He Even Eats Sardines-8/24/10

September 07, 2010

My husband is a really good sport. I was reminded on several occasions this week how many spouses, husbands in particular, would take no part in the experiment I've been blogging about for over a year and a half. Some friends came to eat last week and the wife made a point to tell me her husband did not eat vegetables. He's a great guy but I'm really glad I'm not married to him. I couldn't handle a picky eater. And I'm 100% sure a picky eater could not handle me! Another friend, after I told her what we were having for dinner, asked very incredulously if Richard would eat that.

Tonight I think I found Richard's least favorite food. It's sardines. I had to eat them as a kid so though I don't love them, I can eat them. Richard took one bite of the sardine spread and asked what I had made him eat. The recipe for Grilled Monterey Sardines with Lemon and Herbs in the To Big Sur, With Love article in this month's Bon Appetit called for fresh sardines. I didn't want to search for fresh sardines, though Super H Mart or Whole Foods might carry them. I instead made the "Sardine Shortcut" recipe that followed the actual recipe and used canned sardines. As I already mentioned, Richard was less than thrilled with the dish but it was a creative use of the protein-packed fish. The food processor ground the small bones found in canned sardines and that really helped me like the dish better .

The main dish, Lamb Kebabs with Mint Pesto, underwent a major change. I didn't find an acceptable cut of lamb at my local Publix so I used beef instead. Mint often partners with lamb but I found this pesto was still excellent with beef. I love kebabs because of the distinct flavor of each element and these were excellent. I had worried that the mint pesto would be reminiscent of mint jelly, something I often find a bit too sweet. It wasn't as was a great match for the onions and peppers as well.

The Summer Bean Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Pecorino Fresco was a simple salad with beans. I couldn't find yellow beans so I just used green beans and it worked fine. The dressing was equally simple and light. The dessert for tonight was actually three recipes in one dessert. The base was the Orange Polenta Cake, a loaf cake with the texture and taste of polenta. I had no orange peel so I added lemon peel and a bit of orange extract. It worked and gave the cake a bright orange flavor. The use of yogurt kept the cake from getting heavy and too oily. I didn't mind the extra texture of the polenta. At times, it can be almost gritty but it worked in this dessert to give depth to the cake. The Vanilla-Scented Plums and Blackberries were just what the recipe states, plums and blackberries marinated in sugar and vanilla. It was a simple but delicious topping for the polenta cake. The final touch was the Buttermilk Ice Cream. This super-smooth custard ice cream is an excellent ice cream to show off the flavors of the other elements but has enough tang to stand alone. I really like this ice cream and found it much more interesting than plain old vanilla.