From A-Z

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, 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.