Part XIV: Meal Planning

In a way, this entire blog is about meal planning.  It was started to work through the food my mom left behind after she died.  I've spent the past 12 years adjusting how I store and use what I have on hand to avoid waste.

Meal planning doesn't have to be a chore.  Once a week or once a month, you sit down with the calendar for a few minutes to decide what you're going to have, and then make a grocery list so you can make it.  That's it, less than ten minutes of your time, and you can ignore "What's for Dinner" for a while.

My idea of meal planning is on the uncomplicated side, since it's just me.  Breakfast and lunch are simple and routine, unless I'm inspired.  For dinners, I started actually writing what I plan to cook every 3 to 4 days on my kitchen calendar for an entire month.  It's in pencil so I can change things around if my schedule changes, a recipe makes more or less than I was expecting, or I go out instead.

If you don't keep a kitchen wall calendar, there are meal planning calendars you can download from Etsy.  You can even get whole house management binder downloads.  Some are dry-erase magnet boards that you can stick to the fridge.  All of these are reasonably priced and will teach you how to organize your inventory to reduce costly waste.  These are fantastic for households with more than one person.  You can note who will be home for each meal, who needs to take a meal with them, what kinds of snacks should be provided, that kind of thing.

My high-tech grocery lists

What meal planning does is free you not to think about what you have to eat on a daily basis.  It makes you more aware of your inventory and what will spoil if you don't serve it soon.  It allows you to make a grocery list that will reduce waste, limit impulse buys, and take advantage of sales.  I recently scored a huge coup on ground beef for $2.44/lb, so burgers went on the meal calendar and the other pound was sealed for the freezer.

Inflation is all around us, and we're probably heading into another recession.  That doesn't mean what you put on the table has to look like an economy meal.  You can use what you have on hand and find on special to create meals everyone will enjoy.

Twist Bread with Tomato and Swiss

I picked up a can of stewed tomatoes for the Moroccan fish before deciding on a version that didn't use tomatoes.  It was free, so no harm in keeping it on the shelf a while.  There was Swiss leftover from the Reuben fries, and I still have too much whole wheat flour in the freezer.  So here's a recipe.

I was going back and forth about the shape of this bread.  Originally, I was leaning toward a focaccia.  When the menu plan for it fell on a Friday, I decided to try a babka-inspired twist even though it isn't a challah recipe.  That just meant the dough needed to be a little firmer than for a flatbread and the white flour portion is bread flour.

*1/2 C 100º milk
1 tsp honey
2 tsp olive oil
3/4 tsp yeast
*1 C whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
about 1/2 C bread flour
*1/2 C canned tomatoes, drained and finely diced
*1/2 C shredded Swiss cheese
*1/4 tsp oregano
*1/4 tsp rosemary

1.  Stir honey, oil, and yeast into the warmed milk.  Allow to rest until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2.  In stand mixer with the paddle, stir milk mixture into rosemary, oregano, and 1/2 C of the wheat flour.  Beat on medium into a thick batter, about 4 minutes.  Add other 1/2 C of wheat flour and beat on medium again into a sticky dough, another 2-4 minutes.

3.  Dust work surface with a generous amount of bread flour.  Scrape dough onto board and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.  You may not need all of the bread flour, or you might need extra.  It depends on the day's humidity.  Shape into a ball.  Turn over in a lightly oiled bowl to coat all sides and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

4.  As the end of the first rise approaches, prep your fillings.  Drain the canned tomatoes and dice, unless you bought "petite diced".  You aren't going to need the whole can.  I used the rest on some pinto bowls.  Finely shred the cheese if you didn't buy it that way.

5.  Punch down dough and let rest 10 minutes.  On a floured surface, roll into a rectangle no more than 1/8" thick, and as wide as a loaf pan.  It's going to snap back a bit, so best to err on the side of too thin.  Evenly distribute fillings on the rectangle, leaving one of the shorter sides clean about one inch.

6.  Starting on the side opposite that clean end, roll up into a log, getting all the filling inside.  Pinch to seal.

7.  Grease a loaf pan and, if desired, sprinkle with cornmeal.  It isn't necessary, just a texture thing.  With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, carefully cut through the log to expose all the filling.

