Whitefish (?)

Some day this week I came to the realization that as much as I love seafood, I have never prepared it for myself. Tonight, then, I set out to do just that.

It's funny how disproportionate individual joys can be -- after a long day at work, we went separate ways, and met at home after:

1. Bean looked at motorcycles (scooters? not such a macho term, we need...), and I came home to a house full of no people.

And so, the first item: an olive martini.

2. I stopped at Saigon Market in Nashua, which sells Asian and Mexican food. It's a strange combination, but it's filled with nice people. I got one whitefish about 10" long, and thin like an eel; I had no idea what to do with it.

Bean arrived home earlier than expected, so to the grocery we went! Asparagus and tomatoes lent some assuredness to an otherwise uncertain dish.

The fish, though. What to do? I sliced it halfway up its belly, perhaps cutting the spine right in two. And here I got rid of all the unappealing and organ-like bits. I don't get disgusted by much -- whatever looked edible remained on te plate. And then that thing steamed until it had achieved a satisfying opacity!

It didn't have much flavor, though. Next time I'll add something.

Tomato Soup

Bean is obsessed with soup, and I'm rarely in the mood. Today, though, I'd determined to make something I liked, and so when I got home from work I was ready to whip off to the store for some tomatoes in order to make something creeeeeamy and delicious. Much to my surprise, I found a box o' chopped tomatoes sitting tantalizingly on the countertop!

And look at the amazing ingredients!!

Into the pot went:

2 cups chopped tomatoes

1 tsp lobster bouillon (not so bad!)

2 mushrooms

stalk o' celery

chopped onion

bits o' pasta

thyme

basil

oregano

salt

pepper

and I let it all boil for what seemed like eons -- the smell of spices finding their way pleasingly into my nose as I slowly sipped a slightly-sour wine.

And when it was done, I did not forget about dinner! It went beautifully with our homemade thyme-bread from yesterday. Mmm...

A Study in Burnt Asparagus

A plan to make stuffed baked potatoes had taken root, and led to this mysterious gathering of vegetables, spices, and cheese. It had baked potato, lobster bouillon, an adorable whole tomato, and mozzarella. The asparagus were left to fend for themselves in the blustering winds of the oven desert.

This dinner was something to love; too-much-time spent meandering about the kitchen with small-talk, kisses, and a new discovery: the glory of a whole roasted tomato. I like the pictures.

Mother's Pizza Crust

This is the yeastless pizza crust my dearest Mother used to make all the time when we were wee ones. She stopped sometime during our formative years in favor of frozen store-bought dough, but making this after a long day of work brought back warm memories of a large, rambunctious, and endlessly ravenous family.

It was:

1/2 c. flour

sprinkle salt

1 tbsp olive oil

a few tbsp water

and stir, and stir, and form, and roll out. Then simply bake with toppings (sliced tomato, spinach, and feta cheese) until your hunger-induced oven-checking deems it done.

And mmmmm.