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The Shop Cheap Kitchen is focusing on fish, chicken, ribs and 'chokes this week. Recipe researcher Sheila Kern offers up ideas that will keep you cookin'!

Pan Seared Red Snapper

From www.allrecipes.com

Servings: 2

Ingredients

2 (4 ounce) fillets red snapper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

Rinse snapper under cold water, and pat dry. In a shallow bowl, mix together olive oil, lemon juice, rice vinegar, mustard, honey, green onions, and ginger.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Dip snapper fillets in marinade to coat both sides, and place in skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Pour remaining marinade into skillet. Reduce heat, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Pacific Sole with Oranges & Pecans

From www.eatingwell.com

From EatingWell: August/September 2005

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

1 orange

10 ounces Pacific sole, (see Note) or tilapia fillets

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons unsalted butter

1 medium shallot, minced

2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted (see Cooking Tip)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Directions

Using a sharp paring knife, remove the skin and white pith from orange. Hold the fruit over a medium bowl and cut between the membranes to release individual orange sections into the bowl, collecting any juice as well. Discard membranes, pith and skin.

Sprinkle both sides of fillets with salt and pepper. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the fillets and cook 1 minute for sole or 3 minutes for tilapia. Gently flip and cook until the fish is opaque in the center and just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes for sole or 3 to 5 minutes for tilapia. Divide between 2 serving plates; tent with foil to keep warm.

Add butter to the pan and melt over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until soft, about 30 seconds. Add vinegar and the orange sections and juice; loosen any browned bits on the bottom of the pan and cook for 30 seconds. Spoon the sauce over the fish and sprinkle each portion with pecans and dill. Serve immediately.

Tips & Notes

Ingredient Note: The term "sole" is widely used for many types of flatfish from both the Atlantic and Pacific. Flounder and Atlantic halibut are included in the group that is often identified as sole or grey sole. The best choices are Pacific, Dover or English sole. Other sole and flounder are overfished.

Cooking Tip: To toast chopped nuts or seeds: Cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Sole meuniere

From www.boston.com

Serves 2

Ingredients

4 flounder fillets (each 4 to 6 ounces)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup flour

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

4 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon capers

Directions

1. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper. Spread the flour on a plate and dip each fillet in it, patting them lightly. Turn fillets over and repeat. Shake off excess flour.

2. In a large (12 to 15 inches) skillet and a smaller one (8 inches), divide the butter. Add oil to the larger skillet and heat over medium-high heat, swirling to blend oil and butter. When the mixture begins to foam, add the fillets and cook without disturbing for 90 seconds; turn and cook the other side for 90 seconds more or until the coating is lightly browned and fish is firm to the touch. Transfer to a warm platter. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the parsley.

3. Melt the butter in the smaller skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl pan until butter begins to sputter and brown. When it reaches the color of an almond, add the lemon juice, capers, and remaining 1 tablespoon parsley. Stir vigorously with a slotted spatula for half a minute. Pour over the fish.

Adapted from "Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home"

Spicy Chicken Tacos

From www.eatingwell.com

From EatingWell: January/February 1997

Yields: 4 servings, 2 tacos each

Ingredients

8 corn tortillas

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut into thin strips

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 teaspoons canola oil, divided

1 large onion, sliced

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and sliced

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 cup prepared hot salsa, plus more for garnish

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Sliced scallions, chopped fresh tomatoes and reduced-fat sour cream, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 300°F. Wrap tortillas in foil and bake until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, season chicken with salt. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat until very hot. Add chicken and cook, stirring until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to skillet. Add onion and cook, stirring, until they start to brown around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Add bell pepper, garlic, jalapeño and cumin. Cook, stirring, until peppers are bright green but still crisp, 2 to 3 minutes more.

Stir in salsa and reserved chicken. Cook, stirring, until chicken is heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Spoon into warmed tortillas and garnish with scallions, tomatoes and sour cream.

Chicken Cacciatore

From www.campbellskitchen.com

Ingredients

8 ounces fettuccini cooked as package directs

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

4 (about 1 pound) skinned, boneless chicken breast halves

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups (about 8 oz.) fresh mushrooms sliced

1/2 cup onion

1 jar roasted garlic (26-ounce) pasta sauce

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese

Directions

In a shallow dish, combine the flour and Italian seasoning. Coat the chicken with the mixture. In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, brown the chicken in hot oil; remove the chicken from the skillet.

