{"id":6101,"date":"2015-11-19T21:02:32","date_gmt":"2015-11-19T21:02:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/food.hoggardwagner.org\/?p=6101"},"modified":"2015-11-19T21:02:32","modified_gmt":"2015-11-19T21:02:32","slug":"grilled-tuna-grilled-thai-eggplant-cherry-tomatoes-arugula","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/food.hoggardwagner.org\/?p=6101","title":{"rendered":"grilled tuna; grilled Thai eggplant; cherry tomatoes; arugula"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"tuna_tomato_eggplant_arugula2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

nightshades, with a little fish on the side<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The meal ended up\u00a0a great\u00a0mix of flavors (and colors, clearly) but\u00a0it was almost entirely fortuitous, to the extent that I feel my role was only to only to guide\u00a0it into place.<\/p>\n

I had bought the tuna in the\u00a0morning, and the red grape tomatoes in the picture, far more than are shown here. \u00a0I expected to use the tuna that night, but not the tomatoes, since I already had some golden cherry tomatoes ripening on the windowsill.<\/p>\n

Once I started\u00a0assembling the meal I realized that 10 tiny cherry tomatoes wouldn’t even be enough for a proper garnish, so I added some of my red grape\u00a0purchase\u00a0to the bowl where I had put them. \u00a0Although mostly accidental, the\u00a0mix turned out to be inspired; they made a great team.<\/p>\n

The choice of another vegetable was\u00a0almost\u00a0a tossup, the decision ultimately resting on\u00a0deciding\u00a0what I already had should be used first, but at the same time would go well with the tuna.<\/p>\n

I had been attracted to the eggplant on a Greenmarket visit two days earlier. \u00a0These four happened to be the very last of the larger examples remaining in the plastic pan in\u00a0the farm stall. I thought the sign had said ‘Fairy eggplants’, although I should have known that that wasn’t\u00a0what they were. \u00a0 But I was in a hurry, so I just paid for them and headed home.<\/p>\n

They turned out to be absolutely delicious, at least as good as any other type I’ve cooked, and my experience with eggplant has always been very, very good. \u00a0It was only after dinner that I took the time to investigate on line what they really were. \u00a0I found that they were Thai eggplant<\/a>, of which, I’m not surprised, there are many varieties.<\/p>\n

Supposedly Thai eggplant becomes increasingly bitter as it ages. \u00a0These had obviously not aged.<\/p>\n

I love the vegetables.<\/p>\n

I had already washed and dried a little\u00a0arugula, which I thought I would somehow marry with the golden tomatoes, but\u00a0I realized that didn’t sound promising, and it\u00a0was about then that I decided to marry the two different tomatoes.<\/p>\n

The arugula was good enough to stand on its own, so I put it into bowls on the side, by itself, very simply dressed.<\/p>\n