I love grilled swordfish, and last week I tried a new way of marinating it before grilling. Not only was it delicious, but it also was quick and easy. The combination of fresh lemon juice, capers and green peppercorns added a delightful tang to the fish, and topping it with just a small amount of butter while it was on the grill kept it moist. It works with other types of fish, too, including Chilean sea bass and salmon.
GRILLED SWORDFISH STEAKS WITH CAPERS AND GREEN PEPPERCORNS
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Marinating time: 2 hours
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
1 1/2 pounds fresh, thick swordfish steaks, or other fish steaks
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup each: undrained capers, undrained green peppercorns
4 teaspoons butter
1. Place fish in non-reactive baking pan. Pour lemon juice over fish, turning to coat completely. Spoon capers and green peppercorns evenly over top. Cover tightly; refrigerate about 2 hours or until ready to grill.
2. Pour marinade into small, non-reactive saucepan. Heat to boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; set aside.
3. Prepare grill or broiler. Spread 2 teaspoons of the butter evenly over top of each steak. Place fish on grill or under broiler, 4 minutes. Turn fish; top with any remaining butter. Continue to grill or broil until center of fish turns from translucent to opaque, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Divide fish into 4 equal servings; spoon caper-peppercorn mixture evenly over each serving.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 185 Fat ………… 9 g Saturated fat … 3.7 g
% calories from fat .. 42 Cholesterol .. 55 mg Sodium ……… 870 mg
Carbohydrates ….. 2.9 g Protein ……. 24 g Fiber ……….. 1.3 g
Q. Here is a recipe I found in Good Housekeeping magazine 15 years ago. It is delicious but loaded with calories and fat. Please cook it light. Thank you.
Patricia Shockley, Naperville
CHICKEN AND SPINACH LASAGNA
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 servings
4 whole chicken breasts, split in half
6 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup half-and-half
Salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
3 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 package (4 ounces) cream cheese, softened
6 ounces ricotta cheese
8 ounces Jarlsberg cheese, grated
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon dry white wine
Salt, freshly ground pepper, ground nutmeg to taste
8 ounces lasagna noodles
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1. Place chicken breast halves in small stockpot with enough water to cover. Heat to simmer; cook until chicken is cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from pot and cool until easy to handle.
2. Melt butter in heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in flour to form stiff paste. Whisk in buttermilk, half-and-half, salt and pepper to taste. Stir briskly over low heat until sauce is smooth and thick, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. Remove skin and bones from breasts; cut meat into small pieces. Stir together chicken, spinach, cream cheese, ricotta, Jarlsberg and 3 tablespoons of the wine. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. To make mixture more moist, add small amount of reserved sauce.
4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pour small amount of sauce onto bottom of 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Top with layer of uncooked lasagna noodles; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the wine. Add layer of filling, then another layer of sauce. Place another layer of noodles over sauce, sprinkle with 2 more tablespoons wine and top with more filling. End with layer of sauce. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons wine around inside edges of pan. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake until browned and bubbly, about 1 hour.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 700 Fat ………… 38 g Saturated fat … 21 g
% calories from fat .. 50 Cholesterol .. 175 mg Sodium …….. 545 mg
Carbohydrates …… 35 g Protein …….. 53 g Fiber ………. 4.3 g
A. With the combination of low-fat buttermilk and low-fat or fat-free cheeses, I was able to maintain the rich flavor of this lasagna. Using uncooked lasagna noodles was a nice time-saver. Because the dish is hearty, all you need is a green salad to complete a delicious meal.
`RICH’ CHICKEN AND SPINACH LASAGNA
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 servings
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 cup 1 percent milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 package (4 ounces) low-fat cream cheese, softened
6 ounces non-fat ricotta cheese
6 ounces light Jarlsberg, grated
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon dry white wine
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 lasagna noodles
1/4 cup freshly grated
Parmesan cheese
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in large saucepan or Dutch oven; cover with water. Heat to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool until easy to handle. Cut into small pieces.
2. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in flour to make stiff paste; cook 1 minute. Whisk in buttermilk and milk, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and thick. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Set sauce aside.
3. Mix chicken, spinach, cream cheese, ricotta cheese, 3 tablespoons of the wine, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and nutmeg in large bowl. To moisten, add small amount of sauce.
4. Spread small amount sauce over bottom of 13- by 9-inch baking pan sprayed with non-stick vegetable oil spray. Add layer of 4 uncooked lasagna noodles; sprinkle noodles with 2 tablespoons of the wine. Spread half of the filling and half of the remaining sauce over noodles. Top with another layer of four noodles. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the wine. Top with remaining filling. End with layer of remaining sauce; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons wine around inside edge of pan. Bake until hot and bubbly, about 1 hour.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 470 Fat ………… 15 g Saturated fat … 7 g
% calories from fat .. 30 Cholesterol … 95 mg Sodium ……. 865 mg
Carbohydrates …… 36 g Protein …….. 45 g Fiber ……… 4.3 g
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