Friday, May 29, 2009

Gourmet Fish Nachos at Volkema Villa - Punta Gorda, FL

Hello Food Lovers! This is my first post on the blog and I hope I get this right! Spent a week in Punta Gorda at a friend's (the Volkema's) Florida home the last week in April and wanted to share a little creation of my own when we had "dinner in" one evening. What do you do with leftover fresh baked Grouper (the fresh catch from "Law's" seafood)? Fish tacos came to mind, but when you are traveling, you have limited food in the fridge and pantry and there were no taco shells... So I decided to create my own rendition, calling it Gourmet Fish Nachos! I spread a good couple of handfuls of tortilla chips to amply cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Then I cubed the leftover grouper and sprinkled over the chips. Next, I found a leftover corn-on-the-cob and sliced those little tender kernels right off the cob and sprinkled them over the fish (good use of leftover vacation food so far, eh?). Then I added some chopped onion and sprinkled over all. Next I spooned over probably a cup of delicious chunky, fresh salsa. Topped that off with lots of shredded Gruyere (that's the gourmet part) -- we just happened to be enjoying Gruyere with our wine throughout the week so figured it would be great on our nachos (as well as adding a little class!). Next I popped the casserole in a 350 degree oven for about, oh, say 20-30 minutes (I was on vacation so not keeping track of time so much). Out of the oven it looked and smelled yummy -- and it was! We scooped some good-sized portions onto our plates and topped it off with a dollop of sour cream (the real kind -- hey, we were on vacation!) Serving it up with a scoop of (again) leftover wild rice on the side and the perfect Italian Pinot Grigio (Albino Armani - Dellevenezie -Alfio Moriconi Selection) -- a nice, medium-bodied wine. All served on the beautiful lanai by the poolside, overlooking the canal. An evening to remember! By the way, we bought our wine at a fabulous, huge beverage store in Ft. Myers called Total Wine & More. It was recommended by our friends. This place was so huge it was like a warehouse and had every kind of wine (and other spirits, as well as gifts and accessories) you could imagine. Unfortunately, we had limited time to shop so went straight to the Pinto Grigio aisle. We were overwhelmed by the choices so asked one of their wine experts for help. She suggested the one I mentioned above as well as Kupelweiser, Alt Adige 2007 - another excellent medium-bodied wine with a smooth finish (not acidic) for a reasonable price of $12.99. We are now on a search for both of these wines in the Columbus area, so if you happen to find them, please let me know where! I'm signing off for tonight. Ciao!

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