Miso Marinated Cod

"What ex­act­ly are we making here?" asked my son Tim as the blend­er whirred with liq­uid neon. "It looks like green sludge."

"It’s Petits Pois Sauce, a love­ly spring­time ac­com­pa­ni­ment made with, well, lit­tle peas," I told him. "It’s French."

We had only just begun the cooking en­deav­or: teaching my kids a rec­i­pe they could pre­pare on Mother’s Day. And al­ready I was getting, shall we say, gen­tle re­sis­tance.

"Who do you think is going to eat this stuff, re­al­ly, Mom?" he continued.

"Well," I answered, "me."

That was sort of the whole point.

Rather than braving crowds at res­tau­rants, or giving up and cooking my­self, I had decided to be pro­ac­tive this year. I would give my kids a rec­i­pe and a cooking les­son, the idea be­ing that they could then make a nice meal for me every year!

The truth is, I am al­ways looking for excuses to get my kids in the kitch­en cooking. And I am not above using guilt to get them there. Like so many young adults, they do not cook many of their own meals; in­stead, they rely on take-out or res­tau­rant meals.

Sal­ly, 25, began cooking more since we started the blog "My Daugh­ter’s Kitchen." Tim, 27, is open to cooking more and may start post­ing his results on the blog as well.

Both of them agreed to come home for the les­son. Our 20-year-old son, Jon­a­than, was off the hook as he is still burdened with col­lege studies (or he is the spoiled baby, depending on your point of view).

In­stead of going with my first in­stinct and teaching them how to make fajitas, a meal they love, I had upped the stakes, opting for more el­e­gant fare, some­thing they could eas­i­ly re-cre­ate, not only for me on Mother’s Day, but may­be for some­one else they wanted to im­press.

I decided on a love­ly meal that took a lit­tle ef­fort, but was to­tal­ly do­able: Miso-Mar­i­nat­ed Cod with Petits Pois Sauce and Mush­room Ri­sot­to.

(The rec­i­pe orig­i­nal­ly called for Chil­ean sea bass, but with that fish on the "Avoid" list, we opted for cod, a flaky white fish, wild caught, and rea­son­ably priced at $12.99 a pound).

Some of the oth­er rec­i­pe ingredients — like Jap­a­nese miso and Viet­nam­ese chile paste — once required a trip to an Asian mar­ket, but they are now avail­able at many groceries. So, a sin­gle trip to the su­per­mar­ket and we had every­thing we needed.

The first step, mar­i­nat­ing the fish, was as sim­ple as could be. (The rec­i­pe suggests mar­i­nat­ing over­night, but a cou­ple of hours will do the trick.) Just mix all the ingredients, lay the fish in a 9-by-13 Pyrex dish, and spoon the mix­ture over it. Turn the fish, to make sure the mar­i­nade coats both sides, and cov­er with clear plas­tic wrap.

Af­ter the fish had a cou­ple of hours in the fridge, we began work­ing our way through the prep­a­ra­tion of the three recipes, the fish, the sauce, and the ri­sot­to, with me trying to give mini-lessons along the way.

We started with the sauce, which required simmering the peas in stock, prompting a de­bate over the def­i­ni­tion of simmering. Sal­ly contended simmering required bubbles. Tim insisted bubbles meant boil­ing. Les­son One: A few tiny bubbles rising to the sur­face is simmering. The whole pot rolling with bubbles is boil­ing. Moving right along!

Next, the peas and stock were added to a blend­er with spin­ach to cre­ate the French sauce, the stuff prompting continued de­ri­sion from my son.

"We should have done the fajitas," said Tim. "Hon­est­ly, it is looking like sew­age, Mom."

"It is a weird con­sis­ten­cy," put in Sal­ly.

"What do you ex­pect: It’s made of leaves," said Tim.

"That would be spin­ach, Tim," I said.

As the af­ter­noon wore on, I could see, in a rath­er sweet and sen­ti­men­tal way, the res­o­nance of the same traits I saw when these two were growing up in this kitch­en.

Sal­ly, who al­ways wanted to fol­low the rules, required very spe­cif­ic instructions and wanted to do every­thing per­fect­ly: "Mom, shouldn’t we read through the whole rec­i­pe first?" and "Do I mince or slice the scallions?"

Tim­my wanted to get it done and move on.

