cece/garbanzo

Every now and again, I hit a dish out of the park.  You know the one, the kind that makes your eyebrow raise when it’s all gone?  Yup…that’s what I have here…Balsamic Trout Fillets with Garbanzo Puree and Caramelized Fennel. The combination of flavors, especially the puree, sends this dish into another realm.  Woohoo!

It wasn’t until a few months ago that I actually tried fresh garbanzo beans.  Really!  Kind of weird, huh, especially with my admiration toward them?  Lucky for me, a chef friend of mine has really helped me with my (hands on) food knowledge over the last several months and working with fresh garbanzo beans was one of my first food lessons.

Garbanzo beans (or chick peas), delicious, nutty, buttery sources of protein, are the magic bean. Why?  I think it has got to be one of the most versatile, protein packed beans I have worked with, as it shows up in so many different foods, Middle Eastern, Indian, Italian, Greek, Ethiopian….just to name a few!

And they are so healthy for you!  Amongst some many wonderful attributes, fiber-full, fat free garbanzos like to lowering cholesterol!  And, with all its fiber fantasticness, is great for those (diabetics) who need to watch the sugar levels. Garbanzos are also great for iron.  So, if you’re like me (constantly iron deficient), and can only eat so much spinach, chomp on these little beans.

The beige bore you? Try the black, green, red or brown ones.

Now, I must say. If you can find fresh garbanzo beans, they are so worth the effort. Not up to the challenge?  Never fear. Podding them is a great job for the kidlets (borrowing Janet’s word). Get them in the kitchen with you! (And, nothing like little quiet parent payback… While fresh beans are sweet looking, the little buggers can be feisty!

And, although the initial bag make look like a ton, the yield shrinks considerably.  I am not sure how much I bought, a good amount whatever it was, but I only yielded about 1 cup after my 20 minutes of playing with the pods.)

This puree, the one I made this weekend, paired amazingly with the trout. It will also work with salmon, and take on various to roles in many other dishes.  It can be a dip, a sauce, on its own, with fish (really good with salmon), or whatever you choose! And it is with that that I am sending this over to Cinzia from Cindystar, as she is hosting Weekend Herb Blogging this week.  Click here for the  rules. Enjoy!

Balsamic Trout Fillets with Garbanzo Puree and Caramelized Fennel

adapted
2 medium Trout fillets, with skin and bones removed
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp olive oil

Cut the trout filets into serving size pieces. Spray a medium sized baking dish with non stick cooking oil. Place the filets into the baking dish and in the refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, In a small bowl mix the melted butter and balsamic vinegar together. Remove the trout from the refrigerator and (evenly) brush the butter/vinegar mixture on the filets. *The butter should gel a bit and get sticky when it touches the chilled fish. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning on the top of each of the pieces.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Carefully lay the fish in the oil (away from you) and sear for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until golden. Remove and drain on paper towels. To serve, Serve over garbanzo puree and top with caramelized fennel.

Caramelized Fennel
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more as needed
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the fennel, reduce heat to medium and cook until most of the slices are golden brown, stirring occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes until caramelized and brown. Salt & pepper to taste.

Garbanzo Bean Puree
1 cups shelled, blanched, fresh Garbanzo Beans
About ¼ cup vegetable stock (or bouillon)
I Tsp. (or so) of fresh lemon juice.
Salt & pepper to taste.

Add the blanched Garbanzo Beans in a blender (or a bowl for an immersion blender) and add ½ the stock and the lemon juice.  Puree, adding more liquid until it is your preferred thickness/consistency.  Salt & pepper to taste.

Cooks note:  When choosing fresh trout, choose shiny, blemish-free, firm, and non-fishy, clean smelling fillets .  Store in the coldest part of your refrigerator and use (or freeze) quickly, within 2 days.