As of last week, I still had not had an ear of sweet corn, but the farm stands do seem to be in high cotton. (I have actually never used that phrase, but I have been reading novels that take place in Virginia lately, and one person used “high cotton,” so I looked up the phrase and, originally, it meant that the crops, usually cotton, were doing particularly well, so I thought I would use this to talk about how great all the crops seems to be doing.)

In my recent farmers market trips, I took home more kinds of green beans, lots more basil and two different sizes of tomatoes, one a little bigger than grape tomatoes and the other smaller than a medium-sized salad tomato. And both were a burnished reddish-brown. All were beyond delicious.

My food magazines are loaded with local vegetable recipes, especially my Bon Appetit. A few weeks ago, I had dinner with a friend at The Spot in Groton, close to where I live and yet I’d never eaten there. I ordered a baked stuffed cod with sweet potato fries and a fairly large, very good, Caesar salad. A hour later, at home, I was reading August 2020’s Bon Appetit and saw a recipe for poached cod in tomato curry. The next day I bought some cod and made the dish.

It was very good, but I realized some people don’t enjoy Indian curry. For those of you, try making it as a Thai curry. I always have red curry paste in the refrigerator and unsweetened coconut milk pantry. Next time I will use those ingredients instead of the red chile and the Indian curry.

In any case, here is this very nice recipe: healthy and delicious. And in case you have coconut milk but not coconut cream, use the top layer of the coconut milk.

Poached Cod in Tomato Curry

Adapted from Bon Appetit, August, 2020

Serves 4

3 tablespoons ghee, virgin coconut oil or vegetable oil

1 red chile, halved, seeds removed, thinly sliced

1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

4 cardamom pods, crushed

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1¼ pounds cherry tomatoes (about 2 pints)

¼ cup unsweetened coconut cream (or the top layer of canned coconut milk)

Kosher salt

4 5-ounce skinless cod fillets

1 cup basil leaves, torn if large

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook chile, ginger and garlic, stirring often, until garlic is softened but has not taken on any color, about 3 minutes. Add cardamom, coriander and turmeric and cook, stirring and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the tomatoes burst and release their juices 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in coconut cream, taste and season curry with salt.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Season cod with salt and nestle into curry. Cover and cook at a bare simmer until fish is opaque throughout and beginning to flake, 5 to 7 minutes. (Thicker pieces will take longer to cook.)

Gently transfer cod to shallow bowls. Stir basil into curry and spoon over fish.

Cook’s Tip: If you do not have cardamom pods, coriander and turmeric, use 2 teaspoons of Indian curry powder.

On the Side

I love watching people using chopsticks when cooking in their kitchens. I guess I wasn't alone. Sohla El-Waylly, associate food editor at Bon Appetit, has been using foot-long tweezer tongs for years: "they are metal chopsticks welded together, and have just the right amount of resistance, with no fussy locking mechanism to slow you down." It can be used to flip steaks, turn vegetables and turn fish elegantly without tearing them. I immediately called my daughter, who cooks outside a lot, and the next day I ordered one for each of us. Can't wait until they arrive.

Kuchenprofi tweezer tongs

$14 and most shipping is free

Amazon.com

Lee White lives in Groton. She can be reached at leeawhite@aol.com.