The Bitch is Back

Okay, I guess I'm ready to come off of blogging vacay, since it's been two weeks, I'm not in the field and living out of a hotel (seriously, those 50-60 hour work weeks were destroying my appetite for a hobby that consumes an additional 4 hours of my day), and I've been passing out those cute little blog business cards that Foodbuzz sent me. God forbid anyone should actually look at my blog and see what a fucking hack I am.

I'll post some food later today. As always, I have a fridge full of brassicas: baby kohlrabi (and their greens), broccoli rabe and some beet greens mixed with baby kale and swiss chard. I also have some amazing smoked sturgeon (thanks, Dad!) that made lovely little fish cakes with lemon-thyme aioli last week*. Now I'm brainstorming a way to use the last 10 ounces without resorting to flaking it into a pasta salad.

Thanks to everyone who gave a shit that I was gone. The guilt was definitely a factor in getting off my lazy ass.

*Pulse minced onion, celery and shallot in the magimix, add the flaked fish and pulse until a nice, fine flake is accomplished. Add chopped parsley and a little lemon zest, an egg, a little olive oil and fresh cracked pepper (won't need any salt - there's plenty on the smoked fish already). Coat in panko and either fry until golden or spritz with cooking spray (I use a Trader Joe's canned oil that is 100% canola oil and no silicone) and bake at 400 for about 10-15 minutes on each side. I baked mine because I'm finally getting around to trying to drop those 10 pounds of quitting smoking weight that have crept on since January.

The aioli was a bullshit fake because I had used the last egg in the cakes, so I had to use store-bought mayo (gasp!) and it was even low fat mayo to boot. Oh, don't look at me like that. Adding Greek yogurt, a squirt of lemon juice, some dijon mustard, fresh herbs and black pepper transformed it into a surprisingly decent accompaniment to the fish cakes. Was it even aioli any more? Fuck if I know.

Serve with a mixed green salad dressed simply in olive oil and lemon juice or white wine vinegar, and a sprightly Gewürztraminer such as a 2006 Thomas Fogarty. (Peter B. and Norm: I actually looked at the label this time - aren't you proud?)