Grilled Halibut with Roasted Pineapple Habenero Salsa

Our family recently took a day trip up to northern Arizona for a break from the oppressive heat here in Phoenix. We went to a small local zoo and then stopped for dinner on the way home in my husband's old college town, Flagstaff. We had heard good things about a Mexican restaurant called Salsa Brava and decided to try it. Oh man, was it good! They had a unique salsa bar, and all the food that we had was pretty awesome. My favorite menu item by far was their Pineapple Habenero salsa, which blew my mind. I knew I would have to try and duplicate it, because I could not stop thinking about it. We found out when we got to the restaurant that they were featured on a Food Network show called Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. I did some investigating and found this recipe based on the original at the restaurant. While it's not identical to what we had at Salsa Brava, it's a pretty close facsimile. I still want to do some more tweaking to see if I can get more of a match, but in the meantime, this will work just fine!

I decided to pair my fruity-spicy salsa with this grilled fish recipe I found on the Cooking Light website. The original recipe has a peach and pepper salsa paired with the halibut, but I thought my pineapple habenero salsa would work just as well. I was right! This. was. fantastic.

Grilled Halibut with Roasted Pineapple Habenero Salsa

For the salsa:

Roasted Pineapple Habenero Salsa
Adapted From: More Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives by Guy Fieri

Ingredients:
4 Roma tomatoes
4 jalapenos, seeded and stems removed
1 habeneros, seeded and stems removed
1/2 medium red onion
1 20 oz can of pineapple tidbits, with juice.
1 cup cilantro
salt to taste

Directions:
1. broil the jalapenos and onion for 5-10 minutes on each side or until skin is blackened. When charred and caramelized on both sides then remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes in a bowl with a tight fitting lid.

Add all the roasted veggies, tomatoes,and raw habenero (SEE NOTE BELOW), and pineapple and pulse in the food processor. Add the cilantro and pulse. Add salt to taste. I also added a few tablespoons of olive oil. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving or store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.

NOTE: The habenero pepper is extremely spicy. Start by adding a quarter or a half of the pepper and taste. If your palette can handle it, add the whole thing from there...just taste as you go!

For the fish:

Grilled Halibut
Adapted From: Cooking Light magazine, Jeanne Kelley, JUNE 2010 issue

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice $
4 teaspoons olive oil $
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 garlic clove, minced
4 (6-ounce) skinless halibut fillets
3/8 teaspoon salt
3/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray

Directions:
Prepare grill to medium-high heat.
To prepare fish, combine 4 teaspoons juice, oil, paprika, and 1 garlic clove in a large, shallow glass baking dish, stirring with a whisk (I just combined everything in a large, zip top bag). Add fish to juice mixture; turn to coat. Cover and let stand 15 minutes.

Remove fish from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle fish evenly with 3/8 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Place fish on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

Serve fish with topped with desired amount of salsa.

Corn Star Raviolis in Sweet Basil Cream Sauce

This has to be one of the dumbest names for a recipe that I have come across in awhile. Despite the stupid name, these looked really tasty when I saw them demonstrated on Guy's Big Bite. Since I have been in the mood to try new things lately, I figured I would give this recipe a go. I have only tried one other Guy Fieri recipe, and it was not all that great. I am hoping that this one turns out a little better.
I don't think I need to serve anything with these, and I like that the ravioli filling can be mixed up ahead of time. That will put me ahead of the game for later. The boy and I have a MOMS Club Halloween party this afternoon, so I will get a late start on my meal preparation. I am hoping that these will come together quickly at dinnertime. Wish me luck!


Corn Star Raviolis in Sweet Basil Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
2 ears Fresh sweet corn, shucked and removed from the cob (or substitute thawed frozen corn)
3 tablespoons Red bell pepper, minced
3 tablespoons sweet onion, diced
10 each Fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
Freshly cracked pepper
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 pinch nutmeg, ground
6 ounces ricotta cheese, room temp
6 ounces cream cheese, room temp
1 package wonton wrappers
2 egg yolks, beaten
3 tablespoons Parmesan, grated
Special equipment: cookie cutter (3-inch round) or ravioli stamp

Directions:
Melt butter in saute pan, add in corn, red bell pepper and onion. Let saute until onion is translucent and corn has released some of it's sugars. Add in 1/2 of the basil leaves and a couple of twists of black pepper. Add in 1/4 cup heavy cream and reduce by half. Set aside to cool.

When cool, smash up a bit with a fork, stir in ricotta and cream cheese. Place wonton wrappers down (three at a time works) and in the center of each, place 1 1/2 t filling. Brush exposed wrapper with egg yolk, carefully place a second wrapper on top and carefully seal edges, making sure to get out any air bubbles. Cut with star cutter, work fingers around edges to make sure seal is tight. Set aside on floured baking sheet and continue to assemble.

When finished, boil water and gently add raviolis a few at a time, cooking for 2 minutes or until they float. Carefully remove and drain.

For Sauce:
In clean saute pan, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter, when melted, add in remaining basil, saute until crisp and butter is just very lightly browning. Add in remaining cream and reduce to thickened. Add nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste, serve over raviolis immediately. Garnish with Parmesan.



The Result:
These were awesome! Probably one of the best raviolis that I have ever had. Fan-freakin'-tastic. definitely a keeper! They were somewhat labor-intensive, so I will probably only make these for a splurge meal. Also, they were very rich and decadent. They sauce reminded me of a really great Alfredo sauce and the ravioli itself was savory, rich, and full of flavor. Very creamy. So, so yummy. The wonton wrappers held up great, and I had no issues with them falling apart. Everything went exactly according to plan on this recipe, so I was a very happy girl. A bonus was that I got to use my ravioli stamps I bought at William Sonoma, some time ago. Now I feel like my ravioli stamp purchase was not frivolous! I love when superfluous kitchen gadgets become useful.
The only change I made was that I added one clove of garlic and one whole shallot to the filling mix. I only had a small onion, so I supplemented with the other ingredients. I have a ton of filling left over, so I think I am going to improvise some creamy soup from it.

Guy's Cajun Chicken Alfredo

This is a recipe that I have been hanging on to for a while. I keep meaning to try it, but it always gets put on the back burner for something different. I found it on foodnetwork.com a few months ago and copied it. At that time, I went to the store and bought all the specialty ingredients just so I would have everything I needed on hand. Even after I bought all the stuff for this dish, I still did not make it. Well, the wait is over. I am going to finally make this tonight, because it does not require my leaving the house. I am not sure if I will change anything or not...I will decide if it needs any adjustment when I am preparing the recipe. Since this is my first time making it, I will let you know how it turns out later.


Cajun Chicken Alfredo
Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri

4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup blackening spice (recommended: Paul Prudhomme's Chicken)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup roughly chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine
3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cooked fettuccine
1/2 cup sliced scallions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Dredge the chicken breasts in the blackening spice and place in a cast iron skillet over very high heat. Blacken both sides of the chicken and place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Slice in strips on the bias and set aside.
In a saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and the chicken slices. De-glaze the pan with the white wine. Add the heavy cream, increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half.
When the cream sauce is to desired consistency, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, and pasta.
Nest the pasta on large rimmed plates, pour sauce over pasta, and garnish with scallions and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Episode#: GI0102 Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved