Asian-Inspired Catfish Soup

I hate to use the term "Asian" since Asia is such a large continent encompassing many countries, but this soup was inspired by the culinary goodness of Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan, so I couldn't really play favorites there.  I think that it has more Thai flavors than anything and is really reminiscent of Tom Yum soup, which is my absolute favorite.  BUT, then we added udon noodles (Japanese) and Vietnamese cilantro, which may be my new favorite thing!  

We caught the catfish we used for the soup in Lake Sinclair the very same day, and I can't think of a better way to enjoy catfish (well, other than deep fried). 

Asian Catfish Soup

1 pound of catfish fillets

1-2 thumbs ginger

6-8 garlic cloves

1 large jalapeno chile

1 onion

1 package mushrooms (we already had some buttons, but oyster mushrooms would be great)

3 cups veggie or chicken broth

3 cups water

Soy sauce to taste

3-4 large tomatoes

1 lemon, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper

Half a bunch cilantro

Vietnamese cilantro (from a friend's herb garden!)

Half a pound Udon noodles

Cook the chopped garlic, ginger, onion, and jalapeno in the pot until the onions start to become transparent.  Add the tomatoes and mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes.  Add the stock, water, and soy sauce a little at a time until desired saltiness (most store-bought stocks are already very salty, so don't add the soy without trying it first).  Now add the fish, the red pepper, lemon, and about half of the cilantro.  Bring to a boil.  Add the noodles and boil until soft.  Garnish with more cilantro.

Summer Veggie Plate

We've been so excited (well, mostly Tore) about our garden this year. So excited that we couldn't even let the tomatoes get ripe before planning a meal around them. This was my first go at fried green tomatoes, so we were definitely entering uncharted territory. How hard could it be, right?

We served them with french lentils, roasted okra and shallots (we have both green and "white" okra growing in our garden), jalapeño cornbread, and a caper aioli sauce.

Since this is so simple, I don't think a recipe is necessary. I just seasoned some flour and then threw in some shredded parmesan for the breading. Sliced 'em, dredged 'em in some egg and then coated them in the flour mixture before frying in a shallow frying pan--we used peanut oil.

The okra was cut in half long ways and then tossed with the sliced shallots, olive oil, and salt & pepper and roasted in the oven.

For the Caper Aioli:

Half a cup of mayo (we used safflower mayo)

4 garlic gloves

1 tablespoon capers, drained

Pinch of cumin

Half a teaspoon honey

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Spoon over fried tomatoes.