The cookbook author makes all food look like comfort food, and as we head into the colder months of the year, I wonder what will end up on her table for dinner.
What does a busy cook who makes such cosy food make most often for dinner – potentially the cosiest meal of the day? And what tips does she have for people (like me) who sometimes struggle with what to cook each evening?
“For dinner, I tend to lean really heavily on what’s in my pantry. I’m often making things with tinned tomatoes, anchovies, beans, and legumes,” says Busuttil Nishimura.
“I have a small herb garden, so I tend to draw on that, as well as lemons, what’s in my pantry, and then build upon that with some beautiful fresh produce.”
Busuttil Nishimura lives near a fishmonger and loves to cook fish in the middle of the week because it makes it feel a bit special. Her go-to dish? Tomato-poached fish with saffron and chickpeas, from her cookbook .
“I love poaching fish because it’s not like frying, there’s no oil or anything. I just gently put it in this kind of saffron-y tomato mixture, almost like a broth. That’s one of my favourite things. I make it a lot.”
Cookbook author Julia Busuttil Nishimura. Source: Annika Kafcaloudis
As someone who’s never poached fish before, I had some questions. Like, is this really something so simple that I could manage to do it on a weekday?
She has the perfect words of assurance. “If you can make a pasta sauce, you can poach fish. The saffron threads are totally optional, and if you use them, it’s as easy as steeping them in some hot water.”
I love poaching fish because it’s not like frying, there’s no oil or anything. I just gently put it in this kind of saffron-y tomato mixture, almost like a broth. That’s one of my favourite things.
“I basically start with olive oil and some butter in the pan. Add some garlic and salt and chilli and just cook that gently. Then add a bit of wine, tomatoes, and some parsley stalks to some canned chickpeas and the saffron and the water, and it kind of becomes like a broth.”
“I have the fish in boneless, skinless chunks, and I just drop them in to cook until they’re tender and cooked through. It can sound intimidating, but it’s just about cooking the fish in tomatoes until it’s tender, which takes about five minutes.”
With this dish, Busuttil Nishimura likes to serve , and vegetables or a salad, or maybe mashed potatoes, which her two kids love.
Julia Busuttil Nishimura draws on her pantry for mid-week cooking help. Source: Bobby Clark
This poached fish ticks a lot of boxes on her list of desirable dinner qualities.
“It doesn’t require a lot of washing up, because time is precious – life is busy with two children and we go straight into bath and bedtime for them after dinner,” she says.
“It uses minimal equipment. And that’s one reason why I also love things that go into the oven because they’re kind of set and forget.”
“I love anything that is really unfussy on the stovetop, a simple one-pot kind of dish or a single tray that goes into the oven. And then I make a salad and we’re sorted.”
I’m also curious if the cookbook author has advice for someone who has been relying a bit too much on takeaway lately (me again!) and wants to regain their love of making dinner. How could I create a little bit of cosiness for myself in the coming months?
“Cook what you love, and keep it really simple,” she says. “Don’t try to be too adventurous during the week. Make something like this fish recipe, which is really quick and nourishing.”
“Also, I’m such an advocate for having a heaving pantry. Having a good selection of spices and tinned food is a great habit to have, like not feeling you have to do a full shop every night. Like for tonight’s dinner, I know I just need to pick up some zucchinis and some lamb.”
“Obviously that’s not suited to everyone, but find what works with your lifestyle and carve out a little bit of extra time to think about what you’re keeping in your fridge and in your cupboards, and how that’s going to set you up for the week.”
Looks like it’s time for me to stock up some pantry. Cosy dinners, here I come!
Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s new cookbook, (Plum, $44.99), is available for preorder now and will be published on 26 July.
Tomato-poached fish with saffron and chickpeas
Julia Busuttil Nishimura says that this go-to dinner of hers is a flavourful dish that comes together with no effort at all. Plus, poaching is a beautiful way to cook fish quickly. Serve with crusty bread or creamy polenta for a complete meal.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 pinch saffron threads
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 20 g unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- Sea salt
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 125 ml dry white wine
- 200 g canned whole peeled tomatoes
- 3 parsley sprigs, leaves picked and roughly chopped, stalks reserved
- 400 g canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 600 g skinless fillets of firm white fish cut into 3 cm pieces
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Crusty bread or soft polenta to serve
Method
- Place the saffron threads in a small bowl and cover with 250 ml of hot water. Set aside to steep for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, warm the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over low heat. Add the garlic, a pinch of salt, and the chilli flakes and cook gently for 3 minutes. You don’t want the garlic to colour.
- Increase the heat to medium and pour in the wine, allowing it to simmer for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a wooden spoon, along with the parsley stalks, chickpeas, and saffron and water. Allow to simmer gently for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.
- Add the fish and poach for around 5 minutes until just cooked through.
- Remove the parsley stalks and discard.
- Season to taste.
- Scatter with the chopped parsley leaves and finish with a good squeeze of lemon juice.
- Serve with crusty bread or on a bed of creamy polenta.
Note
- Use firm white fish such as coral trout, bream, cod or rockling.
'The Mostest' is an SBS Food column that sees comedian and food enthusiast Jennifer Wong be your guide. Read as she goes searching to uncover who we are as cooks, who we are as eaters and what we enjoy most. Expect history, incredible tips, must-make recipes and anecdotes all surrounded by food. Love the story? Follow the author here: Twitter , Facebook , Instagram .
