Dinner: Cod and Creamed Spinach Casserole; Dessert: Honey-Rhubarb Crumble

OH MY!  I just finished eating the recipe I’m about to write about.  I want to eat the rest, but I can’t.  Something that tastes that good is best consumed in moderation to better appreciate the simple flavors.  I was originally convinced I would be sharing Sunday night’s dinner with you, but alas Monday nights was OUT OF THIS WORLD!  Don’t get me wrong, Sunday’s was delicious too, but this week you will get a combo…Sunday night’s dessert and Monday night’s main event.

We’ll start with dessert first.  As I wrote on Saturday, I bought rhubarb for the first time on Saturday.  In an attempt to embrace the first fruit of this new season I thought … crumble!  Dann and I enjoy fruit crumbles all year long.  I found a recipe at myrecipes.com and was mildly impressed.  I say mildly because the recipe called for lime and we had lemon, I think we would have been better to go the lime path, the dish was a bit on the tart side, but was nicely complimented by vanilla ice cream.

Honey-Rhubarb Crumble - By Linda West Eckhardt, Cooking Light, APRIL 1995

5 ½ cups sliced rhubarb (1/2 inch slices)

¼ Honey (local of course!)

1 teaspoon grated lime rind (not local of course…)

Cooking spray

1/3 cup regular oats

1/3 cup all purpose flour (I used wheat)

¼ firmly packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons margarine cut into small pieces (I use butter)

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a bowl, and toss well. Spoon into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Place oats, flour, and sugar in food processor, and pulse 2 to 3 times. Add chilled margarine, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal; sprinkle over rhubarb mixture. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Serve with frozen yogurt.

Now to the piece de resistance… Cod and Creamed Spinach Casserole.   I do not have a picture for some reason, but you can find one at myrecipes.com – it is one of my go-to recipe sites.  The combination of the freshness of the creamed spinach and the cod (from Exclusively Alaskan Goods in Eden, NY) was just amazing.  Was it the cod?  Was it the spinach?  Was it the heavy cream?  the butter?  It was the perfect combination of the all of the above with just a touch of nutmeg!  My mouth is still watering…

 Cod and Creamed Spinach Casserole,  Coastal Living OCTOBER 2006

2 (6-ounce) bags baby spinach

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 shallot, minced

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt, divided

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1 (2 1/4-pound) cod, hake, or haddock fillet (1 1/2 inches thick), pin bones removed

1/2 cup Japanese breadcrumbs (panko)

1/3 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation

Cook spinach according to package directions (I removed the stems, washed and steamed mine by covering the dish in the microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Drain spinach in colander; squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Transfer spinach to a cutting board, and chop with a large knife.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot; cook 2 minutes. Add cream, and bring to a boil. Stir in spinach, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg. Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture has thickened.

Season cod with remaining 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and place in a lightly buttered 2 1/2-quart baking dish. Spread creamed spinach over fillet to cover. Combine breadcrumbs and cheese until well blended; sprinkle over top of fillet.

Bake at 400° for 28 to 30 minutes, or until fish is just opaque in thickest part. Cut into 6 portions, and transfer to plates, spooning any creamed spinach and juices from sides of dish over portions. Serve immediately.

Don't cook fish until it flakes easily-- by that point, the fish has given up all of its juices, rendering it dry and leaving a lot of water in the dish. If this occurs, spoon the juices back over the fish when serving.

Remember, the casserole will continue cooking once it's pulled from the oven, so it's better to take it out sooner rather than later.

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This recipe was even delicious reheated which is not typical of seafood.  it was about 45 minutes start to finish, but 30 minutes of that was not in the kitchen while the dish baked - so plenty of time to spend with the family, take a walk, or plant some vegetables.