This winter was a long and harsh one. Ghastly winds and mounds of not-so-fluffy-white snow resulted in an archaic, probably-dead-for-years, behemoth tree landing only inches from completely destroying my entire family room. My deck was demolished along with everything on it, including my precious grill. I thought to myself, I can’t possibly live like this; I need my fix of grill marks for the year. With summer arriving fast in the Northeast and Memorial Day weekend being the official “hello summer, so nice to see you”, I quickly made my way to Home Depot and purchased a sparkly new grill for my sparkly new deck that extends off of my luckily still standing family room.
The christening of the grill:
2 swordfish steaks
1 lemon, zested and juiced
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons white wine
1 clove garlic, chopped
Olive oil
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Papaya and Feta Salad:
1 papaya
Feta crumbles
Fresh mint
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon honey
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Roasted Zucchini:
Sliced zucchini, spears or discs
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped or just cracked
Olive oil
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Baked Plantain Chips:
1 plantain, sliced ( I sliced them lengthwise on the mandolin so they could be used for dipping)
Olive oil
Salt
To prepare the swordfish, rinse the fish and pat them completely dry before brushing them with olive oil and seasoning with salt and pepper. Place the swordfish steaks on the grill, making sure not to touch them to allow grill marks to form. Grill the steaks about 3-4 minutes on
each side, depending on the thickness of each steak. Heat a small saucepan. This can be done on the grill or on the stove. Add the white wine to the pan and let some of the alcohol burn off before adding the juice and zest of a lemon. Allow the sauce to reduce then add the butter to smooth it out. When the steaks are done, pour the sauce over the fish. 
To prepare the plantain chips, preheat the oven to 325°. Brush each slice with olive oil and season with a sprinkle of salt. Line up the chips on a baking sheet and bake until golden and crispy, about 10-15 minutes. Season with a pinch more of salt while the chips are still hot.
* Plantains are a member of the banana family but are used more as a vegetable rather than a fruit. They are often referred to as the potatoes of the Caribbean, South America, or Western Africa. When the peel is green (pictured above) they are more starchy and bland, used for things like tostones, aranitas, plantain chips, and mofongo, to name a few. When the peel changes to brown or black, the plantain is sweeter and has a more banana-like aroma, used for things like maduros, which are fried or sautéed plantains, and even plantain fritters.
Roasted Zucchini:
Roasting is my method of choice when it comes to cooking vegetables because it is the simplest way to cook a vegetable and it imparts the most flavor. To roast the zucchini, place the sliced zucchini on a baking sheet or a piece of foil and coat in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and spread the garlic cloves on top of the zucchini. Roast at 375° for about 10 minutes.
Time for the salad. I had a papaya from the local farmer’s market and I still had some feta cheese from my Bucket o’ Feta, so I decided to make
a refreshing salad with the two. Add a little fresh mint, toss in some vinaigrette and perfection is born. Whisk the juice from a lime, olive oil, and honey together in a bowl. Pour over the papaya and fresh mint, season with salt and pepper and top with feta crumbles. I love adding fresh herbs to fruit and salty-sweet has always been a classic combination. I feel it is the job of any artist and creative mind to break the rules while still maintaining a sense of tradition.
xoxo, Xristina Marie
The Refined Palate
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© 2011 Xristina Miros
