Who’s in the kitchen:One pan fish dish

First, apologies to my husband Jerry and my daughter Jordana, who I inadvertently left out in my shout outs last week, when thanking everyone for helping me while I was helpless with a broken rib. They both went above and beyond and it was greatly appreciated.

Of course, there were times when Jerry was a bit “un” helpful. Take for instance the day the dishwasher broke. The repairman came and said I needed a new part, which he ordered and said would take a week to arrive. Great, broken rib, no dishwasher and it’s Friday. Somehow I managed to cook, clean the kitchen, shower and dry my hair with one hand, which isn’t easy. Then…Jerry walks in before Shabbat, and puts a 2 liter bottle of diet Coke in the freezer, which is absolutely filled to the max without any visible room to stick anything in, let alone a 2 liter bottle. Before I can say anything, he closes the door and it bursts open as the bottle falls out, bounces on the floor and starts to explode all over the place. There was Jerry, just like his dog Buck when he was left alone in the dining room with a birthday cake on the table for Jerry’s daughter. When they walked in the dog lifted his head out of the cake and looked at them, face totally covered in icing and a frozen look of fear on his face. That was Jerry. Soda bottle in hand, a look of fear on his face and the soda spraying all over the kitchen, the entire freezer (soda froze as it hit every shelf, drawer and article of food), every cabinet, top and bottom, the oven, stove, countertops, floor, table and ceiling which is 15 feet high in certain spots. Needless to say, Jerry was very apologetic and nervous as he witnessed my arrival back in the kitchen. After seeing the fear in his eyes and his murmuring over and over “I’m so sorry, I’m so very sorry,” I actually ended up feeling badly for him.

Not the case with the second repairman who showed up the following Friday to install the new part for my dishwasher. I received the part on Wednesday, got a call asking if I would like a morning or afternoon appointment from American Home Shield, and was told Sears would arrive on Friday. A different repairman walks in, I show him the part that arrived and he says, “what’s that?” I explain, “It’s the part that was ordered last week by the other repairman who was here.” He responds, “No one was here already from Sears; I’m here to see what’s wrong with your dishwasher.” I explain the story and give him the part that arrived that was ordered by Sears. He sticks by his story and says that it’s impossible because his computer says that he was scheduled for last week, couldn’t make it so he rescheduled for this Friday. Thinking I was in the Twilight Zone, I try hard to make him understand that no one cancelled and no one spoke to me about rescheduling. A part was ordered and it arrived and it came from Sears, so how does he explain that??? He then said I had to pay the initial $100. I explain that I did that last week but I don’t remember what I did with the receipt the repairman gave me. The repairman showed me his computer and said there is no record of me paying or any Sears repairman at my home. Now I begin to think that maybe it was someone casing my house to rob me at a later date. But then why would he order a part from Sears and send it to me?? He said, “True, this part was shipped from Sears and it would have not been shipped without the $100 payment, but still I had to pay again as I didn’t have the receipt. At that point I ripped apart my kitchen (with my good arm) and found the receipt, to which the guy said, ”Ok, he was here, and you did pay by credit card but till I get the ok from the office you’re going to have to pay if you want me to install it.” Now I was sure I was in an SNL skit. I actually listen to the conversation going on with his supervisor and say, loud enough for the supervisor to hear me, “Asa Aarons of Channel 2 News is going to love this story.” Bingo, one minute later they Okayed the installation of the new part.

And so, since I didn’t have a dishwasher this past week, and didn’t want to wash any more dishes than I had to with a broken rib…..I bring you a delicious healthy one pan fish dish. Enjoy!

One Pan Fish Dish

Ingredients

•3 cloves garlic, divided

•2 tablespoons olive oil

•2 small fennel bulbs, trimmed, cored and thinly sliced

•1 large onion, sliced

•6 small Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced

•1 14-ounce can plum tomatoes, drained and chopped, reserve the liquid

•1/4 cup water

•1 teaspoon salt, divided

•1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

•3 tablespoons fine dry breadcrumbs

•2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed

•1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

•1 1/2 pounds halibut or cod, skinned and cut into 6 portions

Preparation

1.Preheat oven to 450°F.

2.Mince 2 garlic cloves and place in a small bowl. Whisk in 1 1/2 tablespoons oil

3.Combine fennel and onion in a 9-by-13 baking dish; add the garlic mixture and toss to coat.

4. Roast the fennel mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until softened, 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Add potatoes, tomatoes and their juice, water, 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cover tightly with foil and bake until the potatoes are tender, 35 to 40 minutes more.

6. Meanwhile, mince the remaining garlic clove and place in a small bowl. Add breadcrumbs, fennel seeds, lemon zest, the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Mix with your fingers until blended.

When the potatoes are tender, place fish on top of the vegetables and sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over all. Roast, uncovered, until the breadcrumbs are browned, 10 to 15 minutes

Judy Joszef can be reached at judy.soiree@gmail.com