A meal just for the guys, except mum is also invited

Straits Times

17 hours ago

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Swordfish with tomatoes. For a New York Times writer, a weeknight tradition is the perfect way to cook with his sons.
NEW YORK – When I first proposed Guys' Night to our sons, Oscar and Julius, it wasn't our first rodeo. We had spent plenty of nights alone together. Formalising the ritual was my attempt to awaken the sense of opportunity presented by a family meal minus mum that went beyond the established pillars of pizza and screen time.
The boys are enthusiastic, if idiosyncratic, eaters.
Served food he doesn't immediately recognise, Julius, eight, typically responds by sitting upside down in his chair or staring at his plate as if it were a scar-faced man with a hook for a hand. Oscar, 10, is a principled pescatarian who can be persuaded to make exceptions to his diet for meatballs, chicken wings, xiaolongbao, andouille gumbo, Texas barbecue and veal.
Selecting the dish to initiate our tradition was not a trivial matter. I wanted it to be anchored by an ingredient that speaks to where we live, in south-eastern Louisiana, but doesn't conform to stereotypes about what guys like us are supposed to eat.
Swordfish checked a lot of boxes. It's new to the boys, with a name that appeals to their fascination with brutal combat. It was also what was available, fresh from the Gulf, at our favourite fishmonger in March.
'So, what are we going to do with this thing?' Julius asked, staring at the unwrapped swordfish steak. The plan was to come up with a recipe on the fly, with ingredients we normally have on hand.
Our first thought: tomatoes. Why? Nathalie, my wife, doesn't like them. Her not being around to exercise a veto meant we could use cherry tomatoes, which we always have for the boys' school lunches.
I gave Oscar the task of halving the tomatoes and a cup of olives. The boys have loved olives since I informed them, in their pre-verbal years, that they could sleep outside if they didn't. I had in mind a hearty sauce with the girth of a side dish that drew on elements of puttanesca, cioppino and Louisiana-style court bouillon.
Julius helped sear the swordfish and stir the sauce we built in the same pan. Oscar drizzled olive oil and sprinkled salt over slices of sourdough from a stash in the freezer.
We brought it all to the table, serving ourselves in shallow bowls and wiping the sauce clean out of the pan with torn pieces of toast. 'I love our Guys' Night,' Oscar said, speaking for us all.
A tradition was born, though not all Guys' Nights feature swordfish. The rules are loose, including who can participate. The boys even celebrate Guys' Night when I'm not around, with Nathalie as a full partner, as long as she dresses like me. I'm fine with this, apart from the suggestion that I only ever wear baggy shorts, a baseball cap and T-shirts from my favourite crawfish joints.
'Mum, this is one of the best Guys' Night recipes,' Julius told her the last time we made the swordfish, in May. It was our first full-family Guys' Night.
We even made a separate olive sauce, without tomatoes, for Nathalie. Because that's what nice guys do.
Swordfish With Tomatoes by Brett Anderson
This one-pan dinner, like the tomato-based seafood dishes puttanesca, cioppino and Louisiana-style court bouillon, eats like a stew, with a sauce substantial enough to qualify as its own side. In fact, there is enough sauce for you to add 230g more fish without changing the amount of the other ingredients. Serve with crusty bread or thick-cut toast to sop up the sauce, or over grits or polenta.
Ingredients
450g swordfish, cut into three or four pieces
Salt and black pepper
¼ cup olive oil
½ yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp anchovy paste or 2 anchovies, mashed to a paste
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
½ cup white wine, sparkling wine or rose
1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 420g can tomato puree
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup pitted olives, halved
1 Tbs capers, drained
Torn fresh basil leaves (optional), for topping
Method
1. Pat the fish pieces dry with a paper towel, then lightly season on both sides with salt and black pepper.
2. Heat oil over medium-high in a large fry pan, preferably one with a lid. Sear the fish on each side for about a minute, until the surfaces are light brown. Lift the fish out with a spatula and rest in a dish that will hold its juices.
3. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the onion. Cook for two to three minutes, stirring regularly. Add the garlic, anchovy paste and crushed red pepper, and cook for two to four more minutes, stirring regularly, until the onion is translucent.
4. Increase the heat to medium. Add wine and cherry tomatoes and cook for four to six minutes, stirring regularly, until the tomatoes start to break down.
5. Add tomato puree, stock, olives and capers. Bring the sauce to a gurgle over medium-high while stirring, then reduce the heat to simmer for about five minutes, until the sauce thickens.
6. Nestle the swordfish in the sauce, spooning the sauce over the pieces. Cover and cook for five minutes, until the centre of the fish is light pink. Insert a paring knife to peek inside. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Scatter torn basil (if using) over the fish and sauce. Serve in shallow bowls with toast on the side, or over grits and polenta.
Serves two to four
NYTIMES