Moroccan Halibut Tajine

Dear Cecily,

We have a smaller flat and typically have just one or two other couples over for dinner at a time. So, I do my best to choose dishes that I can prepare ahead of time, take about the same amount of time to cook, and in general require minimal looking after so that I am not -- constantly, and noticeably, since it's a small group -- hopping back and forth between the kitchen and our guests. However, we seem to be stuck on just a few dishes, such as oven-baked honey-soy glazed salmon, steamed seasoned green beans, and pine nut cous cous. These work well because they can be prepped ahead of time, and take the same amount of time to cook. Can you suggest some other dishes to change things up for us, but that still work well in this situation?

Elizabeth in San Francisco


Dear Elizabeth,

It sounds like you are hosting wonderful dinner parties in San Francisco! And, how considerate of you to plan the evening in order to spend your time with your guests. No matter how good the food is, a dinner party where all your guests hear is you rattling around in the kitchen is no fun. They want to chat with the main attraction--you! Happily, fantastic meals can be prepped ahead of time and served with minimal disturbance to the flow of the evening. It sounds like you already have a delicious menu. Here's another one to try out. After all, nothing could be better than fabulous food that seems to appear out of nowhere!

Happy Entertaining and Happy Cooking,
Cecily

Menu:
Moroccan Halibut Tajine
Roasted Orange Peppers
Delicate Tarragon Pita Toasts

In Morocco, tajines are cooked--not surprisingly--in a special cone-shaped clay pot called a tajine. I have tried this dish in a real tajine and also in a large shallow saucepan, and can get almost the same result. If you can get your hands on a tajine, that's great, but this dish can be made equally well in a saucepan with lid over the stove. Also, the tarragon pita toasts are delicious, but a couscous also goes extremely well with this meal.

Moroccan Halibut Tajine
Olive oil
1 bunch chopped fresh parsley (about 1 cup, packed)
1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro (about 1 cup, packed)
2 medium onions, well minced
2 lbs. halibut (or any other thick white fish), cut in individually-sized pieces
6 oz. green olives, pitted and halved
2 teaspoons honey
1 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon dried ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric (careful--the turmeric will stain your hands yellow if you touch it directly!)
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh spinach (for serving)

Prepare ahead of time:
1) Sprinkle the bottom of a large shallow saucepan with 2 teaspoons of olive oil.
2) Spread the cilantro and parsley over the bottom of the pan.
3) Spoon the minced onions over the herbs.
4) Arrange the halibut pieces over the onions.
5) Sprinkle the olives, honey, three quarters of the lemon juice, salt and pepper, and about 2 more teaspoons of olive oil over the fish.
6) Mix the remaining dried herbs in a small dish and sprinkle the mixture over the top of the fish along with the remaining lemon juice.
7) Cover the saucepan with a lid and refrigerate.
8) This part of the dish can be prepared several hours before your guests arrive.

Roasted Orange Peppers
Prepare ahead of time:
3-4 orange peppers
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1) Slice 3-4 orange peppers lengthwise (thick julienne) and remove seeds.
2) Place them on a cookie sheet and sprinkle generously with olive oil and salt and pepper.
3) Optional: sprinkle with feta cheese to add to the Mediterranean feel of the dinner.
4) Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours until guests arrive.
5) Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. just before your guests are due.

Delicate Tarragon Pita Toasts
Prepare ahead of time:
3 rounds of pita (the thinnest pita you can find is the best--most supermarkets and certainly gourmet food stores carry the thinner and more typically Mediterranean pita)
Olive oil
One bunch fresh tarragon

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Cut the pita into medium-sized triangles (or pie slices), just a little bigger than bite size.
3) Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and arrange the pita on top. The side of the pita which is lighter should be facing up (it will be prettier to eat later on).
4) Place 4-5 leaves of tarragon on each pita triangle.
5) Sprinkle olive oil and salt and pepper over each triangle.
6) Roast in oven for about 5-6 minutes until edges just begin to brown.
7) Remove from oven and let cool.
8) These can be made a day ahead (although they are fast and making them the day of the party is ideal) but, careful, they are addictive and might be gone before the dinner party starts!
15 Minutes of Cooking When Guests Have Arrived:
1) Place your saucepan on the stove, lid on, and cook over high heat for 15 minutes until fish is opaque throughout and just cooked through. (The cooking time depends a little on the thickness of the fish, but 15 minutes should work well and the peppers are very forgiving of an extra minute or two.)
2) Uncover your peppers and place in the preheated oven, about 5 inches from the top heat source. Let them roast for the same 15 minutes as the halibut.

To Serve:
1) Place several leaves of fresh spinach (if not using couscous) on each plate and serve halibut over the top. Spoon some of the sauce from the pan over the fish.
2) Add the peppers and toasts and, voila, dinner is served and you can get back to the most important job of the evening--having fun with your guests!

Serves four generously.