Providence, Part II: Homemade is Better

My Providential friend is an equally aspiring gourmet, or at least, she loves food as much as I do but doesn't quite have the gall to call herself by such a pretentious word. So we decided that since we were smarting in the wallet from having dropped an arguably well-spent heap of cash on the previous night's dinner (she argued it was, I wasn't so sure,) yet were not content with merely purging the fridge of a half-dozen onion rolls, Sunday supper would have to be a home-cooked extravaganza. So it was off to Whole Foods, that temple of self-righteous healthfulness. (If I come off as cynical, I attribute it to an excellent article in Time Magazine on the debate of organic vs. local produce, in which Whole Foods did not appear in its favored role as the foremost bastion of global health.)

The store was well-stocked, clean and inviting. We entered without any notion of what we wished to cook and had to flirt with the produce - a glance here, a brushing or a squeeze there - to find what we were looking for. Turned out we were hungry for vaguely-Asian style. Which is good. I like vaguely-Asian.

We bought ingredients for three recipes that we concocted in the store and on the walk home: Pan-Fried Jalapeno-Ginger Trout, Asian Vegetable Stir Fry with Rice Noodles and Roasted Sesame Eggplant. All were mighty tasty and very easy to make. If you're playing the home game, here they are in order of preparation and portioned for 2:

Roasted Sesame Eggplant.

• 1 medium eggplant.
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
  
• 2 t sambal oelek or other chili sauce
  
• 2 T toasted sesame oil

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Brush or rub olive oil over the eggplant and place on a shallow baking tray or ovenproof dish that will collect any juices. Pierce the eggplant liberally with a fork to avoid explosions. When the oven is ready, put the eggplant in for 30-40 minutes, or until it it collapses a little when you press it, as shown at right. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Slice it open and sprinkle sambal oelek and peanut pieces over both halves, then splash the toasted sesame oil over the top. Serve while hot!

Asian Vegetable Stir Fry with Rice Noodles

• 7 oz. rice noodles
• 3 shallots
• 2 T light olive oil
  
• 1/2 cup fresh or canned water chestnuts, sliced thick
• 1/2 cup fresh or canned bamboo shoots, sliced
  
• 3 T soy sauce
  
• 1 bunch spring onions, chopped into thick rings
  
• 3 T rice vinegar
  
• 10 large basil leaves or 20 small, each pulled into four pieces.

Cook rice noodles according to directions on box and drain once cooked. Slice shallots fairly thin and saute in a pan with olive oil over medium-high heat until they start to brown. Add water chestnuts and bamboo shoots and heat through. Pour in soy sauce and allow to reduce while mixing ingredients around. Throw in the spring onions and heat through, as shown at right. Add cooked noodles and mix around with rice vinegar. When noodles are warm, turn off the heat and add the basil. Cover until ready to serve.


Pan-Fried Jalapeno-Ginger Trout

2/3 lb Trout fillet of any variety or another flavorful, thin fish.
2 t sea salt
1 T black pepper, freshly ground
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced.
1/2 inch section of ginger, finely chopped.
1 1/2 jalapenos, 1 finely chopped, 1/2 thinly sliced. (Use less for less heat.)
2 T light olive oil or butter
2 T soy sauce
1 lemon, for juice

Clean the trout and pat dry with paper towels. Rub with sea salt and pepper. Mix the sliced garlic with the chopped ginger and jalapeno. Heat the oil in a skillet or pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, but not burning, add the garlic mixture and chase it around the pan until the garlic just starts to brown, about 20 seconds. Carefully place the fish fillets skin side up on top of the mixture and cook until it begins to get white, about 3 minutes. Flip the fillets onto the skin side and cook a further 3 minutes or so, until it's to your liking. Check for the desired color by gently flaking each fillet in its thickest part. It should be an opaque, solid white.

If you time everything just right, the eggplant should be into its 10th minute of cooling just as you finish the fish. If not, keep everything finished warm either in the oven (turned off and slightly open) or over low heat.

I plated the trout upon the stir fry, garnished it with the thin jalapeno rings and a squeeze of lemon, and flanked it with the eggplant and a green baby spinach salad. Everything worked well together and made for a memorable meal for both of us. Try it for yourself and leave a comment!