Poached Cod with Beet Vinaigrette

The vinaigrette is rather a shocking pink...

I had a wonderful beet vinaigrette with swordfish at Le Cite in NY (ages ago).  I've also had a lovely halibut dish at Le Bernadine that was presented as a poached filet topped with dilled creme fraiche, then the server poured ruby borcht all over the dish at the table.  So fish with beet sauce is not something I just made up.  In fact the concept of light vegetable based vinaigrettes was pioneered by Jean Georges Vongerichten (of JoJo, Vong, the SPice Market) in NYC in the 90's.  And that's probably more than you ever wanted to know.

I also made some healthy Kale and some end of season corn.  

The vinaigrette was merely homemade pickled beets and a spoonful of mustard pureed in the blender, with a bit of vegetable oil drizzled in.  It had a nice earthy, sweet and sour flavor.

The cod was poached in a light broth, flavored water mostly, with some wine, lemon, onion, parsley, pickling spice, salt, and some shrimp shells.

Here's the kale...the ribs.....the cleaned leaves and then the chopped.  I sauteed it in a tiny bit of bacon fat, then added a little water and salt and slapped a lid on for about 20 minutes (on low).  Then, when the kale is tender, the lid is removed and the excess liquid boils off.   Sometimes kale needs a pinch of sugar to balance the bitterness.   Don't be intimidated by the sturdier leafy greens.  They're so good for you and really easy to cook.  Kale is especially good in soups, as it can stand up to long simmering.