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As part of our first CSA share, we received two medium-sized heads of romaine lettuce. They were really gorgeous – vibrant green, fresh, and crisp. We wanted to make caesar salad with it, but our usual homemade dressing is pretty heavy and thick. We didn’t want to overwhelm the lettuce and lose the fresh flavor so we decided to lighten it up a bit by omitting the egg and garlic and putting in a smaller amount of anchovy paste. The dressing really couldn’t be simpler, and I made it in my knock-off magic bullet blender. Just throw the following ingredients in, eyeballing the amounts: -Juice of one lemon The amount of olive oil depends on how thick you want it to be. I started with about a quarter of a cup and then increased it to make the dressing a bit thicker, so that it would cling to the leaves. Blend, and then toss with the leaves, which we cleaned and chopped into 1 inch pieces. Grate some extra parmesan over the top, and a few grinds of pepper. The salad was really fantastic, with the lemon brightening everything up. The lettuce itself was the best romaine we’ve ever eaten, crisp and flavorful, not watery and bland like the romaine you get from the supermarket. We served the salad alongside some tilapia cakes that Josh made extra special by adding in some bits of crunchy turkey bacon. It was a light meal but packed with flavor, and so very easy to prepare.
-About a teaspoon of anchovy paste
-A dash of worcestershire sauce
-Grated parmesan cheese
-Salt
-Pepper
-Olive oil
I just poach the filets for a few minutes in salted water, then drain and flake in a mixing bowl. I like garlic, so I usually mince 2 cloves, but the amount is really up to you. Then I finely dice the onion (one small or half a large is plenty) and pepper (same amount as the onion), zest one lemon or lime, and reserve the fruit for squeezing over the top of the cakes after they are cooked. Mix it all together, and season with salt and pepper.
Since the fish is cooked after poaching, this is when I taste for seasoning. Then I throw in an egg to bind it, and some breadcrumbs if it needs some filler to hold it all together. Mix well, then form and shape into patties. The size is up to you, but usually we’ll get four hamburger-sized patties from the mixture. We’ve also made smaller appetizer portions, and even smaller bite size portions for a cocktail party. To cook, cover the bottom of a pan with a thin layer of neutral oil (i.e. vegetable or grapeseed), and heat over medium high heat until it is shimmering and just starting to smoke. Then simply fry the patties until they have a nice golden crust.
To make a quick sauce for the cakes, I mixed together whole grain mustard, sriracha and mayo. Josh also sometimes mixes sesame oil and mustard for an Asian flare. Again, it’s up to you. Spread the sauce on a plate, place the cake on top, and squeeze the lemon or lime over the whole thing. Dressed up or dressed down, it’s really an easy meal to make and can be fancy enough to entertain with.
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