Latin Holiday Flair

December 2010

This year, spice up your holiday dinner á la Daisy Martinez. The Puerto Rican celebrity chef, TV host and cookbook author takes inspiration from her world travels to give you the gift of a memorable meal. ¡Buen provecho!

Pan-Seared Cod with Lentils and Chorizo

The spicy, rich bits of chorizo that stud these homey lentils play very well against the sweet-lean cod fillets. You’ve got everything you need for dinner right here. A loaf of crusty bread and a salad wouldn’t hurt. Serves 6. 

For the lentils:
1 lb brown lentils
1 Spanish onion, unpeeled, quartered through the root
2 stalks celery, snapped in half
2 carrots, peeled and cut in half
2 bay leaves
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
6 cups beef broth

For the chorizo:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 links Mexican chorizo removed from casings
2 stalks celery, finely diced
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely shredded
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Kosher or fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For the cod:
6 thick cod or other firm white fillet (sea bass or halibut)
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Olive oil

Here's how:

1. Cook the lentils: Pick over and rinse the lentils in a sieve under cold water. Drain well. Put them in a pot large enough to hold them and the vegetables comfortably. Add the vegetables, bay leaves, and pepper, and pour in the beef broth. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the liquid is simmering. Cook until tender, about 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook the chorizo: Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or wide casserole over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the chorizo and cook, breaking the clumps of meat with a spoon, until it has lost its raw look, about 4 minutes. Add the celery, carrots and thyme, and cook until vegetables are soft and the chorizo is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Remove the vegetables and bay leaves from the lentils. Transfer the lentils with a slotted spoon to the pot with the chorizo. Stir gently to mix well. Reserve the cooking liquid. Season the lentils with salt and paper to taste.
4. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
5. Choose a heavy ovenproof skillet large enough to hold all the cod fillets. (If you don’t have one, sear the cod in batches and transfer fillets to a baking sheet.) Pat the fillets dry with paper towels and season all sides with salt and pepper. Dredge the fillets in flour to coat them lightly and tap off the excess flour. Pour ¼-inch of oil into the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the fillets to the pan, without crowding, and cook until the undersides are deep golden brown, about 4 minutes. Flip and repeat. Put the pan in the oven and bake just until the fillets are opaque throughout, about 5 minutes.
6. While the cod is in the oven, reheat the lentils-chorizo mixture over low heat, adding a little of the reserved lentil cooking liquid if needed to make the lentils glisten.
7. Spoon some of the lentil mixture onto each serving plate and rest a cod fillet on the lentils. Or prepare a platter and serve from the platter at the table. Pass any remaining lentils at the table.

                                                                                                           From DAISY: MORNING, NOON AND NIGHT by Daisy Martinez with Chris Styler. Copyright © 2010 by Daisy Martinez. Photographs copyright © 2010 by Joseph De Leo. Reprinted by permission of Atria Books, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Look for Daisy’s new book DAISY'S FIESTA.

Read last month's Lifestyle feature: Holiday Home Decor!