D8 N THE NEW YORK TIMES, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020I’M GETTING TIREDof reading the news anx-
iously each morning, tired of bad behavior
everywhere, tired of witnessing fear and
loathing and oppression, tired of politics.
It’s a rough time. But, though some days I
want very simple food, I’m not tired of cook-
ing.
I’m also not tired of going to the farmers’
market, or of spending time in the kitchen. I
don’t tire of cooking pasta, warming garlic
in olive oil or making toast. I still get excited
when a bite of food tastes inordinately good.
I still want to make a salad and put on a pot
of beans. And there’s still comfort in watch-
ing the seasons change.
I do understand the concept of kitchen
burnout, more so with the doubled-up stress
of the pandemic and the holidays, but the
act of cooking and the ritual of sharing foodcan be relaxing, grounding and positive.
Think of this menu as a fun one to cook,
maybe in a week or so. It’s easy enough to
prepare for a special weeknight, though, of
course, each of the dishes can stand alone,
too.A Salad to Start
There was beautiful fennel at one farmer’s
stand the other day. Now is the time for it. It
does well in cool temperate zones, growing
slowly, feathery fronds swaying. Chilly
weather accentuates the fennel’s sweetness
and anise perfume. Cutting into the bulb re-
veals its crisp, pale celadon center.
Thinly sliced, it makes a most refreshing
salad. Fennel dressed with anchovy, lemon
juice, green olives and fruity olive oil is a
combination I’ll never tire of. Don’t be
afraid of the anchovy; rinsing and blotting
the fillets tames the harshness.
If you happen to have a preserved lemon
or two on hand, a bit of the salty choppedrind adds depth. This makes a zesty, wel-
coming first course — or a fine salad to eat
for lunch. Dress it just before serving, so the
sliced fennel stays crisp. It may seem silly
to smash and pit your own green olives, but
the shape looks better and they taste meat-
ier that way. (In any case, please, don’t cut
pitted olives crosswise into little round
slices.)In the Middle, a Marriage
The fish man had haddock, cod and hake for
sale (I went for the cod) and shiny black
mussels from Prince Edward Island. I
thought they should marry. The fish could
marinate in a mixture of cilantro, cumin and
coriander, a clever Moroccan custom.
Steamed together, the mussels would con-
tribute their briny juices to the broth. En-
hanced with a dab of spicy harissa, the re-
sulting stew, served in big bowls, was
deeply flavorful. Was it tiresome? Not at all
— it was dreamy.Finishing With Flair
You may not want a real dessert after this
meal. I’d be happy with a bowl of tangerines
and a juicy pomegranate, or a scoop of ice
cream, but why resist an olive oil walnut
cake, just a little slice? You can absolutely
bake the cake in advance. It actually keeps
well for several days, and seems to improve
with age, in fact. Your choice: elegant des-
sert or perfect breakfast.
Extra-virgin olive oil gives the cake rich-
ness and a tender crumb. There’s also an or-
ange syrup to drench it with, best done on
the day it’s served. A spoonful of crème
fraîche or yogurt and a topping of bright red
pomegranate seeds make the cake a festive
sight.
So, no, I’m not tired of cooking. In truth,
somehow, preparing a good meal — or one
good dish — is invigorating.DAVID TANISInvigorating, and Easy to Make
A fine meal need not be complicated,
nor relegated to the weekend.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDREW SCRIVANI FOR THE NEW YORK TIMESTIME: 45 MINUTES
YIELD: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
For the Harissa:
1 roasted red bell pepper (fresh or jarred)
2 small garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground caraway
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne, or to taste
Kosher salt
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the Stew:
2 pounds cod, haddock or hake, cut into
12 (3-inch) chunks
Kosher salt and black pepper
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 large shallots, finely diced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 large
lemon)
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves and tender
stems, plus more sprigs, for garnish
Pinch of red-pepper flakes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 cup canned crushed tomato
2 pounds small mussels, scrubbed
- Make the harissa: In a blender or small food
processor, place roasted pepper, garlic,
paprika, cumin, caraway, cayenne and salt. Add
½ cup oil and pulse briefly to a smooth purée,
making sure not to overprocess. Transfer to a
bowl. (Alternatively, finely chop the roasted
pepper by hand, and mix all the ingredients
together in a bowl.) Set aside.- Season fish chunks on both sides with salt
and pepper, and place in a bowl. Add garlic,
shallot, cumin, coriander, lemon juice, chopped
cilantro and red-pepper flakes. Toss to coat
evenly and leave to marinate for 10 to 15
minutes.
3. Set a Dutch oven or wide heavy pot over
medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil.
When oil is wavy, add fish chunks in one layer
and let sizzle for 1 minute. Add bay leaves and
tomato (and any remaining marinade) plus 1
cup water, and bring to a brisk simmer. Set
mussels on top of fish chunks and cover pot.
