Daily Dinner Table
Ideas for dinner tonight. Household and kitchen tips, recipes, tweaks. What's worked great, and not so great.
Crazy Comfort
Acqua Pazzo
I just landed at our local airport after being in NYC for a while. I’m finally home and really want some “comfort” food, but it’s hot outside and I don’t want something heavy, or that will clog my arteries! I had enough of that in the big city. This is one dish that I turn to all of the time. I LOVE this. It’s easy, delicious, and healthy, yet still gives “comfort”. (Especially if you add some rice, smashed Dijon or garlic potatoes or crusty bread. Heck, this would be great over pasta! …. next time!)
It’s usually called something like Acqua Pazzo, or something like that…(remember, I’m not a professional!) but it’s SO flavorful, and there’s so much room to improvise! Use what you have, what you like, and make yourself a fabulous healthy, light yet satisfying dinner.
Here’s a good place to start as a guideline:
To make 2-4 servings you’ll need:
olive oil
3 bulbs minced garlic ( I use a zester for this, it’s FABULOUS!)
about 3/4 c sliced asparagus ( carrots, broccolini, any “hard” vegetable).
1/2- 3/4 c diced fennel bulb
3 T chopped fennel fronds
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes including liquid
1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
3/4 c white wine
1 c either clam juice, water, fish stock, or vegetable stock
1/4 c kalamata olives, sliced or a bit more if using whole pitted olives
2-3 T capers
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes, or Tony Legner’s Cat 5 food polish
4 cod fillets ( monkfish, salmon, any skinned, firm dense fish, will work well)
Heat oil in large saute pan. Add garlic, asparagus, fennel and saute until browned.
Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT fish, and simmer until liquid has reduced by about 1/2, about 10-15 minutes.
Reduce heat to low.
Add fish, cover and simmer until fish is opaque and firm, about 10 minutes. Serve in bowls with either crusty bread, over smashed potatoes, or pasta. Top with chopped fennel.
YUM!
Daily Dinner Table 
The deinoitfin “secular” is not my deinoitfin. It’s the deinoitfin of a culture that still considers faith in a god to be the default, and therefore needs to tag asOther” anything that deviates from that default. And since we’re living in a Jewish state, that default defaults (::snort::) to Judaism.I am an atheist. I am only “secular” in the same way that gay people are “sick” to homophobes. Your question is like the one of the aforementioned homophobes asking a gay person “why are you sick.”