March 17, 2016 Lunch – Azuma – aluminum Baked Fresh Corvina with vegetables and Israeli Couscous

March 17, 2016 Lunch – Azuma – aluminum Baked Fresh Corvina with vegetables and Israeli Couscous 

The last two days I have been working on a pleading for my water case and we have not been cooking fresh meals, just PPI meals.

But today I went with Willy to lunch at Azuma.  Willy ordered a Bento box with Teriyaki steak and I ordered my usual Chiraski Donburi lunch with 12 pieces of seafood, except today the sushi chefs were different and my Chiashi was different.  Instead of a square box, the chef used a round bowl with sloping sides, which allowed him to layer the thick succulent pieces of fish like tiles  cascading down a roof or leaves laying on a hillside,for a different and very attractive presentation.  The chef even included a small mound of seaweed salad to give the dish a more floral appearance.  I loved the new look and the fish were cut in large thick rectangles and trapezoidal that were easier to cut and gave a good thick bite of fish.  Fresh fish are delivered onThursdays and Mondays.  Today the fish was amazingly fresh and succulent.

After lunch we drove to Sprouts.  I bought a 1.25lb. filet  of fresh Corvina from Mexico.  Wikipedia describes Corvina as follows: The corvina, also known as the corvina drum (Cilus gilberti), is a saltwater fish of the Sciaenidae family (commonly called croakers or drums). It inhabits mostly tropical to temperate coastal waters of the southeastern Pacific along Central and South America.

I also bought baby portobello mushrooms, asparagus for $1.88/lb,, yogurt, fresh basil and protein powder for Willy, vine ripened tomatoes at $.98/lb. and naval oranges for 3 lb./$.98.

When we arrived home I worked a bit and then at 3:30 rode to Montano.  We had another good day in the market in which the Dow finally passed its beginning point for the year.  With the concentration of energy stocks, my portfolio is up over 3% from the first of this year and up over 1% from its year end balance at the end of 2014, which is a better measure for me.  Actually the total obscures the fact that dividends have been added, so the portfolio is probably a little lower than at the end of 2014, when one considers the addition of a year’s  dividends.  

Suzette wanted to stay to help in the Greenhouse Bistro for the St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Special of Corn Beef and cabbage with a beer based cheddar soup.  When I reached her at 5:30 she said she would leave shortly and all the chickens had been sold.  

I told her we had a fresh filet of corvina.  When Suzette arrived home it to little time to decide to bake the fish in foil with vegetables and herbs.

I gathered and chopped 1/3 yellow onion, two of the baby portobellos, three small bell peppers and a tomato. Suzette then took over and cut the fish into three portions, placed it in two sheets of aluminum foil, garnished the fish with the vegetable blend I had chopped, doused the whole affair with salt, rose wine and dabs of butter, and sealed the fish in a double pocket of aluminum to seal in the juices and flavors. She the baked the packets over low heat on the propane grill for thirty minutes. 

I decided to make conscious with chard from the garden, so I went to the garden and picked about 2 cups of leaves and a stem of lovage.  When I returned to the house i de stemmed the chard and lovage and cut it into bite sized pieces. I then topped three stems of Epazote and removed the leaves and chopped the leaves and rinsed them in a colander.  I discovered that we were out of regular Couscous, so I fixed Israeli Couscous.

Willy and I were making an Onion, Avocado, and Mango Salsa so we had extra onion.  I melted 2 T. of butter in a sauce pan and added 1 T. of  onion and a chopped clove of garlic and sautéed them until soft.  I then added 1 ½ cups of hot water and 1 cup of couscous and cooked it over low heat for about five minutes.  I then added the chard, Epazote, and lovage and cooked the mixture another fifteen minutes to absorb all the water and make sure the couscous softened.  I have not cooked Israeli couscous enough to know how long to cook it. I am guessing I cooked it about twenty minutes on a low simmer.

Willy also made a spread he is fond of by chopping the fresh basil and mixing it with mayonnaise. 

When the couscous was ready, Suzette brought in the packets of fish and vegetables.

I had chilled a 2014 Marques de Caceres 100% Verdejo from Rueda, which is one of my favorite whites these days (Trader Joe’s for around $8.00) and I poured glasses of it.

Willy sliced the round loaf of sourdough bread Suzette had bought at Costco last Sunday and toasted pieces of it. 

Suzette put an aluminum packet on each plate and we each opened the foil and spooned Couscous into the bowl made when the foil was unwrapped that was filled with baked fish and vegetables in a wine and butter sauce.  We added spoonfuls of the avocado and mango salsa and spread Willy’s Basil mayo on the warm toasted bread and ate a meal fit for Montezuma with sips of the light, delicious Verdejo from Rueda.

What an amazing meal.

I worked on my pleading after dinner aided by sips of the Rueda.

Bon Appetit