Inordinately Excited about This Meal
Life is hard; food doesn't have to be #126 [vol6, 1.5]
Last night I was so excited about dinner that I texted several friends. That’s my sign to write about it here.
What I Loved:
virtually low prep - fridge to table in 25ish minutes
off the chart flavor and texture combos
COLOR
high approval ratings from family
The Players
Everything on my plate, with the exception of the fermented radish, was grab and go…and mostly single ingredient! Win-win!
The beets were from Costco - just cooked beets, no other ingredient. My family isn’t a fan of beets yet they all tried these and agreed they were the best tasting beets they’d tried…and still didn’t like beets. I added a splash of raw vinegar on the slices on my plate for a kiss of acid. YUMMMM.
Wild caught cod and kale was from Aldi. The rest was from Trader Joe’s. I don’t live particularly near TJs. The butternut squash and coconut milk is easily sourced elsewhere.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the calabrian chili crisp that
wrote about here, and she sourced them from Amazon.The Process
This all came together from fridge to table in under 30 minutes. Granted there was a mess to clean up after dinner!
Fish
Preheat oven to 400* then collect ingredients. Start preheating two other pans/pots for the stovetop veggies.
Pour coconut milk over a heaping tablespoon of chilies. I wasn’t sure how much to use. Past experience informed me that this jar from TJs was on the spicy side so I started slow. If you can’t get the chilies, or have people who aren’t into spicy then simply poach the fish in coconut milk. You could 100% substitute with salmon or any other fish.
Poach is a fancy word for cook in liquid. If you’re like me and unfamiliar with cooking fish, poaching fish in the oven is forgiving. It won’t dry out as easily.
Set the fish in the oven *uncovered* and set a timer for 15 minutes. When timer rang I used a fork to see if the fish was flaky, not gummy, and the biggest piece appeared flaky. I turned off heat and cracked oven door but left pan in oven to stay warm until veggies finished stovetop.
Kale
We used to eat cooked kale frequently in Little Rock. Between farmers markets and living close to Natural Grocers and Kroger I picked it up often. Now it seems I’m mostly shopping at Costco and Aldi and don’t see it as often. When I saw this beautiful bag (fresh) at Aldi, I scooped it up knowing I would use it somehow!
Collards work with this method too.
Start with kale after fish is in the oven. It needs a few minutes to braise and soften.
Braise means fry on hot heat then stew with liquid at low heat.
Heat a heavy bottomed stockpot to medium/high, like 8 on scale of 10 - or any pot with a lid - I’ve used a saucepan or even a cast iron skillet for smaller amounts. Once the pot is sufficiently heated, add a generous amount (3T+) of fat: lard, bacon grease, coconut avocado oil, etc.
Toss the chopped kale into the pot. Add a generous pinch of salt and stir. The goal is to coat the leaves with fat. Because the heat is high, don’t walk away and stir often.
Once the leaves are bright green and seem coated with fat, add about 1c broth. Add the lid and turn heat to low. Stir every 5 minutes or so. If the bottom of the pan becomes dry, add more broth or water. I prefer my greens on the drier side.
Taste and adjust flavors. These are best when you have amazing broth. If the flavor of the broth is weak, add a few chili flakes.
Butternut Squash
You could also do this with sweet potatoes. Or white potatoes.
Heat a cast iron skillet medium/high - like 8 on scale of 10. Heat is your friend here, don’t be scared!
Note about the MadeIn Carbon Steel Skillet: I bought a 12” pan about 2 years ago and never took the time to season it. I finally did a week ago and have been using it non-stop. It is a dream. The natural non-stick finish is so smooth. Best feature is that it’s almost light as a feather. I have several cast iron and enameled cast iron skillets and they are heavy.
Once the pan is sufficiently heated, add a generous amount (4T+) of fat: lard, bacon grease, coconut avocado oil, etc. I recommend coconut oil with butternut squash because the flavors go well with each other.
If you are stingy with the oil it will stick and be a mess. Be generous with coconut oil! It’s very good for your brain and hormones.
Add a big pinch of salt and LET IT SIT. Don’t be tempted to stir.
Let it develop the brown bits of goodness. Wait to smell the caramelization then stir. If you wanted to add more flavor, you could sprinkle some curry or cinnamon on the top. I just used salt last night.
Don’t be afraid of salt! It enhances the flavor of food.
These are done in about 10-15 minutes, depending on how much squash (I had 20oz bag) and the surface area of your pan (mine was 12” round). And, of course, how reckless you are with the high heat.
Please note the maillard reaction (brown bits) on the butternut squash. This is flavor!
Please try all this and let me know what you think!!
Tip When Brown Bits Stick
The bits come off effortlessly if you let it soak. Be a LazyGenius about this. After dinner, put an inch of water in both the kale pan and the butternut squash pan. Just let it sit and soak. You could turn the stovetop on a minute and bring the water to a boil. Or let soak in sink all night.
Tip for Sourdough
My kitchen has been cold in January! The below freezing temps outside have been a fermentation challenge inside.
Here’s the redneck solution I’m working with: use the microwave as a heat chamber. Bring a jar of water to near boiling. A mug of water works - put a saucer or something on top to help keep the heat in the jar.
In my regular oven I’ve used both the proofing setting and only a light to bring heat. When doing longer ferments, these oven options are too much heat. This microwave solution seems to be best.
For continuous heat with kombucha or water kefir, I have 2 seedling heat mats from Amazon.
Louisville: Want to Learn in Person?
Yesterday I announced 2 in-person classes in my home. There’s one more spot in the veggie class.
Bragging on My 14yo Daughter
Life is hard; food doesn’t have to be.
Julie
I LOVE when you are inordinately excited about meals/foods. I saw that same exact fish at Whole Foods and wondered if it would be good — the sealed packaging looked promising and the fish looked so fresh. I am hitting up Aldi tonight!