For all the effort I’ve made in the last few years to eat local produce, hormone-free dairy, grass-fed beef, etc., I have been a little slow in switching to sustainable seafood—mostly because I don’t cook seafood that often, and I forget to check out which fish are O.K. until after I leave for the market.

But lately, I’ve felt an extra dose of guilt (probably due to my friendship with Rachel Sohn, an ocean-watchdog extraordinaire) when buying maybe-not-so-responsible seafood. So I’ve started to do my fish homework before I buy and find recipes based on more sustainable choices. Choices like bluefish: an omega-3-ripped, pungently flavored, Atlantic swimmer dubbed a “Good Alternative” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch.

The only downside to bluefish is its hallmark fishiness—all the recipes and articles I’ve read on the species feature equally strong flavors like bacon and lemon to tame its fishy flesh. I gravitated toward the latter this week, finding a recipe for Broiled Bluefish Filets with Fennel Mayonnaise on Epicurious.com. If you are a fennel lover, compulsive mayonnaise spreader and/or ocean groupie, you’re going to love this dish.

Since I’d never cooked bluefish, I (almost) stuck to the simple recipe that combines mayonnaise, toasted fennel seeds, garlic, salt and lemon juice. Just smear the mayonnaise on top of the filets and broil for eight minutes—the short cooking time will keep the fatty fish moist and tender. My only changes: I made a little extra mayo (which was rich and ably cut through the fish funk), was heavy-handed with the lemon juice and threw in chopped fennel fronds for good measure and beauty.

]]> http://www.occasionalomnivore.com/2010/09/23/one-fish-two-fish-mayo-smeared-bluefish/feed/ 0 http://www.occasionalomnivore.com/2010/03/10/pesto-is-a-csa-girls-best-friend/ http://www.occasionalomnivore.com/2010/03/10/pesto-is-a-csa-girls-best-friend/#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:22:18 +0000 Caroline http://www.occasionalomnivore.com/?p=1894

Greens. Greens. Greens. My mother would be so proud to see her once-upon-a-time, lettuce-spurning daughter eat so many greens. And to eat all our greens before the next CSA box arrives, we have to turn to drastic measures of consumption. Forget side salads. Bring on the food processor and pesto.

Pesto is my favorite  CSA-survival technique (life is  hard, I know). Not only does it eat an entire bunch of greens or herbs in one fell swoop, but a pesto pasta meal only takes 20 minutes from start to plate.

This week’s mizuna pesto was a particular success. Less pungent than a basil or parsley pesto, the mizuna puree was sweet and fresh. I used nearly a full bunch, which packed our food processor to the brim and yielded enough pesto to coat a pound of spaghettini—more than enough for dinner and lunch leftovers. Although second-day pesto pasta tends to be dry, moisture from the mizuna stems kept the pasta from drying out. William ate not one but two portions of the pasta the next day.

This recipe is approximate, but, no doubt, yours will be delicious if you can find greens as lovely as mine (thanks Bee Heaven).

Mizuna Pesto
Combine a seven-cup food processorful of mizuna greens (stems and all), 1 cup walnuts, 1/3 cup grated Parmesan, 3 to 4 cloves garlic, 1/2 cup+ extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Chop, chop, chop in the food processor until it’s smooth. Taste and adjust salt and olive oil as needed. Toss with a pound of cooked pasta, and eat.

FYI: Our camera is on the fritz. We may have to replace it, in which case we’ll be photoless for another week.

Catechism introduced me to Purgatory years ago, but I had not met uova in Purgatorio until last month through a recipe on thekitchn.com. This dish in limbo requires little time for preparation and combines some of my favorite ingredients—eggs, tomatoes, garlic and basil—which are designed to be spread upon and sopped up by a crusty hunk of bread.

The basic premise of the recipe is to cook eggs in a tomato sauce—some recipes call for baking the eggs. Others recipes (including mine) cook on the stove top.  And though the flavor profiles are continents away, this dish is reminiscent of my favorite curried eggs, which also are cooked in a tomato base.

While my recipe sticks with tomato sauce basics, others call for olives, mushrooms, Parmesan, etc. Use what you love and have on hand for a simple, healthy, filling, vegetarian, cheap and guiltless meal. 

Uova in Purgatorio
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 14-ounce can whole tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup thinly sliced basil
4 eggs

Instructions
In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil on medium. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook until garlic turns golden—2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes (and their juices) and the basil to the pan. Break up tomatoes with the back of your spoon. Bring mixture to a boil, and simmer until mixture thickens. You should be able to drag your spoon through the sauce and leave a momentary trough.

Make four indentions in the sauce, and crack an egg into each. Cover the pot, and cook until egg whites are firm but the yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes.

Divide eggs and sauce into 2 bowls, and serve with big hunks of crusty bread.

Serves 2

William isn’t a huge anchovy fan. But he opened his mind and mouth to pasta puttanesca when I began making it (or buying a prepared version) a few years ago. The sauce, punctuated with varied salty accents, is one of our favorites. And it’s simple enough to whip up on a weeknight. 

This recipe calls for crushed rather than diced tomatoes. The sauce better clings to the pasta when it has a few less chunks. Also, I used basil here instead of traditional oregano—but either herb would do. My only other advice is to use fresh pasta. It costs more than dried pasta, but if you’re forgoing a hunk of meat for the evening, the splurge is justified and most certainly worth it. 

Pasta Puttanesca
1/4 cup olive oil
1 2-ounce can anchovies packed in olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons capers, drained and coarsely chopped 
1 pound fresh linguine  
1/2 cup basil, cut into thick ribbons 

Instructions
Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons oil from anchovies in a 4-quart pot.  Chop anchovies and add them to the oil, along with garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until garlic is a pale golden color and fragrant. 