Add the mushrooms and onion to skillet; cook and stir until tender. Add the pasta sauce and chicken. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Top each chicken breast with cheese. Serve with hot pasta.

Oven Baked Spareribs

From www.theotherwhitemeat.com

Serves 6

Ingredients:

4 pounds spareribs, cut into 4-rib portions

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup chili sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons yellow mustard

2 teaspoons celery seed

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

1 cup onion, thin slices

3/4 cup lemon, thin slices

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Arrange ribs in shallow baking pan. Roast ribs for 30 minutes; reduce oven to temperature to 350 degrees F.

In medium saucepan stir together ketchup, chili sauce, sugar, mustard, celery seed, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour half ketchup mixture over ribs, layer with half onions and lemons. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Top with remaining sauce, onions and lemons. Cover with foil, continue baking 30 minutes.

Maple-Mustard Country-Style Spareribs

From www.theotherwhitemeat.com

Serves 6

Ingredients:

6 large country spareribs, about 4-1/2 pounds

3/4 cups maple syrup

3/4 cup mustard, coarse grained

1/3 cup dark brown sugar, plus 1 tablespoon packed

2 teaspoons Tabasco

2 teaspoons soy sauce

Salt and black pepper, coarse ground

Directions:

Mix maple syrup, mustard, brown sugar, hot sauce, and soy sauce. Set glaze aside.

Create indirect fire with foil drip pan half-filled with water. Lay ribs on rack over drip pan and brush with glaze. Cover and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes, turning and basting every 15 minutes. Move ribs to hot side of grill. Brush with glaze, cover, and grill for 5 minutes. Repeat, turning and basting, until ribs are tender and brown (about 20 minutes). Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Couscous-Stuffed Artichokes

From www.artichokes.org (California Artichoke Advisory Board)

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

4 large California artichokes

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon curry powder

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 cup instant couscous

1/4 cup currants

1/2 cup sliced green onion

1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds, chopped

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Plain lowfat yogurt, optional

Directions

Wash artichokes. Cut off stems at base and remove small bottom leaves. Stand artichokes upright in deep saucepan large enough to hold snugly. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 2 to 3 inches boiling water. Cover and boil gently 35 to 45 minutes, or until base can be pierced easily with fork. (Add a little more boiling water, if needed.) Turn artichokes upside down to drain. Carefully remove center petals and fuzzy centers with a spoon and discard. Keep warm or chill as desired.

In medium saucepan combine chicken broth, curry powder, cumin and garlic salt; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in couscous and currants. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork. Stir in green onion and almonds. Combine lemon peel, lemon juice and vegetable oil; stir into couscous.

Gently spread artichoke leaves until center cone of leaves is revealed. Pull out center cone. With a spoon, scrape out any purple-tipped leaves and fuzz. Fill centers of artichokes with couscous mixture. Serve with plain yogurt, if desired.

COOK'S TIP: Fresh cooked and chilled artichokes are easy to keep on hand for quick meals. Refrigerated in a covered container, they will keep up to a week.

Artichokes with Lemon & Dill

From www.eatingwell.com

From EatingWell: March/April 1999

8 servings

Ingredients

3 lemons, halved

8 large artichokes

2 cups water

1/3 cup lemon juice

6 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Lemon wedges

Directions

Fill a large bowl with cold water. Squeeze the juice of 2 lemons into the water and add the squeezed lemon halves. Snap the dark green outer leaves off the artichokes. Working with one artichoke at a time, use a paring knife to trim the bottom 1/4 inch off the stem. Pare away the fibrous green portion of stem and bottom of artichoke. Rub cut surfaces with remaining lemon halves. With a serrated knife, cut remaining inner leaves off at the ridge just above the heart, exposing the purple choke. With a melon baller or spoon, scoop out the fuzzy choke. Place trimmed artichoke in the lemon water. Repeat with remaining artichokes.

Combine 2 cups water and lemon juice in a nonreactive pot wide enough to hold artichokes in a single layer. Drain artichokes and lay them on their sides in the pot. Top with garlic, dill, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, turning artichokes once, until tender when pierced with a fork, 18 to 20 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, transfer artichokes, stems up, to a deep platter. Simmer liquid remaining in pan over medium-high heat until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 10 minutes; spoon over artichokes. Let cool to room temperature.

To serve, drizzle artichokes with oil and baste with sauce. Garnish with chopped dill and serve with lemon wedges.