Trout with Butternut Pilaf and Steamed Kale

Butternut.

Pilaf.

I'm already hooked.

This meal is based around the risotto. Trout (or whatever fish is on sale) is just the accessory, not the main dish. Trust me, this pilaf can hold its own.

Start by stripping the leaves off of a big old bunch of beautiful kale. Put the torn leaves in about 1/2 cup chicken broth, cover, and simmer while cooking everything else.

Now take a butternut squash, peel it (easiest way is with a vegetable peeler), and get to grating. Yep, grate that whole sucker. You will need to split the bulb looking part and scrape out the pulp and seeds. After officially wearing out my right bicep, I found that it was easier to cut the squash into smaller chunks to grate rather than trying to hold the whole slippery thing to the box grater.


Looks like a bowl of cheddar cheese. But it's not.

Measure about 1 1/2 cup brown basmati rice and 1/2 cup broken whole wheat spaghetti.


Cook the rice for about six or seven minutes in boiling water to get it started. While the rice par-boils, heat a little olive oil in a pot and let the broken spaghetti brown for a couple of minutes. It will start smelling good and nutty. Grate in a few cloves of garlic, then stir in 3 Tablespoons tomato paste. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the brown rice into the pot. Once the rice is in, start to add chicken broth. You will need 4 cups total. Just add a little, stir it around, let the liquid cook out a little, then add some more. After doing that a few times, go ahead and pour the rest of the broth in, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 25-30 minutes.

While the pilaf cooks and the kale steams, prepare your fish with whatever seasonings you like. I used a 3/4 pound trout filet and seasoned it with salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika, dried basil and oregano, and a pinch of cinnamon. I baked it at 400 for about 12 minutes, then turned on the broiler for about 2 minutes.

Before serving, add a handful of fresh torn basil and a couple of dashes of ground cinnamon and nutmeg to the pilaf. I divided the one fish into five pieces and just used one piece per serving to top the pilaf. (That gave us some for leftovers the next day as well.)

It was really good.

Really.


I might have accidentally sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese over everything.

Enjoy!