Swang Can Cook! (Part 2)

(Sincere apologies for my prolonged absence. I've been cooking, just not documenting it. Because I am lazy. And because I get hungry and if it's a choice between eating the food or taking vaguely artistic pictures of it, eating almost always wins.)


I liked ratatouille long before a cartoon mouse made it fashionable. It's the perfect food in many ways - delicious, full of vitamins, low fat and oh yes, easy. If you can chop vegetables, you can make ratatouille. Which is why this recipe for monkfish and ratatouille is the second installment in the "Swang Can Cook!" series.

After the man at the fish counter told me (with undisguised scorn) that no, they didn't have any monkfish and no, there was no close relative that might make for an easy substitution, I chose orange ruffy, for no reason other than that I like the name.

But I sure showed scornful grocery store man, because the ruffy was a completely foolproof substitution. I'm gonna throw this out there - this dish is pretty hard to mess up. Any white fish will work as long as the fillet isn't too thin and you keep an eye on it. So pick your favorite fish and have at it!


(recipe from epicurious)

Monkfish with Ratatouille

1 pound eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium-large zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 jar (14 ounces) marinara sauce
4 monkfish fillets (or white fish of your choice/availability)
3 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil (plus leaves for garnish)
2 tablespoon drained capers

Pre-heat oven to 450°F. Toss eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper and onion with 2 teaspoon olive oil in a large bowl. Add thyme; season with salt and pepper and toss again. Coat a shallow baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange vegetables in pan and roast until tender, about 20 min. Stir in garlic and marinara. Cover loosely with foil and roast 10 minutes more. Remove pan from oven. Stir in chopped basil. Rub fillets with remaining 2 teaspoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Nestle fish in vegetables; cover loosely with foil. Bake until fish is just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Top with basil leaves and capers.

Sayonara, food blog, and I promise to be back soon! No more month long absences...unless I get hungry.