I wanted to do a simple fish stew that is a bit French and Italian at the same time.  I sauteed the fish lightly and added the onions and garlic. For extra flavor, I used parsley and my favorite herb that goes so well with fish- dill. Tomato paste makes this fast stew taste like it has been on the stove for hours.

The most important ingredient in this dish (besides the fish) is the fish stock. I was able to find it at Whole Foods and I believe it is available in most grocery store. If you can’t find it, don’t worry- use chicken stock instead but I have to say, the fish stock provides a great flavor to this simple dish. I added potatoes to make this stew a bit more substantial. I was initially thinking of serving a salad with the dish but then decided to come up with a zucchini pesto and served it on top of some toasted bread- that is the Italian part of the meal.

My daughter loved the stew including the zucchini pesto bruschetta. My husband and I opened a Pinto Noir and enjoyed a lovely dinner.

Try this quick, delicious fish stew for dinner next time you feel like eating fish…

• 1 pound cod, cut into 3 to 4 inches pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt

Heat a heavy saucepan with the olive oil on high heat. Add the fish pieces in two or three batches. Cook the fish about a minute or two on each side and sprinkle salt. Take out and keep aside.

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• ¼ cup dill, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¾ cup dry, crisp white wine
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 cups fish stock
• 4-5 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and cut in half
• Salt

Reheat the same pan and add one tablespoon olive oil. Add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the parsley and dill. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute. Add the white wine and scrape all the stuck on brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the tomato sauce and fish stock. Add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and lower the heat while the broth still simmers. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes till the broth consistency is between a stew and a soup and potatoes are tender. Add the fish pieces right before serving. Cook for 5 minutes or till the pieces are fully cooked. Taste for seasonings and add salt if necessary.
Serve with toasted baguette slices topped with zucchini pesto.

So, since the dish didn’t have any vegetables, I was planning on serving a salad. I had baby arugula in the fridge and decided to make it simple and add some lemon juice and salt. It suddenly occurred to me maybe I should serve the seasoned arugula on top of the dish! What a brilliant idea- actually it’s not mine- I have seen it many times on food television- they usually add seasoned greens on pizza, pasta, etc. Well it is a great idea- it tasted fantastic!  The lemony arugula was perfect with the creamy chicken and the sweet couscous. It really was a brilliant dish and I think great for company. We drank a Riesling with the chicken- the same one I used to make the sauce. It stood up to the strong flavors of the chicken dish but was light at the same time. It was a very enjoyable meal indeed- nothing better in life than to enjoy great food and wine with the people you love most! 

• 8 chicken thighs, skinless with bone (about 2 pounds)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• Salt
• Pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup pancetta, chopped
• 1 head of garlic, skins off and smashed
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme plus more for garnish
• ½ cup white wine
• 1½ cups chicken broth

Mix the flour with some salt and pepper in a wide platter. Sprinkle salt and pepper generously on the chicken pieces and dredge in the seasoned flour. Keep aside.
In the meantime, in a wide and heavy pan, heat the olive oil. Add the pancetta and sauté till golden brown, about 30 seconds. In batches, sauté the chicken in the fat until nicely browned, about 3-4 minutes on each side. When the batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to sauté all the chicken pieces. Lower the heat once the chicken is done, and add all the garlic and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add the wine, return to a boil and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme and chicken and the chicken broth. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is done. Take the cover off and bring to a boil to thicken the sauce for a good 7-8 minutes or till it reaches the desired consistency. Check for seasoning and garnish with fresh thyme.

Couscous with Pine Nuts and Currants

• 1 cup whole wheat couscous
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup currants
• Salt to taste

Heat the olive oil in a medium pan. Add the pine nuts and sauté for a minute. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the couscous and salt and cover the pan and turn the heat off. Let it cook for 5-10 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork and add the currants and check for seasonings.

Serve with Arugula on top

• 3 cups baby arugula
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Salt

Mix the arugula with the lemon juice and salt. Serve on top of the chicken and couscous.

Sauce

• 2 pints cherry tomatoes
• 3-4 garlic cloves, not peeled
• 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and Pepper to sprinkle

Preheat the oven on 400 degrees.
On a cookie sheet spread the tomatoes and garlic and top them with the oil and the salt and pepper. Roast them for about 30 minutes or till the tomatoes are soft and almost bursting. Squeeze the garlic out of the husks. Add the tomatoes and garlic into a blender and liquefy the mixture till smooth. Adjust seasonings. You will need about half of the sauce for the pizza.

Toppings

• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil- divided
• 10 ounces cremini mushroom, sliced
• Salt to taste

In a medium frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add the sliced onion. Cook about 20 minutes on medium low heat until the onions are soft and golden brown. Keep aside. In the same pan, heat the remaining olive oil and add the sliced mushrooms. Cook on medium high heat for about 15 minutes, until all the moisture is evaporated and the mushrooms are golden brown. Sprinkle salt to taste. Keep aside.

Pizza

• 1 large French Baguette
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 7-8 ounces fontina cheese, shredded
• Salt if needed

Preheat oven on 350 degrees.
Cut the baguette in half, lengthwise. Drizzle the olive oil and spread on both sides. Spread the roasted tomato and garlic sauce. Next, add the shredded cheese followed by the mushrooms and onions. Sprinkle salt to taste. Bake for about 10 minutes and serve!

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Transfer to a large plate.  Shake the chicken pieces with the seasoned flour in a paper or plastic bag.  Brown the chicken in a pot, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to the plate with bacon.  Saute the mushrooms, carrots, garlic, and onions in the pot until the just begin to brown, 5 minutes.  Pour half the wine into the pan and cook over high heat for about 8 minutes.  Add the broth and the remaining wine.  Bring to a boil and add the chicken, bacon, and herbs.  Return to a boil, then cover and simmer for 45 minutes.  Remove the chicken and vegetables and reduce the sauce by half.  In the meantime remove the meat off the chicken bones and discard the bones. Once the sauce is reduced add the vegetables and the meat remaining meat.
Serve on top of garlic baguettes.

Garlic Baguette

• 1 French baguette, cut into 2 inch diagonal slices
• Olive oil to drizzle
• 2 whole garlic cloves

Drizzle olive oil on the slices and toast in a 350 degrees oven for a few minutes. Rub the garlic cloves on the toasted slices.
In a shallow bowl, place 2 slices of garlic baguette and add the coq au vin on top and serve.