"OK, the but­ter is absorbed. Mis­sion ac­com­plished," he said. "Can I watch the Flyers now?"

When I explained that the ri­sot­to was going to re­quire a lot more stirring to ab­sorb a lot more liq­uid, Sal­ly piped up: "Can I stir?"

Even as a lit­tle girl, she al­ways wanted the most im­por­tant job, the hardest job … un­til she didn’t.

Tim, still as easy­go­ing as he was as a child, was more than will­ing to let her have a go.

"Wow, this is re­al­ly looking like ri­sot­to, Mom!" said Sal­ly, al­ways anx­ious to learn some­thing new, al­ways full of en­thu­si­asm. "This is exciting. We’re making our own ri­sot­to!"

As she stirred away at the stove, adding more stock and wine, waiting for it to be absorbed, Tim got the fish out of the fridge, turned on the broil­er, and when it was hot, stuck the cod un­der the heat. Again, he was ready to re­tire to the hock­ey game.

"You have to keep an eye on the fish, Tim," I warned. "It will burn pret­ty quick."

Af­ter about two minutes, it was browning up nice­ly, and he took it out, turned the oven down and, fi­nal­ly, put the fish in to let it bake for the last 15 minutes.

"How is the ri­sot­to coming, Sal?" I asked.

I’m still stirring — it takes for-flipping-ever," she said glum­ly.

"It is a pain," I conceded. "That is why it is such a good gift."

"Do you want me to stir?" offered Tim. He is usu­al­ly will­ing to bail out his sis­ter, but not with­out giving her grief.

"OK," he said, as she relinquished the spoon. "We’re bringing in the closer … Now it’s coming to­geth­er, now that I’m stirring. It’s all in the wrist ac­tion, Sal."

"Well, sor­ry, Tim. Not all of us are lifting weights every day in the gym," she retorted.

The ri­sot­to fi­nal­ly absorbed all the liq­uid; the mushrooms, scallions, and grated cheese were stirred in; and it was time to take the fish out of the oven.

A lit­tle swoosh of the Petits Pois sauce was spooned on the plate, the love­ly browned cod was posed on top, and the mush­room ri­sot­to was served on the side.

With clas­sic timing, my hus­band appeared just in time to pour the wine. Fi­nal­ly, we all sat down to eat.

"Very nice job," I praised. "I am impressed."

"I re­al­ly like it," said Sal­ly.

"I’ve got to hand it to you, Mom, it is a good rec­i­pe," said Tim. "I didn’t think it would be, but it is re­al­ly good."

"So do you think you guys could make this again, on your own?" I asked.

"Yeah, it re­al­ly wasn’t that hard, hon­est­ly," said Tim.

"I def­i­nite­ly could," said Sal­ly.

"So, would you still rath­er have had fajitas?" I asked.

"Are you kidding, Mom?" said Tim. "Of course we would."

While it would be nice, I’m not holding my breath for a re-cre­a­tion of this meal on Sun­day. I think I may soon be doing an­oth­er les­son: How to make fajitas.

     Right off the bat, I have to confess this is not a bargain recipe. Not with scallops at $16.99 a pound and chorizo $8 a pound.
But it does fill the other requirements of the blog: It’s simple, quick, and delicious.
     Once it a while, you have to splurge and treat yourself to something special. And sometimes it is worth paying a little more for such great ingredients to produce the result: a wonderful and convenient dinner.
When you divide the cost of the ingredients among four servings, it is not so bad. (But it is so good you might have trouble stretching this to serve four people. I recommend serving it over rice to satisfy the kind of appetites I know!)
     I found this recipe in Nigella Express, the best-selling cookbook from Food Network star Nigella Lawson, that promises (and delivers) recipes for good food, fast.
     Once you slice the chorizo, slice the scallops, and chop the parsley, you are more than halfway home. All that remains is a quick trip in the hot cast-iron skillet for both the chorizo and the scallops.
     Sear the chorizo first, then remove it, and add the scallops to the pan, letting the mollusks soak up the resulting paprika chili oil. Next, return the sausage to the pan, squeeze half a lemon over the whole thing. Remove to a serving platter and toss with fresh parsley and dinner is served! (If you are serving rice, don’t forget to start it first. From start to finish, you can put this together in about 20 minutes.)
     I loved the contrast of the chewy, spicy chorizo against the silky smoothess of the scallops, and the fresh, cool finish of the parsley. The next time you are looking for something a little more special than your regular weeknight dinner, give this recipe a try. 
Scallops  and Chorizo
Makes 4 servings
4 ounces chorizo sausage
1 pound scallops (halve them to make them thinner if they are very fat)
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

