CSA salad w Sauteed Mackerel

This composed salad requires a bit of time, but it's totally worth it. Boil the eggs and potatoes and roast the pepper the day before and it won't seem like such an arduous meal. While you're at it, make a couple extra eggs for a grab-n-go breakfast, boil a few more potatoes for that potato salad you're taking to the pot luck BBQ this weekend and that second pepper, it'll be perfect for gazpacho. You just took care of like four meals!!

A basic vinaigrette to dress the greens and potatoes and a simple 'salsa' to top the fish (which, by the way, cooks in all of six minutes) quickly bring the salad together. This is a healthy and extremely satisfying meal. Seriously... I had a warm peach tart sittin' pretty on the kitchen counter for dessert and skipped it because I felt just right after the salad. Hello! Peach tart for breakfast...can't beat that!

A note on the fish...Mackerel is a great choice because it's chock full of omega-3 fatty acids which are SO good for us and it's not overfished and, therefore, environmentally friendly (which is rare when it comes to fish these days). That said, if you can't find mackerel, go ahead and use whatever's fresh. Likewise, the rest of the elements of the salad can be substituted.

CSA salad w sauteed mackerel
serves 4

2 hard-boiled eggs
2 large new potatoes, cooked
1 roasted pepper
tomato caper salsa
vinaigrette
1 bunch arugula, washed and torn into bite size pieces
4 5oz fillets mackerel

eggs

• Place eggs in small saucepan and cover with cold water by an inch.
  
• Over high heat, bring water JUST to a boil, cover pot and turn off heat. Let stand 15 minutes.
  
• Pour off cooking water and cool eggs in ice water.

new potatoes

• Place potatoes in small saucepan and cover with cold water by an inch.
  
• Over high heat, bring water to a boil, turn heat down to medium so the water is gently bubbling and cook potatoes until easily pierced with a pairing knife, about 25 minutes.

roasted peppers














salsa

1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1 T capers, rinsed and chopped

• Combine tomatoes and capers in a small bowl. Make sure to taste before seasoning as capers tend to be salty.

vinaigrette

1 half white onion, diced
1 t Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
2 T Champagne or white wine vinegar
1/4 c olive oil

• In a cleaned jam jar, combine the onion, mustard and vinegar. Season to taste.
  
• Add the olive oil, tightly put lid on jar and shake vigorously until emulsified. Taste again and adjust any of the ingredients until you like the flavors.

compose salad

• Cut eggs in half lengthwise and the cut each half lengthwise again. You should have 8 pieces total.
• Cut potatoes crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Place potatoes on a plate in one layer and pour half of the vinaigrette over them.
• Cook the fish: heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium high heat until hot but not smoking, add 3 T olive oil, turn heat up to high and, when the oil is shimmering, add fillets skin side down. Cook for 6 minutes. Turn off heat.
• Dress arugula with remaining vinaigrette, divide among four plates and top greens with one fish fillet, skin side up. Top each piece of fish with 1/4 of the salsa and then divide the eggs, potatoes and peppers evenly among the plates.
• Enjoy!

Corn with miso butter and bacon

This recipe is adapted from David Chang of Momofuku in NYC. However you may feel about the chef and his empire, I would highly recommend that you make this deeply savory and satisfying side dish. Skip the restaurants' long lines and bring a bit of the "Lucky Peach" into your home.

Corn with Miso Butter and Bacon
serves 4 to 6

1/4 1b bacon, cut crosswise into 1/8 inch strips
1 T unsalted butter, softened
1 T miso (preferably white miso, but use whatever you can find)
1 small onion, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise into half moons
10 ears corn (6 to 7 cups), halve cob and place cut side down and cut kernels from cob from top to bottom
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 cup water
2 or 3 sliced scallions

• Cook bacon in 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, 6-8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Meanwhile, combine softened butter and miso paste.
• Cook onion in bacon fat over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5-8 minutes. Add corn and pepper and increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Add water and butter mixture and cook until corn is tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in reserved bacon, scallions and salt and pepper to taste.

Because of it's complex flavors, I like to serve this alongside simple poached fish or shrimp.

