Striped Bass Veracruz

Like writing, the only way to learn to cook, is to cook. Reading cookbooks (seriously) and watching cooking shows helps, not so much for the specifics, but for the generalities. I learned that people cook with medium onions, chopped up and softened in butter or oil A LOT. Other things I learned: to stop worrying about things burning (they almost never do on top of the stove. In the beginning I undercooked EVERYTHING) and to stop worrying so much about following the actual recipe verbatim, especially since I don't bake. (Thank you Mark Bittman.) Also, Ina Garten's food looks incredible, but she's like the Paula Deen of the Northeast. When in doubt, she adds fat! But she also eyeballs amounts, which is comforting. And honestly, though I don't love her food, Rachel Ray is great to watch to pick up some knife skills. 

So, recently something quite interesting has happened. I can actually cook a really tasty meal, in about 45 minutes, with no real recipe. And not just one thing (well, sometimes one thing.) And I find it therapeutic. RC often looks at me in the kitchen in askance: where is empty-refrigerator-camel-smoking-cat-hair-covered girl I met?" he wonders. Still here, but without the cigarettes. So I thought I'd start sharing with you the things I've been making. 

Last night I made this Striped Bass dish. I got the fish at the farmer's market on Sunday, and quite honestly you can use any fish you want. I probably wouldn't do Tuna or Salmon, but that's me. We had a pound, but that's just because that's what they had. 

Veracruz Style Sauce:

1 Medium Onion (duh), roughly chopped

2 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or so

1 half-pint Sungold Cherry Tomatoes (though 2 or 3 beautiful summer tomatoes of any sort would work)

1 handful of pitted green olives (I like the whole foods ones in cans, but any will do, or even black.)

1 tsp capers 

1 tsp pickled jalapenos, chopped (funnily I had real Serranos in the fridge, but I just like these better.)

I started by heating up my big All-Clad saute pan that I do everything in. That's one of those little things I learned on TV- heat the pan first. Then I added the oil. Then the onions. I cooked the onions for a good while. They were so soft and sweet. Probably at least ten minutes, maybe fifteen, stirring occasionally because my stove heats things lopsidedly, and also to get the onions unstuck from the bottom of the pan (hey, it happens). Then I added the tomatoes, whole.(If I had had big ones, i would have chopped them first, and left the skin and seeds.) Then I turned the stove off, accidentally, because I was cooking rice on the burner behind it, and the rice was done, then I went to season the rice, and then I came back to check the sauce, and lo, there was no sauce. So I turned the stove back on. I covered the pan, to try to get the tomatoes done faster. You want them to pop, which they will, beautifully, and this takes a little time- about ten more minutes. But I got nervous about the onions, so I added a dash of white wine, to moisten things, but if you don't turn the stove off, you won't have to. But it doesn't hurt at all. Ever. 

When the tomatoes began to pop, I added everything else. And d'you know what else I should mention? Salt. Occasionally I would throw a handful in, when I remembered. You can almost never have too much salt, except when you do, and then it's a nightmare, so taste while you cook. I let that all cook togethe, while I grilled the fish on my grill pan. It bubbled, and turned it down, and then only one side bubbled. (The fish cooks in 12 minutes or so.) It was delicious. I almost didn't even need the fish, honestly. I served with canned fat-free refried beans, cilantro lime rice (rice cooked in chicken stock, lime juice, chopped cilantro) and left over tortillas.