Wee Scunner.

 We had a few Wee Scunner's in the house last night (aka, little nuisances in Scottish brogue) after my delicious masterpiece was completed. Katy rebelled with the meal and ate two pieces of bacon before gymnastics. Apparently, we raced home and took a shower and settled into bed to read when she reappeared after 10pm to say she was hungry. Shame on her for not eating the meal she was offered earlier in the night. Shame on me for not remembering she needed to fill her tummy before bed. So she ate a bowl of Cheerios and went back up. The problem was we were all tired and going to bed. She has a hard time going to sleep if she knows everyone else has gone to bed so the whimpering began. I could hear her from across the house. So I marched into her bedroom and tried to reason with her. Finally, after 11pm, Katy was now tucked in on our floor for the night, losing any play time today as her consequence.

Scunner #2 was Elie. Apparently after I left for gymnastics, her whining and arguing began with Andy. Not the perfect pair when they are both tired. So I walked into the screaming and soon sent Scunner #2 to bed. Bring it on... Hannah chose wisely and didn't get involved. Her only problem is searching for a Homecoming dress for the dance she hasn't been asked to...

I digress. It's time to switch back to the meal. The meal I quickly pulled together with all the scurry that Scotland has brought me this week. I found a fish recipe from the Inverlochy Castle in Scotland. I paired it with a tradional potato dish, Bacon Clapshot, which can be found in North-East Scotland. As I mentioned in the last blog, it was a pleasant surprise when it all came together. Very gourmet on a Wednesday night. NO fusses with the exception of Scunner #1.

White Fish with Artichokes and Caper Dressing
Ingredients 

Artichokes
3 1/3 cups low-salt chicken broth 1 onion, sliced 3/4 cup dry white wine 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 3 fresh thyme sprigs 2 large garlic cloves, crushed 1 fresh rosemary sprig 4 whole artichokes
..or one can of artichoke hearts which is what I did...huge time saver!

Dressing
5 tablespoons olive oil 5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 2 tablespoons drained capers

Fish
4 5- to 6-ounce sea bream, striped bass, or whitefish fillets (I used Tilapia)
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil


Preparation
For artichokes:
Combine first 7 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, cut off stems and remove all leaves. Scrape out chokes, trim edges of hearts, and add to saucepan; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cover pan and simmer until hearts are tender, about 35 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer hearts to plate. Cut hearts into 1/3-inch-thick slices. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
...or use can opener and drain artichoke hearts in strainer.

For dressing:
Whisk oil, vinegar, and lemon peel in small bowl to blend; whisk in capers. Season dressing with salt and pepper.

For fish:

Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Melt butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add artichoke slices to skillet. Sauté until heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Using slotted spoon, arrange artichokes in center of each of 4 plates; reserve skillet. Spoon 3/4 of warm potatoes atop artichokes on each plate; tent with foil to keep warm.
Return reserved skillet with butter mixture to medium-high heat. Add fish and sauté until just opaque in center, about 4 minutes per side. Arrange fish atop potatoes on each plate. Spoon dressing over fish and serve.

Bacon Clapshot

Ingredients
1 1/3 pounds potato, peeled and quartered
2/3 pound turnips, peeled and cut into chunks (also used parsnips)
3 tablespoons butter (accidently added 3 tablespoons olive oil in addition..oops)
1/4 cup milk
8 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 pinch ground nutmeg
salt and ground black pepper to taste





Directions
1. Place the potatoes and turnips in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes and turnips, return them to the saucepan and mash until creamy. Add the butter and milk and beat until fluffy. Stir in the crumbled bacon and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

* The fish recipe was found in epicurous and the Bacon Clapshot from Allrecipes.com. Two of my favorite food sites!