Hunger Is The Mother of Invention

Even my tried-and-true epicurious.com failed to offer me a recipe for halibut steaks that matched what my tongue was hungry for today, so I decided to improvise. Sometimes, that's a big mistake but this time, it was a big winner.

In a wide pan, I sauteed fresh mushrooms in olive oil, then lowered the heat and added nearly everything else I had in the fridge - sliced onion, julienned zucchini, chopped leeks, pitted Tuscan table olives - and slowly cooked them with some thyme and herbes de Provence, adding a little tomato paste and white wine as the pan juices reduced. When all that was cooked down and sweet, I laid two halibut steaks on top and covered the pan, steaming them gently until just done. Making a bed of the veggies on the plate, I slid the fish on top and heaped more veggies, serving them with a wedge of Meyer lemon to spritz over both.

The fish was tender but very moist, the veggies sweet but with a hint of tartness left in the olives. The lemon juice gave a lively, fresh note to the overall mellowness of the dish. One of my better inventions and just what my tongue was hungry for.