Poached Fish

4 fillets salmon or shark (dog fish)
salt and pepper
1 T butter, softened
1 shallot, diced

• Season fish with salt and pepper
• Rub softened butter over the bottom of a deep, heavy-bottomed 10-or 12-inch sauté pan.
• Sprinkle the shallot over the bottom of the pan and set the fish fillets on top.
• Pour clam juice and wine over and around the fish to come about 2/3 up the sides of the fish.
• Cover the pain tightly with a lid or aluminum foil, set over medium-high heat, and bring the liquid to a rolling boil, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the fish for another minute.
• Remove the cover and use a spatula to carefully remove the fillets from the sauté pan and transfer them to a large plate or platter. Cover loosely with foil so that the fish will continue to cook from the carryover heat.
• To serve, spritz with lemon and sprinkle with fresh basil.
• Enjoy!

Porgy with Peas, Potatoes and Garlic Scape Pesto

My boyfriend wanted to practice cleaning a fish, so yesterday I picked up a whole porgy at the Union Square Greenmarket. The woman who I bought it from looked at me with skepticism and reminded me twice that I'd need to gut it. I assured her that I understood what the future held for me and my porgy; she gave up and told me to have fun. Was it ever (especially considering I wasn't the one doing the dirty work)! And, woo hoo, now we have fish bones for fumet! Anyway, if you don't have a hankering to play butcher, go ahead and buy fillets. Porgy, also known as sea bream, is great (and relatively cheap), as are sea bass and red snapper.

On the side, I served simple roasted potatoes with a bracing garlic scape pesto. If you don't like garlic, you probably won't like this pesto...the garlicky flavor is no joke. The almonds and cheese mellow the pesto (feel free to add more) and the lemon brightens it up. It would be nice on toasted bread with lots of olive oil or on pasta, just add a bit of the water you cooked the pasta in to loosen it up.

Roasted New Potatoes with Garlic Scape Pesto

For the potatoes

12 small potatoes, leave whole or cut in half if large

olive oil

salt and pepper

• Preheat oven to 400.
  
• Coat potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for 45 minutes or until soft when pierced with a fork.
  
• Remove from oven and cover with foil to keep warm. When you add the peas to the fish (see below), remove foil and return potatoes to oven to reheat.

For the pesto

5 garlic scapes, roughly chopped to fit into the bowl of a food processor

1/4 cup almonds

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

juice of half a lemon

1/2 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the scapes, almonds, cheese and lemon juice. Pulse until combined.
  
• While processor is running, slowly add the olive oil and mix until emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  
• Serve on top of or next to roasted potatoes.

Long Island Porgy with Peas

2 fillets porgy

salt and pepper

1/8 cup white wine

1 cup peas, fresh or frozen

• Preheat oven to 450.
• Liberally season fish with salt and pepper and place in an oven safe baking dish or skillet and pour wine around fish.
• Cook for about 10-12 minutes or until opaque and warm to the touch. Add the peas to the skillet for last 5 minutes of cooking (Put the potatoes back in the oven now too).
• Enjoy!

Yummy Greenmarket Honey!

I picked up some honey at the Union Square Greenmarket this afternoon. It comes from Tremblay Apiaries in Van Etten, NY. There are currently five types of honey on offer ranging from mild to very complex: Raspberry and Rose; Spring (a mix of apple, rose, and locust); Linden; Russian Olive, which is similar to the very rare Tupelo, and Wild (too many types of flowers to list). I picked up a pound of the Linden because Alan, the very friendly and informative honey guy, said it's great for the lungs and throat...hello tea sweetner! I also bought some of the Russian Olive (not just because I love Van Morisson's song Tupelo Honey) because it's soo interesting! I used it to make salmon in a honey soy vinaigrette. Sweet!

Salmon in HONEY soy vinaigrette

4 T honey
4 T soy sauce
3 T lime juice
4 t Dijon mustard
2 T water
2 t vegetable oil
4 6 oz salmon filets

• Preheat oven to 400
• In a small bowl whisk together honey, soy, lime juice, Dijon, and water. Pour into a small saute pan over medium low heat and cook until it shimmers, 2 minutes. Cool slightly.
• In a glass or ceramic baking dish, brush with oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Pour vinaigrette over fish, place in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.
• Enjoy!