Food With A Point

I’m obsessed with fresh cod and for that I blame Alonso at Pintxo (see my April 2008 newsletter). That was the first restaurant where I had it prepared the right way. But once, I made the mistake of making cod at home… it was a mistake only because the odour of fish post preparation permeated my small abode for a good two weeks and drove me absolutely insane. From that point on, I vowed that cod was to be eaten everywhere else but at home. Since then, every time I would go to the fish market and see fresh cod behind the glass, I would have to fight off that feeling of longing, knowing what the consequences of acquiescing would be. Then I discovered the “papillote” technique.

“En papillote” means to cook in paper – you seal the food in a parchment paper envelope. In my case, I use foil. It works the same way as long as the same rule is applied in both situations – ensure that the package is completely sealed. Once your package is filled with whatever you want to cook, you fold the edges over each other to close it off and make it hermetic. Another principle is to add some liquid to the package in order for the steam to help cook the items. Everything else is fair game, whatever you like gets shoved in, sealed, cooked, eaten and the bonus – very, very few dishes. And, it can be really healthy depending on what you put in.

So here is who it went for me and the infamous cod, for one person. If you want to make more, just make more pouches of the same.

• Preheat the over to 425°F.

I took foil because it’s easier to contain the ingredients as it holds it’s shape during the assembly and the liquid won’t seep out from flat edges.

• 5 very small red skinned potatoes washed and very finely sliced.
• 1 small French shallot, sliced into thin rings
• 2-3 tbsp of white wine (or water or fish broth)
• 4 oil-cured Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
• A couple capers
• 1 3-4 oz fresh cod filet
• 3 cherry tomatoes sliced in half
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Lemon

Take your foil and shape it into a bowl type vessel. Place the sliced potatoes in an even layer on the bottom. Top with the onion rings. Add wine, olives, caper and then layer the cod filet on top. Add the tomatoes, letting them fall where ever they may. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and then seal the beast. Make sure that the package is closed off and there are no holes or openings (check the corners especially).

Place your package on a baking sheet and then in the oven. 10-12 minutes later, you’ve got dinner. Open carefully because the steam can burn. A bit of lemon on the side is all it needs. I served this with roasted green peppers but any veggie will work. If you are extra lazy, you could just add green beans to the same package.

Not only was my dinner stupendous but I was not reminded of it for the next two weeks – other than when I recalled how tasty it was!