Quick, Clean, Easy Meal

My stomach was feeling temperamental all day yesterday so I was keen on cooking a really gentle meal, with a bit of protein, that would have me feeling satiated without being overloaded.

I marinated a fillet of Basa fish (a mild, white fish that holds its texture well when it cooks) in soy sauce, a spoonful of brown sugar and a couple cloves of chopped garlic. I let it sit for about half an hour, while I got the rice pilaf started.

I finely chopped half a small yellow onion, two cloves of garlic and a tablespoon of flat-leaf parsley. I heated a bit of butter up in a small pot, added the onion and garlic, seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper and cooked for about three minutes, until the onions were soft and translucent. Then I added a cup of long grain wild rice, stirring to combine. I topped the pot up with two cups of water, brought the whole mixture to a boil, reduced to medium low and cooked for about 45 minutes, until the rice was tender. Wild rice isn't as picky with the seal of the pot needing to be closed the whole time, so feel free to stir it occasionally, to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

I have just recently begun cooking with wild rice. I am more likely to pick up a short grain brown or a Basmati, but I picked some of this great organic wild rice up from Capers the other day and I'm in love. It's toothsome - it has a chew to it and eating it feels like I am doing my body some good. It has the most delightful texture!

While the rice was cooking I prepped these beautiful artichokes I bought. They were nice fat ones, so I trimmed down the stems and put them in a steamer for about half an hour, until the hearts felt tender when poked with a knife.

As you may remember, I have this serious obsession with kale. I sometimes think of life in two parts: before I ate kale, and after I ate kale. I pretty much base meals around the damn green vegetable. So I got green (the really curly looking one) and black (the longer, skinnier leaves) kale, picked the leaves off the stems, and tore them into small pieces. I rinsed them well, as these leaves grip onto dirt and grit well and can be really sandy straight from the market.

With five minutes left on the rice, I heated up a non-stick skillet on medium high for the fish. I added a bit of butter and then arranged the Basa in the sizzling pan. I gave the fish a good crack of fresh pepper and let it cook on each side for about three minutes, until golden and crispy. The sugar in the glaze caramelized so wonderfully and created this lovely glossy glaze on the fish. I've done this fish in a stainless steel pan and I have to admit it doesn't have the same effect. The fish ends up sticking and the sauce is left behind on the pan. If you have teflon, use it!

I took the fish out of the pan and added the greens straight to it. There was a little bit of sauce left over from the fish, but if the pan is dry, add some oil or butter before the greens. I added a little splash of soy sauce and a squeeze of lemon and cooked for about two minutes, until the greens were soft and tender.

I served the artichokes with melted butter (with a bit of salt and a squeeze of lemon) and a bowl for scraped leaves, topped the glossy, crispy fish on the rice and garnished with a bit of chopped parsley and served the saucy greens on the side. Delightful! Deluxe! Delicious!