprinkled on 1st layer of cheese)

* We love, love, love artichokes. So we ate the leaves as an appetizer. My mom's recipe: chop bottom of artichoke stem and about 1/2 inch off the top, wrap in plastic wrap, microwave 7-8 minutes, remove from microwave and melt 2 tablespoons butter per person, serve hot and peel, dip and scrape off the flesh. Save bottom, or the heart, for your pizza.

Pizza #2

• Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust dough (salted and peppered)
• Homemade pesto (basil leaves—about 15-20, two handfuls raw pine nuts, 3 cloves roasted garlic, olive oil, Parmesan and squeeze of half lemon)**
• 10 cherry tomatoes (sliced)
• 1 Russet potato (sliced, tossed in olive oil, seasoned with fresh rosemary, kosher salt and cracked pepper, roast in oven 30 minutes at 400 degrees)
• Few springs of rosemary (for potato slices, chopped and sprinkled on)
• ¼ of Columbus Salame (cut into strips)
• 10 cloves roasted garlic (peel back white skin, cut ¼ of an inch of top, put in tin foil and douse tops with olive oil, tighten tin foil and roast 30 minutes at 400 degrees)
• ¼ cup shredded Parmesan, Romano and Asiago cheese mix
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese

** Our pesto the second time around was much heartier. You may want to roast the pine nuts to add more flavor. The added basil and pine nuts this time around created a nice base with some nutty crunch.

Toppings tip: Cook anything you are going to put on before you top the pizza. Make sure your toppings are dry. Anything from a jar should be well drained. Anything frozen, should be thawed. When it comes to what you put on, go wild with the toppings. It's hard to mess up a pizza.

Fondue Al Fresco

We recently spent a bug-free (yay for Colorado!) evening of dining al fresco with our good friends Erik & Emily. Without a real reason to celebrate, we decided a beautiful evening of beef fondue, wine and friends was reason enough!

Our Dinner Menu

• Sirloin beef, ask your butcher to cut it into half-inch cubes, I did!
• Canola oil
• Baked russet potatoes
• Sauteed zucchini
• Mixed greens salad with caramelized walnuts and orange-flavored craisins (Dane & my new favorite salad sweetener)
• Cabernet & Sauvignon Blanc (some red, some white)
• Beer in cozies (come on, backyard dinner!)
• GOOD FRIENDS!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  Fondue tip: Heat the oil in a stockpot on the stove until a small chunk of bread sizzles in the oil. Transfer CAREFULLY to fondue pot. Also, I'm a big fan of the electric fondues rather than the ceramic. It just maintains heat better.
  

  
  
  
  Fondue meat tip: Be sure to trim off most of the fat before plunging into the fondue oil. That's one mistake we made.