Free Food

I'm sure by now you have noticed a recurring theme in my cooking...  I am a scavenger and revolve my meal planning around food that is given to me.

Whether its vegetables from my dad or grandma's gardens for my Roasted Veggie Frittata, Stuffed Peppers, or Vegetable Chili; ducks from Jeff for my Pot Roasted Duck; or fresh trout from Mike for my Mediterranean Fish Tacos or what I whipped up for dinner last night:


Pan Seared Trout with Asparagus Pesto
2 servings

trout:
2 trout filets
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp worcestshire sauce
salt, black pepper, red pepper to taste
non stick cooking spray
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 tsp flour (This is used to thicken the sauce.  You could use any type of flour, cornstarch, or xanthan gum. I would have used xanthan gum, but am too cheap to pay $10 for 1/2 lb of it!)

Pesto:
1/2 cup raw asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp parmasean cheese, grated
1 tbsp pecans (You could substitue with walnuts, pine nuts, or whatever you have on hand.)
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp chicken stock
salt & pepper to taste

- Pour 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp of worcestshire sauce over filets of trout.  Salt and pepper both sides of filet.  Leave filets to marinate while you prepare the pesto.

- Add asparagus, 1 tbsp lemon juice, garlic, cheese, pecans, salt, and pepper into food processor. Turn on the food processor and slowly add olive oil.  Then slowly add chicken stock until you have the consistency you want.  (I use the chicken stock to cut down on the amount of oil I need, therefore reducing the fat.)

- Heat a non stick skillet sprayed with non stick cooking spray over high heat.  When pan is really hot, add trout filets.

- Sear for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side.  Reduce heat, add 1/4 cup of chicken broth, and cover with a lid. 

- Continue to cook for about 5 minutes.  Remove trout filets.  Add 1 tsp of flour to remaining juice in the pan and whisk to thicken the sauce. 

- Plate trout over asparagus pesto and finish with sauce from pan.

Chef worthy plating? I think not.

This was my first attempt at asparagus pesto and I loved it!  It was so bright and refreshing. No one ingredient overpowered the others; I could taste every single one and they all worked well together.  Perfect for a hot summer night.

You can't get much fresher than from in the lake on Sunday to in my belly on Monday night! Organic at its finest.


Look who sat at the window and watched me cook. :)