Utilizing My Cookbook Collection: Cod with Leeks and Tomatoes from Everyday Cooking

I love cookbooks. I find them very inspirational. Especially ones with lots of pretty pictures.  


This is probably why I needed to own Everyday Food: Great Food Fast cookbook.  In addition to carrying the Martha Stewart brand name, it also has a picture of every single recipe.


But while I love looking at cookbooks, I rarely use them.  My collection is not too big yet, but it is hard to justify buying ANY when I fail to utilize the ones I already have. ( For example, although I have owned this Everyday Food: Great Food Fast cookbook for almost a year and a half, this is only the second recipe I have made from it). 


So I am making a concerted effort to try more recipes from my cookbooks.  And this recipe was a logical choice for me. It was one of the recipes that first caught my eye when I initially looked thru the book.  I have been trying to eat more fish. AND I have been wanting to cook with leeks, because I've never cooked with them before.


I did a pretty good job of sticking to the recipe, too.  The only adaptation I made was to add some carrot, because I thought it would be a good addition. 

Cod with Leeks and Tomatoes (and Carrots)

barely adapted from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

2 medium Leeks

2 large Carrots

1 tsp Lemon Zest

2 tbsp Lemon Juice

1 tbsp Olive Oil

3 sprigs Fresh Thyme

Coarse Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

2 ½ cups Cherry or Grape Tomatoes

4 Cod Fillets, 6-8oz a piece

Thinly slice white and light green parts of the leeks. Rinse thoroughly until no grit remains. Pat dry.

Peel carrots, then use peeler to make thinly sliced carrot shavings.

In a 9x13 glass dish toss together leeks, carrots, lemon juice and zest, leaves from the sprigs thyme, and a little salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake at 450° until leeks soften, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice tomatoes in half and season both sides of the cod fillets with a little salt and pepper.

Remove baking dish from oven and stir tomatoes into the leek and carrot mixture. Place cod fillets on top and place foil back over the dish. Continue baking until fish is cooked thru, about 15-20 minutes.   

Results:


 I'm sorry to say I just did not think this recipe was anything special.  The vegetables came out pretty good. I think the carrots were a good addition that worked well with the leeks and tomatoes. I haven't cooked much with thyme and I don't think it is my favorite herb, but I can't blame the recipe for that.  


My main reason for being a bit disappointed was the fish itself: it just wasn't seasoned enough and came out pretty bland.  If I make this again I will have to try to give the cod more flavor.

My Favorite Meal of Convenience: Shrimp Succotash

I really wish this dish was as easy to photograph as it is to cook.

This is my #1 go-to convenience dinner. It's easy to keep the ingredients on hand and I can make it from start to finish, in one pan, in 30 minutes. (Including washing the pan.) AND it tastes great!

It should have been one of the first food I wrote about. It is one of those meals I truly wish to share with everyone on earth. But it is just so damn hard to photograph. Seriously, this is the third time I have tried and this is the best I can come up with. I am not sure it will ever get better then this.


So here it is.




Shrimp Succotash

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

½ cups Onion (About Half Of A Medium-Sized Onion), I Use Sweet Yellow Onion, Finely Chopped

2 whole Cloves Garlic, Finely Chopped

1-½ cup Zucchini, Cut Into 1/4-Inch Thick Half Circles (about 2 Medium-Sized Zucchini)

1 cup Corn, Canned

1 cup Peas, Frozen

1-¼ cup Lima Beans (Full-Sized Are Better Than Baby) OR Edamame Beans

Fresh Ground Pepper

30 whole Medium-Sized Shrimp, Fully Cooked Frozen Shrimp With Tails Removed, Thawed

1 cup Cherry Or Grape Tomatoes, Sliced In Half

2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

½ cups Fresh Basil, Coarsely Chopped (loosely Packed Before Chopping)

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.

Once oil is hot, add onion, cooking for about 3 minutes until it softens.

Add garlic and cook for about 1 more minute, stirring constantly so garlic does not burn.

Add zucchini, corn, peas, and lima beans or edamame. Generously season the entire pan of vegetables with pepper. Stir to combine with the onion and garlic. Turn heat up to medium-high.

Stir in thawed shrimp. Continue cooking until zucchini softens and is just short of done.

Add halved tomatoes. Thoroughly season with pepper and saute again. Gently stir to combine tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are just warmed.

Add apple cider vinegar. If the vegetables are sticking to the bottom of the pan, use it to scrape everything up from the bottom. Mix gently to thoroughly combine the vinegar without crushing the tomatoes.

Mix in the chopped fresh basil. Remove from heat and immediately transfer to bowls.

Sometimes I don't manage to keep basil around, since I killed a basil plant in under two weeks and bunches of it in the fridge don't last long. I make this without in that case and it still tastes great.

I am sure this would be good with other proteins too, if shrimp is not your thing I would try chicken, scallops, or maybe even salmon.

You could also use fresh shrimp if you prefer and have the time, (I like frozen because it is easy to keep on hand) just add it to the pan before the veggies and give it a few minutes to cook.

I have also made this, omitting the shrimp, as a really flavorful vegetable side dish.