Tuna Casserole

I know, tuna casserole. You thought you were momentarily transported back to the 70s, didn't you? Well, I apologize, but things are going to get even weirder here on Chez Pei as J and I embark on our final month of pantry cleansing before our big move. We try really hard not to hang on to canned food for more than a few months at a time, but we did unearth some kind of unusual things this weekend. Amongst them were a can of cream of mushroom soup and a family sized can of tuna.

Add half a pack of macaroni and some very old-fashioned sensibilities, and voila! Tuna casserole. And you know what? It's not half bad. Here's a break down for those who are interested. For a small baking pan (about 9x9" or slightly larger):

• 1 family sized Campbell's cream of mushroom soup (or two 12-ounce cans)
• 1 family sized can of tuna (or 2 regular cans), drained
• 1/2 cup water or milk
• 1 onion, diced finely
• 1/2 pound macaroni pasta
• about 1/4 cup grated cheese. I used Gryuere but any cheese that will melt and brown nicely will do (Cheddar, Parmesan, Jack, even American)

Cook the pasta until it is barely al dente. Err on the side of too hard to eat rather than just right.

Meanwhile, sautee the onions in a little olive oil over medium heat, until they are translucent but not brown. Add the soup, tuna, water, and plenty of black pepper. When the pasta is done, drain it well and add that to the soup mixture too. Combine well, making sure everything is distributed evenly. There are no real rules about how thick this needs to be. The texture won't change much in the oven so just add enough water to make it the consistency you like.

If you're cooking this right away, just pour the heated mixture into a lightly greased pan, sprinkle with cheese, and broil for about ten minutes--remember to check after the first five minutes! If you're putting it in the refrigerator for later, heat it for30 minutes or until it bubbles in a 350 degree oven, then put it in the broiler for about 10 minutes.

Easy Dinner 101

Someone mentioned to me recently that he wished he knew how to make easy, healthy dinners at home. It really doesn't have to be difficult, and it doesn't have to always be salads or pasta dishes either. Here's what we ate tonight:

Clockwise from the top left: spinach stir fried in garlic, sliced cantaloupe, flame-grilled sweet peppers, and cherry tomatoes. Obviously the cherry cantaloupe and cherry tomatoes are no brainers: just buy the best you can find and serve it washed and/or sliced. I got these at the farmers market so they are excellent. I almost always serve one raw item because it's easy and doesn't really get any healthier. I stir fried the spinach with garlic, and toasted the peppers by holding them over an open flame with a pair of tongs until they were charred all over.

Beltfish: heat up a thin layer of oil in a pan, then dry the fish well and coat with salt on both sides. Put it directly in the hot oil and cook for five minutes a side.

Rice: add some frozen peas, spinach, chopped bok choy, or other vegetable to add some more green to your diet. This entire dinner took me 30 minutes from start to finish, with no preparation done ahead of time. Easy and healthy: you can do it too!

Salmon Salad, Garlic Bread, and Blue Cheese

Fresh summer flavors are my favorite part of this time of year. We've been making some really great use of a few bulbs of ultra fresh, ultra spicy, ultra flavorful garlic a friend grew in his garden.

First up to bat: baked sockeye salmon filet on a bed of red lettuce with cucumbers and tomatoes. Topped with feta, black pepper, and a garlic mustard vinaigrette.

And to drink, Chandon Classic Brut. This was great with the fish--the bottle doesn't lie when it says it's great with seafood and caesar sald (read: garlicky).

More garlic! I can't ever have enough. This is a basic garlic bread. You take a stick of softened butter and mix in one entire bulb of pulped garlic. You can put the garlic through a press, grate it with a microplane, chop it by hand and smear it with the side of a knife, or use a food processor. Mix in a half teaspoon of salt and a handful of chopped parsley, then spread generously on a loaf of crusty bread. This is a sweet batard, but French bread of course works well.

For dessert, we had fruit and cheese. On the left is a slice of what is called a fig wheel. It's dried figs and roasted hazelnuts pressed into a wheel, and quite tasty. I'm already forgetting the name of the blue cheese, but any blue cheese is stellar with dried figs or fig puree. The fruit mellows out the metallic sharpness of the cheese without detracting from the flavor. Delightful!

Miso-Glazed Salmon

Yummy! We're trying to eat more fish, and miso-glazed salmon has been on the menu once a week for the last few weeks.

For one 1.5 lb salmon filet (enough for 2; skin on is fine):

• 2 Tbs miso
• 2 Tbs soy sauce
  
• 2 Tbs fresh ground ginger
• 2 Tbs rice vinegar
• 2 Tbs rice wine or sake
• 1 Tbs sugar, depending on how you like it

Combine the ingredients, add a dash of water if it is too thick, and try to get the consistency of a thick gravy. The marinate should spread easily but be thick enough to create a layer of marinade on the fish. You don't want to make so much glaze that the fish is actually submerged. Not only would you waste a lot of ingredients, your fish will come out way too salty. Leave the fish for at least an hour, or covered up to 24 hours in the fridge.

Heat some oil over medium heat, and turn on your broiler. Cook the salmon skin side down for five minutes or until the bottom third looks cooked around the edges. Pour some remaining marinade on the meat side of the fish, then place the fish in the broiler for another four to six minutes, checking it with a fork once the top starts to brown. Salmon is ready when the center looks slightly uncooked, because there will be some carryover cooking after you remove it from the oven. If your salmon is very fresh, you can eat it even more raw in the center.

Side dishes today included a simple cucumber and tomato salad, and a plate of garlic broccoli. See, we eat healthily most of the time.

We didn't even have "real" dessert! We had Korean melons and blueberries. In case you can't tell, I'm gearing up for a weekend of binge eating. Stay tuned.

Black Cod (aka. Butterfish)

I know there are a lot of more exotic, more expensive seafood selections in the world, but for my money I like a piece of simply prepared flakey fish. I'm not particular about what type of fish, but tonight we had an especially delicious variety called butterfish.

J, master of all things from the ocean, remembered that butterfish is great with a miso glaze. We combined two tablespoons of light soy sauce, a teaspoon of rice wine vinegar, a teaspoon of sugar,and a teaspoon of grated ginger to make a simple marinade for the fish. We let the fish sit in it for thirty minutes, and then put the two pieces in the toaster oven at about 200 degrees. Twenty minutes later, we glazed the top with more marinade and turned the toaster to broil for ten minutes. the fish turned out perfect. J had his on a bed of arugula.

I'm not a big arugula fan, so I had mine with cabbage, celery, and carrot slaw instead. We both had fragrant sushi rice and furikake on the side.