Pan grilled cod two ways. Simple. Delicious. Healthy.

We adore fresh cod here at Rancho Maven. It’s not unusual to have it at least once a week, and I’ve been seeing nice fresh whole and filleted cod of all sorts in the fishmongers counter at the local Whole Foods. I bought a whole Rock Cod the other day that was wonderful in a seafood based stew and I’ll be back after some yummy Ling Cod that I noticed.

Cod is so wonderful since you can cook it so many different ways. I love it as part of a boullabaise, a stew like cioppino or a gumbo … or grilled over a smokey fire outdoors, or grilled in my speed oven. I’m going to try this pan grilling technique soon.

The preserved lemon used in these recipes is a very unique flavor that you can’t really substitute for. Whole Foods in Reno has gorgeous preserved lemons in their olive bar. I usually pick up 2-3 and keep them in the refrigerator since they will last at least a month.

I like to serve fish like this with some sauteed greens like swiss chard and a few boiled Yukon gold potatoes or some brown rice.

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Quick healthy dinner, and you don't have to be a runner.

This sort of dinner is a stand by here in Rancho Maven’s kitchen, and I can tell you I’m NOT a runner. I almost always have some sort of ‘greens’ in my veggie bin. Spinach, Swiss Chard, Kale, Collard Greens and more. They’re so flexible and yummy in soups and stews.

 

My pantry also is fully stocked with both canned beans of all sorts and dried. Dried beans are time consuming to cook at the altitude we live at here in Reno, Nevada, so when pressed I’ll open canned beans. They provide lots of nutrition as long as you remember to empty the can into a colander and rinse the excess sodium and starches from them before adding them to your soup or stew pot.

 

You can add any sort of sausage.

 

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Quick white bean stew with Swiss chard and tomatoes

Joe Bastianich

4 servings/ Total time: 35 minutes

Low in fat but high in protein, beans are one of Bastianich’s favorite ingredients. He uses white beans here, but he also loves making this recipe with chickpeas and flat gigante beans: “The bigger and creamier the beans, the better.”

INGREDIENTS

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Simple, quick drizzle sauces for pasta or meat

By Mark Bittman TODAY recipes updated 9:01 a.m. PT, Fri., Nov. 14, 2008

Nothing could be easier or more versatile. All you have to do is boil some pasta or rice or broil a piece of chicken or fish, then get this going while it cooks. I’ll start you off with the base recipe — a kind of warm vinaigrette — and a handful of variations, but no doubt you’ll soon come up with even more ideas.

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or butter
• 1 tablespoon minced onion, garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, or lemongrass
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or mild vinegar, like balsamic
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Put the oil or butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is warm or the butter is melted, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens (turn the heat down if it starts to color), a minute or two.