8.  Line up the twist halves filling-side up and cross them, always keeping the filling at the top.  You can see here for a video of a professional bakery doing it with babka dough.  This dough will be much softer than what they were working with, so don't be surprised when it's more fragile.  Pinch ends shut and arrange in loaf pan.  Let rise again 30 minutes.

9.  Preheat oven to 350º.  If desired, you can egg wash the loaf or brush it with milk or butter.  I went for the natural look.  Bake 30 minutes, or until it smells like pizza and the bread sounds hollow when thumped.  Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.

Makes one 4-serving loaf.  To fill loaf pan, double recipe.

Difficulty rating  :)

Chilled Pea Soup with Mint

I haven't done a cold soup in ages.  Middle of summer sounds like a good time for it.

Since this is a British recipe, I got out the Royal Albert china.  It's the first time I've used the bowls, after getting them for myself for my birthday.  Pink might not be the best color to accent a green soup, but whatever.  It felt special.

Most chilled pea soups use fresh peas.  Even when I'm in my pea-growing season, I can't get a pound all at once.  This version uses frozen peas, which have been blanched, so a long cooking time is not required.

I found this recipe on Not Enough Cinnamon, which seems to be crediting it to Jamie Oliver.  It was the simplest version I found that accomplished the flavors I wanted to use.

When I tasted it hot, it was like a sweeter, less pasty version of a split pea soup.  Chilled, you can really taste the mint.  I ended up not adding salt because I wanted the other flavors to stand out.

1/2 Tb unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
2 C reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
*10-ish mint leaves (on the stem is ok), more for garnish if desired
1 lb frozen sweet peas
salt and white pepper to taste

1.  In a soup pot, cook the shallot in the butter over medium heat until well softened and not browned.

2.  Add broth and mint.  Vegetable broth will make this dish vegetarian, but chicken stock actually brings a nice richness to the soup.  Bring to a simmer and allow the mint to infuse the broth for 5 minutes.

3.  Add the peas, return to a simmer, and cook about 4 more minutes.  It's fine if you add them frozen.  It will just take longer to return to the boil.

4.  Remove mint and run soup through the blender, in batches if necessary, until smooth.  If serving warm, return to pot and bring back up to a simmer.  Add salt and pepper if necessary and serve.  For chilled, remember that anything will taste less salty once cooled.  Stir in salt and white pepper with that consideration and chill at least 4 hours before serving.

5.  Optional, you can stir in half a cup of cream to make a silkier version.  I didn't think it really needed it, but some recipes use cream.  Do not boil the soup once cream is added.  Straining the soup is not recommended.  Stir well before serving.  Garnish with mint sprigs, whole peas, or pea shoots if desired.

Difficulty rating  π

Ranch Tuna Salad

 

Ok, so this is kind of a cop-out because it's just tuna salad with bottled ranch instead of mayo, but I felt it was important to share.

I did actually break down and buy a jar of lite mayo after Passover.  Opened it for the dressing to go on the reuben fries.  Mayo in general is more expensive than I realized, since I hardly ever buy it.  I'll think twice before casually tossing the dregs and instead come up with a use for them.

I used the last bit of my celery plant before pulling it.  I did not know that it was going to grow so tall when it bolted, well over 5 feet.  I have plenty of celery seed and didn't wait for it to complete the process.  What I did not realize was that the variety I planted would produce a celeriac root.  My afternoon plans quickly changed to peeling and blanching it for the freezer, which was not easy.  I couldn't cut through the two largest pieces, so I didn't get very much.

But the happy part of this lunch was that I had everything on hand for it.  My pantry and garden are stocked at the right level that I can skip expensive ingredients until they are on sale, then buy a couple extra to take advantage of the price.  I'm actually spending less each week than I was before inflation got so bad, because I saw it coming in February.  It almost makes up for the price of gas.

1 5 oz can tuna
*1 stalk green onion
*2 ribs celery
*1/4 C cilantro or parsley
*White pepper to taste
*1/4 tsp dill weed, or to taste
*1 Tb ranch dressing, or to taste
salt to taste

1.  Drain tuna.  I like to rinse it as well, to get rid of some of the salt.  Allow it to sit in the strainer while you prepare the veggies.

