Ratatat Cod En Papillote

Last Sunday we were hanging out watching Chuck's Day Off on the Cooking Channel (http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/chucks-day-off/index.html).  He was making a version of Cod En Papillote that he made with a Ratatouille base.  I have been curious about the whole en papillote technique since our first date (it was the fancy meal Chuck made) and we were both in the mood for fish for dinner.  Cod is so much more affordable than Halibut but is still a great fish. It just works great in this recipe.

Chuck decided he would let me in on his secret.  This meal looks so impressive but is SO easy. Very sneaky. On our first date he was able to have it prepared before I got there and was able to put it in the oven and chat instead of slaving away the whole time I was there.  

This version is different than the one we had before and Chuck came up with the name "Ratatat Cod En Pappillote" because it is like Ratatouille, but not quite.  Clever, huh? I don't even know what Ratatouille is, except the name of an animated movie.

Ratatat Cod En Papillote

Ingredients

     12 oz                Filet of Cod
     3                       Tomatoes, sliced very thinly
     1                       Zucchini, small, thinly sliced
     1                       Yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
     2                       Lemons, thinly sliced
     6 oz                  Mushrooms, sliced with stems removed
     1                       Onion, thinly sliced
     1                       Garlic clove, minced
     5                       Thyme sprigs 

 *I took this picture when were were going to use 2 squash and a red pepper.  We ran out of room and had plenty of flavor so those will be incorporated into something else this week!

Directions

     1:     Prep all of your veggies.

     2:     Lay out parchment paper.  Should be about 2 as long as the fish filet because you 
                     will need to have enough to twist the ends to close up the paper.  In the middle 
                     of the paper, lay out sliced tomatoes, zucchini, sqaush, onions, and lemons 
                     alternating in two rows.  Drizzle the veggies with a little olive oil and a sprinkle 
                     of salt and pepper.

     3:     Rub the top of the fish filet with olive oil and add a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  
                     Place that side of the filet down on the veggies and oil, salt, and pepper the other 
                     side of the fish.

     4:     Top the fish with mushrooms, sprigs of thyme, garlic, and a sprinkle of salt and 
                     pepper.

     5:     Twist the ends of the paper together and fold down the seam across the top.  We 
                     were a little over zealous with our veggies and had to get creative with the paper 
                     to cover everything, but with an extra piece of parchment placed lengthwise 
                     across the top before twisting the ends and another piece wrapped the opposite 
                     direction and tucked under the fish after the ends were twisted, we were sealed 
                     up and ready to go!

     6:     Place on a baking sheet and place in the oven, preheated to 400 degrees.  Bake for 
                     25 minutes.  Remove and let rest for about 5 minutes.  Untwist the ends of the 
                     paper and open up the package.  Remove sprigs of thyme and throw them away.

We served this with jasmine rice that was cooked in about a 3:1 ratio of chicken stock and champagne (left over champagne from New Year's Eve!).  It was pretty delicious! And also a simple salad of mixed greens and our homemade Dijon vinaigrette.