Dance After Dark Photography

More photos of Erica here.

More New Orleans photos here.

What can I say? I’m a damn good cook. I came home tonight knowing I was going to cook tilapia, but I didn’t really have a plan until I walked into the kitchen. It took me about an hour, but I put together a dinner good enough to demand turning off the TV and eating at the table. On real plates, no less! Tonight’s meal was accompanied by oven-roasted corn on the cob. Trust me when I say that this tilapia was really, really good. Try it!

Pan-Seared Tilapia

8 tilapia filets
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
kosher salt
black pepper, freshly ground
garlic powder
turmeric
smoked paprika
5-spice powder
thyme
dried dill

I marinated the tilapia at room temperature for about 20 minutes in all of the ingredients above, particularly heavy on the salt. Brought the pan up to medium-high heat and seared tilapia for 5-6 minutes on each side. (3 filets at a time, so the pan won’t lose heat and a good crust can be formed.) Remove filets from heat, set aside on plate, and repeat until they’re all cooked.

Spinach & Mushroom Quesadillas

6 large (8″) flour tortillas
2 cups mushrooms, roasted *
2 cups basmati rice, cooked **
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup frozen green peas
approx 1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1/3 cup salsa
1/3 cup sour cream
kosher salt
garlic powder
black pepper, freshly ground
thyme
hot sauce to taste

I diced the onions and started them in the saute pan with just a little vegetable oil and some kosher salt. While they were browning, I diced the mushrooms and chopped the spinach. Once the onions started to caramelize, I added the mushrooms, the frozen peas, and all of the remaining spices & a little more salt. Covered and simmered for about 5 minutes. Added the spinach and rice, mixed, and then added the salsa, sour cream, and hot sauce.

Griddle was preheated to medium-high. Each tortilla was lightly coated on one side with vegetable oil. (I sprinkle a few drops on one tortilla and rub it against another.) Place the tortilla oil-side-down on the griddle, cover half with several dollops of filling, and top with grated cheese. I add more hot sauce to mine. Fold over the tortilla after about 2 minutes, flip to heat the cheese, and remove to plate. Repeat.

The corn on the cob is very simple. You don’t even need to shuck the corn. Rinse it off to get rid of any sand, then put the ears into a 400º oven for about 20 minutes. It’ll steam inside the husk, and you get a lot of flavor without butter or salt. Also, the silk should come off smoothly if you just peel the husk back a bit and pull it off.

* The mushrooms were roasted several days ago with a little olive oil and various spices. Foremost among them would be salt, pepper, thyme, and paprika. Experiment as you like. Roast uncovered at 400º for about 45 minutes. You want them to shrivel a bit. Losing the moisture intensifies the flavor.

** The rice was cooked last week, too. Instead of water, we cooked it with chicken broth. 2 cups liquid to 1 cup rice, and you have to rinse the rice thoroughly before cooking. Our basmati rice takes about 20 minutes to cook fully, but I always make much more than a meal needs so I can use leftovers like I did tonight.

Creative signage. You have to love New Orleans.

So we’re back, and I’m a little more conscious than I was yesterday. I’ll be heading to bed soon, but I wanted to put a few photos online. Click here see the others.

Okay, so the sign said “huge ass beers to go,” but who can pass up that opportunity?