My Dinner without George

Cod with Mustard Butter


It looks like George is going to be in the hospital for quite some time. My dinners have been sporadic and not very good: store bought, dried chicken, overpriced and underdressed Cobb salad,  tough roast beef Tartine, and a boring Pad Thai.

I went to the Farmer’s market this morning, essentially to buy plums and
cherry tomatoes and ended up buying sweet red baby peppers and a beige colored cauliflower not larger than a man’s fist. I remembered the fantastic taste of these cauliflowers from last year: superior to any cauliflower I had tasted before. I waited a year to experience that taste again. When I bought a piece of cod from Long Island  fish vendor I knew I was going to cook tis evening after my return from
the hospital. The very thought made me feel good.

Menu

Cod with Mustard Butter
Roasted sweet baby red peppers
Yellow tomatoes, sliced
Wine: Vin de Savoie, Appremont 2008
Dessert: Biscotti

Prep: Sweet Red Baby Peppers

I removed the green stems  from the peppers, brushed them with oil, and baked them in the preheated for about 25 minutes. When done, I scooped out the seeds of which there were few.

Prep: Mustard Butter

I combined 2 tablespoons of softened butter with 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard and seasoned  the mixture with salt and pepper.

Cooking

6 oz. cod

I brushed the cod with clarified butter and sautéed it in a hot pan for 3-4 minutes on each side. (Cooking fish, I go more by feel than by timing).

I had already placed the red peppers and yellow tomatoes on the serving plate and put the cod in the center, napping it generously with the mustard butter. The cold mustard butter melted when it hit the warm cod. . The dish could have used some boiled potatoes, but I couldn’t be bothered and was just as happy to soak up that sauce with chunks of bread.

I savored the meal and raised a glass of wine to my absent George. Unfortunately, the wine didn’t stand up to the dish. Buttery and macho, it demanded an equally rich, and mighty wine.

Tomorrow I’ll cook the cauliflower and have it with a skirt steak