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ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News
arty season is all around for
many of us now Our
dance cards are filled, not
just with Chanukah but
with our secular lives as well. Office
holiday parties, visiting friends in
town and New Year's Eve just a few
short weeks out — all are opportu-
nities to•socialize and entertain.
This season is also about elegance.
We often like to dress up and bathe
our surroundings in candlelight, to
make up for the lack of sunlit sur-
roundings.
When it's time to be the host or
hostess, remember that most elegant
affairs serve very simple fare without
fuss. The big secret to refinement is
in the "polish" of the service. Like
the saying goes, the devil is often in
the details.
For most, graceful dining often
means smaller portions, fewer menu
choices and perfection of plate
design. For the home cook, ease of
preparation is the final ingredient
for obtainable elegance.
Do-before recipes and advance
preparation allow for time with
guests and peace of mind, because
you're not scrambling at the last
moment with complicated food con-
structions.
Remember that you eat first with
your eyes.
For a look that's special, copy a
display from your favorite restaurant
or a cooking magazine. Many eater-
ies sprinkle the edges of plates with
parsley, black pepper, paprika or all
of these. A lovely flower (non-poi-
sonous, please), at the edge of a
dessert plate, is festive. Long herb
sprigs lying across the top of an
it) 44.
,
*1
. entree add visual interest.
The following elegant recipes are
simple to prepare. That doesn't mean
the ingredients are few. It means that
you don't have to have gone to culi-
nary school to prepare them.
Sea Bass with Capers and Toma-
toes is a one-dish meal. The green
beans are served at room tempera-
ture so your ovens are freed to keep
other dishes hot. A salad with make-
ahead wild mushroom topping
requires just a last minute splash of
dressing for flavoring. The tiny lamb
chops cook almost instantly and can
be either a luxurious appetizer or a
quick entree.
Cipolhne (pronounced chi-poh-
LEE-nee) are those tiny onions you
see at the vegetable market and did-
n't know what to do with. Now you
will. Prepared with a sweet glaze,
they look exotic, but have a warm,
homey flavor.
Go ahead, put on the ritz without
putting yourself out too much this
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festive season. And use all your best
stuff. What are you saving it for?
SEA BASS WITH CAPERS
AND TOMATOES
2 T. olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 t. minced garlic
4 cups sliced red-skin potatoes,
unpeeled
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups diced fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped pimentos (jarred,'
drained)
2 T. capers, drained
1 cup dry white wine
8 5-ounce portions of sea bass
Ground paprika, garnish
1 cup chopped fresh parsley, garnish
1 lemon or lime, cut into wedges,
garnish
Nonstick cooking spray
Preheat oven to 400E
Heat oil in a large, nonstick pan
over medium-high heat. Add the
onions and garlic and saute for 5 min-
uses, until the onions are softened.
Remove from the heat and set aside to
cool.
Spray a large baking dish with non-
stick cooking spray. Spread the onion
and garlic over the bottom of the dish.
Arrange the potato slices over the
onions, overlapping them if necessary.
Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and
pepper. Sprinkle the tomatoes, pimen-
tos and capers over the potatoes. Pour
the wine around the vegetables. Cover
the pan with foil and bake for 30 min-
utes.
Remove from the oven and arrange
the fish pieces over all. Sprinkle a little
salt and pepper over the fish. Cover
the pan well with foil and bake for
another 20 minutes, or until the fish is
cooked through.
To serve, arrange a portion of fish in
the center of a dinner plate. Arrange
the vegetables around the fish.
Sprinkle paprika and parsley over the
fish and around the edge of the plate
and serve with a wedge of lemon.
Repeat with the remaining fish and
vegetables.
Alternately, serve the dish from the
oven, sprinkled with the paprika and
parsley.
Makes 8 servings.
CIDER-ROASTED GREEN BEANS
AND PEAPODS WITH PINE
NUTS
This dish is easy and elegant.
2 pounds green beans, trimmed of
stem ends only
1 T. cider vinegar
2 T. apple cider
2 T. olive oil
1 T. grainy mustard
1/2 cup pine nuts
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 450E
Toss all the ingredients together in a
large bowl until the beans are coated.
12/ 6
2002
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