Phyllo Stacked Salad & Halibut Skewers

Here is one of our dinners from this week. A friend was supposed to come over for dinner but didn't make it due to heavy traffic & road closure coming to the Valley from Anchorage (we only have 1 divided highway out of  Anchorage - Alaska is kinda lacking on roads), so my husband and I enjoyed a nice meal just the two of us.

I found this tip in a magazine for using phyllo dough (which was a first for me) to make a salad. I thought it looked simple but would make for a nice presentation.

Phyllo Stacked Salad

Stack 4 sheets of phyllo, brushing each piece with melted butter. Cut the stack into 8 rectangles and bake for 8-10 minutes at 375°, or until lightly golden brown. Cool completely.

To serve, place one rectangle on a salad plate; top with greens and a drizzle of vinaigrette. Crown with another rectangle & sprinkle with fresh herbs.

To assemble our salads I used organic baby romaine lettuce blend and then sprinkled with crumbled feta & craisins. Once the top piece was on I sprinkled with ribbons of fresh basil from the garden. I let each person use the dressing of their choice once we were at the table. If making for a larger crowd I would have lightly dressed the greens before adding the top phyllo.

I enjoyed the light crunch of the phyllo contrasted against the baby greens. I think next time I will add fresh chopped herbs to each layer as I'm buttering and stacking the phyllo before baking.

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A couple of weeks ago I came up with this recipe when our grocery store was out of pesto. What's up with that?! Yes, I know I could have made my own, but I haven't tried that yet and didn't have time that particular day. So, a new creation was born. The first time I made this we cooked the fish skewers along with some veggies on the charcoal grill. This time I used the indoor (George Foreman) grill to save time. I prefer the flavor of the charcoal grill with this particular dish and the pancetta crisps up nicely with the hotter grill.

 

Grilled Halibut Skewers with Pancetta

3/4 - 1 lb. fresh halibut, cut into 1" cubes
1 pkg pancetta rounds (pre-pkg from the deli, maybe 6-8 oz)
1 6 oz container of artichoke tapenade (I used Meze brand)
1 pkg. Near East Toasted Pine Nut Couscous
Bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes if using charcoal or gas grill.

Cook couscous according to pkg directions. Cut halibut into chunks and pancetta into strips long enough to wrap around halibut pieces. Lay down a piece of pancetta and place 1/2 tsp. artichoke tapenade in center. Top with halibut and wrap with pancetta. Thread onto skewer. Repeat until you're out of halibut & pancetta. I usually scoop out some of the tapenade so I don't contaminate the entire container as I'm working. The recipe doesn't take the whole 6 oz. Save to serve on crackers later when you need a snack. :)  Grill about 4 minutes each side until halibut is done, being careful not to overcook. Serve over couscous with veggies on the side.

Seward, Alaska

Last weekend we took a couple of days and acted like tourists in our own state. We definitely need to do this more often, as there is a LOT to see in Alaska. You may know this already, but if you were to cut Alaska in half Texas would be the 3rd largest state! (and I say that with much love for the Lone Star state, you are one of my faves!)

We took about a 3 hour drive south to the coastal town of Seward. The drive itself is spectacular. You start by getting out of Anchorage and driving along Turnagain Arm, then through Turnagain Pass (which still had quite a bit of snow and lots of people playing in it), then the tiny community of Moose Pass, and finally you arrive in Seward. The weather could not have been better. We had sunny skies and no wind which made for a fabulous afternoon whale watching cruise!

 This is some of what you see as you drive along Turnagain Arm.

This one is Kenai Lake. If I remember right, it's over 30 miles long and drains from both ends.

This guy was putting on quite the show in the boat harbor. He was getting the fish scraps from under the fish cleaning tables and enjoying his dinner. This was in the harbor right below our hotel room.

It's funny, I took a ton of pictures and he always seemed to be looking right at the camera.

This male sea lion is probably 1500 lbs and 7-8' long.

On our little cruise we saw a bunch of sealions, seagulls, eagles, puffins, seals, and little porpoise.

This is the harbor at night.

And finally, we ended our mini-getaway with a night stay at Alyeska Resort. This is my dessert. Baked Alyeska. Brownie, 3 kinds of chocolate mousse, meringue, pretty sugar, and yummy little sauces.

Halibut Harley

Halibut Harley (not to be confused with Halibut Charlie - that will be a later post)
--This is a variation of a baked halibut recipe I found on allrecipes. It's really simple to put together and doesn't take long to bake. The mayonnaise helps keep the fish moist. I named my version Halibut Harley because it has some of of the same coloring as my kitty Harley.

1 lb. halibut
1 cup fat free mayo
1/2 cup 2% shredded cheese blend
2 Tbsp. shredded parm cheese mixture (not grated parm from the can)
1/4 tsp. dill seasoning
1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning (another recent obsession)
2 Tbsp. french fried onions

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix mayo, cheeses, & spices together. Place halibut in greased baking dish and top with mayo/cheese mixture. Bake 20-30 minutes depending on thickness of fish. Add french fried onions on top of the halibut and bake about 5 minutes.