We’re trying to eat a little more simply (and healthy) in the Chandler household. Instead of meat accounting for 70% of every meal, we’re reducing the fat and introducing more vegetables and grains to our diets. So instead of having the traditional lamb or pork dish this Easter Sunday, we decided to have some seafood.
I bought a bunch of fresh vegetables at the local farmers market about a mile away. I go there because it’s cheap, but I’m getting crowded out by the hipsters, foodies and pretentious locavores who are obsessed with gastronomical slumming. You know they type; they bring their own vintage totes and try to be “ironic” without knowing what irony really is.
I used my new mandoline to julienne some fennel, zucchini, squash, bell peppers and half a red onion. I put the cut vegetables on a kitchen towel, sprinkled them with a little salt, and repeatedly pressed them to draw out the moisture. If you don’t do this, you’ll end up boiling them in their own juices instead of searing them.
Next, I minced almost half a head of garlic and barely simmered the pieces in ¼ cup olive oil with ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper. That way the garlic and pepper flavors infuse the oil. Make sure you don’t burn the garlic or else the pieces will get leathery. While a half pound of noodles were boiling, I sauteed the vegetables in 3 tablespoons butter. Once they let off their remaining moisture, I added some fresh spinach and the juice from half a lemon.
When the vegetables were done, I poured the mixture into a bowl, tossed it with the noodles and garlic-infused olive oil, and seasoned to taste with salt and pepper.
I cooked the shark steaks on a well-oiled grill over medium-high heat. They were lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and olive oil, and took 3-4 minutes per side. When they were done cooking, I added the steaks to the pasta bowl so that the juices could season the medley. I added the juice from the other half of the lemon, the lemon zest, and poured a little more olive oil all over everything.
The meal tasted great, and we have plenty of leftover pasta.