   1. Slice the chorizo into rounds no thicker than 1/8-inch.
   2. Put a pan on the stove to get hot and then dry-fry (the chorizo will produce plenty of its own oil) the chorizo rounds until crisped on both sides; this should take no more than 2 minutes.
   3. Remove the chorizo to a bowl and fry the scallops in the chorizo oil for about a minute a side.
   4. Return the chorizo to the pan with the scallops, add the lemon juice, and let bubble for a few seconds before arranging on a serving plate and sprinkling with lots of parsley.
-From Nigella Express (Hyperion, 2007)
Per serving: 200 calories, 9 grams protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, no sugar, 9 grams fat, 61 milligrams cholesterol, 397 milligrams sodium, no dietary fibers

I have long wished for a good marinade for chicken on the grill.
My requirements: that it be not too sweet, not too gloppy, not too complicated, not too expensive. I wanted a flavor profile that would appeal to adults and children, that could easily be expanded to feed a crowd, and would be an easy go-to, that could be thrown together with little effort, with ingredients already in the pantry.
With this recipe, from Nina Simonds’ new cookbook, Simple Asian Meals, I have found the winner. (Although there is really nothing Asian about it.)
Simonds combines a bottle of Italian salad dressing, ketchup, soy sauce, and garlic. Since I rarely buy bottled dressing, I substituted my favorite homemade vinaigrette. And even so, the making of the marinade was a five-minute task.
But the real genius of this recipe is that it calls for boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which are readily available now in most supermarkets. Thighs are so much more flavorful, with dark meat that doesn’t dry out even with a little too much time or heat on the grill. And since they are boneless, they cooked in no time, about five minutes on each side over medium-high heat on the grill.
I made the recipe with about six chicken thighs the first time around, and it was so good, my husband and I scarfed them all down in one sitting. I look forward to using this recipe over and over, whenever we are looking for simple and tasty chicken on the grill.

Easiest Grilled Chicken Thighs
Makes 6 servings
For the marinade:
1 bottle (12 ounces) Italian salad dressing (or about 1 cups homemade)
cup ketchup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced garlic
For the chicken:
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and gristle
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil, or olive oil spray (for oiling the grill)
   1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl and add the chicken thighs. Stir to coat, cover with plastic wrap, and marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
   2. Prepare a medium-hot fire for grilling or preheat a gas grill. Arrange a rack 3 to 4 inches from the heat. Brush or spray the grill rack with oil and arrange the thighs on the rack.
   3. Cover and grill the chicken 5 to 7 minutes per side or until opaque and cooked through. To test, pierce a thigh with a knife and, if the juice is clear, the thighs are cooked.
   4. Remove from the grill to a platter and serve.
-From Simple Asian Meals (Rodale, 2012)
Per serving: 270 calories, 40 grams protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, 2 grams sugar, 5 grams fat, 133 milligrams cholesterol, 424 milligrams sodium

This classic pairing of asparagus and poached egg is such a lovely weeknight dinner, especially as a herald to spring.  It’s not something I would make on a weeknight for the kids, I will confess, too challenging to poach all those eggs. But it is perfect supper for one or two. Though it is a few steps, the results are well worth the effort.

It also calls for the asparagus to be cooked in a skillet on top of the stove. I used my trusty cast-iron pan, and I loved how it browned the edges of the spears without overcooking them.

Of course you can steam the asparagus, or roast it in the oven or even grill it, for similar results. But the skillet allows you to toss that chunk of butter in the still-hot pan, and none of the pan juices are lost in the effort.

Similarly, you can fry the eggs, or use one of those poaching devices, but you will miss the beauty of that finished poached egg on your plate, not to mention the fun of seeing the egg gather itself together into a little white ball in the boiling water.

