Sunday Supper

I've found myself drifting back to the basics lately, which brings me to Joy of Cooking, probably the first cookbook I ever read--and I do mean read--as in, cover to cover.  I have the 1997 edition, which still manages to maintain that quaint, coversational tone despite modern inclusions like Tomato Jalepeno Chilaquiles and Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup.  I bookmarked Sunday Supper Fishcakes because they sounded so delightfully old-fashioned, and because cod is cheaper than crab, and because--hey--it's Sunday, and I wanted something tasty for supper. 

All began well.  The fish mixture came together in a snap.  The accompanying horseradish sauce was cool and creamy, yet bracing.   Then it came time to "shape into 8 cakes, pressing the ingredients firmly together."  Well, I pressed and pressed and all I got was a pile of ingredients.  So I cursed Joy, and I cursed myself for ignoring the headnote recommending I use "some of a more oily fish,' and I cursed the fishcakes for good measure--and all this before church!  Then I turned two slices of white bread to crumbs in the food processor, added them to the mix, and taking a cue from the Bible, allowed the fishcakes to rest for ten minutes.

That did the trick!

Served with the sauce, they made a perfectly respectable Sunday supper.