Cook 5 to 7 minutes, until mussels have
opened. Turn off heat and leave covered for 5
minutes before serving.- Divide seafood among deep plates or low
soup bowls. Ladle juices from pot over each
serving. Dollop each serving with about 2
tablespoons harissa. Garnish with cilantro
sprigs. Pass more harissa at the table.
COD AND MUSSEL STEW
WITH HARISSA
Spicy heat like
the harissa in
this dish is noto-
riously difficult
to pair with
wine. My strategy: Ignore it.
Drink what you like, unless
it’s a fine, subtle, rare or
expensive wine, in which
case you run the risk of
missing out on the nuances
that are intrinsic to such
wines. Otherwise, don’t
worry. You could go in sev-
eral directions with this
seafood stew. Dry whites on
the lean and less-oaked side
would be fine choices, partic-
ularly something like Mus-
cadet, albariño, Sancerre,
vermentino, verdicchio or
Vinho Verde. Dry rosés
would also be delicious, and
you could even try a light
red, like a traditionally made
Valpolicella, an easygoing
Ribera Sacra or a frappato
from Sicily. Sherry lovers
know this would be a good
opportunity for a chilled
manzanilla.
ERIC ASIMOV
AND TO DRINK...TIME: 20 MINUTES
YIELD: 4 TO 6 SERVINGSFor the Dressing:
4 anchovy fillets, rinsed, blotted dry and
roughly chopped
3 tablespoons lemon juice, plus 1
teaspoon lemon zest (from 2 large
lemons)
2 tablespoons finely diced preserved
lemon, rinsed and blotted dry
(optional)
2 small garlic cloves, grated or mashed
to a paste
Kosher salt and black pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oilFor the Salad:
3 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed and
thinly sliced
Kosher salt and black pepper
About ½ cup green olives, such as
Castelvetrano or Lucques, smashed
and pits removed (about 16 olives)
4 hard-boiled eggs (8 minutes), peeled
and halved
Extra anchovy fillets, for garnish
(optional)
Handful of Italian parsley leaves, for
garnish- Make the dressing: Put chopped anchovies,
lemon juice and zest, preserved lemon (if
using) and garlic in a small bowl. Add a pinch of
salt and pepper, and whisk in olive oil. - Prepare the salad: Place sliced fennel in a
salad bowl, and season with salt and pepper.
Add olives and dressing, and toss to coat. - Transfer to serving platter or individual
plates. Surround with halved eggs (draped with
more anchovy fillets, if desired), and scatter
parsley leaves over the top.
FENNEL SALAD
WITH ANCHOVY AND OLIVESTIME: 1½ HOURS
YIELD: 10 SERVINGS
For the Cake:
½ cup/120 milliliters extra-virgin olive oil,
plus more for greasing the pan
1 cup/130 grams all-purpose flour, plus
more for dusting the pan
1 cup/100 grams toasted, chopped
walnuts
2 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
4 large eggs, separated
1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar
½ cup/120 milliliters buttermilk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons orange zest
For the Syrup:
½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar
1 cup/240 milliliters orange juice (from 3
medium oranges)
1 (1-inch) cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
1 cup crème fraîche, lightly whipped
cream or thick yogurt, for serving
(optional)
1 cup pomegranate seeds (arils)
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil sides
and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan or cake
pan. Place a parchment circle in bottom of pan
and lightly oil parchment. Dust with flour and
shake off excess. Set pan aside.
- Add the walnuts to a food processor and
grind to a coarse powder. Place ground walnuts
in a bowl, and add 1 cup flour, baking powder
and salt. Stir and set aside.- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg
whites until stiff. With a rubber spatula, transfer
the whites to a sheet of parchment or to a
separate bowl. - Put egg yolks in the bowl of stand mixer
fitted with the whisk attachment. Add sugar
and whisk on low speed until sugar is dissolved.
Then increase speed and continue beating,
scraping down sides of the bowl as necessary,
until the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about
5 minutes. - Beat in buttermilk, vanilla extract and orange
zest, then slowly add the flour mixture at low
speed. Slowly add ½ cup/120 milliliters olive
oil and beat for a minute or so to combine.
Using a rubber spatula, quickly fold in the
reserved beaten egg whites. (First, fold in ⅓ of
the whites to lighten the batter, then fold in
remaining whites.) Scrape batter into prepared
cake pan, put pan on a baking sheet and place
in oven on middle shelf. - Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until a skewer
inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool in
the pan on a rack, then invert onto a cake
plate. - Meanwhile, make the syrup: In a small
saucepan, put sugar, orange juice, cinnamon
stick and cloves. Simmer over medium heat
until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Let
cool. Spoon half the syrup over top of cooled
cake. Cut cake into wedges and serve with a
dab of crème fraîche, if desired. Spoon more
syrup over each portion. Sprinkle with
pomegranate seeds.
OLIVE OIL-WALNUT CAKE
WITH POMEGRANATE