Food prepared with love is always a gift, and Jean Hernandez gives like few we know. The feast today was a stunning lunch in the Hernandez home after a tour of the rows and rows of cookbooks she has gathered over the years.
We counted it a very promising sign to see the corners of Post-It notes set like flags in the tops of nearly every cookbook on the shelf. The Post-Its suggested these books have been tools rather than just a colorful collection untouched by much besides dust.
And lunch proved beyond any doubt our hunch was spot on. It also provided more support for our view that many of the best feasts are simple meals eaten with friends at home. Jean’s ‘Tilapia all’ Acqua Pazza’ just may have been the best preparation of a fish we’ve had in years. Garlic, red chile, parsley, and capers along with Roma tomatoes simmered in white wine became the perfect foil for the flaky white fish.
I can hardly wait to make Crazy Water Tilapia myself, and I can assure you I’ll move heaven and earth to create an opening in my calendar next time Jean invites me over for a bite to eat. Let me know if you’d like a copy of the recipe.
