I had been working on posts from travels to Toronto and Gloucester, Massachusetts this past summer, but got waylaid. This afternoon I took a short hike at Kite Hill in Ancram, New York- one of my favorite places to walk. I was inspired to take pictures and write about the beautiful early fall scenery.
I love visiting here in all of the different seasons and have written several blogs over the years about Kite Hill. Surrounded by meadows with distant views of the Catskill Mountains, I was enchanted by the brilliant yellow of goldenrod contrasting with different shades of brown grasses and dried flowers. Along with the gray blue color of the clouds, every other step that I took was a treat for the senses. I took in a breath fresh sweet autumn air and was in heaven!
As is often the case when I am walking, my thoughts drift pleasantly to dinner plans. I had a piece of cod waiting in the fridge, some very over ripe tomatoes sitting on the counter, leftover steamed broccoli and a few carrots and zucchini in the vegetable bin. I thought that cod coated with spices cooked in a hot cast iron skillet might be good.
When I got home, I rinsed off the tomatoes, cut off a bit of mold on one or two (the softer the tomatoes, the better!) and cut them in half. I laid them cut side up in a baking dish and seasoned them with salt and freshly ground pepper, herbs de Provence, dried chives and poured a healthy drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top. I baked them until they started to soften and brown. The tomatoes are great either hot or cold. I used the leftover tomatoes the next day for another fish creation in my cast iron skillet: salmon with caramelized onions, carrots, zucchini and pesto with roast tomatoes!
I rinsed off the cod, patted it dry and sprinkled it on both sides with dried cumin, salt and freshly ground pepper, cayenne pepper, sweet paprika, dried thyme and oregano. I set it aside while I prepared the vegetable mixture.
I preheated the oven to 400 F and then heated a cast iron pan over the stove with a bit of olive oil until it was very hot and added thin slices of carrot and zucchini. They sizzled and browned quickly in the hot pan. I added the leftover steamed broccoli mixed it with the other vegetables and pushed the vegetables to the side. I added a bit more olive oil to the center of the pan, added the fish and then sprinkled the whole pan with chopped toasted walnuts and a crumbled a big handful of fresh feta cheese over the top. I sprinkled a bit more olive oil over the pan and then placed it onto the bottom shelf of the oven. I baked it about 25 minutes until the fish flaked easily. The walnuts and feta had toasted into delicious little crusty pieces along with the softened browned vegetables.
Blackend Cod & Vegetables with Roasted Tomatoes
Ingredients:
1 pound cod loin
2 carrots peeled and cut into thin julienne strips
1 medium zucchini cut into julienne strips
1 cup steamed brocolli
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 cup crumbled fresh feta cheese
Seasonings for the Cod:
2 teaspoons dried cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon red cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
salt and freshly ground pepper
5 or 6 very ripe plum tomatoes
Seasonings for the Tomatoes:
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
1 teaspoon dried chives
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 or more tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
To Make the Tomatoes:
Preheat oven to 400 F
Wash tomatoes and cut in half.
Place in a small baking dish
Sprinkle seasonings over top
Drizzle with Olive Oil
Place on bottom racked of oven and roast until softened and browned about 40 minutes.
To Make the Blackened Cod:
Preheat oven to 400 F
Wash cod with cold water and pat completely dry.
Sprinkle with seasonings and set aside.
Cut vegetables into thin strips.
Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil.
When pan is very hot, add vegetables and cook them quickly until they start to brown. Add the steamed broccoli, stir and push the vegetables to the sides of the pan. Add a bit more olive oil to the center of the pan and add the fish. Cook for a few minutes and then flip the fish over. Top with chopped walnuts and feta. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and place in oven on bottom rack. Cook about 25 minutes until fish flakes easily and vegetables are nicely browned.
ENJOY!
AND: Here is the “Tree of the Week”- an ancient Magnolia tree standing stoically in the garden of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC!
HAPPY FALL!
