Friday, September 4, 2020

Recent Cooking and Dining During the Pandemic

We're cleaning out our cupboard (there is a lot of that going on with "working from home" and travel and assembly restrictions due to Covid-19) and what do we find:  a box of cedar wraps that we purchased for something years ago.  We look to see what we can wrap, and find a fun-sounding recipe for cedar-wrapped halibut.  We soak the cedar wraps in water as we cut the halibut filets into chunks and make kebabs with alternating chunks of halibut and slices of lemon.  We brush each kebab with a mixture of olive oil, clarified butter, garlic, thyme, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, wrap each with a cedar wrap, and grill.  We accompany this with spinach sauteed in garlic.

Preparing spinach, halibut

Wrapped, grilling

Served with a pasta salad, the halibut and spinach are a real treat!

Grilled, served

Next, grilled salmon is the highlight, but the accompanying dishes are also incredible, starting with an appetizer of camembert and prosciutto tartines and avacodo and coleslaw salads.

Camembert and prosciutto tartines, pandemic cocktail motto

Salmon and salads

The next day, leftover salmon goes into salmon tacos, along with the guacamole and coleslaw.

Salmon tacos

Our next meal is a treat that we don't have very often:  lamb, which we prepare as Moroccan-style grilled lamb chops.  We slice two racks of lamb into chops and spread a mixture of garlic, mint, turmeric, coriander, cumin, lemon zest, and olive oil over the chops.  We then cover the herbed chops with a whisked-together mixture of Greek yogurt, Sriracha sauce, and lemon juice and marinate it all overnight the the refrigerator.

Lamb chops marinating

To start, appetizers of anchovies and cheese, accompanied by Domain Chandon sparkling wine.  While enjoying the appetizers, we prepare an avocado and tomato salad and couscous with pine nuts and mint.

Appetizers

Salad, couscous

Lamb grilling, done

The lamb is served on a bed of couscous with the salad on the side.

Dinner is served

And, for desert, shared It's-It ice cream sandwiches:  chocolate and vanilla.

Desert

Wow, what wonderful lamb.  But, all the dishes were terrific:  great tastes and great taste memories.


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