Grilled Grouper and Asparagus over Lemon-Saffron Risotto

This week marks my last official week as Villa Tronco's intern (though thankfully I have been asked to stay on as a cook!), so Chef promised me that my treat this week is to come up with all of the daily specials. Last week was a long, hot week (our kitchen gets up to 130 degrees some nights when it is hot outside - which is ALWAYS in Columbia) and it was the best encouragement to receive at the end of my summer there. So I came up with some tasty specials, one of which I have documented on my camera and want to share.

We always get fresh fish each week and this week we have Grouper - a hard fish to grill because it is so flaky, but I love grilling fish because it is always preserves the flavor so well with a little smoky hint, and you can season it minimally and keep it healthy. Grilled asparagus? Of course, because all vegetables are better grilled than cooked by any other method. Saffron comes from a beautiful flower and is the most expensive spice on the market - it takes a lot of harvesting for a single pound. It is a red, short thread-like spice and a little goes a long way. It has a distinct, bitter taste, but when combined with lemon and the starches from the risotto, it takes on a delicate flavor (much like how lavender tastes in baking - not the same flavor but the same delicate hint on the back of the throat) and it is perfect for a summery version of risotto.

Grilled Grouper & Asparagus with Lemon-Saffron Risotto

For the risotto:

Prepared risotto (slow-cook Arborio rice in chicken stock and water, adding more liquid each time the water is absorbed/evaporated until risotto is almost al dente)

In a separate saute pan, add butter, 2 lemon wheels, saffron threads, s & p, and heavy cream. After this reduces a bit, add in risotto and cook until cream mixture is completely reduced.

Grouper:

Lightly season grouper filet with olive oil, s & p. Do the same on the asparagus. Throw your grouper on the grill, being delicate and flipping from back to front for quarter turn if you want grill marks - finish in the oven if you need to finish cooking through. Time your asparagus on the grill with a few minutes before the grouper is ready.

Plate risotto, and set grouper filet on top with the grilled asparagus spears.

asparagus

Asparagus...I am obsessed with asparagus. I was on my City Roots strawberry kick for awhile (that reminds me..I need some more before the season is over) but now my favorite food to eat everyday is asparagus. How do I eat it? At work I like to grill it, tossed in some olive oil and salt and pepper. or cut up into little pieces and tossed into pasta, with broccoli. or in scrambled eggs in the mornings with spinach and muenster cheese (thanks carley). or raw when I am chopping and want to grab a little sliver to munch on. my favorite asparagus dish was a side I made for Adam Bedenbaugh's house-warming party about a year ago: roasted asparagus with goat cheese, lemon zest and fresh bacon crumbles. mmm. so good.

Asparagus FEELS healthy but I haven't known the health benefits of it until now - high in potassium, folic acid (helps cell regeneration), thiamin, vitamins A, B6 and C! and a little fun fact from webMD: asparagus is also an aphrodisiac. what a perfect food (besides the expense: but a little asparagus goes a long way).

cheers to asparagus.

food is more fabulous with friends

This morning Hannah and I met at her house to make breakfast which turned into brunch (the best meal of the day). I just bought a bunch of asparagus through Rosewood Market that is from a farm in Batesburg and she had some bacon in her fridge, and I picked a quart of strawberries from City Roots this morning (more on that later) - a perfect set-up for breakfast.

I scrambled and seasoned 4 eggs with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. I thinly sliced asparagus on the bias, cooked some bacon and diced it, and heated some butter in a large skillet. I poured in the egg mixture, added the asparagus and bacon, and scrambled the eggs until almost done then added a handful of mozzarella cheese.

On the side we had wheat toast and butter, fresh strawberries, coffee and water. Mmm Mmm Mmm (in the words of my Grandma). There is nothing like best friends, farm fresh foods, brunch, coffee, good conversation and encouragement in the mornings on the brink of summer.