Cajun spiced
whitefish. That was the only direction I was given from London for the one
complete meal I had time to make over the weekend. Able to use my poorly missed
kitchen for only two days a week, my grocery list has become woefully
truncated, and with my upcoming two week absence in the back of my mind, I endeavored
to use anything I had already. My shortlist to use was: Apples, oranges, bean
sprouts, cilantro, shallots, soba noodles, bosc pears, and hard cider. Like a
slot machine, I kept shuffling through combinations; many being dismissed as
clashes of flavors made themselves apparent (is there a way to put apples with
cilantro, some kind of salsa perhaps…). It was a sunny day, unseasonably warm
for March, so a run (literally) to Whole Foods would serve as my muse.
No trip
to Whole Foods is complete without a stop at the cheese department. A short
conversation with the red-coated woman behind the counter brought to mind a
poached pear dessert that could be modified to fit my ingredients. Hard cider would
replace white wine, add honey and poach the pears. Toasted walnuts substitute
pecans, adding crunch to the otherwise smooth texture and a nutty aroma, and filling
the crevasse cut from the center of the fruit. Then, the cider, reduced to a
syrup, melts the creamy yet mildly pungent gorgonzola placed in the middle.
Back
home, wedge of cheese in tow, I coat the fish liberally with seasonings and put
it in a 350˚
toaster oven while I tackle the sides. I wanted to use the cilantro with the
shallots, but the buckwheat of the soba didn’t seem to match with a traditional
chimichurri, so instead I sautéed the shallots in bacon grease and added darker
flavors like soy and balsamic to create a sauce in the food processor. Perhaps
I didn’t add enough liquid, but the vegetative crunch of the herb held on and
its freshness clashed with the almost fermented flavors in the rest of the
sauce.
Unsatisfied
but not disheartened, I went back to the culinary drawing board. Back at Whole
Foods, I stopped in to talk with the seafood department for ideas about side
dishes. They suggested the heat of the Cajun seasoning could use a cooling
component. Mixing green apple and bean sprouts, along with what was left of
some shredded cabbage and plain yogurt, adding lemon pepper to brighten and spice,
I created a white-washed slaw with a satisfying crunch. Sweet, tart, cream, and
crunch all played their part, a welcome counterpoint to the pliant, Cajun kick
from the fish.
Cooking
complete, London and I plopped onto my pleather couch and pulled up Netflix.
Lights dimmed, but not enough to obscure the enjoyment of the food, the table
made a scratching noise as we pulled it towards us, settling in for dinner and
a movie, and a lazy Sunday evening.
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