About the columnist
Joey de Larrazabal-Blanco started cooking
in earnest out of absolute necessity-a continent away from home with no one to
feed her. She then promptly and totally flung herself into a one-woman love
affair with food-procuring it, preparing it, and ultimately, consuming it. She
carries no credentials except for her passion and is firm in her belief that
anyone can learn to cook.
Joey
de Larrazabal-Blanco
Let’s be honest: Even the bright-side-seeking and positivity-infuse among us fall
victim to the evil clutches of stress. You’d be hard-pressed to find a person
juggling less than three “balls’ at any given time. Often, however, it is not
so much the presence of stress, but how we handle it that is important.
Some people hit the gym or indulge in their
favourite form of physical activity. Some burry themselves in a good book, A
few lucky ones literally escape through travel. I love a good book and choose
this route often. I also love to travel, but time and budget does not always
allow for this. And physical activity is more likely to cause me from it. So I
turn to cooking.
I love hiding away for a weekend to make
stews, stocks, and soups from scratch. It’s manual, contemplative work that
fills and engrosses me, and delivers my mind from all other worries. Working
with my hands and turning various parts into a nourishing and delicious whole
makes me feel like all is right in the world.
But more often than not - and I believe this
may be true for most of us-I don’t have a couple of days with which to do
nothing but cook. I have a family, a job, and other things that vie for my time
and attention. Nevertheless, that doesn’t stop me (and neither should it stop
you) from finding a few pockets of time in the middle of a busy workweek to
head to the kitchen and prepare a dish or two. It’s a form of stress relief
that comes with the bonus of being able to place a homemade meal on the table
in the process.
This dish is quick, easy, delicious, and
for the most part, healthful as well. The herb paste is the most complicated
part of the whole procedure, although in truth, it’s not that complicated at
all. It only entails tossing ingredients into a food processor and blitzing
everything in a few quick pulses. Once you have this ready, the rest can be
done in the blink of an eye. If you want this to be a complete meal, just toss
some asparagus in the pan along with the fish, rubbing them liberally with some
of your extra herb paste.
Make time in your day for the things you
love, whether it be cooking, reading, hiding out in a too-small princess tent
with your little one, or enjoying a few gin when dealing with stress and will
help you face challenges with new energy!
Herby bacon – wrapped fish fillets
Serves: 4
Prep
Time: 10
minutes
Cooking Time: 25 to 30 minutes
Herby
bacon – wrapped fish fillets
·
½ cup cilantro leaves
·
½ cup parsley leaves
·
2 tablespoons chopped green onions (white and
light green parts only)
·
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
·
Zest from 1 lemon 2 to 4 anchovy fillets or to
taste, divided
·
¼ cup olive oil
·
400 grams sole fillet or any white fish fillet
·
4 to 6 strips bacon (one strip per piece of
fish)
1.
Preheat oven to 350oF.
2.
Place cilantro, parsley, green onions, garlic,
lemon zest, 2 anchovy fillets, and olive oil in a food processor or in the bowl
of a stick blender. Process until it looks like pesto; taste. If it needs more
salt, add another anchovy fillet. You can do this by half fillets until it is
seasoned to your liking. Set aside.
3.
Cut fish fillets into 4 to 6 pieces that are
equal in size. Use 3 to 3 tablespoonfuls of the herb mix to coat fillets. Wrap
each fillet in strip of bacon. Place on a parchment-lined baking tray and roast
in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until fish and bacon are done.
Tip
After making this recipe, you will have
some of the herb mixture left over. I like to keep this in a little jar topped
with a thin layer of olive oil as it is fantastic in so many ways: you can toss
it with some new potatoes before roasting, mix it with cream cheese for a
simple appetizer spread (or mix the herbed cream cheese through scrambled
eggs), or toss it with some short pasta and peas for a quick lunch. You can
also freeze it if you don’t think you’ll use everything in one go.
