Saturday, June 17, 2006

confession: i am secretly addicted to food TV

yes, it's true. i spend way too much time watching 'celebrity' chefs make food, and dreaming of how fabulous it would be to just have the ingredients for all of these dishes right at my fingertips. i wish i had a staff to shop, chop and put everything in those cute little prep bowls so all i had to do was combine, bake and eat.

anyway, just finished watching an episode of everyday italian (even though giada is really getting a bit too perky for me), and i know what i'm making for dinner next week: grilled swordfish with citrus pesto

Swordfish:
4 (6-ounce) swordfish steaks
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Citrus pesto:
1 bunch fresh basil, stemmed (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 clove garlic
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 orange, zested and juiced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup grated Parmesan

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Brush both sides of the swordfish fillets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the swordfish about 3 to 4 minutes on each side for a 1-inch thick fillet.

Blend the basil, pine nuts, garlic, zests, juices, salt, and pepper in a food processor until the mixture is finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan.

Transfer the grilled swordfish to serving plates, top with the citrus pesto, and serve.


YUM! now if i can just talk myself down from making barefoot contessa's chocolate truffles.