oregano | Cecile's Cuisine

Spring is here! At least that’s what the calendar says. But here in South Carolina, it seems that we skipped right into summer. The temperatures are already in the high 80’s. I really worry of what it is going to be like in the heat of the summer. I love spring for the trees in bloom, the rabbits hoping in all directions, birds chirping in the morning. I love the warmth of the sun….but what we have now is no spring at all. In fact, it is already so hot in the afternoon, I wait till 7 pm to do my evening run because I feel it is too hot otherwise.

The good part about those temperature, I will say, are the fact that it makes you want to take some layers off ( of clothes, and other;-)) which also means that I may need to stop having those yummy Sunday treats in order to be bikini ready;-).

Tonite, the temperature were already so overwhelming, that I was not very hungry and wanted some quick and light so when I went to the grocery store, I was hoping to find some white fish.. either Mahi or sea bass. What a nice surprise to see that they had small pieces of sea bass that had just shipped that very morning! Yeah!!!

Ingredients for 1-2: 1 tbsp of oregano infused olive oil, 1 spring of oregano, 1 piece of sea bass, salt, pepper, 1 cup of fresh baby tomatoes sliced in half.

To infuse the oil, you will simply need to place the herbs in the olive oil and keep the mixture in the fridge for a few days (2-3). The oil should be used shortly, and always kept in the fridge.

Place the sea bass in the large round mold. With a pastry brush, brush the olive oil all over the fish. Sprinkle salt and pepper. And place the tomatoes all around the fish. Chop 1 sprig of oregano and sprinkle it over the fish. Cover the round mold with the octogonal silpat and cook in a warm oven of 375 for 8-10 minutes depending on your preferences and on the size of the fish.

For added color and added taste, cooked an oregano sprig into the infused oil so that it would become crispy and I could use that spring for decoration Et Voila!!!

I accompany the fish with a salad of watercress, and roasted purple onions in a balsamic and oregano infused vinaigrette. Yummy!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

If you have a few squashes, zucchinis and tomatoes left in your fridge, you can make a quick yummy side: Ratatouille. Now your man is probably not going to like it. I know… even in France very few men like ratatouille but ladies if you like vegetables, you will love this side!!! Even if no-one here eats it, I will eat it for lunch and dinner until it is all gone. I love to eat it cold as a side to a grilled meat or scrambled eggs, or warm over fresh pasta and grated parmesan.

Ingredients: 4 tbsp of olive oil, 2 medium sized yellow onions, 2- 3 bell peppers diced ( not green), 2 eggplants cubed, 3 zucchinis cubed, 3 yellow squashes cubed, 4-6 tomatoes peeled and diced, 2 tbsp of fresh basil chopped, 2 tbsp of fresh parsley chopped, 1 tbsp of fresh oregano chopped, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of fresh back pepper.

In a large stockpot, warm up the olive oil and saute the yellow onions until they are becoming golden and soft. Add the bell peppers and saute them. Stir regularly to prevent scorching. Add the 1/2 of the tomatoes, and stir. Add zucchinis and squashes and eggplants and saute them. Stir well. Add the rest of the tomatoes. Bring to boil. Add salt, pepper and the herbs and stir. Lower the temperature and let it simmer for 2-3 hours until the vegetables have somewhat “melted” and lost their shapes. Eat warm as a vegetables or cold with a yummy omelet. Yum!