Farewell to Fugaise, now in its last week of business, although certainly not the last act for talented chef Don Saunders. John and I, along with Genie & Joe Dixon, Kathleen Ruhland, and Angela & Mark Lageson, joined Fugaise regulars Debbie & Stu (The Wine Genius) Wiliams and Sue & Lou Ainsworth for a last-hurrah tour through Fugaise's menu.
I had a delicious piece of pan-fried skate over Israeli couscous and baby vegetables. I tasted, admittedly a bit hesitantly (too close to "pet" in my mind, I guess), Stu's roasted tenderloin of kangaroo, which was quite rich and delicious. I loved the bite of seared salmon offered as an amuse bouche (which is unusual - I've pretty much given up eating salmon in Minnesota, both at restaurants and from every store I can think of...pre-frozen and/or not-fresh-enough...fishy...yuck). Served over a sprig of greens and a slice of pink grapefruit, the taste was clean and silky with a wonderful grilled char, mmmmm. Man when salmon's good, it's so good. We of course drank great wine and pretty much had a total blast. Best of luck to the chef and terrific staff!
Such a precise, beautifully composed dinner compared to my (typical) one-pan (hot mess?) lunch! As I've said before, I'm always looking to work as many veggies into my lunch as possible. I love salads, but oh no, I can not eat a salad every day for lunch. No. In the same vein as my quick soups, beans, and pastas (below), if I have a spot of leftover rice I put together a simple fried rice, quick and filling.
I started yesterday as I usually start, by sauteeing a bit of garlic and onion in a drizzle of olive oil. Carrots too this go-round. A few pea pods or mushrooms would have been nice, but I didn't have them.
I did add a pinch of Chinese five-spice powder to the pan, although curry powder would work as well. I cracked an egg into the pan and scrambled it all around with the veggies. Then I added the rice, a bit of chopped chicken, and a handful of spinach leaves, stirring around until hot. To finish, I whisked together a tablespoon of soy sauce with a tablespoon of hoisin sauce and a teaspoon of vinegar. Teriyaki sauce would work too, or oyster sauce - basically any Asian condiment with a bit of sweetness. I poured the sauce over the rice, stirred around a few times, and voila, really fast fried rice.
I just happened to have some crushed peanuts left from the previous night's stir-fry, they made a lovely topping. There was nothing precise or particularly elegant about it, but it made for a hot, healthy lunch - something other than salad! - and that was nice.
