WE'RE BACK HERE AND ALSO IN MVD - INSPIRED BY EVERYTHING, INCLUDING A CAZUELA DE ABADEJO

I don't want everyone to sigh and go away (especially Eve), so I won't get misty about the joy of having landed again in Montevideo,  but when we walked into the old-fashioned, faded, modest, hearty Danubio Azul my first night (where I first tasted their typical Uruguayan cooking 38 years ago) I didn't cry but I did order the Cazuela de Abadejo.

So completely satisfying, yummy and hearty was it (and so jealous was Reid because he had ordered something else) that I promised to copy it the next night for our Yom Kippur break fast (although admittedly we caved in and had some empanadas at 2.)  So in the late afternoon, we stopped by the nearby neighborhood féria (farmers market) to get absolutely fresh ingredients - and make this very simple, fast, healthy, and really perfect dinner dish, and a typical Uruguayan one.

• 1 lb. fillets of abadejo (Google says it's pollock - really could be any filleted white fish without skin that is about an inch thick, cut in 2" pieces)
• 1 onion, coursely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
• 1 red pepper (morrón), cut into 1" pieces
• 2 boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" squares
• about 10 green beans (the flat kind, called chauchas, though any kind will do) in 1" pieces
• 1 medium carrot, halved lengthwise and sliced thinly
• 1/3 cp. tomato puree
• 1/2 cp. white wine
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• chopped parsley - optional

In a large casserole dish, sauté the onion over medium heat for 5 minutes, then add the red pepper for another 5, then the garlic for one more.  Pour over the tomato puree and stir, and add the paprika (or pimentón if you prefer).  Add the white wine and bring to a simmer.  Throw in the potatoes, green beans, and carrot and pour on water to cover - here you can add (optional but it deepens the flavor) a chicken bouillon cube (here they are Knorr) or just salt lightly.  Cover partially and simmer until the potatoes and vegetables are quite tender - about 25 minutes?  Just test them after 20.  If it's still watery, take off the cover and let some liquid boil away.  Taste and correct for salt and pepper.  Now add the fish pieces and simmer just until they are cooked through - usually no more than 5 minutes - you'll see when they start to break up when you touch them with a spoon.  If you want to add the parsley, go ahead.  All done! Served in a bowl with bread along side and a salad (a typical one here just lettuce and watercress dressed with olive oil, vinegar, and salt.) Our bread was the long-remembered chale (challah) from the Panadería Biarritz on the calle 21.  We have maybe 20 more home-cooked dinners here but I don't think I can top this one for sheer simple satisfaction.