a fishy feast

Last night we wasted our evening by watching the horrible Woody Allen "thriller" Match Point which we borrowed from the library. We may never get those 2 hours back, but at least we had some delicious dinner settling in our bellies. Dinner was a fish dish so full of savory flavour that throughout the meal was complete and utter silence. Even Cornelius didn't mind digging around the olives because everything was so tasty. Normally, I cook fish either in an Asian style with soy sauce and ginger or panfried with a cornmeal crust, so this was a bit different but it was simple and something I'll definitely try again. Plus, it was a one dish meal with everything baked on a foil-lined tray for super easy clean up. As well, this meal could easily be turned into a vegetarian one dish feast by getting rid of the fish and throwing in some chunks of zucchini, yams and eggplant instead. What's not to love?

roasted fish with rosemary, olives and vegetables
2 large potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
1 small onion, quartered
4 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 t dried rosemary (plus additional sprinkle for fish)
2 T olive oil
1 t coarse salt
pepper to taste
1/4 c green spicy olives
1 T capers
2 filets of fish
juice of half a lemon

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a foil-lined walled cookie sheet, evenly line the pan with the cubed potatoes and large onion chunks. Drizzle with half of the olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper and toss everything around with your hands to coat. Bake in oven for about 25 minutes until starting to brown.

2. On a plate, season the fish and the cherry tomatoes with salt and pepper and a bit of rosemary and coat with the remaining olive oil. Use your hands to make sure everything is covered with the oil and spice.

3. Push the potatoes to one side of the cookie sheet and place the fish and the tomatoes on the other side. Fill in remaining gaps with olives and capers. Squeeze lemon juice onto the fish and tomatoes. Return tray to oven for another 20 minutes or so, until fish is cooked and tomatoes are roasted and wrinkled. Transfer onto plates and serve.

i confess, i'm a picky eater

I know, I should be ashamed of myself! But truth be told, I'm just not fond of some foods and I may even get a bit squeamish when push comes to shove. Sure, I've overcome many a food-dislike (believe it or not, I hated strawberries but now, I can't get enough of them!) When I was a kid, I would never dream of eating a tomato....and now I can almost say that I like that darn fruit (well, with very specific rigid guidelines in the care and preparation of said fruit). I wish I could give every fruit or vegetable or dish it's fair shake, but old habits die hard. Take the simple greek salad as an example. When I go to a Greek restaurant and it comes with my dish, I'll gladly eat the onions, olives, feta and green peppers, but I'll only peck at a cucumber or a tomato. I've already been won over with having tomatoes and cucumbers in sandwiches, but I'm still not keen on them appearing in my salads. But, ooooh, I love me a greek salad and sometimes modifications are necessary for the picky eater. Carrots replace tomatoes for colour and every colour pepper (not just green) go into my salad for sweetness and crunch. And while it may not be traditional, my mock "greek" salad has converted many a guest over the years. This salad is one of my favourites and nothing ever gets left on the plate but the olive pits. And that is a very, very good sign.

mock greek salad

1 red pepper, large dice
1 yellow pepper, large dice
1 green pepper, large dice
1 small red onion, large dice
2 carrots, cut into coins
1/2 c black kalmata olives
1/2 c feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c red wine vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 T dijon mustard
1/4 t white sugar
1/4 t dried oregano
salt & pepper, to taste

1. Place the first five ingredients in a large bowl. Add in the olives and the feta and toss well.

2. Prepare the dressing. Mix together the olive oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic, sugar, oregano, salt & pepper. Shake vigorously in a tightly lidded jar until fully blended. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Pour over salad and toss again.

This salad is best if left marinating for a couple of hours and served chilled, but it's also delicious served right away.