Salmon Fillets with Fennel and Fennel

Friday 13 August

We based tonight's dinner on this recipe, Salmon with Fennel and Pernod, or fennel with fennel taste (courtesy of the department of redundancy department).

Like everybody on Epicurious, we "fixed" the recipe rather than actually trying it. After the fennel seeds were toasted, we took about a quarter of them and ground them in the spice grinder: these went onto the salmon fillets (with salt and pepper) to form a top crust.

We also briefly sautéed the red onion (instead of shallots) because we didn't want a raw flavor. And instead of frying the salmon in the compound fennel butter, we used plain butter and a touch of oil; the extra butter was used to garnish the completed dish. The nice thin fillets didn't need extra water or steaming.

Oh, and we used raki instead of pernod.

Verdict: at least four forks, though it's not the same dish.

Stir-fried Pork with Adult Bok Choy

Thursday 12 August

This was made from the last of the "baby" Mei Qing Choi that Allison planted this year; a few were hanging on and getting old while the rest had bolted, so we gathered them in and used them while someone still could.

While the thin-sliced pork marinated in equal amounts of soy sauce and xaoxing wine (with a touch of sugar and a shake of red pepper flakes), we chopped the bok choy stems separately, and rough-chopped the leaves. A chopped onion, a couple of cloves of minced garlic, and an equal amount of minced ginger helped make up the mise-en-place.

The procedure was as usual: stir fry the onion, then the bok choy stems, then the ginger with a sprinkle of salt. When it's slightly tender, throw in all the leaves and keep stirring until they begin to get dark. Then throw in some broth (we used lamb), cover, and simmer until it's tender and to your taste. Remove to a warm plate.

Clean wok, stir-fry pork and garlic in oil until all pink is gone. Put vedge back into wok, add about a half Tbsp. hoisin and an equal amount of soy sauce. Taste and correct the seasonings; turn off heat, and sprinkle with sesame oil.

Not bad for garden gleanings.

Pizza from the Garden

Wednesday 11 August

Holt made his own dough, of course. We made the pizzas with our own fresh tomatoes, one with goat and one with fontina cheese, and topped with fresh basil both right before and right after they came out of the oven.

Cod Veracruz

Tuesday 10 August

Truly the Piece of Cod which Passeth all Understanding, done much like the tilapia we've had before.

Parsley instead of cilantro, though.

Dinner for Lynne and Tom's new kitchen

Monday 9 August

We were so flattered to be the first guests Lynne and Tom invited to inaugurate their new kitchen in their new apartment. We brought champagne (Gruet de Albuquerque, for reasons of taste as well as patriotism) to celebrate the occasion, though there's no way we were going to waste it by breaking the bottle over the bows - and where are the bows of a kitchen?

While we chatted, Lynne and Tom served some tasty guacamole with hearty dark brown tortilla chips; an unusual color, but they shop at Whole Foods, and this may be a whole food sort of chip.

As a first course, there was a lively-flavored carrot soup.

Fried zucchini on pasta came next, accented with fresh basil from the plant on the balcony. You can tell Lynne and Tom spend lots of time in Rome, where a balcony without herbs and plants is unthinkable.

For dessert, there were fresh cherries served in a bowl of cool water, also very Italian; and dark chocolate; and strong salty cheeses, which went surprisingly well with everything. So thanks, Lynne and Tom, and we'll see you at our house next time!

Pork Steaks with Cherry Sauce

Sunday 8 August

Pork steaks patted with fresh thyme, salt and pepper; served with a sauce made of cherries we'd forgotten in the fridge that still survived.

Baby Bluefish with Baby Red Potatoes

Saturday 7 August

There's a new fish place in Findlay Market - Frank's Fish and Seafood. Last week they advertised baby bluefish, but sold out right before Barbara could get one. So when they had them again this week, Holt queued up for two cute ones. Problem is, he had to ask for them to be cleaned (who puts fish out, especially delicate bluefish, with the guts in them?) and scaled, but have the heads left ON, and after waiting about half an hour for this to be done, they came back to him - guts out, okay, but also with the heads OFF, and plenty of scales still on. Plainly the staff at Frank's need a lot more training before they're ready to sell fish.

We took our mutilated bluefish home, re-de-scaled them, and put them in the cast-iron pan to go into a 450-degree oven. Topped with basil oil at the end.

Suitably served alongside were little redskinned potatoes the size of marbles, just boiled and swirled in butter and fresh chopped parsley.