2.  Finely chop green onion.  Dice celery.  Chop cilantro.  Place in a small bowl with the white pepper and dill, if using.  Stir in tuna, then dressing.  Add more ranch until desired consistency is reached.

3.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Serve either as a salad or on bread.

Makes 2 servings

Difficulty rating  π

Bulgur and Feta Salad

I still have some cracked bulgur, and decided to make a variation of tabouli.  I'm not giving this an official "Non-American" label.  It's simply a Mediterranean-inspired dish that can be either a side salad or a main dish, depending on portion size.  The recipe amounts as posted are for main dish.

I might change the unit topic to "cooking by meal planning".  That's what I've been doing the past few months as a way to deal with inflation.  I buy ingredients that I tend to use when they are on special and figure out later what to do with them, plotting on the calendar a month ahead.  The tactic has been especially useful for meats, which can be kept in the chest freezer for months.  This salad, for example, started with using the bulgur, then evolved to use items from the pantry, garden, and seasonal or by coupon at the market.

I try not to be a brand snob.  I will shell out the extra for Kikkoman Teriyaki Baste & Glaze because it is the exact consistency and flavor I want in a teriyaki sauce.  I bought Bumble Bee canned salmon because it was the cheapest on the shelf that day.  Maybe I had a coupon.  When I opened it, it was like they rolled up a salmon fillet and shoved it in the can.  I'm used to brands and generics where you get bits and almost as much bone as meat.  As long as it's within 50¢ of comparable varieties, I'm switching.

While I'm using my pickled radish pods in this recipe, you can easily substitute sliced radishes to make the ingredients more accessible.

*3/4 C cracked bulgur
8 leaves red-leaf lettuce (half a head), chopped
*1/2 C chopped parsley and/or cilantro
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
*1 large or 2 medium beets
*1/2 C pickled radish pods in brine or 4 radishes and 1/4 C red wine vinegar
*2 green onions, finely sliced
1 can salmon, optional
1/2 C crumbled feta cheese
white pepper
2 Tb olive oil

1.  Simmer bulgur in 1-1/4 C water for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow the bulgur to continue to soak up the water.  Fluff before transferring to the salad bowl.

2.  While the bulgur is cooking, cut the top and root off the beets and lightly boil in a small saucepan for 10 minutes.  Remove, and when cool peel and dice 1/2" cubes.  If you don't want to go through all this, substitute diced tomatoes.  I had recently eaten bell peppers and my stomach needed a break from nightshades.

3.  To make the dressing, whisk together radish brine and olive oil.  Add salt, pepper, or sugar to adjust the seasonings.

4.  At this point, you are ready to assemble the salad.  Get a big bowl.  No, a bigger one.  You can transfer it to a serving bowl later.  Toss together all ingredients except a little feta held back for garnish.  If using the canned salmon, break it up first when you drain it.  Taste a bit and decide if it needs more seasoning.  Chill until ready to serve.

Serves 4 as a main, 6-8 as a side

Difficulty rating  :)

Cooking with Radish Pods

Ok, here's another recipe you're only going to use if you have a vegetable garden.  Once the weather warms up, radish plants will not form a radish root; they bolt and produce a tall stalk that blooms.  I found out this year that you can eat every part of a radish plant, including the flowers and the seed pods they produce.  A little research found an Indian recipe for fried radish seed pods and another for pickling them for use in salads.  This is a real ingredient!  You can also eat them raw, or save them to plant the seeds next year.

The radishes were sharing a large pot with the garlic.  I decided to plant some kind of squash there for the summer, so it was time to pull a few garlic and harvest the radish pods.

I ended up with just under a cup of radish pods of varying maturity.  When I tasted a few, the youngest tasted the most like a radish.  The bigger ones didn't taste like much, but I was going to do stuff to them anyway.

First up, I pickled half of them.  Quarter cup of red wine vinegar, half a teaspoon each of kosher salt and sugar, and a few tarragon leaves from the plant that I grew and never seem to use.  Boil, pour over the pods, seal, and refrigerate until ready to use.  You can swap for different vinegars and herbs.  I was going to be having them in a salad with beets, so the red wine and tarragon made sense.

The other half were to put on the gnocchi that evening.  I added a couple of tablespoons of oil to a skillet over medium and fried them, lightly sprinkled with salt.  At the last minute, I added the remnants of some pesto, stirred into a uniform sauce, and tossed with the gnocchi.