Add crushed tomatoes, olives, and capers, stirring to incorporate oil. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salty water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook al dente. Drain pasta.

Toss pasta with puttanesca sauce and top with basil. 

Serves 4 to 6

I purchased two large bunches of local callaloo (a West Indian green, also known as amaranth) last week to make the green’s namesake soup.

Most traditional callaloo recipes call for greens, okra, salt pork and crab meat. Some include beef, chicken, pumpkin or coconut. Whatever the ingredient list, the contents of callaloo are probably best when mysterious and hazy. The soup wasn’t designed to be made with a to-the-letter recipe.

That said, the recipe that follows is a delicious Anglo interpretation of callaloo, adapted from this recipe from Food & Wine.

Callaloo
3 cups cubed calabaza or other winter squash
3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped chives or scallions
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 slices bacon
3/4 pound callaloo or spinach, stemmed and chopped
1/3 cup basil, sliced
2 tablespoons celery leaves
5 cups water
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°. Toss calabaza with 1 tablespoon canola oil, salt, and pepper. Spread calabaza onto a baking sheet, and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, until tender. Remove calabaza from oven and keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat remaining canola oil and butter in a medium pot. Add onion, chives, and garlic, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onion softens. Add strips of bacon, and render fat, cooking 5 to 8 minutes more (bacon will not be crisp).

Add greens, basil, and celery leaves to the pot, and cook until callaloo is wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour in water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer soup for 10 minutes.

Remove bacon strips, and discard (they have given their flavor to the soup and taste a whole lot like nothing). Puree soup in a blender or with an immersion blender. Add cream, and bring back to a low simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide soup into four bowls, and deposit 1/4 of the calabaza into the center of each bowl.

Serves 4

To keep our veggie bellies full, I diligently have been trying to include protein in all of our meals. And with a pile of cooked great northern beans on hand, I whipped up a white bean spread to serve alongside salads this week. 

This is a ridiculously easy and versatile recipe. Just throw the ingredients into a food processor and turn them into tasty mush. I used rosemary, raw garlic and lemon, but you could easily substitute basil, oregano, cilantro, chives, onion, roasted garlic, lime juice, etc. 

I smeared the spread onto a thick piece of toasted bread to go with our salads (pictured) and stuffed a small avocado half with the bean spread for lunch the next day. The recipe would work just as well as a party dip or for bruschetta. 

White Bean Spread
2 cups cooked white beans (great northern, navy, etc.)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (or more)
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 to 2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth, adding olive oil and seasonings to suit your taste.

I began making this roasted eggplant spread for William when we first started dating. It’s simple, satisfying—just as good atop a slab of bread (as it’s used here) as it is a side dish or salad. 

I made this a day in advance for the ultimate weeknight supper in minutes. Here it’s topped with a good sprinkle of Parmesan, but I’d also enjoy it with a melted piece of provolone or mozzarella.  

Simple Roasted Eggplant Spread 
2 medium eggplants, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, left unpeeled
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons capers, drained finely chopped
2 tablespoons sliced fresh basil
1 tablespoon finely chopped oregano 
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°.

In a large bowl, toss eggplants, bell pepper, onion, and garlic with olive oil and salt and pepper (you can add more after it cooks). Spread eggplant mixture onto a large baking sheet, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until eggplant is tender. 

Spoon eggplant mixture back into bowl, and squeeze garlic cloves from their skins. Lightly mash the vegetables. You want the mixture the be spreadable, but retain some sense of chunk.  

Stir in vinegar, capers, basil, oregano, and additional salt and pepper, if needed. 

Use the spread for sandwiches or as a dip, side or salad. 

Serves 6 as a sandwich filling

Boiled eggs with their fatty yellow yolks are one of my top ten favorite foods (with fried and poached eggs somewhere on that list, as well). So when I discovered curried eggs at Raja’s, my Indian lunch spot downtown Miami, I knew I had to find a recipe to try at home. 

With good fortune, I discovered 660 Curries: The Gateway to Indian Cooking by Raghavan Iyer a few weeks ago through a Serious Eats Cook the Book post. Of his 660 curries, three are egg. And I had all of the ingredients on hand to make an amended version of his “Easter Eggs with Onion-Garlic Sauce.”  

In lieu of Iyer’s custom garam masala blend, I used an off-the-shelf version I picked up at Whole Foods. (It’s going to take major stocking up at Asia Grocery before I can seriously tackle this cookbook.) I also subbed yellow onion for purple and used one chile rather than two. These variants surely affected the flavor of the final product, but with one bite I ceased to worry. 

Gently reheating the eggs softened their yolks into a creamy golden mass that melted on my tongue. And the sauce was a perfect complement. It didn’t mask the yolk’s glory, but formed a fragrant pool to slurp and sop up with bread and maybe my fingers. I didn’t leave a drop in the pan.  

Curried Eggs with Onion-Garlic Sauce
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 cup water
2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro 
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 serrano chile, stems removed and split lengthwise
1 medium tomato, chopped
6 large eggs, hard boiled and cut in half lengthwise

Instructions
Heat oil over medium in a large frying pan. Add onion and garlic, and cook for 10 minutes, until golden. Stir in garam masala, and cook one minute more. Transfer onion mixture to a blender, add water, and puree until smoothe.

Pour liquid back into pan, adding cilantro, salt, chile, and tomato. Bring mixture to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Place eggs in pan, yolk side up. Spoon sauce over eggs as the sauce thickens, cooking for 8 minutes. 

Divide eggs into bowls, pouring the sauce over each portion.

Serves 3