Baked Fish with Peach Relish

Here's probably the easiest baked fish recipe. Swai fillet (catfish) is seasoned with Bellindora seasoning, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. Then, it's pan-seared with a combination of olive oil and butter and transferred to the oven until fully cooked. I use the combination of fats so that the butter doesn't burn. Right before the end of the cooking time, peach relish is spread over the fish to add a sweet and acidic flavor to the fish.

The peach relish is made with canned peaches, a lot of Italian parsley, pickled spring onions, Bellindora balsamic peach vinegar and red mini sweet peppers. It adds a brightness and freshness to the dish. I can't wait for peach season to make the dish again with fresh fruit!

Cheesy Eggplant Dip Recipe

Here's a recipe for an eggplant cheese dip. Very flavorful roasted eggplants are mixed with tomatoes that have been cooked until softened, then the mixture is folded into fluffy mascarpone cheese and Romano cheese. The last step is to warm up the dish for a few minutes and wait until it gets bubbly. I paired the warm dip with sweet and smoky barbecue ruffled chips, which serve two purposes: the texture makes it easy to scoop out the dip, and their smoky undertones manage to stand out against the robustly flavored dip.

We're days away from the Super Bowl! Hope your party planning is going well! If you're still looking for inspiration, I'm going to keep posting some recipe ideas until the big day.

Chevre Tartine Recipe

We're hosting a family gathering this weekend so my baby Aria can meet Papa's entire family. To prep for the party, I experimented and made a few tartines today using leftover baguette bread, chèvre, sun-dried tomatoes, shallots, flat-leaf parsley and dill. Once the chèvre was warm, I sprinkled it with coarsely chopped sesame cashew nuts for extra crunch.

The reason I made these little appetizers is that my husband Lulu is a vegetarian. I'm going to serve a few vegetarian bites so Lulu won't starve, but the main dishes are going to be all meat. Can't wait to see everyone; we haven't gathered every single member of Papa's family in the same room since I was a little girl. Now all the cousins are all grown up and married with kids; it's going to make me feel old for sure!

Parmesan and Hearts of Palm Crostini

These hearts of palm appetizers are a recipe for success. Roasted red bell peppers meld with the sweet and mellow warmth of roasted heads of garlic in this hot dip that is used as the topping for these vegetarian appetizers. The main ingredients are baby spinach, hearts of palm and invigorating Serrano peppers.

Spread the dip on grilled bread, sprinkle with a little cheese and pass through the broiler for a few minutes; you'll have the most amazing crostini ever!

Cucumber and Yogurt Salad Recipe

I'm still working on using the cucumbers from our garden. I know my husband Lulu spent a lot of time planting all the vegetables so I try my best to make flavorful dishes using the results of his hard labor. 

Today I used Marketmore cucumbers and served them as a first course. The dish was composed of seeded, sliced cucumbers, finely chopped pickled grape leaves and diced red bell peppers. I tied the flavors of the salad together with a dressing made with yogurt, mustard and olive oil.

I understand that the process of planting, watering and caring for the vegetables requires a lot of work, so I definitely feel responsible for creating unique dishes that showcase the quality of the ingredients. Love you Lulu! Don't we make a great team?