Even if you never cook with a radish pod, keep in mind the parts of your produce that you're throwing away.  Any root vegetables that are sold with the leaves attached, the leaves are edible.  Squash seeds can be roasted just like pumpkin seeds.  Corn cobs can be simmered into broth.  The list goes on.  Think of creative ways to get more out of your food dollar and garden.

Cheese Blintzes

I've been wanting these for a while.  I found out that you're supposed to eat cheese dishes on Shavuot, at least for breakfast, and planned to buy a box of frozen blintzes.

Like everything else, the price went up.  $7 for six pieces was more than I was willing to spend.  $2.49 for a package of Neufchatel and items I had at home was far more reasonable, even though cream cheese was $1.99 a few months ago.  And yes, making the crepes is a pain in the butt that pretty much justifies spending $7.  I got a burst of energy.

This is the first time I've tried to make farmer's (cottage) cheese with the Nido powdered whole milk.  It felt weird to rehydrate the powder, just to separate out the solids again, but it worked.  The curds are far smaller, but that was ideal for this use.  I think I'll try to make paneer out of it, because I really liked the consistency.  There's nothing wrong with buying ricotta or cottage cheese.

Most cheese filling recipes add an egg.  I did not feel confident that I would be able to cook the filling thoroughly by pan-frying and substituted a chia "egg".  Anyway, that is better for my cholesterol levels.  Says the woman making an egg pancake filled with cheese.  I also used half whole-wheat flour.  Kept in the freezer or not, I really need to use it.

You do not need to do this entire recipe in one go.  I made the crepes and cheese one day, filled them the next, and fried up a couple the day after.  Once filled, you can freeze them for a month or so, individually wrapped in parchment or wax paper.  Any leftover crepes can also be frozen.  Defrost in the fridge for a day and pan-fry as usual.

For the crepes

1-1/2 C milk
2 eggs
2/3 C flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt
vegetable oil for greasing the pan

1.  Whisk together milk, eggs, and salt.  In a separate container, measure out flour.  Slowly add milk mixture to the flour to make a batter like heavy cream.  Refrigerate at least an hour, up to overnight.

2.  Preheat an 8" omelet pan over medium-high heat.  Pour a couple of tablespoons of oil into it, swirl around until warm, and pour off into a side container.  This might be enough for all of the crepes.  Whisk the thickened batter to redistribute the solids.

3.  Holding the pan off the flame in one hand, use the other to pour about 1/4 C of the batter into it.  Swirl pan quickly to distribute the batter evenly until set, then place back on the flame.  Cook until the edges curl up, about 4 minutes, then carefully flip and cook the other side about 2 minutes more.  Slide off to a plate, re-oil skillet, and continue with all the batter.

4.  A note about cooking crepes:  The first one is usually a loss.  The pan temperature is never quite right, or there isn't the right amount of oil to allow for a proper release.  It can actually take until the third or fourth to get it to the right temperature: hot enough to cook through but not so hot that they bubble.  At least one is going to stick, tear, or be completely destroyed.  That is built into the yield of any crepe recipe.  This was my first time making crepes in this particular pan, and I actually didn't lose any.  It was shocking.  If you have equal luck, it makes 12, and I was simply hoping for 8.

For the filling and Assembly

8 oz ricotta, cottage cheese, or farmer's cheese, drained
2 oz Neufchatel, mascarpone, or cream cheese
1/2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg or egg replacement
8 crepes
Butter for frying

1.  Mix together ricotta, cream cheese, honey, salt, and egg into a filling.

2.  Lay out a crepe on a work surface, bearing in mind which side you want facing out.

3.  Spoon about 2 Tb of filling on the center bottom third of the crepe.  Fold in sides and roll up, like making a burrito.  Set aside and continue until all of the filling is used.

4.  Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add enough butter or margarine to lightly coat bottom of skillet, about 1-2 Tb.  Place blintzes in skillet and cook until warmed and crispy, about 6 minutes per side.

5.  Serve hot, with jam, syrup, or Nutella for toppings.  I had a bunch of boysenberries off the bush and got out the Clear-jel to make a quickie pie filling-like topping.  Two blintzes per serving.

