The Odd Fork

Dried cod fish is very popular in Greece, usually eaten fried with a delicious dip of mashed potatoes, olive oil, lots of lemon and garlic. It is also a basic ingredient in several mediterranean vegetarian stews, replacing the meat or poultry. 

So the Odd Fork made a vegetarian curry in its own odd way, using dried cod and pineapple! 

To make it, first soak the dried cod fish from the previous night in water. 

The next day, add chopped to your blender the following: A small onion, a clove of garlic, 2 small green hot peppers, some fresh ginger, the zest of a lemon, one teaspoon of tomato paste and 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder. 

Set the above mixture aside, clean your blender and blend a small can of pineapple chunks in natural juice -blend liquids and chunks together but keep aside some whole chunks.

Sauté the first onion-pepper mix in a little olive oil for a few minutes. Add the second mixture with the pineapple puree, the whole pineapple chunks, the cod pieces drained and a small can of coconut milk. Lower the heat, cover your pot and simmer for 15-20 min. Uncover, increase the heat and let it thicken, stirring often. Add salt, pepper and some fresh chopped basil. 

Serve with basmati rice if desired.

Winter is on its way, so the Odd Fork starts to crave warm, comfort food. Homemade healthy food with seasonal vegetables, herbs and spices and sometimes, fish or meat.

In the Odd's Fork kitchen, winter asks for cabbage! It is easy to find, cheap to buy and very nutritious. It is delicious eaten raw in salads but it works also very well in stews. Pork and cabbage stew is very popular in Greece, so the Odd Fork thought why not use fish instead of meat?

To serve two, it used:

- 2 sole fish fillets (thawed, if using frozen)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- an onion, finely chopped
- a small cabbage (size of a small mellon)
- a wine glass of white, dry wine
- a shot of Greek Rakomelo (optional)
- salt, black pepper, some mild red and hot red pepper, some turmeric (all powder)
- half tsp ground fennel seeds (crushed with a mortar and pestle)
- 2 small dried bay leaves
- half a bunch of fresh dill
- lemon, to taste

Remove each cabbage leaf with a knife, wash leaves thoroughly and chop them, as if making a salad. Place a pot over medium to high heat. Add olive oil and sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes. Add cabbage, stirring with a wooden spatula for a couple of minutes. Add all the dried spices and herbs, stir well and deglaze with the white wine and the Rakomelo.
Rakomelo is a popular winter Greek spirit, literally meaning "Raki with honey" (Raki is like vodka, only produced from grapes) and the Odd Fork thought that it could give a little "something" to its recipe.

Add about half a glass of water in the pot -just to cover the ingredients, cover the pot with its lid and boil over medium heat until cabbage is tender. About 5 minutes before the end of cooking, add chopped fresh dill and fish fillets, uncover the pot, increase the heat and boil until fish becomes white and juices evaporate. Be careful not to stir, just shake the pot if necessary.

Serve immediately hot with fresh lemon juice and drink with this meal a nice, dry, white wine.