Hey Good Lookin' What's Cookin'?

Me, apparently. Last night I shook the dust off of my long-neglected culinary skills and returned to the kitchen (actually, it was a terrace if you want to get all technical about it) for my first foray ever into the exciting world of grilling.

On the menu?

Grilled vegetable salad with pesto dressing
Grilled Yellow Finn Tuna
Toasted Japanese white bread that thinks its French with goat's cheese.


The vegetables consisted of red and yellow bell peppers; graffiti eggplant; corn; yellow squash; fennel; and zucchini. After approximately 10 minutes on the grill they were tossed with pesto and cherry tomatoes. I would have grilled the tomatoes, but they were so small and potentially cumbersome. As for the pesto, it had been my intention to whip a batch from scratch, but Whole Foods was low on basil so I settled for store-bought. Oh, I know. Quelle horror!

The tuna was marinated in a simple mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, fleur de sel and cracked black pepper for about an hour and a half before it was cooked. It spent a grand total of 6 minutes on the grill before my dining companion informed me that he had a feeling it was time to take it off. Okay, to be honest, I have no idea how long it was on the grill. Neither I nor my companion wear a watch, and we were both a little silly from some substances we had consumed earlier. We're guessing it was 6 minutes. Could have been more, could have been less.

The Japanese white bread that thinks it's French was lightly toasted and brushed with olive oil before being spread with goat's cheese.


The verdict?

The veggies were a bit charred for my taste, but my companion gamely wolfed his down.

The tuna was completely scrumptious. But then, I am of the opinion that when you pay 25 dollar for a large tuna steak, it can't be anything but amazing. Although I was apprehensive about giving it such a simple flavor treatment, I found that the austerity of the marinade was perfect in accentuating the fish's natural flavor. I'd definitely make it again, but not until I'm making more money at my job, as 25 dollars for a single component of one's dinner is a bit pricey.

The toasts of course were great, but how can white bread smothered with cheese be anything but scrumptious?


Next up?

I'm not sure, but this experience suggested to me that if I can whip up such a lovely meal with very little recent cooking practice, with some additional practice, I could be giving Nigella Lawson a run for her money. Look out!


In the comments section tell me about a successful meal that you once made.