tie one on

One of the best things about our place in the desert (and there are many) is our local market. The produce, meat, and seafood at Jensen’s are all superior. Out west my hubby and I share a car and easily slip into our future roles as retirees. Each morning I go for a mountain view hike while he slips into town for his usual Venti Bold. After an al fresco grapefruit right off our tree we plan our day. One thing is for sure there will be one, if not two trips to this super market during the course of the day.

Pushing our cart we plan our meal- whatever catches our eye and fancy. Today the sea bass looked amazing. A perfect choice for we are having over dear friends, who just like us are leaning into migrating west for their twilight years. The great thing about this healthy dinner is that all of the components can be composed ahead of time.

The haricots vert bundles make a lovely presentation. Place trimmed fresh beans in a microwave safe dish and steam until crisp tender.

Immediately refresh in an ice water bath.

Cut a red pepper into scant ¼ inch strips. Simmer until tender in boiling water. Carefully slice each strip down the middle to almost the end.

To assemble divide the steamed and refreshed beans into bundles. Carefully tie each bundle with a red pepper strip. All of this can be done earlier in the day.

Before serving reheat in a 425 degree oven.

Next on the list is a mash of carrots and cauliflower. Place carrot slices and cauliflower florets in a medium saucepan. Cover with chicken broth, cover and simmer until just tender.

Drain and return the vegetables to the saucepan with a little butter, pinch of salt, lots of freshly ground pepper and a splash of reserved cooking liquid. Puree coarsely with a hand blender. This too can be made earlier in the day. Gently reheat right before serving.

The marinade for the grilled sea bass can be made hours ahead of time and kept at room temperature. Combine the melted butter, soy sauce, sherry and lemon zest with a hand blender.

Marinate the sea bass fillets 30 minutes before grilling at room temperature.

Thankfully I can pull a quartet of petite fudge cakes that I made for Valentine’s Day out of the freezer and serve those up with some fresh raspberries. Who wouldn’t raise a glass to friends and fare like this.