This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
08/06/2020 12:01 AMI still haven’t had an ear of sweet corn, but the farm stands do seem to be doing well this year.
Last week, I took home several kinds of green beans, lots more basil, and two different sizes of tomatoes—one a little bigger than grape tomatoes and the other smaller than a medium-sized salad tomato. And both were a burnished reddish-brown. All were beyond delicious.
My food magazines are loaded with recipes using local vegetables, especially Bon Appetit.
A few weeks ago, I had dinner with a friend and ordered a baked stuffed cod with sweet potato fries and a fairly large, very good, Caesar salad.
A hour later, at home, I was reading the August Bon Appetit and saw a recipe for poached cod in tomato curry. The next day I bought some cod and made the dish. It was very good, but I know some people don’t enjoy Indian curry. So, another option is to make it as a Thai curry.
I always have red curry paste in the refrigerator and unsweetened coconut milk in the pantry. Next time I will use those ingredients instead of the red chile and the Indian curry.
In any case, here is this very nice recipe—healthy and delicious. And in case you have coconut milk but not coconut cream, use the top layer of the coconut milk.
Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.
Poached Cod in Tomato Curry
Adapted from Bon Appetit, August 2020
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
3 tablespoons ghee, virgin coconut oil,
or vegetable oil
1 red chile, halved, seeds removed,
thinly sliced
1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 cardamom pods, crushed*
1 teaspoon ground coriander*
½ teaspoon ground turmeric*
1 ¼ pounds cherry tomatoes (about 2 pints)
¼ cup unsweetened coconut cream
(or the top layer of canned coconut milk)
Kosher salt
4 5-ounce skinless cod fillets
1 cup basil leaves, torn if large
Directions:
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook chile, ginger, and garlic, stirring often, until garlic is softened but has not taken on any color, about 3 minutes. Add cardamom, coriander, and turmeric and cook, stirring and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the tomatoes burst and release their juices 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in coconut cream, taste and season curry with salt.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Season cod with salt and nestle into curry. Cover and cook at a bare simmer until fish is opaque throughout and beginning to flake, 5 to 7 minutes. (Thicker pieces will take longer to cook.)
Gently transfer cod to shallow bowls. Stir basil into curry and spoon over fish.
*If you do not have cardamom pods, coriander, and turmeric, use 2 teaspoons of Indian curry powder.