Charlie

Last week John and I went up to Groton to spend a day and also as a halfway point for a tuna fishing trip he had planned off the Cape for the following day.

The trip was successful and John and his two friends came back the following evening with heaps of bluefin tuna.

When I got the call that there would be fresh meat I started planning the rest of the meal. Most unfortunately the local grocery store in Noank, CT had just closed after losing all of their inventory during the hurricane and it was too late to make the drive to the Whittles Farm. All I was left with was the Big Y, which, somewhat eponymously, inspired deep skepticism.

Trying to remain optimistic I pulled in the gigantic parking lot with visions of late summer corn roasted on the grill and baked stuffed tomatoes. My meal plans were quickly dashed as I literally stopped short in the produce section. The corn was either severely picked over or nothing to write  home about to begin with. The tomatoes were disappointingly anemic looking, and from Canada to boot.

After perusing the damage for a good ten minutes I finally found something in season and grown within 1000 miles: squash, more specifically an acorn and butternut from a Massachusetts farm.

I roasted these with some chunks of purple potatoes, grabbed a baguette and some arugula for a simple salad. I made a soy sauce -honey-ginger sauce for the fish out of what I could find in the fridge.


John and Co. arrived and quickly sliced up some sashimi we ate as an app while filleting the loins before searing them for about a minute on each side with some salt and pepper.

Even if the produce was autumnal the weather wasn't and we enjoyed it all on the deck. And voila - a somewhat local, fresh caught and seasonal meal.