Tuesday Night Dinners

During the week my food schedule gets a little crazy. I’m a full time student and I intern 16 hours a week, which means I pick classes that are long, meet once a week (if I’m lucky), and interfere with my work schedule as little as possible. That leaves me with a lot of seminar classes at night, which range from three to four hours apiece. By the time I get home (at either 9 or 10:15 p.m.) I want to watch Downton Abbey and fall asleep. Cooking is the last thing on my mind.

By some stroke of luck, on Tuesday I have just one hour-and-fifteen minute class in the middle of the day. No late classes. No internship. I like to think of it as my food day. During my class (titled “Food and Identity” coincidently) I think of what I want to cook that night for my boyfriend and I, and immediately following class I hit the grocery store. (If I get in at TJ’s at two, I can get out in a half hour.) I use this time to make things I won’t normally think of during the week. Roast chickens, briskets, desserts. Things that take time and should be enjoyed.

My boyfriend and I started doing these dinners in September as a way to see one another during the week. He used to go to work at 7 pm and we both had some extra time after class. It began with simple stuff (pasta and rice dishes), but as I found more time and my curiosity for food grew, our meals got more elaborate. It’s super domestic, I know, but it’s the only real opportunity I have to make a meal or follow a recipe. When I’m making dinner for one, I’ll brown up a chicken breast or put together a salad. Not necessarily the stuff you salivate over. But these Tuesday dinners let me try recipes that I oogle over in magazines or cookbooks. Add some diversity into my diet. And, let’s be honest, making pretty food is fun.

This week our Tuesday night dinner got moved to the streets. Didrik asked if I wanted to go to a last minute play at his old acting studio and eagerly accepted. (I love those things!) My dinner plans for the evening seemed pretty portable so I packed it up in my favorite Rubbermaids and we ate in the Madison Square Park (under the Shack Shack heating lamps) after the show. As promised, I’ve tackled cabbage.

Sauteed Cod on Snow Peas and Cabbage with Miso Sesame Vinaigrette adapted from the July 2002 issue of Gourmet



For vinaigrette
2 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons miso paste
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 tablespoons sesame oil
4 teaspoons sesame seeds

For cabbage
2 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped (or garlic paste if you have it)
12 oz. (or ¾ of a bag) coleslaw mix (I used cabbage and carrot)
1/4 lb snow peas, very thinly sliced lengthwise
2 tablespoons sesame oil

For fish
2 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
4 (5-oz) pieces cod fillet (3/4 to 1 inch thick)

Preparation
Grate a large lump of fresh ginger on a microplane. Place in a small bowl or glass measuring cup and add miso paste, sugar, and sesame seeds. Mix with a fork until well incorporated. Then add vinegar, water, and sesame oil. Mix until smooth.

In a large pan heat coconut oil over moderately high heat. Add garlic, then throw coleslaw mix and snow peas on top. Add cabbages and snow peas and a little salt. Sauté until cabbages are a little brown on the edges. While the cabbage is cooking, heat coconut oil in a large pan, then cook the cod. (About 4 minutes on the first side and 2 minutes on the other side). Add a little salt, pepper, and pepper flake. The fish should be a flaky and a little golden brown when it’s done.

I plated the cabbage on a bed of short grain brown rice and placed the fish on top with a little dressing. Didrik end up mixing it all together with some extra sauce, sort of like a fried rice. The flavors really mix well together.