The sea parted. The dove found a branch. My children ate fish this week without complaining.
My dirty little secret is that very few of the recipes that grace these pages make it willingly into my children’s mouths. I know, I know. The French don’t have this problem. Americans coddle their children. We let them snack too much. We allow them to whine their way to Dino nuggets and Tater Tots.
Trust me, I’m aware. I am just too exhausted at the end of the day to fight with these little creatures. It’s totally selfish. I want to see them smile, and tears at the dinner table do not make me feel good about myself. I also want them to be healthy, and while these things aren’t mutually exclusive, an insane amount of thought goes into making them copasetic.
Some successes I’ll boast about: They love broccoli. We go through six crowns a week. No lie. Fruit’s no problem. And because they enjoy plain white, not-spicy textured foods like tofu and plain chicken (the little one at least), they get a fair smattering of nondairy protein every so often.
If they willingly eat white, you say, shouldn’t you have tried cod long ago? Well, yes. And I feel bad about that. Watching my children eat cod made me mourn all those missed opportunities for our family to eat the same meal. Good old Jewish guilt — making sure no real wins go to our heads.
Cod with Parmesan-Paprika Crust
Serves 4
1 cup panko crumbs
1⁄4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1⁄4 tsp. granulated garlic
1⁄4 tsp. smoky paprika
1⁄4 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. lemon juice
4 6-oz. cod fillets, pin bones removed
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine panko, Parmesan, garlic, paprika and salt in a shallow dish.
Add olive oil to bottom of 9-by-12-inch baking dish. Coat fish in olive oil. Arrange fish flat in pan and squeeze lemon juice over top of fish. Pile Parmesan-panko crumbs on top of filets. It’s OK if some falls to the side. Roast in preheated oven until firm to the touch, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness of filets.
Mint Snap Peas
Serves 4
1 Tbs. butter
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 lb. sugar snap peas, strings removed
1⁄2 tsp. salt
plenty of freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. mint, cut julienne (optional for children)
Melt butter in a large skillet. When foaming, add garlic and snap peas. Sauté 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat, stir in mint. Serve.
Lemon Risotto-Style Quinoa
Serves 3-4
2 Tbs. olive oil
1⁄2 cup onion, diced
1 cup quinoa
1⁄4 cup white wine
11⁄4 cup vegetable stock
1⁄4 tsp. salt
1⁄4 tsp. lemon zest
1 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1⁄4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
plenty of freshly ground black pepper
In a 2-qt. saucepan, heat olive oil until hot but not smoking. Sauté onion for 1-2 minutes. Add quinoa and turn heat to medium-high. Sauté, stirring frequently for 3 minutes to toast. Add wine and stir until absorbed. Add veggie stock and 1⁄4 tsp. salt and lemon zest. Bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes, covered. When curly tail of quinoa has popped out and all liquid is absorbed, remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice, Parmesan and black pepper.
Josie A.G. Shapiro, who won the 2013 Man-O-Manischewitz Cookoff, is the co-author of “The Lazy Gourmet” and works at the JCC of San Francisco. Her columns alternate with those of Faith Kramer. Her website is www.thechickencontests.com.