Christina's Cod in a Sack

adapted from Rachael Ray

parchment paper
2 Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced
1 bulb fennel, cored and thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red or other bell peppers
2 pounds cod fillets, cut into 4 portions (get thick pieces from the center cuts rather than tail-end pieces)
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful, chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil, for generous drizzling
1 lemon
Crusty bread, to pass at table

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Rip off 4 sheets of parchment paper, each a little over a foot long.

Saute potatoes, onions and bell peppers for a few minutes until barely soft. Add garlic and saute one more minute.

Make layered stacks dividing the potato mixture, fennel, and cod among the parchment pieces, working in the center of each piece of paper. Season the cod with salt and pepper and top with parsley. Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil liberally over the fish portions. Fold the top and bottom edges together and crease several times then crease up the ends of the packets. Arrange the packets on the baking sheet and place in the center of the hot oven.

Bake packets 20 minutes. Serve a packet per dinner plate and cut open at table. Cut lemon into wedges and serve to squeeze down over the hot fish. Pass bread to mop up the cooking juices in the sack.

Christina's Fennel and Fruit Salad, Two Ways

from Make and Takes

1 large fennel bulb, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced (peeled or unpeeled)
1/2 cup green onions, white and tender green parts only, sliced
juice 1 large navel orange (reserve zest for another use)
1-2 tsp. poppy seeds
dried cherries or cranberries
goat cheese or blue cheese, crumbled
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
a handful of raw walnuts or pecans

Toss the fennel, celery, apple, green onions, cranberries, cheese and walnuts together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, olive oil, poppy seeds (if using) and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Drizzle the dressing over the veggies and fruit. Put a few big spoonfuls of the basic salad on a bed of greens and mix in.

Chicken Salad Recipe:

To the basic salad add:

A big spoonful of sour cream and/or mayo or yogurt (1/4 cup or so)
Chopped fronds of the fennel, to taste, but about 2 Tbsp. is great
A bit of grated orange zest
Cooked chicken (1-2 cups, canned or leftover is fine)

Serve on little rolls or croissants, or on its own, or on a bed of greens.