And Now For A Pause

It always comes to this, a mad race to the finish.

I knew I was in trouble when I found myself slurping up the remnants of a big bowl of beef ball noodles last week while plotting, mid-bite, to have a second dinner at Swee Kee, a Hainanese chicken rice joint that's been drawing crowds for decades.

There's never enough time when it comes to eating in Singapore. And my last days there before heading back to New York are always filled with crazed eating marathons as I frantically squeeze in that one last bowl of prawn noodles, that one last dish of Hainanese curried squid, all to tide me over until my next trip back.

Inevitably, when I return to New York, there has to be a break.

The palate must be cleansed; the body needs a rest.

This time, I'd come back eager to rev up my stove again after weeks of squatting in my aunties' kitchens. But, what to make?

I'd spotted a recipe for poached halibut flavored with garlic, parsley and lemon on Molly Wizenberg's Orangette blog.

Being a red-meat gal, "poached" and "halibut" are words I generally steer clear of. But I welcomed the break -- and besides, when the fish guy at Garden of Eden pointed out the wild-caught slabs of halibut just in from Washington state, I thought Molly (from Seattle) was sending me a sign.

The recipe was the simplest I'd tried in a while -- it didn't involve 15 ingredients. And the few that it did call for did not have to be grated, pounded, drained, dry-fried or even julienned. After being my Singaporean grandmother's kitchen bitch sous-chef for a few days, this was a welcome change.

For this dish, all you have to do is buy the freshest ingredients you can find, simmer them together, whip out a plate and eat.

 

After weeks of sampling overpowering, complex curries, this simple halibut took some adjusting to. But I just had to focus a little and there it was, the faint sweetness of garlic and parsley.

Mike was upbeat. "It's subtle," he noted. "Healthy."

And when our plates were polished off, we felt so proud of ourselves for being so good that we broke open a slab of silky Robiola Bosina that was so rich it could spank many a French triple-cream cheese and send it to bed.

Every healthy meal, after all, deserves a cheese chaser.

Poached Halibut with Sweet Garlic, Parsley, and Lemon
From Orangette, adapted from Lynne Rossetto Kasper’s Weeknight Kitchen newsletter

4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
8 branches Italian parsley
1 tsp salt
Water
2 (~6-oz.) halibut fillets, skin removed, or another firm, white-fleshed fish such as cod, tilapia, or catfish
Additional Italian parsley branches, for garnish
2-4 juicy lemon wedges, for garnish
Good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil, for serving
Salt
Pepper

Place the garlic, Italian parsley, and salt in a 12-inch skillet or sauté pan. Add water to a depth of about 2 inches. Bring to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 5 minutes. It should smell very fragrant.

Meanwhile, measure the thickness of the halibut fillets. They will cook for 8 to 10 minutes per inch of thickness.

When the poaching liquid is ready, slip the fillets gently into the pan. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes per inch, adjusting the heat so that the liquid just trembles: it should only bubble a little, and very gently. To test the fish for doneness, make a small slit with a paring knife in the thickest part of the fillet: all but the very center of each piece should be opaque.

When each fillet is ready, use a slotted spatula to transfer it to a serving plate. Garnish the plates with sprigs of Italian parsley and lemon wedges. Serve immediately, allowing each eater to season their fish at the table with olive oil, salt, pepper, and freshly squeezed lemon.

Yield: 2 servings