Yes, I actually cooked dinner for the first time in ages. Nothing like being bipolar to screw up the cook part of the identity.
Halibut steak poached in olive oil, white wine, and three ears of corn (cut from the cob), two chopped beefsteak tomatoes, and two dozen chopped green beans. The liquid was seasoned with salt, pepper, and dried basil. I overcooked the halibut, by about 5–7 minutes. Simmer on medium-low heat, with a lid, appx. 10 minutes, instead, until vegetables are al dente and the fish flakes under light pressure from a fork.
Salmon, seasoned with lemon pepper seasoning from Penzey’s, and salt, sauteed in 1 tbsp. grapeseed oil, 1 tbsp. butter, on both sides. Served with 2 Boston Organics leeks, softened in 2 tbsp. butter, salt, pepper, and Penzey’s powdered rosemary. (I would bathe in that stuff if I could.) Add 1/2 lb. of pea tendrils, the zest and juice of two limes, and cover, tossing after 2 mins. and occasionally until wilted.
This was the first time I’d ever cooked pea tendrils, and they were a little meh, kind of like peas crossed with green beans and spinach. I should’ve cut the tendrils into two inch pieces, rather than left them long. The long little tendrils, dangling down my throat as I chewed? Yeah, I would trim them, too. I don’t know if I would buy them again, since they were wicked expensive, but there’s a first time for everything, even vegetables that go all Little Shop of Horrors inside your mouth.
Sunday night’s supper: pork chops marinated in salt, cumin, smoked paprika, and oloroso sherry for a night, served with Boston Organics spinach, wilted with four cloves chopped garlic and cherry tomatoes in olive oil.
Take some israeli couscous (pastina would work fine, too), cooked 15 min. in olive oil and double the amount of water. Put chopped thin asparagus on top the last 7 mins., uncovering the pot halfway to make sure the water is absorbed. Pour the hot couscous and asparagus into a bowl, add one bunch chopped raw scallions and one julienned (Boston Organics) zucchini. Stir. Dress while warm with a fresh herb pesto made of olive oil, 1 branch rosemary, and generous amounts of parsley and basil, the zest of one lemon, and the juice of 1 1/2 lemons. Adjust for salt and pepper– I added a fair amount of lemon pepper seasoning. When cooled, stir in chunks of goat cheese or feta. If the salad absorbs all the liquid as it cools, add the juice of another 1/2 lemon and a splash of olive oil just before adding the cheese, to moisten. If you leave the cheese out, you might consider putting in more herbs right before serving.
This should be a more-vegetable-than-couscous salad, with the starchy couscous just a hint of sweetness against the predominating flavors and crunch of the vegetables.
To make: I de-stemmed, tore, washed & dried some Boston Organics spinach, and topped it with chopped cherry tomatoes, hard boiled egg slices, and pieces of crisped bacon. I made little slices out of (one medium or) two small potatoes, and fried the slices until crisp in the bacon fat left in the pan. Set the potatoes to drain on the same paper bag where you’ve put your bacon. To the liquid bacon fat still in your frying pan (I actually added a little olive oil, as the potatoes had absorbed a lot), over medium heat, add almost an equal amount of red wine vinegar, a little salt and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce, and then pour over your salad, tossing to coat. The spinach will wilt a little in the hot dressing.
To make this lower carb, use zucchini matchsticks, or white turnip matchsticks, or sweet potato matchsticks, likewise fried until turning golden.
Janet at Fond of Snape asked me which bacon I use– when I can, I buy Niman Ranch uncured, hickory smoked at Trader Joe’s. When I can’t, I have Farmland brand bacon, uncured, applewood smoked, that you can buy at Stop & Shop or Roche Bros.
Enjoy!
