Barefoot Contessa -- Back To Basics

You know me. I go to the bookshelves to look for something and then I become obsessed. So I went in search of this orzo recipe, knowing it was in a Barefoot Contessa. Then I pulled a bunch of them down, and now I am sharing them with you.

I admit, I cook a lot, so I am never really enamored of those "basics" books. Somehow I ended up with a copy of Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa --Back To Basics. If you don't know how to cook or just don't like to cook, but sometimes need to put food on the table, this book is for you. Even Garten's complicated recipes seem easy. Most recipes in the book I can cook without flinching, but as you know if you read Cookbook Of The Day, I am not the best fish cooker. So I was drawn to this recipe. It seems sole easy. I am going to give it a try.

Easy Sole Meuniere

½ cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 fresh sole fillets, 3 to 4 ounces each
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Have 2 heat-proof dinner plates ready.

Combine the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large shallow plate. Pat the sole fillets dry with paper towels and sprinkle one side with salt.

Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium heat until it starts to brown. Dredge 2 sole fillets in the seasoned flour on both sides and place them in the hot butter. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes. Turn carefully with a metal spatula and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. While the second side cooks, add ½ teaspoon of lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to the pan.

Carefully put the fish fillets on the ovenproof plates and pour the sauce over them. Keep the cooked fillets warm in the oven while you repeat the process with the remaining 2 fillets. When they’re done, add the cooked fillets to the plates in the oven. Sprinkle with the parsley, salt, and pepper and serve immediately.

Wouldn't this be really great if we dredged it in cornmeal and fired it!