The (Not Barefoot) Contessa's Fish Pasta

The saltiness of the capers and olives along with the fish really made this dish for me. It will definitely be my new go to pasta dish for the week. I used red snapper for the fish.

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 12 or so oil cured olives, depitted and chopped
• 1 pound white fish, like striped bass or snapper
• 1 tablespoon salted capers
• half a glass of white wine
• 4 big and fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 packet linguine or spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped roughly
• salt and pepper

1. Chop tomatoes roughly.
2. Dice garlic.
3. Deskin fish and cut into bite sized chunks.
4. Saute three tablespoons of oil with garlic for two minutes or so over medium heat.
5. Add fish, stirring carefully until browned, try not to break it up.
6. Once browned, add salt and pepper, then half glass of white wine and turn up heat. stir carefully till wine is nearly evaporated.
7. In the meantime, heat pot of hot water for pasta, generously salted.
8. When wine is nearly evaporated, reduce heat, add tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes or so.
9. Add capers (i prefer just to shake the salt off them rather than wash them), parsley and olives. again stir carefully: you don't want to turn this into fish puree. When the tomato juice is released and the sauce is just thickening, turn off heat. You want the tomatoes a little raw.
10. Cook pasta al dente.
11. Carefully add the sauce to the pasta over a little heat. Stir gently for a minute or two and serve. 

Source: http://food52.com/recipes/264-the-not-barefoot-contessa-s-fish-pasta

Creamy fingerling potato salad

This potato salad reminds me of my mom's German potato salad, just minus the bacon and bacon grease. I have always been a fan of vinegar potato salad as opposed to mayonnaise based so I loved this recipe. The other weekend, I made this for a large group. I cooked the potatoes and made the dressing ahead and then mixed it together right before serving.

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes (such as La Ratte or Russian Banana), cut into 1/2-inch disks
• 1/2 pound yukon gold potatoes (about 1 large), peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• Kosher salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, divided
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• 1 tablespoon pickle relish
• 1 tablespoon sugar, plus more as desired
• 2 small shallots, one minced (about 1/4 cup), one thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed, drained, and roughly chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Place potatoes, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 3 cups tepid water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally until salt is dissolved. Reduce to a bare simmer and cook until potatoes are completely tender and show no resistance when poked with a paring knife or cake tester, about 17 minutes. Drain potatoes, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking liquid. Immediately toss potato pieces with 1/2 tablespoon vinegar and set aside.
2. Combine reserved cooking liquid with remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, mustard, relish, sugar, and minced shallot in a large bowl. Add 5 to 6 pieces of cooked Yukon gold potato. Mash with a potato masher until smooth. Whisking constantly, add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Fold in capers, celery, sliced shallot, parsley, and potatoes. Season to taste with salt and more sugar if desired. Serve immediately, drizzling with remaining olive oil or refrigerate for up to three days. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Source: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/02/creamy-fingerling-potato-salad-recipe.html