So Many Dishes

It isn’t that I haven’t been cooking this week; it’s just been an issue of what I’ve cooked. I made one of our favorites, shrimp vodka pasta, but I posted that recipe a few months ago. Then we unexpectedly had our grandson, Luke, with us on Wednesday. Alice had either food poisoning or a stomach bug, so Luke spent the night with us, and we made Greek sloppy joes. That recipe is so simple that it doesn’t warrant its own post. I just sauté onion and garlic, brown a pound of ground beef, add a can of tomato sauce and some oregano, and let it cook. When I put the meat mixture on rolls, I top it with a little crumbled feta. Easy, peasy. I also forgot to take pictures.

Last evening, though, we had one of our special Friday evening dinners. While I was volunteering at the botanical garden, Ken went to Whole Paycheck, sorry, Whole Foods, for fish and Kalamata olives, the ingredients I needed to make baked cod Provencal. However, instead of cod, Ken bought two beautiful fresh haddock fillets. The recipe title should be “any white fish” Provençal.

We had decided that a good, rustic bread would be a good accompaniment, and Ken hit the jackpot with his choice. The Whole Foods markets in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach County sell breads from Zak the Baker, an artisanal kosher bakery in Miami. We’ve looked at these breads before, but always chosen something else. I’m still amazed that frugal Ken paid $8.00 for a loaf of bread! Was it worth it? Read on.

The fish is a simple preparation. I began by sauteeing chopped onion and garlic in olive oil. Then it was a matter of adding a can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes, pitted Kalamata olives, capers, lemon juice, and seasonings. The recipe called for oregano, plus salt and pepper. I added a bit of herbs de Provence, as well. Then I spread the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish and laid the fillets on top. The fish is baked at high heat, so it cooks relatively quickly and stays nicely moist.

While the fish was cooking, I sautéed yellow squash with onion and bell pepper strips in a tablespoon each of olive oil and butter. The pepper was yellow, so the dish wasn’t as colorful as it could have been, but still yummy. With the fish and the bread, it definitely was a dinner worthy of Friday night.

And was the bread worth it? Absolutely! I love sourdough in all forms. Adding olives and za’atar made it particularly flavorful.

This recipe is from 1,001 Best Low-Carb Recipes. Most of the recipes I’ve tried out of this source require additional seasoning, so I included my addition of herbs de Provence below. If you don’t have any/don’t want to invest in any, I would at least increase the oregano, or maybe play with some other herbs.

Baked Cod Provençal

• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 15-oz. can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• 2 tablespoons drained capers
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds cod or other white fish fillets

Saute onion and garlic in oil in a skillet until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and their liquid, olives, capers, lemon juice, oregano and herbs de Provence. Bring to a simmer, then cook, uncovered, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should begin to thicken. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon sauce into a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Arrange fish on sauce and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Bake at 450 degrees until fish is tender and flakes with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately. 4 servings.

Happy eating!