April 23, 2020 Lunch – PPI Pork in Tomatillo Sauce on rice with green beans. Dinner – Cedar Plank Grilled Teriyaki Salmon with Spinach and Tomato Couscous with Japanese Pickled Vegetables

April 23, 2020 Lunch – PPI Pork in Tomatillo Sauce on rice with green beans.  Dinner – Cedar Plank Grilled Teriyaki Salmon with Spinach and Tomato Couscous with Japanese Pickled Vegetables

Some days I marvel at the exquisite food we eat regularly. Today was one of those days.  Suzette and I were busy.  I ate tropical fruit salad with yogurt and granola at 8:00.

I did not finish my drafting of an agreement until after 1:00, so I was hungry.  I sliced a piece of pork roast and lay it and several small pieces of pork on some PPI rice and added a small pile of PPI green beans on the plate and microwaved it and ate a hasty but delicious lunch.  I love that acidic bite of Tomatillo Sauce with the rich flavor of pork.  This time we roasted a pork leg, which we thought was a really excellent cut.

At 2:00 I went to the bank to deposit several checks.

Suzette had bought a lovely large salmon fillet at Costco yesterday, so when I returned home I made teriyaki sauce by combining and heating ½ cup each of soy sauce, Aji Mirin,  sake, and 1 T. of sugar.  I then poured the teriyaki sauce into a 1 gallon freezer bag in which I had placed the salmon fillet and marinated the fillet in the teriyaki sauce from 2:00 until 6:30.

Suzette came home at 5:30 and I finished work around 5:45.  We talked to Dee Simpson for a few minutes and then Willy arrived to do his laundry and join us for dinner.  We all walked about ½ mile and then Willy moved his desk to his apartment.and returned for dinner.

After we watched Rachel Maddow we started cooking.

Spinach and tomato Couscous

We picked through the rest of the spinach and separated the good from the bad and washed and spun the good.

I chopped about ¼ cup of red onion and sautéed it in 4 T. of butter until it softened at medium high heat.  I then put a kettle on to boil and added 1 ½ cup of Couscous to the onion and sautéed it for a minute to coat with butter.  Then I added 2 1/2 cups of boiling hot water to the Couscous and one diced tomato and a large handful of spinach and reduced the heat after another minute to the lowest setting on the smallest burner and cooked the Couscous for several minutes.  Then I alternated the heat from medium to no heat several times until I guessed the Couscous and vegetables were cooked.  I fluffed the Couscous and turned the spinach into the Couscous so it would cook.

Suzette brought in the grilled salmon and I fetched the pickled vegetables.  Suzette cut the salmon fillet into three pieces and we each served ourselves.  We spooned a pile of Couscous onto our plate, placed a piece of grilled salmon on the Couscous and added a spoonful of pickled vegetables on the side of the plate.

Suzette opened and poured the 2018 Gruet Rose of Pinot Noir I had chilled and we took our glasses and plates to the gazebo in the back yard.  The temperature was 73 degrees so it was a lovely evening to eat al fresco.  Suzette liked the Gruet rose but I found the finish a little bitter.

The board next to the salmon fillet burning

I like my salmon cooked to rare so the Center is just barely cooked 

We ate quickly because we were hungry, although Willy told about his new lady friend, Saba.

After dinner Willy finished his wash and said goodnight and we watched Midsommer Mystery and then Endeavor until 11:00.

We each ate a chocolate cookie for dessert and I drank two cups of chai.

I blogged until 12:00.

Lots of work and good food today and very little TV made me feel more fulfilled than usual.

Bon Appetit