Moving out of your comfort zone

Growing up in an Italian/American household, I became familiar with the comfort foods my mom and grandmother made. They weren't really vegetable heavy. When I became the chef in my household, I had to develop a behavior to move out of my "food comfort zone," trying things that I did not often eat as a child.

Recently in our farm share, we have started to receive carrots, dill, and zucchini. These vegetables and herbs pair well with fish. And with a couple non-native ingredients like capers, lemons, and peppercorns, you can create a restaurant quality meal in less than a half an hour. I like to steam this dish in parchment paper. When serving guests, you'll get an A+ for presentation.

Haddock and Julienne Vegetables in Parchment Paper

1/3 to 1/2 LB white fish per serving - I used haddock recently
Handful of carrots (I used a mandolin to julienne the vegetables)
Zucchini or summer squash
capers
green peppercorns
slices of lemon
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut a piece of parchment about 18" long. Layer fish, olive oil, dill, capers, peppercorns, julienne vegetables, and lemon slices. Fold over parchment and tightly fold the edges in a progressive fashion around the edges. Cook for 13-15 minutes or until fish is flaky.

I found the camera too late. Everything edible is gone.