In an ongoing effort to review recipes from Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Cookbook, the other night I made the Baked Cod Wrapped in Bacon with Rosemary.
Consider this review a cautionary tale.
The recipe itself couldn’t be easier. You take thick slices of a cod (or a nice firm white fish) dredge it through olive oil, chopped Rosemary (yum) and sea salt, wrap it in a good smoked bacon and then cook it.
What could go wrong eh?
Jamie Oliver's Baked Cod Wrapped in Bacon with Rosemary
As we are firmly entrenched in Soccer season and it’s rare that we all get to sit down for dinner at the same time. I did this dish twice, once for the first crew of 4 people and then I had plans on doing it again when I got home for the remaining 3 people who hadn’t yet eaten.
The first group gave the dish high praise. They loved it (Mom, bacon makes everything taste better) and said that they wanted me to make it again sometime.
The problem lay with the second batch.
You see between the first batch and the second, the sun went down and it just happened that on that night, we had a cold front quickly dump itself on top of us (I’m not kidding, we woke up to snow the next morning). Remember, we live in New Hampshire and there’s not a day that at least two people won’t say “if you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute” – there is a reason why that expression was created.
The day turned from being able to wear shorts to becoming hypothermic if you hadn’t changed into pants for the soccer practice (which, ummm, I hadn’t).
The temperature change happened so quickly that we still had windows open from the day, including the one in the kitchen right over the sink.
Right in front of the drying dishes.
Jamie’s recipe calls for the oven to be at High heat. 425 degrees.
I preheated the oven and when that little ding sounded letting me know things were just perfect, I loaded up the glass pan (which had been drying near the open window) and stuck it into the oven.
Despite what they say, the sound of glass exploding is not melodic.
In fact, it’s rather horrifying and when there are billows of thick greasy smoke (remember the fine quality bacon I liberally used which is now directly on the heating units?) the sound of exploding glass is quickly followed by the sound of EVERY SINGLE FIRE ALARM in our house going off.
Which was quickly followed by me running around trying to find the fans we hadn’t yet taken out of storage so that I could start pushing the smoke (that was rather impressively never ending) out the door.
Eventually, after waving pans and towels, putting the dogs in locked rooms to get them out of the kitchen, and standing at the ready with our tiny fire extinguisher, the smoke finally dissipated. When it had all cooled down, I picked up the glass pieces and tried in a smoke clogged voice to explain to my kids about the physical properties of rapid glass expansion in heat.
Seriously?, my older son said to me, you almost burn the house down and you want to turn it into a science lesson?
The 3 of us who hadn’t eaten ended up having peanut butter on bagels that night. That’s right, even though I cooked the dish- TWICE, I still don’t know what it tastes like.
I will make this recipe again. Oh I will. It will not get the best of me.
But next time, we’ll wait for a nice warm day with no temperature drop. Better yet, next time, I might just try cooking this on the grill. Outside. Very far from the house.
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Lessons Learned from the Flock 
W., Love older son’s comment! Don’t cook it on the grill – the dripping bacon fat will cause the grill to flame up. The bacon will burn and it will get very smoky. But skip the glass dish, try using a rimmed cookie sheet. Sounds very tasty – your kids are right – who doesn’t like bacon? I read once that most vegetarians crave it for years and years after giving up meat. Stay safe … S.
Actually I had a similar pyrex experience; it must run in the family. My very first dinner party I was all of 21. Food was not cooking right, I was in a fluster, I took the pyrex out of the oven and put in on the top of the stove forgetting that in my haste the burner was still on. Explosion and fire.
Later on we all went bowling and I bowled a 24. Tough times, funny stories.
oh my gosh, what a story! I’m glad everyone is ok.
Wendy,
Only you could tell a story about exploding cookware with such aplomb … AND turn it into a science lesson. (Well done!)
I love that you, as the mom, cooked the damn meal twice and yet didn’t even get to taste it. Typical.
And I’m thrilled that – despite four-alarm smoke and Pyrex shrapnel – you are not going to let Baked Cod Wrapped in Bacon with Rosemary get the best of you.
Cook on!
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