The tilapia with veggies is one of my favorite and easiest recipes to make. It takes less than thirty minutes to prepare and it’s super delicious! If you’ve noticed, I tend to not make things that take more than an hour to prepare or cook because I really don’t like standing in the kitchen checking on stuff. Okay, the real reason is that I really like to eat and once my kitchen starts smelling like food, I need to have it right then and there. Patience is not a virtue in my kitchen…The garlic rice was something I decided to experiment with recently. I adore rice but I’ve gotten tired of throwing in the same old veggies or making pilafs, I want something new, exciting, delicious! I was a little nervous about it because usually when I experiment in the kitchen, it, um, okay, it’s gross. Sort of like the time I decided to marinate pork ribs with a bottle of mead. I figured that the honey would give the pork a distinct taste and it was definitely distinct, distinctly ass. Eh, you live and you learn.
Your ingredients for the tilapia
One pound of tilapia, pepper, salt, cumin, one red pepper (I ran out of bell peppers and used these itty bitty sweet peppers instead, same result), half a purple onion, and one tomatillo, one bottle of Mexican beer or one cup of veggie broth.
I really like tomatillos and wish I had more recipes that called for them. When James saw it on the counter, he asked “Um, what’s wrong with that tomato?” Oh, that James! If you aren’t very familiar with tomatillos, make sure you buy ones that are firm and bright green. Usually part of the husk has fallen off so you can see the color. On to the cooking.
Heat up your skillet with some EVOO and while waiting for that to heat up, chop up your veggies. When the skillet and oil are nice and hot, add the peppers, then the onion, and then the tomatillo. Normally I add a bottle of Dos Equis Mexican Lager to the veggies and let them boil but oddly, we didn’t have any beer in the house. I ended up substituting the beer with veggie broth and I think it came out just as good. While the veggies are boiling, cover each side of the tilapia with salt, pepper, and cumin and then add to the veggies. I typically make room on the skillet, add the tilapia, and then cover the tilapia with all of the veggies so that all the flavor can get sucked in to the fish.
Your ingredients for the garlic rice (I didn’t take a picture of it, sorries!)
Half a cup of white rice, a two teaspoons of EVOO, two garlic cloves, and pepper, a drizzle of truffle oil.
I first smashed the garlic cloves and put them and a teaspoon of EVOO in foil, made a little envelope, and threw it in the oven at 350 degrees for about ten minutes. When the garlic was ready, I took it out and mashed it into a paste. I then heated up a pan with some oil and added the rice and about a tablespoon of pepper. I fried the rice for a bit, maybe about five minutes, and then added the garlic and a cup of water. After the rice was ready, about thirty minutes later, I drizzled a little bit of truffle oil on top and fluffed it wit a fork. If you’ve never used truffle oil, I demand you go out and buy yourself a bottle. It’s a little expensive but totally worth it because it adds an amazingly rich flavor to everything you use it with and it never takes more than a drizzle to make a difference.
I also made some squash with this meal but it was nothing more than sauteeing it in butter so I didn’t feel the need to add the how to in here. The rice was yum-tacular and I was really pleased with how it turned out. This was actually our Valentine’s Day dinner and it was a great success because I totally fell in love with that rice.
