Cherry tomatoes and kalamata olives add a new twist to this light and healthy fall meal.
(photo by Jenn Harris)

After reading Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food" this week, I thought I'd make a recipe dedicated to fresh, light ingredients and center the meal around a wholesome piece of white fish.  Pollan advocates for eating "real" food, instead of the processed fake food we shove down our throat at just about every supermarket and chain restaurant.  If you can't pronounce the ingredients and your great grandmother doesn't know what it is, don't eat it!

This week's dish is full of REAL food that tastes really GOOD - I promise.  It's a sundried tomato-crusted hoki fillet with vegetable pasta, cherry tomatoes and kalamata olives.  

I make a savory paste with sundried tomatoes, garlic and dried herbs for the fish.  Then I make a cherry tomato sauce with lots of garlic and salty kalamata olives.  This meal is light, satisfying and unbelievably easy to make.  You'll feel full, refreshed, and have eaten something truly nourishing. It also doesn't hurt that it looks pretty.     

Cook's note: Hoki is an affordable white fish from New Zealand.  If you can't find hoki, any firm white fish may be substituted.

Sundried Tomato-crusted Hoki with Vegetable Pasta

Serving: 1

Ingredients
One 4oz hoki fillet
2 tbsp chopped sundried tomatoes in olive oil
2 tbsp garlic
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
dried basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme (any dry spice you like or happen to have in the cupboard)
¾ cup vegetable pasta (Trader Joes has a great pasta made with spinach and beets)
8-10 cherry tomatoes
5 chopped kalamata olives
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes

Directions for the fish:
Preheat your oven to 425F.  Take the sundried tomatoes and one tablespoon of garlic and mix them together until it forms a sort of paste.  Add a pinch of dried basil, thyme, salt and pepper.  Spread the paste evenly over the top of the fish.  Bake the fish on the top rack of the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the fish is flakey.

Directions for the pasta:
Start by boiling the pasta according to the directions on the package.  In a small sauté pan, heat the olive oil.  Chop the second tablespoon of garlic and place it in the hot pan over medium heat.  Halve the tomatoes, and roughly chop the kalamata olives. Add the tomatoes and olives to the pan.  Add a pinch of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook the sauce until it thickens (10 minutes).

When the pasta is done, place the pasta in a colander and rinse it with cool water to stop the cooking. 

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Turn off the pan of sauce then toss the dry pasta into the sauce. Take the pasta and the fish and arrange them on the plate. Or just dig in!