 Asparagus and poached eggs

Makes 2 servings

From the first time I discovered it in the south of France, Salade Nicoise has held favored-nation status in my world of salads.
My first encounter, as a 20-year-old college student traveling abroad, was an introduction met with sheer gratitude. I was a not-too-adventurous eater, trying to get by on a meager budget, and was thrilled to find something made of ingredients I actually recognized. Tuna, hard-boiled eggs, potatoes, olives, onions, tomatoes. Not only things I knew, but things I loved. I think I lived on those salads during my stay in Nice.
Over the years, I’ve often sought out this favorite salad in restaurants, but I’ve also made it quite often, both on weeknights and when entertaining, or when asked to bring something to a party.
It appeals not only because it is so easy to assemble, but because, packed with protein and vegetables, it is a meal in itself.
But, in truth, it is also popular, because, at my house dinner is sometimes about what is in the kitchen.
I’m often trying to make good use of what is left in my crisper drawers or in my pantry. It’s always a bonus if you can put together something that satisfies.
As I scanned my pantry the other day, I came across a lovely jar of imported tuna. Close by were a few potatoes approaching the end of their shelf life. I had a shallot, some lettuce, and some olives in the fridge, and eggs that could be hard-boiled. And right there, a Salade Nicoise was born.
I had no tomatoes or green beans, so I made do without. But please do add them, if you’re shopping for ingredients, not only for the taste, but also for the spot of color they add to this perfectly composed salad.

Salade Nicoise
 Makes 4 servings
1 large head butter lettuce, or the equivalent of other mixed greens
4 eggs
2 potatoes, peeled, sliced thin
1/2 pound green beans, washed and trimmed
6 to 8 ounces of imported tuna (I like Ortiz), drained
15 to 20 grape tomatoes
1 shallot, sliced thin
1 can of anchovies, drained, optional
10 to 12 black olives (your choice, I love Nicoise)
For the vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Wash and dry the lettuce and tear into bite-size pieces. (Make sure the lettuce is dry. I like to wash it and spin it in a salad spinner and let it finish air drying while I prepare the rest of the ingredients.)
2. Hard-boil the eggs: Put the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil. Then turn off the heat and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 13 minutes. Next plunge the eggs into a bowl with ice water and let sit until you are ready to use.
3. Put potatoes in a pot with cold water, bring to a boil, and boil until potatoes are soft, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain and put in cold water until ready to use.
4. Cook green beans in boiling water or steamer until cooked but still crisp, about 5 minutes.
5. Prepare other ingredients: (Drain tuna, wash tomatoes, slice the shallot; drain anchovies if using.)
6. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Place Dijon mustard into a measuring cup. Add the vinegar and stir to combine. Add the sugar and stir. Then, while continuing to stir (a fork works best here), slowly drizzle in the olive oil, until it emulsifies. Set aside.
7. Place the lettuce in a salad bowl. Peel and slice the eggs and add. Add the potatoes, green beans, tuna in chunks, tomatoes, shallot, anchovies (if using) and black olives.
8. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Toss and serve.
Per serving: 418 calories, 21 grams protein, 34 grams carbohydrates, 11 grams sugar, 23 grams fat, 200 milligrams cholesterol, 219 milligrams sodium, 9 grams dietary fiber.

 I know the last recipe for Thai lettuce cups sent my daughter in search of unfamiliar ingredients, namely lemongrass and fish sauce.
So in the interest of thrift, not to mention continuing to expand her horizons, I offer a second recipe to use up those ingredients while they are still fresh: Thai Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup.
It seems a perfect restorative for these March days, when the weather can’t make up its mind. One day it’s lovely and warm, the next windy and cold, the next damp and rainy. Seems everyone is suffering from sniffles, a cold, or flaring allergies.
Chicken soup is always a comfort, but this elegant version lives up to its Thai mantra of salty, spicy, sweet, and sour: the salty fish sauce, the spicy jalapeño peppers, the sweet coconut milk, and the sour lime juice.
You’ve probably tasted a soup similar to this at your favorite Thai restaurant, but it is really quite simple to make at home.
The recipe is expandable, should you want to add more vegetables, like broccoli or Chinese cabbage or bok choy.
And you can also add more jalapeño peppers if you desire more heat. I only suggest (and this means you, Sally) that you start with two peppers, taste the broth, and add more from there. If it does get too hot, you can try adding more broth, or more lime juice, or more coconut milk, but it’s a challenge to get it just right.
I love the thin slices of chicken in this recipe and here is one trick to help with that: Stick the chicken breasts in the freezer for 15 or 20 minutes before you slice. They should be firm, not frozen, making them so much easier to get nice and thin with a good, sharp knife.
 

