Scripps Howard News Service
Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals 2 is based on her popular daily Food Network show of the same name. Like the show, the book is organized by menus, not food categories.
"It's organized the way people actually use food," Ray says.
Below is a meal from the new book, a dish that Ray says made her "fall in love" with her boyfriend.
John's Fish: Tilapia with Tomatillo Sauce
Avocados with Creamy Maque Choux (Corn And Peppers)
(Serves 4)
Fish:
4 fillets tilapia (orange roughy or flounder are good substitutes)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin (eyeball it)
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika (eyeball it)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (twice around the pan)
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno or Serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 or 3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 to 10 tomatillos, peeled and diced with juice
Coarse salt, to taste
1/2 bottle pale beer
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (a palmful), plus a few sprigs for garnish
Avocados:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (once around the pan)
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 ears fresh corn on the cob, husked
A sprinkle of sugar
Dash cayenne pepper
Dash salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 ripe avocados
Juice of 1 lime
Coarse salt
Season tilapia on both sides with salt, pepper, cumin and paprika. Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the hot skillet and sauti tilapia 3 minutes on each side, turning carefully with a thin spatula. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lime over the fish, and transfer fillets to a warm serving platter.
Return skillet to the stove over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, red onion, jalapeno and garlic, and sauti 1 or 2 minutes, then add tomatillos. Season with salt and pepper, and sauti another 1 or 2 minutes. Add beer and the juice of 1/2 lime, and bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes.
While sauce is simmering, get a second skillet hot over moderate heat. Add olive oil, onion, jalapeno, bell pepper, and sauti 2 or 3 minutes. Working on a plate to catch the milky juices, scrape corn off the cob. Break up kernels and pour into the skillet. Combine with peppers and onions. Season with sugar, cayenne and salt. When mixture bubbles, reduce heat to a simmer. Cut butter into pieces, stir into corn mixture and simmer until creamy, 5 to 7 minutes.
Cut avocados in half lengthwise and remove pits. Squeeze lime juice over the avocados to keep them from browning and season with a little coarse salt.
Back to the sauce for fish: Add cilantro and adjust salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon hot tomatillo sauce over the fish and garnish with sprigs of cilantro.
To serve, set half an avocado per person alongside a serving of fish, topped with tomatillo sauce. Fill the avocado with maque choux, allowing the corn to spill down and over the sides. The ripe avocado is spooned away from its skin with bites of creamy, warm corn and peppers.
(For more recipes and information visit www.foodnetwork.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Services.)
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