Baked White Fish with Orzo, Tomatoes and Olives

Summer is all about fresh produce and herbs. This recipe capitalizes on both. And it's pretty healthy, too. My summer herbs, kept in clay pots, afford easy accessibility and harvesting.

The original recipe called for shrimp, feta cheese, fresh basil, no black olives, canned tomatoes and baking in a covered glass casserole dish. It was "okay." But it just kind of missed something even though it looked great.

I love the concept of par-boiling the orzo, so much easier than making rice or ribbons of pasta. White fish seemed the right way to go with this, and so I used fresh cod. I also added Greek olives, chopped celery, upped the garlic, swapped out the basil for fresh Italian oregano (milder than Mexican oregano), added some spinach and used goat cheese instead of the feta. Even without the fish, this is a great side dish!!! The briny olives with the fresh tomatoes is classic Mediterranean fare. Use a really good olive oil.

I've used plain goat cheese and flavored. It's really up to you. Just use one that is mild in flavor or that you've already had. I use "La Bonne Vie."

(I had planned to do a nice "photo shoot" for this recipe, but a rain storm blew in at the last minute diminishing any natural light. 

• 1/2 cup raw orzo
• 1/2 - 3/4 lb. fresh cod fillet
• 1 cup sliced grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped green onion
• 1 tablespoon finely minced or pressed garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 2-3 tablespoons thawed spinach, squeezed dry (or use fresh)
• 1/3 cup (about) chopped Greek olives (Kalamata)
• 2 tablespoons goat cheese
• 4 small fresh thyme sprigs
• Salt, pepper to taste
• Garlic powder
• Old Bay's Seasoning
• Lemon

Chop, dice and mince all your vegetables and have them ready to go.

Cut fish in half to fit inside of Dutch oven.

Bring a small pot of water to the boil and add the orzo. Cook for about 6 minutes or so while you saute the vegetables.

In a medium Dutch oven, drizzle about a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Add the chopped celery, onion, and tomatoes and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, remembering it will also bake in the oven, so don't over cook them. Add the olives, garlic, spinach and oregano. Stir to warm through. Remove from heat.

Drain orzo and add to vegetables. Stir in the cheese until melted.

The orzo mixture itself is a great side dish.

Lightly dust the fish filet with garlic powder, salt and pepper, Old Bay's. Place fish on top of orzo-vegetable mixture. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over fish and then drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Place thyme sprigs on top of fish.

Cover. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes. Serve with lemon wedges and additional salt if desired. For wine, pair with a cold Pino Grigio, Chenin Blanc or Sauvignon Blanc.

Chicken Soup With Rice, Lemon, Dill and Red Pepper Flakes

When I taught school in a small Indiana town, a Greek family opened a small restaurant and made a wonderful chicken soup with dill, lemon and red pepper. Sometimes it had  meat, sometimes it didn't. After trial and error, the following is pretty close. 

• 6 cups homemade chicken stock  Kitchen Bounty: Chicken/Turkey Stock
• 1 stalk celery cut up/diced
• 1 1/2 peeled carrots, thick parts cut lengthwise and then thinly sliced
• A few pinches of dried thyme flakes
• 1-3 teaspoons Kosher salt or to taste
• 1 teaspoon or so of dried minced onion (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon finely minced fresh garlic
• 3-4 strips of lemon zest (or to taste) that has been peeled with a vegetable peeler, reserved
• A few pinches red pepper flakes, reserved
• 6-8 tablespoons raw, white, long grained rice that has been washed and rinsed in a sieve under cold water until the water runs clear. Or use Orzo.
• 1-3 teaspoons dried dill according to taste, reserved
• Diced chicken meat (optional) I usually leave it out

Bring the above ingredients just until they begin to boil. Lower to a simmer and cover for 40 minutes or so, stirring occasionally and tasting and seasoning as you go.

About ten minutes before serving, turn onto the lowest setting add the reserved lemon peel, dill, and pepper flakes. Just let the soup sit partially covered so all the flavors blend.

You can always leave the soup as is and serve lemon, dill and pepper on the side.

NOTES:

Rinse the rice to get rid of the starch that can interfere with the broth’s taste.

By all means go ahead and use fresh dill, especially as a garnish, but you will need several teaspoons. Place leftover dill between paper towels to dry and store in a leftover spice jar. This works well with any fresh herb.

Begin with just a pinch or two of red pepper flakes—you can always add more. It will take a while for the “heat” of the flakes to be released into the soup as it simmers, so keep that in mind before deciding to add more.