Shooting Stars of Thought |

I had a particularly fun time with this week’s meal, because I managed to acquire all of the ingredients without getting in a car at all. Between moving to a more central neighborhood last March, and the opening of several new farmers’ markets this summer, there are now seven markets that are within biking distance to my house. It’s an absolute luxury, and means that I can count on buying local produce at least three days of the week (most of the markets are on the weekends; the two most convenient to me are both on Thursday).

Between two bike rides, two farmers’ market visits, and a quick stop for some locally made corn tortillas (they were still warm when I picked them up), I came home with the ingredients for this week’s meal:

Grouper and Wahoo Tacos with Peach Salsa

Orange Braised Black Beans

Caramelized Red Onions with Red Pepper and Greens

Grilled Corn on the Cob

While there were several dishes that made up the meal, it turned out to be incredibly easy to prepare. Two of the dishes could be prepared hours ahead of time and the others could be cooked within 20 minutes of eating, meaning after just a little prep work, there was little effort involved. I found myself with an afternoon free (I spent most of it working on the garden), with a quick run into the kitchen every half hour or so to stir the stewing pot of beans, take in the increasingly delicious smells, and toss together a quick marinade for the fish.

Excited by the dried beans I picked up from Lompoc, I followed the basic recipe for black beans in my trusted America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, but couldn’t resist substituting some of the water in the recipe with fresh squeezed orange juice from finally-ripe oranges in my backyard. I also added some diced carrots, and between the two, the final result was a deliciously sweet, rich, and colorful medley, perhaps the best dried black beans I’ve made in years.

As for the fish tacos, I was inspired by a citrus marinade I came across here, and put together a similar one, substituting tangerines from my yard for the oranges, and adding diced jalepenos. Rather than grill the fish, as the original recipe called for, I opted for a simple pan fry, adding the marinade after searing the fish on both sides. After pulling the filets from the pan, they practically flaked apart on their own, and it was easy to pull the fish into taco-sized pieces.

The peach salsa I threw together is one I will make again and again until peaches go out of season. It was a simple mixture of peaches and pluots, mixed with diced red onion, jalepeno, lime juice, and honey. Spontaneously, I threw in some diced mint, which proved to be the winning facet of the dish. I let the mixture marinate in the fridge to blend the flavors, and then added half an avocado before serving.

I finished off the meal with a bottle of Santo Tomas Rose Granache which we slipped into the fridge a few hours before dinner, and enjoyed chilled. The port-like sweetness of the wine was the perfect bridge between the sweet and savory flavors of the meal.

After a day spent scouring the farmers’ market, biking through surrounding neighborhoods, and working the backyard garden, this meal was a delicious remider that gastronomical pleasures are to be found all around us, every day.