Wednesday night dinner

It was lovely having my dear husband home for dinner tonight. Jack and I called it a day on our crossword just in time for me to make dinner and serve it before 9. Living like Europeans I tell you! Our meal was seared sesame- and mustard-crusted tuna alongside cauliflower and fried shishito peppers with picada sauce.

www.em-i-lis.com
www.em-i-lis.com

What's picada sauce? I didn't know either, but it's a "Catalan-style pesto made here with almonds, parsley and chocolate" (Mar 2015 Saveur) as well as some sherry, sherry vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. I added the vinegar and lemon juice and was glad; you might also consider adding pimentón. Yum.

Shishitos are a sweet, thin-skinned, versatile East Asian pepper. This is a very nice dish, though I definitely encourage you to tweak like I did.

www.em-i-lis.com
www.em-i-lis.com
www.em-i-lis.com
www.em-i-lis.com

How decadent is this pug's life, I ask you?! He's the Pug and the Pea.

www.em-i-lis.com
www.em-i-lis.com

Lunch tartine

A local joint serves a wonderful rustic tuna and white bean tartine (sleek and slim open-faced sandwich) that I really enjoy, so today I made my own for lunch. Good multi-grain bread, hummus, tomato and a white bean-tuna-lemon salad to top it all off. Delicious, healthy and it sticks to your ribs.

For tonight, we're having garlic-rosemary-marjoram rubbed steaks and roasted mushrooms and potatoes OR sunchokes and haricot verts. Yes, you read that correctly, sunchokes are here. Whee!!!