Shallow-poached fish

This winter, we eased into a pretty simple pattern. 

Each week we roasted a bird (mostly chicken) that we ate from for a few days and used to make stock. We've got four cups of stock left in the freezer, with room for plenty more.

Also, at least once a week, I've been poaching fish. Until this year, I really didn't understand poaching, at least not poaching at its best. But after reading The Art of Simple Food, I'm converted.

Poaching has got to be the simplest way to cook and flavor fish. And I'm talking about the shallow poach, which requires little liquid and even less effort. 

Basically, you put in enough water to go halfway up the fish (I usually put the fish into the pan to measure, then take it out). I usually add my seasonings here, so they steep for a long time. I might add rosemary or thyme, sliced lemon, a clove of garlic cut in half, and maybe a few drops of sherry vinegar. Sometimes, we use wine, but the vinegar adds a lot of texture.

Heat the water until it begins to boil, then turn the heat all the way down. You want constant heat, but no bubbles. When the water's settled, place the fish back in. 

Here's where things get really cool. With poaching, you can actually see the food get cooked. Of course, you can always watch the food cook, but the fish begins to cook as soon as it touches the water. It's amazing to watch, in part because the water is perfectly still, so nothing else is happening. 

Then after three or five minutes (depending on the thickness of the cut), you flip it. Another three or five minutes, and it's done. You'll know because it looks the same as all other cooked fish in the end. And for sauce, you can swirl a little butter into the remaining poaching liquid. I swear, it doesn't get any easier. 

Fish and veggies

tilapia, green beans, brussels
Originally uploaded by Ricestein

Nerd alert: We finally set up our Flickr account to speak to our Blogger account, so we can post photos directly to our food blog. We've missed writing posts about the food we eat, so maybe this will make everything just a little bit easier.

Now, on to the food.

Winter vegetables are in abundance out here in Tucson, and in the past year we've become particularly enthralled with brussels. Most of the time we just roast them in the oven with only a little olive oil, cracked pepper, and salt. As much as we like bacon, the simplicity of this preparation really highlights the brussels' natural taste. It's part of a pretty major shift towards a whole foods aesthetic that we're embarking on. Basically, we're trying to bring out the individual flavors with as little meddling as possible, then build whole menus featuring items that build upon each other. Sounds much fussier than it actually is.

For example, this night we had the roasted brussels, some blanched green beans, and tilapia cooked in the skillet. All pretty basic preparations, but the brussels melded really well with the tilapia, and the green beans helped keep us honest.

Right now, we're using a combination of cookbooks to guide us through our simplifying, mostly the ever-present Bittman's How to Cook Everything and our newly acquired The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters, which by some quirk is aimed exactly at us.

Maple-Glazed Salmon with Nutmeg Zucchini

Last week, MSC-certified, Alaskan wild-caught sockeye salmon was on sale at Whole Foods. Naturally, we didn't want to do anything too much to it, since Alaskan sockeye tends to have delicious, rich flavor. Jenny found this great recipe for a maple glaze, so when I got home from work, we fired up the broiler and got started on this extremely simple dish. The glaze is nothing more than maple syrup, hoisin sauce, and mustard. We coated the salmon before putting it under the broiler, basted it again about halfway through, and I drizzled just a little bit of glaze right when we took it out of the oven.

For the side dish, we made nutmeg zucchini. Again, a very simple dish. This is grated zucchini lightly sautéed in a little bit of butter with salt, pepper, and a dash of nutmeg.

Both recipes came from a recent cookbook acquisition, Cooking Light Superfast Suppers, which is filled with delicious, low-fat recipes for weeknights. As busy as we've been lately, it's been a big help.