- Monkfish with red pepper vinaigrette: boy, monkfish are terrifying. It was good practice filleting one though, as slimy and gloopy as it was. I really liked this dish - I poached collops (or chunks) or monkfish, then topped it all with a vinaigrette of red pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I had to chop the red pepper ridiculously finely. The first time I chopped the pepper (at the top left of my cutting board with the light white bit), it was too big. For awhile I actually went back through individual cubes and made them smaller, but that was such a tedious and unnecessary task so I ended up doing another one. Overall, the fish was quite tasty!! :) I was really happy with it!
- Buttered cucumber with fennel: I finally did it! A couple weeks ago I was supposed to make this, but I ran out of time. Not today, though! :D It tasted surprisingly good! Who would have thought. The cucumber got really soft and literally melts in your mouth as you bite down on it. Yum!
- Baby spinach, beetroot, and toasted sesame salad: this was actually quite a lovely salad. The salad had such a warm sesame flavor to it. I used perpetual spinach instead of baby spinach, which is much bigger than what we're used to. Since I had to de-stalk it, I ended up sautéing the stalks with my first batch of red pepper that was too big. YUM!! I was also able to practice fine chopping skills in prepping the beetroot into julienne strips. Good stuff!
I'm not feeling that great right now, so I didn't run today :(. I hope I don't get too sick! It was really fun making dinner with Nan tonight. We added turmeric to scrambled eggs, made an avocado mash (avocado, mustard, and salt :D), and cooked parsnips with onion and cinnamon. Kind of an eclectic meal, but I really enjoyed it! Turmeric and eggs is surprisingly good! Apparently, eating turmeric with black pepper greatly enhances your body's ability to absorb turmeric's nutritional properties!
One thing I learned today: you can eat the monkfish cheeks! Yum! When you get them out, they look exactly like a scallop.
Favorite part of the day: cooking in the kitchen. Last week that was probably my least favorite part of the day, but today it was so much fun!!!! My partner and my instructor are so great and encouraging! The feeling I got when I was cooking today made me remember why I love cooking so much. I feel so happy!
Today's been a great day! I hope you all have had a great weekend, and a fabulous Monday!
Until tomorrow! Love,
Livvy