Halibut: "Ni lo pienses"

Normally, it is not my policy to hype dinner parties I'm not invited to, particularly when, as a consolation prize, I'm offered leftover cold fish as a late-night, study break pick-me-up. But because this sounds so very tasty (and not just because I'd eat a dirty batting glove if it were simmered in coconut milk), I give you Lauren Miller's "luscious halibut."


"Luscious, while also sustainable, this free range halibut combines the richness of organic coconut milk with the spiciness of jalapeños, making it the perfect meal for two environmental lovers," Ms. Miller tells Pipón. (It's not clear to me if they should be lovers of the environment, each other or both.) Ms. Miller's recipe involves marinating halibut in lemon juice and olive oil and then baking it for 10 minutes before it is "bathed" in a sauce of onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and spices (including fennel seeds, tumeric, cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper) and then returned to the oven for an additional 20 minutes. Serve with orzo and asparagus, and pair it with Food Inc. or An Inconvenient Truth. (To be fair, the film recommendations are mine, not b-school-bound Ms. Miller's, but the orzo et al. are all hers.)

Photo by Julia Oliver.

Greek lamb and orzo stew

Tanya insisted that she was not much of a cook, blaming her mother, who she described as the only Greek woman in South Africa who fed her family with take-out every night. But there were signs Tanya knew her way around her tiny, Dupont Circle kitchen: the dozen cookbooks on her bookshelf; the heavy duty, cast iron cookware from Le Creuset; and the photo album of her dinner at El Bulli, the Barcelona monument to "molecular gastronomy," open only 7 months a year, with reservations accepted just one day a year.


Not surprisingly, the "peasant food" Tanya served up was fantastic. Greek salad, accented by feta and multicolored grape tomatoes. Orzo and lamb stew. And a Greek take on eggplant parmigiana.


Dessert was somewhat less creative and significantly less authentic, but no less tasty.

Fiddleheads

From Eastside Marketplace in Providence, R.I., fiddlehead ferns, yellow and orange bell peppers and shallots, with orzo, toasted pine toasts, olive oil and grated pecorino romano from the Whole Foods on Waterman Street.


Queso Blanco ("Latin-style farmer's cheese used in tacos or burritos") from Narragansett Creamery in Providence, R.I., with pillow bread from Olga's Cup & Saucer in Providence's Jewelry District.

Photos by Keryn B. Gedan.

Aaron's ground lamb orzo

From my brother-in-law, Aaron Bromberg: Broiled salmon with lemon and oregano, served alongside orzo and sauteed ground lamb, chopped, unpeeled eggplant, crumbled feta (added at the end) and fresh, chopped mint.


Peanut Butter Reese's Pieces and double chocolate walnut cookies ($1.95) from the South End Buttery.