Makes 8 blintzes, 4 servings

Difficulty rating  :-0

Victorian (Rhubarb) BBQ Sauce

I finally got my preserves cabinet down to a reasonable level.  When I "only" had three flavors of jam left, I decided to make a couple more.  Since I'm trying not to waste water, it made sense to can as many things in one day as I could handle, then use the slightly acidic canning water on the blueberry bushes.

First up was this selection out of the Ball book that I had on my list of things I wanted to make this year.  I also made strawberry jam with vanilla instead of lavender in the sugar, and blueberry with the small amount of leftover rhubarb from this recipe.  Blueberry jam can come across as a bit too sweet, so the rhubarb was there to balance the flavors, along with some extra lemon juice because technically I was rebel canning and wanted to make sure the acidity was high enough.

The remains of 2021 canning season

I'm only making a half recipe, because my over-abundance of products from last year wasn't a variety issue, but making too much of each item because I had a pot that could handle it.  Also, because fresh rhubarb is $5 a pound this year, up 25%.  I could have used frozen, but it wasn't much cheaper and saving 50¢ but not being able to see what you're buying did not appeal to me at the time.

I ended up with three cups of sauce, one less than I should have by the Ball recipe.  I'm presuming I reduced it farther than they did.  "Commercial BBQ sauce consistency" must be thinner in their world.  I do like thick, spreadable sauces.  This is also going to be chunky, not smooth, unless you run it through a blender.  It's primarily the raisins, no matter how finely you chop them.

4 C chopped rhubarb (frozen ok)
1-3/4 C lightly packed brown sugar
*3/4 C finely chopped raisins
*1/4 C finely chopped onion
1/4 C white vinegar
*1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt

1.  If canning, prepare canner and jars for a 4-cup yield.  Finished product can also be refrigerated for a month or frozen for longer storage.

2.  In a non-reactive saucepan, combine all ingredients.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. It isn't going to look like there's enough liquid to do this, but give it time.  The rhubarb gives off more than you think it will.

3.  Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until mixture is thickened to the consistency of commercial barbecue sauce, about 30 minutes.  The rhubarb completely breaks down in about 15.  Any bits you see after that are onion or raisin.  If desired, purée with an immersion or regular blender, then return to a low boil.

4.  If not canning, cool to room temperature, place in a non-reactive storage container, and refrigerate or freeze.  If canning, ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2" headspace.  Debubble, adjust headspace, wipe rims, center lids, and screw on bands.  Process 15 minutes.  Cool, remove bands, check seals, and store.

Makes 3-4 cups, depending on thickness

Difficulty rating  :)

Buckwheat Gnocchi

 

I considered making this during Passover, but further research led me to finding that buckwheat is part of kitniyot, so no.  You know, for it occurring only one week a year, the dietary restrictions really consume my meal-planning searches.

I'm starting with a fairly basic recipe from Kathy Bechtel's Italian Food, Wine, and Travel blog.  It kind of looks like she copied a generic instruction for making gnocchi, omitting the fork-rolling part, and ignored the properties of gluten-free flours.  She also admits that this can be a slightly sturdy, "rustic" tasting recipe, owing to the buckwheat.

So I'm not making it gluten-free.  It still has enough buckwheat in it for that earthy taste and to accomplish what I wanted out of my gnocchi, but there's wheat flour in here today because I do remember what my Passover gnocchi recipe was like to make.  Refer to original recipe if you prefer to go that route, but it's just the same as I've posted here with 1 C of buckwheat flour instead of splitting it.

2 lbs Yukon or Russet potatoes
*1/2 C buckwheat flour
1/2 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp kosher salt
1 egg, beaten

1.  Preheat oven to 375º.  Scrub potatoes clean and pierce once or twice to prevent potato-splosions.  Bake directly on the oven rack 1 hour to 75 minutes, until easily pierced.

2.  Remove potatoes from the oven with gloves or a towel and allow to cool 10 minutes on the counter.  Slice open and scoop out the insides.  Rice potatoes, either in a ricer or food mill.  Allow to cool and dry at room temperature.

3.  In a separate bowl, stir together both flours and salt.  Wow, that's a lot of salt, but it's also a lot of potatoes, and they need the help.  You can make up for it by putting less salt in the sauce.  Stir the flour mixture into the riced potatoes and work until combined.

