Cod with beetroot tops and pine nuts
4 servings
40 minutes
This recipe is an elegant combination of simple ingredients that creates a dish with amazing depth of flavor. Cod, known for its tender white meat and juiciness, is steamed over aromatic vegetable broth, absorbing subtle notes of leeks and celery. Beet greens, often unjustly forgotten, reveal their earthy, slightly sweet tones, making them a perfect accompaniment to the fish. Pine nuts sautéed in butter with garlic add a delicate nutty crunch to complete the composition. This dish is not just delicious — it is refined and nutritious, ideal for a light dinner where the freshness of ingredients plays a key role. European cuisine has always sought balance in flavors and textures, and this recipe is a vivid example.
1
Chop the celery and leek finely, place them in a saucepan, add about a liter of water, bay leaf, and black pepper, and boil the vegetables for twenty minutes until a fragrant broth is obtained.
- Celery stalk: 1 piece
- Leek: 100 g
- Bay leaf: 1 piece
- Black peppercorns: 4 pieces
2
Pour the vegetable broth into a deep baking dish, place a rack on top, and lay four pieces of cod fillet on it, previously salted and peppered.
- Cod fillet: 800 g
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
3
Send the entire setup to a preheated oven at 160 degrees for fifteen minutes until the fish is cooked. In principle, you can do without a rack and simply place the cod pieces in the broth. You can also lightly fry the cod beforehand - in a pan with vegetable oil for half a minute on each side.
- Cod fillet: 800 g
4
Wash the beet greens, boil in salted boiling water until soft, and drain in a colander.
- Beet tops: 500 g
- Salt: to taste
5
After that, chop the greens coarsely and sauté them in butter with crushed garlic and pine nuts for one to two minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with fish.
- Beet tops: 500 g
- Butter: 50 g
- Garlic: 2 cloves
- Pine nuts: 10 g
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste