Fish Day: Broiled Cod, Collards on Polenta

Broiled Cod and Sauted Collards with Mustard Relish Sauce on top of Polenta

A simple and lovely way to eat fish, only takes 30 minutes to make.

Recipe (Serves 4):

• Fish:
• 1 pound cod
• seasoning (cajun to chilli spice mixes- your pick)
• salt, pepper

1. Cut cod into desired pieces.
2. Put on baking pan.
3. Sprinkle seasoning, salt and pepper on top.
4. Broil on high for 10 minutes or until done.

Greens:

• 2 bunches of collard greens, washed and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 1 tsp oil
• salt pepper

1. Saute garlic in oil.
2. Add collards, and saute for 5-10 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper.

Polenta:

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 3 cups salted water

1. Boil water.
2. Add cornmeal slowly to boiling water, stirring with a whisk.
3. Bring down heat to simmer, while stirring pretty regularly with a whisk to keep it from clumping.
4. Cook for about 10-20 minutes until thick to your liking.

Mustard Relish Sauce:

• 1 small onion, minced
• 3 tbsp mustard
• 1/2 cup relish (we used our homemade from last year)
• 1 tbsp
• worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• dash of hot sauce
• salt, pepper

1. Assemble all ingredients.
2. Mix well.

Put polenta on plate, layer greens ontop, then fish and garnish with sauce.  Voila!

We also made a fabulous dessert:  Rhubarb custard pie with gingerbread crust!

Rhubarb custard ontop of gingerbread crust

Recipe (serves 4-6):

Gingerbread crust:

• 1 1/2 cup gingerbread (whatever your favorite recipe is)
• 3 tbsp butter

1. Put gingerbread in a food processor and blend until fine crumbs form.
2. Melt butter.
3. Mix with gingerbread crumbs and mash onto the bottom of a pie pan (~9 inch works)
   

   Gingerbread crumb is beautiful and yummy on its own.

   Rhubarb custard:

• 1 1/2 cup rhubarb roughly chopped
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sugar (half white, half Demerara)

1. Beat eggs.
2. Add all ingredients except rhubarb, mix well.
3. Set rhubarb on top of crust.
4. Pour the custard on top of rhubarb and crust.
5. Bake the pie at 425 for 10 minutes.
6. Reduce heat to 350 and cook until the custard is set (it is gelled- firm)
7. Let cool for 10 minutes.  Cut and serve with whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.

Rhubarb gingerbread pie served with raw whipped cream

This was a delicious dessert.  The combination of gingerbread and rhubarb is unexpectedly amazing. The raw whipped cream was good, but had a bitter aftertaste (I think it is aging and a little over cultured by now) that did not go so well with rhubarb.  I ate the cream first and then dug into the pie.  I think that we will make butter with the rest of the raw cream, not just due to its taste, but we eat so little cream to begin with that I think it might be best suited in the form of butter and buttermilk for our cooking.

[Theresa’s Note:  This was a very inspired meal.  I think some thanks are in order for Locavore in the City for her post on cooking greens in a mustard-relish mixture.  I had been thinking about how to use that combination for a while, and this was the opportune time to use it!  As well, thanks to Dairy of a Locavore for the combination of gingerbread and rhubarb.  Divine!  Many thanks to all of those out there who share your wonderful recipes with the world, we will make a dedicated effort to pay tribute where it is due.]