If one wanted an ego boost, all they had to do was cook for Jan. If you wanted to have her love you forever, give her some fried clams or oysters on the half shell! Someone to look up to! Sadly, we lost her unexpectedly two years ago, but she will always remain with me, my big sister idol. Quite a few years older than me, I always wanted to be just like her, and I still do.
She modeled kindness and gratitude in a way that one seldom sees. She was thankful for every blessing, large and small, and took nothing for granted. Cooking from the heart. Jan was a no-nonsense cook, with some tried-and-true recipes that pleased her family. Always cooking from scratch, like our mother, she went through many lean times, and with the help of her garden she fed everyone well with fresh and home-canned vegetables and fruits, and lots of love tossed in.
A little adventure. She took a professional vegan cooking course with me on-line during the lockdown. Neither of us had any desire to be a professional vegan chef, but it was an extensive course that challenged our cooking, everything from the staples to fussy knife cuts. Jan had a blast with this, embraced the concepts and curriculum, even the tests, and it changed the way she cooked a great deal. It also killed a lot of time, and kept us busy trying to find the ingredients that were sometimes scarce during that terrible time.
A favorite dish. During the last years of her life, she spent part of the week living with us, and so we cooked together a lot and she got to cook for me as well. But this simple dish with Dijon and crumbs was handy because it was easy to make and took little time to put together. It remains a great week-night dish for those reasons. A little change or two, nothing major. While Jan finely minced her nuts, I left a little more texture.
.jpg "SEX AGENCY in Dijon")
You can use any nut you like, but pecans seem to taste best. Of course, if you have a nut allergy, just leave them out and increase the breadcrumbs. I also salted and peppered the fish directly, adding just a pinch to the dry mixture.
