Finally…..I have my kitchen back! It looks beautiful. I’m absolutely in love with my appliances. However, I need a PhD in “Appliance Use and Cleaning.”   Seriously, I have about 4 hours of tedious reading to do before I will feel comfortable using them. Instead of cooking, I seem to be busy polishing away every fingerprint that might mar their beauty. I find myself gazing fondly at them, and then I spot a mark on the gleaming stainless, and out comes the “recommended polish, and chamois cloth”! I’ve got to gain some control, and start cooking again.

I’m now using the range top. I haven’t figured out which burner is high speed and which is the lowest “special” simmer, as I was told in the showroom, but that’s not so important. I’ve never been such a careful cook. I don’t want anything to spill over and stain the burners or grates. I use a “recommended polish and soft cloth” after every use, and make sure it’s sparkling before I leave the kitchen. I’ll check back later to make sure there are no streaks.  I don’t know what’s come over me!

I just can’t bring myself to use the ovens. One is a steam/convection oven and I have no idea how to use it yet (the manual is enormous!). The other is just too gorgeous to get dirty. To deal with this dilemma, (and some hungry people who are sick of grilled food), I’ve decided to use my outdoor gas grill as an oven until I’ve gotten over this love affair with my new ovens. Plus, it’s summertime, and why not cook outside as much as possible? This is what I tell myself…and anyone who might ask!

I decided to try a new recipe, so no one would complain that it didn’t taste as good as perhaps the last time I made it. I had been holding on to a recipe for “halibut baked with mushrooms” for sometime now, and it looked like it would fare well baked in a pan on the grill. My sister loved this recipe from Lidia Bastianich, and gave it to me ages ago, telling me I must try it. Neither Lidia, nor my sister, is ever wrong about a recipe, so I was excited to try it. I made a few changes to accommodate the fact that I would not be baking it in an indoor oven.

It was indeed delicious, and a big hit. I can tell that this is a recipe I’ll be making over and over. And yes, eventually I’ll be baking it in my new oven.   Just not yet!

Oh dear, I see a spot on the fridge…..gotta run……where did I leave that polish??????

 

Recipe:  serves 6

1 lb. assorted mushrooms of choice, sliced

7 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

3 medium onions, thinly sliced

6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

6 halibut filets, about 2 1/4 pounds in total

Juice of one lemon

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley ( I forgot this somehow….maybe I got distracted by a fingerprint)

1.  Preheat oven (no!!!) or gas grill to 400 degrees.
2. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat, and add the onions and garlic.  Cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.
3. Spread the onions and garlic on an oiled sheet pan.
4. In the same skillet, over medium high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and then add the sliced mushrooms.  Drizzle with a little bit of water, and cook until softened and browned, about 5 minutes.
5. Spread about 2/3 of the mushrooms on top of the onions on the sheet pan, and season with 1/2 tsp of salt.
6. Season the halibut with half the lemon juice, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.  Pour the remaining juice and the white wine over the vegetables and sprinkle with parsley.
7. Set the halibut on top, and top each filet with the remaining mushrooms.
8. Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.