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup
 Makes 6 servings
4 ounces of Thai rice noodles
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
3-inch length lemongrass, very thinly sliced
Six 1/8-inch-thick slices of fresh ginger, peeled, then sliced into matchstick pieces
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin coins
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds (see note)
1 15-ounce can coconut milk
3 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

1. Put the rice noodles in a medium saucepan. Bring water in a kettle to a boil, and then pour in enough water to cover the rice noodles. Cover and let sit, while preparing the rest of the soup.
2. Combine the broth, lime zest, lemongrass, and ginger in a pot and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until the ingredients release their fragrance.
3. Add the carrots, fish sauce, lime juice, jalapeños, chicken, coconut milk, and cilantro. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
4. Taste, and if the soup seems lacking in salt, add more fish sauce. Drain the noodles and add them to the soup. Garnish with cilantro. Serve immediately.
Note: Put chicken breasts in the freezer for about 15 minutes to make them firmer and easier to slice.
Per serving: 332 calories, 19 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams sugar, 21 grams fat, 42 milligrams cholesterol, 876 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber.

Work has been really busy lately, with too many late nights. I came home the other night, exhausted and hungry, and got right to work, chopping the onions. I melted the butter, then,  added the onions  to the large pot over low heat. I went into the spice cabinet and grabbed the curry powder and added 4 teaspoons. As I went to put the spice back, I realized it wasn’t curry but chili powder!  Oooops. That’s what happens after a long day. I just dumped the contents down the sink, and washed the pot. Luckily, had more onions. Take 2, chopping again.  This time I made SURE to add CURRY powder. I let the onions, butter and curry powder simmer together for about 25 minutes, while I chopped up the squash and the apples. (I had bought pre-peeled and cut squash which made it SO much easier. All I had to do was dice the chunks in 1-inch cubes).

When the onions were tender, I added the squash, apples, and 4 cups of chicken stock and let that come to a boil. Then, I turned down the heat and let it simmer, about 25 more minutes. Now it was time to blend, I turned off the heat and used the immersion blender to puree until smooth.  I added about ¼ cup of organic apple juice, as my mom said to “brighten up the soup.”  Finally,  season with salt and pepper and serve!!  There was a lot of leftover soup, so I offered some to my roomies for lunch.

 Giada DeLaurentiis has a new cookbook, Weeknights With Giada, to be released this month, with recipes designed for throwing together a good dinner after a long day at work.
Even TV chefs want family dinners. Giada wants to give her daughter the home-cooked dinners she remembers growing up. But even she doesn’t have hours to spend.
“Because my daughter is 4, I want to spend my free time hanging out with her,” she told me in a phone interview. “The time I spend playing in the kitchen has become very minimal.”
So that is the focus of this new book: dishes that taste great and come together quickly. “It has forced me to be more creative,” she said.
As a working mother who remembers racing home from work to cook, I can still feel the stress of producing a quick meal for hungry kids. And even with the kids grown and out of the house, I’m not looking to spend hours on weeknight dinner.
And neither is my daughter, who is constantly reminding me of the concept of this blog: Easy, Healthy, Cheap.
Giada’s recipe for Thai Turkey Lettuce Cups certainly fits the bill. Though you do have to shop for a couple of ingredients you probably don’t normally stock (lemongrass and fish sauce), once you’ve got the stuff in your fridge, it comes together in about 15 minutes. Honestly. The hardest part is juicing the limes. And it really packs a punch of flavor.
It is not a typical Giada recipe, as she steps away from her Italian roots. But she does get it right.
“My husband loves Thai food,” she told me. “So all those recipes are for him.”
Thai Turkey Lettuce Cups
Makes 4 servings
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (from about 4 limes)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 red onion, diced
3 small shallots, thinly sliced
1 (4-inch) piece of lemon-grass, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 Thai or serrano chile, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated
 1. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, lemon juice, fish sauce, and honey.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, shallots, lemongrass, and chile. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and season with salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the meat and vegetables are cooked through, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the dressing to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the turkey mixture onto the lettuce leaves and serve.
— Adapted from Weeknights With Giada, (Clarkson Potter, 2012)
Note: This recipe can also be made with ground chicken, beef, or pork.
Per serving: 523 calories, 42 grams protein, 18 grams carbohydrates, 11 grams sugar, 33 grams fat, 174 milligrams cholesterol, 887 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.