Leslie Bartosh, CEC, AAC, FMP

  Normally when we think about braised dishes, we are thinking about ingredients that need a long slow cooking process with moisture.   Like a pot roast, as an example.   But, naturally tender items like a chicken breast or a piece of fish can also be braised successfully.   The cooking process is still same:   sear the item and then finish cooking it in a flavored liquid or in this case sauce. This dish came out a brainstorming session a week ago.   It is the 2 nd of dishes to come out of that session.   I have at least one more similar dish in mind.   They are all influenced by a Middle Eastern fish dish, that I used to make in class.   Normally the term Puttanesca refers to a pasta dish.   It does not have pieces of fish in it.   This dish is attributed to the Naples, Italy.   Naples is located on the Tyrrhenian Sea.   So, the idea of using the sauce to braise a piece of fish seemed to be a good match. Braised Riverence Steelhead trout in a puttanesca style sauce, accompani

  The year ending photo was not an easy one for me to pick.   I felt there were many nice dishes/photographs from the last part of this year. I chose this photo of steel head trout on a bed of orzo with a puttanesca style sauce to end the year.   I liked the quality and lighting of the photo.   I recently had a Chef make some constructive criticisms regarding my photos and how they were composed.   This photo is one of the more recent photos to utilize some of the techniques that were suggested.  I think the food looked very nice against the plate. From a food perspective; the fish was nicely seasoned and saut é ed.   It was not overdone and draped nicely on the bed of orzo.   The puttanesca style sauce is nice to look at with the various textures.   The brininess of the sauce was countered by the orzo and fish nicely. Overall, I like the dish and the photo.   I hope you do too.   As always, your comments are welcome. Until next time, Bon Appetit Y’all Leslie Bartosh