Have you ever wondered what it looks like the night before me and Rachel go out of town after we have totally failed to plan and bought way too much stuff at the farmers’ market? Of course you have.
Basically, it devolves into a veggie cooking frenzy; a fire sale where Everything. Must. Go.
It started with the very last of the trout from the previous epic fishing adventure. I steamed it en papillote, the easiest and possibly most delicious way to cook a whole fish. Just lay the little guy on a piece of foil that’s about 3 times its size. Pat him dry, give him a liberal sprinkling of salt inside and out, stuff the cavity with some sliced garlic, a couple lemon wedges, and a sprig of whatever herb you need to get rid of.
Top with some sliced onions, and a hearty pour of good olive oil. Fold the foil over and crimp it all around to make a nice little pouch. Throw it into a 425°F oven for about 20 minutes (depending on the size of the fish) and you’re in business. Once you get the general idea, you can substitute, really, an almost infinite number of vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices.
To give our sea friend something to swim through (and to get it the hell out of my fridge) I cooked up a mess of lamb’s quarters, roasted some baby squash, poached cherry tomatoes in garlic butter, and tossed some small, baked new potatoes with a light mustard vinaigrette. My oh my.
Sure it may be enough food for me, the wifey, both cats, and a small but hungry sun bear, but that’s never stopped me before. I’m pretty sure the bear didn’t like the squash though.
-L. Pants
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