roast cod with anchovies and white bean puree.

This delicious cod recipe is from one of my fave new cookbooks, pure simple cooking. (Thanks Lena!) It really is super simple to prepare and tastes absolutely gourmet. Start to finish, this meal took me about 30 minutes or so. It has few but powerful, palette-pleasing ingredients, which succeed because of the interplay of flavors -- the sweetness of cod, the saltiness of anchovies, and the earthiness of beans. The roast cod is served atop a bed of white bean puree. When you take a bite, be sure to eat the cod along with the white beans... it's to die for.

It doesn't get much better than Las Vegas in April; we enjoyed this meal outside with a nice glass of Chardonnay. One of my favorite medium-priced Chardonnays is La Crema, and its buttery finish goes perfectly with the fresh, saltiness of this dish. Yum-o.

roast cod with anchovies and bean puree

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

beans

2 tbsp EVOO

1/2 onion, coarsely chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 (14-oz) cans cannellini beans, drained

2/3 c. chicken stock or water

S&P (*I added 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes as well)

1/4 c. EVOO

a good squeeze of lemon

cod

1 (2-oz) can anchovies, drained

1 heaping tbsp. flat-leaf parsley

6 tbsp EVOO

a good squeeze of lemon

2 tbsp EVOO

4 (6-oz) cod fillets

S&P

1. For the beans, heat the EVOO in saucepan and gently cook the onion until it is soft. Add the garlic, beans, stock, and S&P. Cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes.

2. Process the bean mixture in a blender or food processor with the EVOO and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Keep this over low heat or serve at room temp.

3. Finely chop the anchovies and parsley together and stir in EVOO and a squeeze of lemon. (*I added some fresh cracked black pepper also.)

4. Preheat oven to 400F. Heat 2 tbsp EVOO in nonstick pan over med-high heat. Season cod with S&P and cook for 2 minutes, then turn cod over and cook for another minute. The fillets should be a nice gold color on both sides. Transfer fillets to roasting pan and roast for about 8 minutes, until opaque and cooked through, but still moist.

5. Serve the fish atop white bean puree and some of the anchovy dressing spooned over top.