Grilled Summer Vegetables & Sushi Rice with Fish-Sauce Vinaigrette

Looks good right?

Ok then.

I can't even pretend to have not noticed, so I'll just be upfront: fish sauce is gross. Like.. gross gross.

Like, when you open the bottle you instantly release a pungent aroma slightly reminiscent of putrid milk and gym socks. That kind of gross.

Like, I was too afraid to taste it on its own, so I used exactly the amount required for this recipe and mixed the whole dressing before I dared to taste. I still have no idea what it tastes like. That kind of gross.

Like, when you spill a little on your chest (yea, I don't know.. don't ask me how that happened) and then wipe it off, it will still smell funky for hours (too close to your nose for comfort). That kind of gross. 

Like, the bottle asks that you not refrigerate; it might congeal. That kind of gross.

And trust me, I was really worried about this dish once I opened that bottle. I thought for sure it was going to be a flop. I was pretty confident that I was about to make the dressing, hate it and then improvise a new one. I lacked confidence. 

But, damn this was good. So please, don't live in fear of fish sauce. Just be sure not to get too close, don't let anyone else smell it, put the cap back on tightly and hide it in the back of your pantry.

Soundtrack: 




Grilled Summer Vegetables & Sushi Rice with Fish-Sauce Vinaigrette
Serves 4-5
Adapted from Bon Appetit


Salad
Vegetable oil
15 okra pods
3 ears of corn, shucked
2 large zucchini, halved lengthwise, centers scooped out
1 small eggplant, cut lengthwise into 1" slices
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp light brown sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce (such as nuoc nam or nam pla)
1 tsbp fresh lime juice

2 dried mild or hot chiles, rehydrated (I used Ancho)
2 c (loosely packed) coarsely chopped mixed fresh tender herbs (I used basil, cilantro & mint).
4 cups steamed sushi rice

Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to high. Brush grill grates with oil. Lay okra, corn, zucchini, chiles, eggplant out on a baking sheet. Using a basting brush, apply a light coating of oil to the vegetables, then lightly salt. Grill vegetables, turning every 2 minutes, until crisp-tender and lightly charred (total time is about 8 minutes).

Remove the corn kernels from their cobs and place in a large bowl. Cut the zucchini and eggplant into irregular 1" pieces and place in bowl with corn. Trim the tops from okra and cut into small tubes (about 2 cuts per orka pod) and add to bowl. Set aside.

Combine in the bowl of a food processor or small chopper the garlic, brown sugar, fish sauce, lime juice and chiles. Process until pureed.

Drizzle dressing over warm vegetables. Toss in the herbs until thoroughly combined.

Scoop steamed sushi rice onto a platter and top with salad. Either serve in this manner over the sushi rice, or toss together until combined.

Grilled Eggplant Flatbread Pizza

One of my favorite things about this blog is the way in which I can often use it to procrastinate, operating under the pretense that I am still doing something pretty productive. This works to my advantage in a lot of situations; dishes, dog walks, ironing my granny panties. (Just kidding on that last one.. I don't iron them.) 


My favorite though, is blogging instead of putting my clean laundry to put away. I don't know what it is about laundry; I have NO problem getting it to the point of being a clean pile on my bed, but I just have the hardest time motivating to actually put. it. away. It usually takes me rounds and rounds of complaining and Jagger making a bed or two out of my clothes before I finally move it. This is probably one of the main reasons I should never live alone. No accountability. There would be clean laundry everywhere and I would just cook/bake myself into oblivion and have no one to feed.


I also make up some pretty embarrassing dance moves when I'm alone. And god forbid one of those was to get too much practice and somehow slip its way into my repetoire. No no, it's better I let other people keep me in check.

Pizza Pizza!

Anyway. I love flatbreads. So much so, that every once in a while at work, I find myself typing flatbread, instead of flatbed (that's right, I type "flatbed" at work. A lot.). Roll instead of role. Hunger for Hunter (it's a gentleman's name; it comes up frequently as well). This leads me to a whole 'nother set of issues. We'll save that for a different posting shall we?


This flatbread pizza is definitely the type of thing that, among those that I live with, only I will eat. It's totally Meghan-food. Goat cheese (adorable!), grilled eggplant, fresh basil. I also don't know if I've told you this before, but I'm obsessed with arugula. So it's the perfect thing to make when you are on your own for dinner (or lunch!). Or if you've got a buddy or two who also appreciate fresh vegetables and goats (so cute!), more power to ya. Just double or triple the recipe and you're there! And if you're not into goats as much as I am, you could probably sub out the cheese; just don't skimp on the fresh basil. 


Sountrack: This is quick, not a lot of time for a full soundtrack. But here are some of my Jimkata favorites, just to be inspiring:


Devil's In The Details by Jimkatamusic Ghosts And Killers by Jimkatamusic




Grilled Eggplant Flatbread Pizza


3-1/4 inch thick slices of eggplant (medallions, if you will)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 personal sized flatbread, for example 
2 tbsp pizza sauce (or pasta sauce will do if you've got a jar open)
1 tbsp goat cheese, crumbled
3-4 leaves fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1 handful fresh baby arugula
EVOO
salt & pepper


Preheat a toaster oven (or regular oven) to 350.


Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the eggplant slices and season with salt and pepper. Make sure eggplant slices are thoroughly coated in vinegar (I stacked them and moved them around a little) and give them a minute to soak it up. Meanwhile, drizzle a little EVOO in a grill pan (just enough to grease) and heat over medium flame. Once pan is heated, place eggplant onto the pan. Cook 4 minutes on each side, until the center of the vegetable begins to appear translucent. Remove the eggplant from the heat and cut into smaller than 1 inch pieces.


Place flatbread on foil (or small cookie sheet). Cover in sauce. Top flatbread with eggplant, goat cheese and fresh basil. Place in the oven for 4-5 minutes, until cheese begins to melt. Remove from heat and top with arugula. Serve!

Tres Amigos!

Tres grilled Amigos!

Toasty

Ready for it's close-up