City Bakery Inspiration
February 15th, 2022
For years I met friends at City Bakery which, sadly, is now closed. One thing I will miss is Maury Rubin’s unparalleled pretzel croissants we may never see again, so light despite the whole wheat in them and salted sesame seeds on the crisp, golden exterior — sigh . . .
And from the salad bar, Ilene Rosen’s savory cooking was so often just what you wanted to eat. She seems to have single handedly started the Kale salad craze. At their salad bar there was always a separate line in front of the Kale (black or lacinato kale, a softer variety) with toasted halved hazelnuts, red onion, shaved parmesan and a little olive oil. After she left they changed it a bit, but the original was best.
Meanwhile having been inspired by so many wonderful meals there, lots of things have made their way into my own cooking. I have adapted the taste of Ilene’s cilantro chicken tenders to other uses. Here it is in a dish I really enjoy. It takes very little effort and leads to a great main dish, special enough for company.
FISH IN CILANTRO CHILI GARLIC SAUCE
Once you try this you will never be satisfied with Sriracha again. So much more flavor!
Begin with 2 bunches of fresh cilantro. You can pinch off the lower leaves
And then pinch off the upper leaves
Or, to save time you can just twist off and discard the extra stems all at once
And put what remains in a food processor.
Process and add a heaping Tablespoon of Chili Garlic Sauce (or more if you like the heat), a half teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 1 t. of salt and 3–4 Tablespoons of grape seed or other neutral vegetable oil.
Then toss the shellfish of your choice — mussels or clams — I used New Zealand cockles, with some of the sauce, place them at the bottom of a baking dish lined with baking parchment.
And coat fish pieces with more sauce laying them on top of the shellfish.
I used salmon, but it is equally good with other fish, like cod, halibut or sea bass. And you will have enough sauce for more portions of fish if you have guests.
ROASTED FISH WITH CILANTRO CHILI GARLIC SAUCE
2 or 4 portions fish of your choice 6–8 oz. each
1 ½–2 lb. clams or mussels
2 bunches fresh cilantro
1 heaping Tablespoon chili garlic sauce (make sure to get the brand pictured above, with the rooster on it.
½ t. Dijon mustard
1 t. sea salt
3–4 Tablespoons grape seed or other neutral vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 425º F.
Either pinch the leaves off the cilantro stems and place them in a bowl of a food processor. Alternatively, twist off excess stems of each bunch all at once and put the bunch of mostly leaves in the food processor. Stems of cilantro also have flavor, but not as much so I like to remove some of them.
Process the cilantro, then add the remaining sauce ingredients beginning with 3 T. oil, and process again until a sauce is formed. If it is too thick to blend well, add a little more oil and process again.
Line a baking dish with baking parchment.
Wash and dry off shellfish and place them in the dish with 1 c. of the sauce. Toss them together. Wash and dry the fish, and using remaining sauce, coat the fish pieces and lay them on top.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Then remove from the oven to gently stir the shellfish and baste the fish with sauce from below. Return the baking dish to the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with grilled bread or a baguette to soak up the sauce.
