It's a Supper Present, Jimmy.

"I made you your own block of omega-3 fatty acids which can reduce your young blood pressure and help prevent blood clots in your tiny veins.  Underneath I've hidden a bundled gift full of vitamins A & C, beta-carotene, soluble fibers, magnesium and folic acid. You can thank me when you live to be 110."
One of my best meals ever, was at Commander's Palace in New Orleans. Filet of Sole en Papiotte with a Buerre Blanc Sauce (fish w/ butter sauce in parchment paper - to the rest of us).   I urge all of you to buy yourself a roll of parchment paper, if you haven't already.  Bake cookies and rolls on parchment to prevent burning, but even better, bake fish or poultry in a parchment wrap to keep it sinfully moist and to avoid washing dirty pans!
I found fresh halibut on sale - when does that ever happen? - and knew Griffin, my protein-averse-in-a-veggie-rut son, would complain.   This presentation did the trick - I told him it was Seafood Surprise.  He ate red peppers and zucchini with the halibut and I only had to use one teaspoon of butter.  And, he got a free facial steambath.

Halibut en Papiotte or Seafood Surprise
Fish - halibut, salmon, etc. (for God's sake, buy it on sale) Julienne slice carrots, red peppers, onions and zucchini.  Note: I leave out the center seed portion of the zucchini for cooking because it tends to get mushy.  Use vegetables you have on-hand making sure to pre-saute tougher vegetables before baking.
Saute carrots, onions and red peppers until slightly tender - you can do this on the weekend and save time.  Do not saute the zucchini before baking, again with the mushy factor.

Tear off a large piece of parchment paper and fold it in half.   Add a serving of vegetables including the raw, julienned zucchini to one side of parchment close to the fold.  Dollop 1/2 t. butter on top with s&p to taste (this is not the Standard & Poors).   Layer on a serving a of fish and another 1/2 t. of butter and s&p.  I added grated ginger ( Bowling for Taste) to the top. Yum.

Wipe a thin layer of butter around the 3 edges of parchment and fold the other half of paper over the food and adhere to the butter edges.    Roll up the edges to form a pouch.

Bake at 350º for 15 minutes.

Open the pouches at the table for dramatic effect. 

Take a bow and throw kisses to the audience.

RECIPE

Roasting Continued

Don't be afraid to experiment with roasting veggies that you normally eat raw or steamed! Blasted broccoli tossed with olive oil and garlic is a revelation-the crispy flowers taste almost fried. Cauliflower carmelizes into tender nuggets that are super tossed with curry. Fennel turns into licorice flavored sweet onions, and if you've never had a parsnip you'll weep once you taste the sweet apple carrot flavor that roasting brings out.

Throwing what ever veggie is in season into a hot oven is a great way to vary your intake of different vitamins and anti-oxidants throughout the year. Our bodies are clearly designed to need this variety. Studies show that exposure to lots of different plant products reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease. BUT if we try and pick just one of those products to take as the cure all (I'm talking about you beta-carotene) and turn it into a pill there are no benefits at all. So pick a new veggie ever month to blast in the oven-your blood vessels will thank you!

RECIPE

When In Doubt, Roast

Olive oil, salt, pepper and a 400° oven is all you need to roast any meat, chicken, fish or vegetable to perfection.
Potatoes (shown) for 45 minutes and turn. Make them in bulk to have throughout the week. I added chopped, fresh rosemary to these. Potatoes are more starch than vegetable so they will not give you the nutrients you need you need from our vegetable friends, but keep the skins on because they are a rich source of fiber and it makes prep even easier.
Shrimp (raw, peeled) for 5 minutes (no turning necessary). Roast shrimp in bulk and then reincarnate it later in the week: salad topping, reheated over pasta, sautéed with garlic.
Chicken for 30 minutes.  Make extra for future meals.
Vegetables for 45 minute, turning as needed.  The goal is to bring out the natural sugars in vegetables for caramelized flavor.
Fish (salmon, halibut (shown), orange roughy, tilapia, etc) about 15 minutes, no turning necessary.

RECIPE