November 8, 2018 Lunch – East Ocean. Dinner – Teriyaki Salmon and Squash Casserole

November 8, 2018 Lunch – East Ocean. Dinner – Teriyaki Salmon and Squash Casserole

I ate ½ of a whole wheat bagel sliced in half smeared with cream cheese with layers of Gravad Lax and sliced red onion garnished with capers.  This is one of my favorite breakfasts.  I am really happy with the Gravad Lax I made this week.  It is soft with a delicate balance between salt and sugar.  I drank a hot chai tea with it.

I called Peter Eller and he came by at 11:30.  He was craving Chinese so I drove us to a East Ocean.  I suggested we order Manila Clams in Szechuan sauce ($9.95) and Deep Fried Tofu with Mixed Vegetables ($7.95).  Since these are the regular menu prices they apply equally to dinner and lunch, which makes this the best under $20.00 meal in Albuquerque in my opinion.  The portions are huge so there is enough food to satisfy two people and have enough left to take home for another meal, which is what we did.  Here is a photo of the Mixed Vegetables Peter took home.

As for the clams, I know of no other way to obtain this many clams at any price.  Here is a picture of the midden and Peter’s take out box.

After lunch I had a meeting with a client and then at 3:30 rode my bike 4 miles.

I had a bad day in the market as tech stocks got hammered, although I am still positive for the year.

I did not know what to do for dinner, so I called Suzette for a suggestion.  She mentioned smoked pork chops.  I decided to make a Southern dish, Squash Casserole.  Suzette came home while I was making it and fired up the steamer oven in which to cook it.

Squash Casserole

2 yellow squash diced
1 ½ red onion diced
¾ cup of half and half
3 eggs
2 T. Butter
1 T. Olive oil
¾ cup Swiss Cheese
2 cloves garlic
1 cup of crushed crackers

I sautéed the diced squash, onion, and garlic until it softened a bit.
I whisked the eggs in a separate bowl to which I added the half and half and cheese.

I transferred the vegetable mixture to a 9 x 9 Pyrex baking dish and covered them with the custard mixture and Suzette sprinkled the cracker crumbs on top and I sprinkle the top with smoked paprika for color.

Suzette baked the dish in the steam oven for 25 minutes until it congealed.

She then heated the PPI teriyaki salmon in the microwave and plated the salmon and squash casserole in pasta bowls.

I opened the 2017 Grigio Luna produced by Villa Borghetti in the DOC of Venezia I purchased at Trader Joe’s for $5.99 on Tuesday.  The white wine was crisp yet with good acidity.  We liked it and will buy more..

After dinner Suzette ate ice cream and I ate the key lime pie with a cup of tea.

Bon Appetit