Fresh wild-caught fish and a fresh take on organic whole-wheat pasta

Fresh wild-caught flounder was $7.99 a pound at Costco Wholesale.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

We went shopping for dinner separately, but managed to turn out a satisfying meal of fresh wild-caught fish, pasta with grated cheese and black pepper, fresh sweet corn on the cob and organic lettuce for our salads.

My wife went to Costco Wholesale in Hackensack, where she found fresh wild flounder fillets from Iceland.

Organic whole-wheat spaghetti with grated cheese and black pepper.

On the way home Friday evening, I stopped at a farmers' market, where I found fresh white corn (45 cents each) and a head of organic lettuce for $2.50.

We had the other ingredients -- from Trader Joe's and Costco -- at home.

My wife seasoned the fish fillets, dusted them in flour and fried them quickly in a non-stick pan with a little oil.

I took a half-pound of Trader Joe's Organic Whole Wheat Spaghetti and cooked it in boiling water for about 8 minutes, a minute or two before the recommended cooking time of 9-10 minutes.

I drained the pasta, then finished cooking it in a pan with a cup of hot pasta water and three or four tablespoons of a butter substitute, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!

After mixing them well, I added lots of grated Pecorino-Romano sheep's milk cheese and black pepper.

I added more cheese and black pepper to the portion on my plate.

I just winged it after seeing a TV show in which world traveler Anthony Bourdain enjoyed the pasta -- cacio e pepe  -- on a trip to Rome, complete with shots of the cook preparing the dish in the kitchen of a Roman restaurant.

I poured a glass of chianti.

I had the pasta first; then two fillets, hot and delicious right out of the pan, sprinkled with lime juice; and finished with a simple salad of organic lettuce, extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Fresh sweet corn was my dessert, with nothing on it.

Summer's bounty at the table

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The produce I bought at farmers' markets last week continues to pay dividends.

This morning, I warmed up grilled eggplant and squash left over from Sunday dinner, and assembled a sandwich on fresh, 100% whole-grain bread, with hummus, low-fat cheese, eggplant, squash, sliced heirloom tomato and arugula, and ate grilled green tomatoes and kimchi on the side. Magnificent. 

 

Last night, I made a salad of market arugula and red-leaf lettuce, adding cucumber from the garden. 

I managed to harvest a dozen ripe tomatoes from my garden, and many more cherry tomatoes, but others were eaten by squirrels or a rabbit I see in my yard. I've brought in green tomatoes and the ones that haven't ripened on the counter after a week to 10 days are grilled or breaded and fried.

I've been eating sweet, bicolor Jersey corn, too, right after they are steamed or right out of the fridge the next day. When they are good, they need nothing, not even a sprinkling of salt.

I wonder if a town near me has a farmers' market today?

More good food at Costco
 

I picked up a few things at Costco in Hackensack on Monday -- the same few things I buy consistently because of their quality and price.

Two 28-ounce loaves of 100% whole-grain bread -- wonderful fresh, great toasted -- are only $3.99.

Three quarts of pure, organic carrot juice are $6.99 -- or $2.33 each -- about 50 cents less than when this Bolthouse Farms item first appeared.

Delicious organic spring salad mix from Earthbound Farm contains U.S. lettuce, arugula, radicchio, frissee and other items. A pound is only $4.59, a price you can't beat elsewhere. You can use this in sandwiches or make a week's worth of salads.

I bought blueberries from Michigan for the first time, two pounds for $5.49 ($2.75 a pound). It's hard to compare them to Jersey blueberries in terms of price, because the Garden State fruit is sold by volume (pint, quart) for some reason. How much does a pint weigh? I saw South Jersey blues for $3 or more a pint at farmers' markets last week.



Post script: A pint of blueberries weighs about 12 ounces, according to the Internet research I did this afternoon.

Follow the tracks to great food buys

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I've enjoyed shopping and eating in Paterson's Middle Eastern food bazaar for nearly 30 years, but haven't paid much attention to the city's bustling, year-round Farmers' Market.

Today, I met Chuck, one of my loyal readers, at the market on East Railway Avenue and he led me to some remarkable food bargains, most of which are gone by Sunday. Besides produce stores, there are butchers, a fish market, restaurants and non-food merchants. Parking is free.

My first stop was Eastern Groceries Inc. at 459 E. Railway Ave. (look for the number, the name on the door says something else). None of the following prices are typos.

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 I picked up a dozen 5.3-ounce cups of Stonyfield Farm organic, fat-free Oikos, Greek-style yogurt for $2 -- that's less than 17 cents each. They were stamped with a date of Feb. 8, meaning we will have about two weeks to finish them. A simple drizzle of honey turns this yogurt into a great dessert.

Earthbound Farm organic heirloom lettuce leaves were $1 for 7 ounces -- or $2.28 a pound. Organic spring mix was $1.99 for 12 ounces -- or $2.65 a pound -- far less than at Costco. Both had use-by dates of Feb. 10. A 5-pound box of Spanish clementines was $3.49 -- by far the lowest price of the season.

A 1-pound package of large, Sunset-brand, herbicide-free tomatoes was $1.50. A bunch of radishes was 50 cents. I had to pass up a lot of  other bargains -- my refrigerator and freezer are bulging as it is. 

Despite the sub-freezing weather, there was a beautiful display of produce outside Brother's, 327 E. Railway Ave., but all I needed were lemons (four for $1). Olives are only $1.99 a pound. This store also carries a good selection of Middle Eastern food, such as imported tahini sauce, fava beans, hummus and so forth.

Then I drove over to Main Street, lined with Turkish and Middle Eastern restaurants, shawarma shops and markets, to shop at Nouri's and Fattal's bakeries, two longtime Syrian rivals I have patronized for decades.They are at 999 and 975-77 Main St., respectively, and both have their own parking lots and carry so much more than just bread.

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At Nouri's, I found three liters of Greek extra-virgin olive oil for $17.99, among bottles and tins  from Syria, Lebanon and Turkey. At Fattal's, I picked up five cans of Moroccan sardines in spicy oil at 99 cents each and large, store-made spinach pies ($8.99 for six).

A big thank you to Chuck.