A Creative Touch: Rolled Citrus Sole with Vegetables

Wednesday, February 6th, 2008

A Creative Touch: Rolled Citrus Sole with Vegetables

When it comes time to cook dinner, I’ve got plenty of ideas. I always have a balanced meal (protein, vegetables, and complex carb) and I know how to make it healthful and delicious; I am rarely at a loss for something to cook. But most of the time my meal goes straight to the plate in the same fashion: protein on one third, vegetables on another third, and carb on the last third… I might as well be serving my meal on a compartmentalized party plate.

Routines are great because they make your life easier, but they can also become boring if you don’t switch things up every now and then. The kitchen is a wonderful place to express your creativity. Think of your plate as a blank canvas and imagine all the possibilities. Take a moment to step back and visualize how you want your plate to look. Use ideas you’ve seen before or play around and make up your own. Here are some thoughts to get your creativity flowing:

Vary your cuts: slice your mushrooms instead of cutting them in wedges, use your vegetable peeler to create lengths of carrot curls instead of cutting them in sticks
Shape your food: roll your veggies in a tortilla, pack rice into a small cup and turn it out, wrap your food with lettuce
Stack your food: place your chicken on a bed of spinach or stuff a pepper with quinoa
Garnish: add a slice of lemon, a twist of orange, a sprig of cilantro, or a sprinkling of chopped herbs

Here’s a dish I made the other night. I rolled my veggies in a fillet of sole and garnished with lemon, parsley, carrot, and green onions.

Rolled Citrus Sole with Vegetables
(Serves 4)

1 T. evoo
12 oz. baby spinach
2 carrots, grated
2 green onions, sliced
3/4 t. salt, plus more for fish
fresh ground pepper
2 t. lemon juice
4 fillets Petrale sole, about 6 oz. each
*1 T. butter, cut in 4 pieces (optional)

Ideas for garnishes: lemon slices, parsley, carrots, green onion

*You will also need 4 toothpicks

Preheat oven to 450*.
Heat a large pan on medium-high, and add oil, spinach, carrots, and scallions until soft, about 5 minutes.
Season with 3/4 t. salt, pepper, and 1 t. lemon juice.
Lay fillets flat, sprinkle with salt and pepper (to taste), and top each one with a mound of vegetables. Gently roll each fillet and secure with a toothpick.
Arrange the rolls on the bottom half of a 2-foot sheet of aluminum foil, top with butter (optional), and fold the foil over the fish and crimp the edges to seal.
Bake for 12 – 18 minutes, or until fish is opaque.
Remove toothpicks, garnish, and serve with sauce from bottom of foil.
Complete this meal with a side of rice or french bread.

A little creativity in your meal is sure to get your juices flowing and add some pep to the usual routine. Plus, a meal made with love always tastes better.

~Kristen

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