4.  Stir in beaten egg and knead dough until it all comes together.  At this point, you can shape the gnocchi now or wrap the dough and use within 24 hours.  When ready to shape, start boiling a large pot of water.

5.  Dust a work surface with flour (either kind).  Cut dough into six pieces and roll each into a rope roughly 1/2" thick and 12" long.  Yes, it will break if you roll too hard, but not as badly as if you used only GF flour.  Cut into 1" pillows.

6.  Gently drop gnocchi into boiling water in batches.  They will sink, then float.  After the float, cook 2 more minutes, then carefully scoop out to a serving bowl.  The traditional topping for gnocchi is something simple like a flavored olive oil.  I thinned out some pesto and added fried radish pods (upcoming post) and grated parmesan, with roasted tomato and asparagus as sides.

My giant 6-serving pasta bowl that I have never used

Makes about 80 gnocchi pieces, 4 main servings or 6 sides

Difficulty rating  :)

Moroccan Fish (Chraime)

I've been watching a lot of Sephardic housekeeping videos.  I'm not Sephardic, but I love the culture.  A lot of these women are Moroccan, or married to Moroccan men.  And they introduced me to this dish that is traditional for Shabbat in Sephardic homes.

Everyone makes Moroccan Fish a little different.  Some use tomatoes and tomato paste, some skip the tomatoes entirely.  One recipe has potatoes and carrots, another only red pepper.  A few versions use ras el hanout, which I don't have, so I used my generic "tagine spice" instead.  Those who like chickpeas put some in, unless it's Passover.  Some Sephardi will eat legumes on Passover, others won't.  You know, a traditional dish.

I learned a cool tomato paste hack while researching.  Very few recipes use an entire can of tomato paste, and then what do you do with the rest?  I've been putting it in a half-cup container and freezing it.  This hack is to put the remainder in a sandwich ziplock, mark off tablespoon-ish portions with the back of a knife, and freeze it like that.  When you need some, just break off a frozen piece and let it defrost in whatever you're making.

This is my version, using ingredients I like and happen to have on hand, including a carrot that got way bigger than I intended.  It is a seemingly daunting list of ingredients, but not really when you divide it up into spices, vegetables, and proteins.  I did buy the bell pepper, since that was in nearly every version I found.  So, $1.50 in new purchases and I was able to use the last tilapia fillets in the freezer.

2 Tb olive oil
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 tsp ras el hanout (optional)
*5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
*1 Tb tomato paste
*1/4 C diced onion
*2 ribs celery, small slice
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut in chunks
*2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
*1 to 1-1/2 C chopped cilantro, about half a bunch
*1 can (about 1-1/2 C) chickpeas, drained
*4 tilapia filets (or salmon, cod, or rockfish, about 1 lb)
salt to taste
*sliced or preserved lemon, to taste

1.  Pour oil into a large skillet with a lid.  Heat over medium-high until shimmering while you chop all the veggies.

2.  Add tomato paste, crushed garlic, paprika, turmeric, cumin, and any optional spices to the pan.  Cook until fragrant and the tomato paste has caramelized, about 5 minutes.  And yes, that is a lot of paprika.  I cut down all the spices, and there's still a lot.  They work.

3.  Add onion, celery, bell pepper, and carrots and continue to cook until coated with spices and the onion has softened, 5-8 minutes.  That will give you time to chop the cilantro, stems and all.  Remove any very thick or woody stems, but smaller ones will cook down.  Reserve enough for garnish and add the rest to the skillet.

4.  Add enough water to barely cover everything.  Bring to a low boil.  Then reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the thicker veggies are softening, about 15 minutes.

5.  Add chickpeas and lemon to the skillet.  Cut the fish into pieces that will fit in the pan and nestle among the veggies.  Add more water if necessary, recover, and simmer until the fish is done, about 20 minutes.  Taste broth and add salt to taste.  Simmer about 5 more minutes to allow the salt to infuse.  If you want to reduce the water into a sauce, remove the fish and carrots first so they don't overcook, then boil on medium-high until desired consistency.  Serve hot, garnished with cilantro, with a side of rice, couscous, or bread.

Difficulty rating  :)