I changed my tilapia recipe a bit tonight, and I love the results. I can’t begin to guess at the real ratios, but I’d say the marinade is 1/2 soy sauce, 1/4 rice wine vinegar, 1/8 balsamic vinegar, and 1/8 canola oil. I added garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, fresh-ground black pepper, Chinese five spice powder, a dash of hot sauce, and a dash of lime juice.
This is mostly the same as I’ve done before, but I usually include turmeric, paprika, and maybe ancho chile powder instead of the five spice powder. I also went a little heavier on the balsamic vinegar this time, which is probably the biggest source of flavor change.
Seared the hell out of the first two filets in our cast-iron skillet, after which I decided that sparing use of canola oil would aid in fish retrieval after cooking. Even with the sticking, the first two filets were great. The third & fourth were perfect. Served it with caramelized onions & carrots, like I usually do.
We had a butternut squash and an acorn squash that were beginning to go. Mom said she was going to make soup, but I claimed the gourds in the name of timely usage. What’s the point in having fresh fruits & veggies delivered if they just go bad? The butternut I cut vaguely into chunks, coated with a little olive oil, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. (I’m trying to use the last of the container. It’s been around for a bit, and I want to make my own in the future.) I cut the acorn squash into wedges, leaving the skin intact. I dressed it with olive oil, salt, and a little brown sugar. 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. In hindsight, I could probably do 35 minutes instead. The butternut squash caramelized itself and came out like candied sweet potatoes. The acorn squash didn’t caramelize, but it was still full of flavor – so much so that Mr. Carnivore (Charlie) ate a few pieces happily. It’s a vegetable. This does not happen. The brown sugar ran into the bottom of the baking dish and made a gooey treat that’ll be hard to clean.
I also roasted an eggplant that was about to go south and a red pepper we picked up at the grocery store tonight. The intent here is to make baba ganoush. More on that later. I get the feeling it’ll be a hummus/baba ganoush hybrid because we had only the one eggplant. Either way, it should be good.