Wonders Never Cease

Hers:
I really thought it would have been just as effective to take a $20 bill, tear it into shreds and throw it into my son’s fifth grade classroom. And certainly less time-consuming.

But our eldest had done a report on the Inuit, and as part of his assignment, needed to create an artifact to share with the class. He chose cod stew.

So, he and I spent last Sunday afternoon dicing onions, tomatoes, parsley and two and a half pounds of cod. Granted, the Arctic people would not have included the first three ingredients in their mealtime preparations. Nor would they have sautéed it all in olive oil. But Whole Foods doesn’t carry whale blubber.

I sat in the back of the class as my son read his report – proud at how he looked up every few sentences to make eye contact with his teacher, impressed at his ability to deviate from his notes (as in: “The Inuit did not hunt or eat seal and caribou in the same day. Sort of like keeping kosher, if you’re Jewish.”)

But what completely blew me away was when we ladled lukewarm cod stew into plastic cups and served it to his class. Not only did almost all of the kids actually taste the concoction (which our 6-year-old had said looked like lava), but at least half of the class asked for seconds. Many even lined up for thirds. One boy who was afraid at first to come near the stuff was convinced by a girl who said, “You really have to try it! This is fantastic!”

(Aren’t you just kvelling, Jamie Oliver?)

Here’s the recipe:

4 onions, diced
4 tomatoes, diced
handful of parsley, chopped
2 lbs cod, cut into chunks
2 tbs olive oil
salt/pepper to taste

In large soup pot, saute onions in oil for 5 minutes, then add parsley. Add tomatoes, fish, salt and pepper. Add just enough water to barely cover ingredients. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Tie up your huskies, take off your parka, light a fire in your igloo and enjoy.

Blessing – fall leaves. I will never take this season for granted.