Bluefish with Basil Sauce and Japanese Eggplant with Green Beans and Thai Red Curry

The weekly haul from the CSA has really picked up in the past few weeks.  Combine that with me being out of town, and that means a backlog of veggies that need to be cooked.  I was very happy to find a few heads of fresh garlic waiting for me; I think fresh garlic has a sweetness that is not even closed to matched by most store-bought.  We also had a few bunches of basil, about a pint of mixed beans (green, wax, and some purple kind I've never seen before), and a lot of Japanese eggplant that needed to be used sooner rather than later.

I'm not a huge eggplant fan generally, but I think I now prefer the Japanese to conventional.  The long, slender shape allows it to simply be cut into quarters and stir fried, as in this recipe for Japanese Eggplant with Haricot Verts and Thai Red Curry.  To adapt this for farm share ingredients, specifically normal sized beans and not haricot verts, I just added the beans about 30 seconds after the eggplant and not the whole 2-3 minutes.  Here are the eggplant, beans, garlic, and ginger pre-prep:

I was in the mood for seafood, and wild caught bluefish for $9 a pound jumped out at me.  This is not the most delicate of fishes, but it holds up to high heat for quick cooking, and works with with a sauce.  It is also wild caught, which I like, and not at risk of being overfished anytime soon.  I've seen it on the menu at Tackle Box and Blue Ridge in DC, both affordable seafood spots that emphasize sustainability.

Anyway, I used a big clove of fresh CSA garlic and a head of CSA basil to make Broiled Bluefish with Basil Sauce.  The sauce couldn't be easier - just throw everything in a blender.

While this isn't necessarily in the same vein as miso/curry eggplant and green beans, the both worked well together.  I think some ginger could've been added to the basil sauce to bring them together a little more, but both were very fresh and delicious.  The miso/curry prep was great, and I want to use it again for other veggies.

Back From Israel - Ultimate Bagels and Lox

I got back from Israel late Thursday, and I am just now (Sunday evening) starting to feel rested and adjusted to this time zone.  I had a great time, and even picked up some ingredients at the Jerusalem market (or "Shook"): za'atar, hot paprika, a spicy meat rub, and some rice seasonings featuring dried fruits and vegetables.  I imagine some of these will be popping up in future postings.

I will also try to write a little more about the food there, but one thing that was great was the ever-present cucumber and tomato salad.  Unlike hummus, which I can't imagine eating again for months, I could not get tired of the great cucumbers and tomatoes grown in Israel and served with practically every meal.  I was happy to find our fridge full of farm share cucumbers when I got home, and a number of flawless, deep red tomatoes on our counter.

I had gone about 2 weeks without milk and meat in the same meal, so for brunch yesterday I felt like I wanted both on the same plate.  Bagels and lox are a quintessential Jewish-American breakfast/brunch (although not at all Israeli) - this was exactly what I wanted.

I don't think this really qualifies as a recipe, just a list of what I like on a bagel with lox:

• very thinly sliced red onion
• sliced tomato
• thick sliced cucumber (peeled and seeded if large)
• drained capers
• whipped cream cheese

Pile it on the toasted bagel of your choosing (I like everything, Meghan always goes with sesame), and enjoy.  I like to go capers and onion first (so that the cream cheese keeps the capers from rolling off), followed by tomato and cucumber, with the lox on top.  I don't think order really matters - it is hard to screw this up.