Name: One Pan Cod with Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 pound fresh cod; 6 large tomatoes, chopped; 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped; 1/2 cup red or white wine; 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped; 6-8 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from stems; 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper, or more to taste

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One Pan Cod with Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives

By weeks end last Thursday we were preparing travel to Virginia for the opening college sports field hockey season weekend circuit.

There were some very distinct differences to the week than those of the past few seasons beginning with preparing today’s One Pan Cod with Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives.

In between packing, and coordinating some details for the trip, I was looking to prepare something quick and easy that did not require a lot of clean up afterward and this colorful and tasty dish is it!

Another distinct difference between the weekend from those among the past few seasons is that I took what I will call, the senior privilege.

That is, it is the very first time I did not prepare homemade food for the Team Family Tailgate over the past three years. It felt a little odd at our first game in Richmond but I actually got a high-five from a couple of the Mom’s for taking on this little break.

Actually, with temperatures and humidity very high in Virginia over the weekend it was not so much the senior privilege I was initially seeking but my main concern was mostly toward food safety, since beyond the five-hour drive to the first game was the added few hour drive to our next college competitors venue in Norfolk over the three day tour.

Although with good coolers one can certainly accomplish identifying fresh ingredients at a local supermarket in advance; this still involves preparing then storing foods between a hotel room and a hot car keeping everything very iced down for extended periods of time, sensibilities deemed finding alternatives as the best choice in this round of circumstances.

In the end, I opted with Pizza Delivery to the fields after game one. For our second game in Norfolk on Sunday, the good choice was Church’s Fried Chicken only requiring a half hour wait for just over fifty pieces of mixed assorted fried chicken, we were in the South after all.

Fried chicken is one of my favorite foods so I admit once the scent of those large trays filled my car, it took me mere moments from the passenger seat to twist right on back with a napkin and grab and gnaw the coated meat right off the bone of one of those fried legs set beneath the foiled lining heading to the game. Although we do not typically serve fried foods at the Tailgate, it was something different and everyone seemed to enjoy the idea as it went over well.

The third distinction in the weekend in actuality really making it much of a senior treat was the spacing of the sporting events which rarely ever places us in the midst of a touring area much less providing a free day in between.

Time normally devoted to twice-weekly Team Family Tailgate food preparation then transitioned enabling getting together with Team Parents in the interim day. Early in the day we did an informative archeological tour of Jamestown made even better by a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic tour guide on site.

This statue is of Captain John Smith first leader of the Jamestown colony along the James River, although amidst quite a complex story of circumstances, many among the first early settlers died. Most fascinating on this archeological tour is all of the actual early history that has only been unearthed over the past ten years.

Following the Jamestown tour, we of course, enjoyed trying some Virginia Ales.

And, to go along, a taste of ‘The Best Of’ Crab Cakes at Berret’s Seafood Restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia.

In the afternoon, we enjoyed strolling the Historic Williamsburg village area.

While the Team gathered for great food and some relaxing boat fun at the home of one of the players in Virginia Beach, parents made their way back into the competitive sports mode bearing highway traffic towards the next day’s stadium location and trying to find available hotel rooms en route.

As always, both of the weekend Team Family Tailgates brought together a broad selection of amazing foods from our Team Player Parents making it practical for many since a large part of our team crowd lives not as far away as we do in Pennsylvania.

At the first Tailgate however, one of the sophomore Pennsylvania Moms that resides nearby me prepared one of the top bites of the weekend serving Grilled Black Bean Burgers that were very flavorful and a big hit so I plan to provide an adaptation of these in our Tailgating segment in the near future.

Now while the flavors of today’s dish may be Tailgate worthy.

Still, it provides just a few simple fresh ingredients offering a winning dish to share with your own home team.

Both weekend Games between teams ended in overtime, thus in the end giving us one win and one loss. Every game is not as easy as ‘One Pan Cod with Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives’ but similar, is when all of the exciting flavors burst out and blend together, enhancing the other, single ingredients serving to transform into one completely amazing dish to build on and serve out.

All combined within the mixture best quality, careful preparation, and pleasure creating a fabulous dish for sharing, Champion dishes emerge. Go Team.