One of the things I love to do is cook.

Here is my recipe for an Orange Roughy dinner for 2 people. (More? Add more!)
It is Orange Roughy with Orange Sauce

• 2 fresh filets of orange roughy fish

• 3 fresh juice oranges - 2 pealed and sectioned

• 1/4+ cup fresh orange juice - from 3rd orange

• 1/2 stick of butter (no margarine - it will not make a sauce)

• String beans

• White rice

• Salad with olive oil & vinegar dressing

• White wine (whatever you like)

Prepare the white rice and steam the string beans so they will be ready about 10 minutes before you intend to eat. Have the dinner plates warmed and begin: 

Melt the butter in a frying pan (don't allow butter to brown) and then poach the fish in the pan until it is no longer translucent. (turn it over after about 3 to 4 min. Total time should be about 6 to 7 min. Fish should be firm.)

Remove fish, add orange juice to pan and raise the heat so that butter, broth & juice simmer rapidly.  Reduce sauce until it becomes thickened. (Not too long or you will have to add more butter and juice to reconstitute the sauce.) Place the fish back in the pan for a few moments to re-warm and to coat with sauce.

Plate the rice, string beans and fish. Place cold orange sections next to the fish and pour the sauce over the fish and rice.

Enjoy.  --  (I've prepared this dish many times and enjoy it every time.)

How about Pasta with Pesto Sauce. I've got a secret for making really great Pesto. It goes like this:

Take a good heavy handful of fresh basil, wash well, trim the stems and place in your blender. Add a little water and pulse until well chopped. Add several cloves of garlic, salt, pepper and about 1/3rd to a 1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts. Turn the blender on and drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil into the blender until a thick mayonnaise consistency is achieved. You will need about 3/4 to 1 cup of oil. At this point add freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (Parmigiana Regiano is the best.) About a cup or more and blend into the mixture. That's it! 

Oh, you want to know the secret?

 The water - That's it! It blends into the oil and makes a mayonnaise type sauce. It never has an oily messy appearance like most of the restaurants serve you and tastes wonderful. Just stir it into your cooked pasta and serve with a little more cheese on top. The pasta should be hot enough to warm the sauce. Never heat the sauce - it will separate. Make a lot as it will keep for a long time in the fridge.

This page was last updated on 08/11/02