Tuesday, Tuesday, snow day

If you ever want to buy a cookbook that is fool-proof and easy to follow, make sure it is written by Jacques Pepin. He has written two fast food cookbooks, and I have them both and about a dozen more. No not everyone in France spends the whole day cooking. On TV, he claims that most of these recipes are his Mother’s. Tonight’s meal was all from More Fast Food My Way.


We had fish, broccoli and squash.

Onion-crusted fish with Anchovy Butter

Anchovy Butter

2oz. anchovy in oil

1 large garlic clove

4T butter

¼ t pepper

1T dry white wine (when I need small amounts like this, I use dry vermouth)

Just put it all in the food processor until smooth, then put it in a bowl in the refrigerator.

Of the three items, the squash was going to take the most time, so I did it first.

Butternut squash Sauté

1 1/2 # butternut squash (I bought mine pealed and trimmed)

1 C diced onion, ( ½ onion)

1T canola oil

3T butter

¾ t salt

½ t sugar

1c apple cider

2 t cider vinegar

2 T chopped fresh parsley (garnish)

Put everything in a pot with a lid, cover and boil for 6 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking and stirring occasionally until the squash looks caramelized. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve. I just turned down the heat and kept watching it while I attended to the broccoli and fish.

Skillet Broccoli (I made ½, remember Jim thinks he is allergic to all veg.)

1 1/4 # broccoli

¼ cup water

2T olive oil

½ t salt

Cut the broccoli in florets and peel any skin on stems. Put everything in a skillet with a lid, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Remove the cover and cook on high for about 2 more minutes until the water is gone. I then recovered and held it until the fish was done.

Onion –Crusted Fish

2 large eggs

4 fillets of a white fish about 6 oz each. I used catfish

½ t salt

6oz. can of French fried onions

3 T canola oil

1 lemon, quartered

Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl until well combined. Pat the fillets dry and sprinkle with salt. Put the onions in the food processor and process until powdery. Mine did not get powdery. In fact they got a little gummy. So I took them out of the processor and spread them out on a plate. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Dip the fish in the egg and then the ground onion. Cook the fish about 2 minutes each side. The catfish was a little thick so I did 3 minutes a side. Serve with the Anchovy butter and a wedge of lemon.

Jim really liked this meal. He even used the anchovy butter. Usually, if it looks like a sauce or topping, he skips it. But he even put on more after he first tasted it. I don’t think I have ever had better broccoli. I bet even George Bush Sr. would eat his broccoli if his chef had cooked it this way. The squash was divine.

Jim served a 2008 Terrazze della Luna Pinot Grigio (Trentino, Italy). I’m lying low writing this blog until the kitchen is clean. You wouldn’t believe the amount of dishes and mess this meal created. One great thing about being head chef, you don’t do dishes!