Dinner for rent...

Tonight, I was able to provide my lovely Corkery host a meal with my own little twist to it. Not only was I able to use incredible produce from the supermarket, I was able to take advantage of the foliage that was offering findings around the neighborhood. 

I started off with basmati rice seasoned wth ginger, scallion and a touch of salt. Just enough water and love was poured into it to create a fluffy bowl of delicious rice. Surrounding that delicious white cloud, we were able to crisp up some maitake and shimeji mushrooms then wilt in some daisy pouches and bok choy. What a lovely combination to have the sweet choy and the bitter daisy leaves. Those two flavors swimming with the crisp and full Umami of the seasoned wild mushrooms played a wonderful symphony on our palates. 

I think of broccoli as a mini tree with an incredible amount of little flavor pockets waiting to be filled. So why not try something new and different from the usual steam or sauté? I created a super secret sauce that was lemony and pomegranatey; sesame like with a playful spice. Start with a quick caramelized onion, add the broccoli and deglaze with mirin and cover to steam. Once bright green, I added the secret sauce and some sliced mung beans. That's it. Bright, crisp and full of inconceivable flavor. 

But for me, my little baby was the rainbow trout. Butterflied whole to get the center skeleton out with the head still on was the way to go. I stuffed it with scallion, lemon and our friendly neighbors nasturtium leaves. After marinating for about 30 minutes, I lathered them up with some extra Virginia olive oil, salt, pepper and threw them on a red hot grill. Being that the filets are so thin, they only took about 8-10 minutes to cook. Boy oh boy were they delicious. 

I must say, I am glad I got to push my own boundaries using the ingredients that were quite literally at my fingertips.