I recently waxed poetic over my Japanese nabe. A reader asked if that particular pot was essential to make the detox dinner. “Can I use my Le Creuset instead?” she queried. Mais bien sûr! (And lucky her to own such a one). Any wide heavy pot with a lid will do. As a matter of fact, I used a 5-qt. copper pot for today’s “French nabemono.”
Yes, I’m still enamored with the 30-minute, one-pot dinner formula–sauté, simmer, poach–for getting a winter dinner on the table fast. Love the way fish, shrimp, or chicken cook to foolproof perfection every time!
I softened a chopped leek in a swirl of avocado oil, added a couple handfuls of teeny la ratte potatoes and red carrots from Weiser Farms, a sliced fennel bulb from Rutiz Farms, a handful of hedgehog mushrooms, and several sprigs of thyme. I gave the pot a few minutes at medium heat before adding a cup or two of chicken stock. A 10-minute covered simmer over low-ish heat, and the aroma was already heady and the potatoes nearly tender.
If you’re adding up the minutes spent so far, we’re at 20. (If you want to do some steps ahead, stop here. Carry on 5 or 10 minutes before you want to eat.)
I stirred in a generous handful of roughly chopped minutina, nestled in chunks of salt-and-peppered monkfish (wild U.S. Atlantic monkfish is your most sustainable option, or you can use another firm fish) into the stew, and covered the pot for 5 minutes–time enough to tell you what minutina is. It’s a cold-weather green also known as buck’s horn plantain or capuchin’s beard. Sometimes nutty, bitter-edged, or even salty, it’s one of those “rediscovered” plants that are fun to try. I found it at Windrose Farm; see the photo above. But, most any sort of quick-cooking add-in would be nice here, including savoy cabbage.
As soon as the fish was done (rule of thumb–10 minutes per inch of thickness), I added the finishing touch–a generous squeeze of lemon right into the pot (think of the vitamin C!)–and a “detox” dinner for four was ready.
For more on this dish, you can listen to Laura Avery and me discuss on KCRW’s Good Food Market Report.
I received an email from a Seafood Watch advocate about my recommended use of monkfish. She points out that monkfish is often on the “avoid” list because it is often caught by trawling and gillnets, practices harmful to ocean floor and unfortunate by-catch. I should have been more specific about encouraging you to make sure that whatever fish you choose has been sustainably harvested. Unfortunately, many sorts of fish, particularly bottom fish, which include flounder types like halibut, are often caught by trawling and gillnets instead of line-caught. Just as we choose to purchase sustainably grown produce over produce grown under “Tomatoland” conditions, we need to apply the same standard of care making choices for all our foods. We need to fight for environmentally better practices overall, but also build awareness to choose those items produced or caught with care when there is a choice. As with everything else, we currently must pay a premium upfront for sustainably harvested foods. In my opinion, that’s nothing compared with what we must pay in the long run for destruction of planet and doctor bills….
This dish and your previous one-pot dinner are just beautiful! I love the saute-simmer method and the way these recipes are so flexible.
Do you serve these dishes in shallow bowls? On their own or with rice, couscous, bread?
Thanks so much Faye. Yes, shallow bowls–the better to spoon up the delicious broth–as in the picture in One-Pot Detox Dinner post. These are indeed complete meals, so no additional accompaniments necessary, but of course, any embellishments one has time for are always fun. Certainly would be a great way to dress up such a simple meal and turn it into company fare.