Potatoes with Green Beans and Peas, Tangerine Grilled Asparagus, Seitan Cutlets

Today, I used up these tiny potatoes that I had purchased at the farmer's market last weekend. I brought them to a boil and cooked them for about 20 minutes till they were done (a fork could go through with just a little resistance). I had also added green beans cut into 1" pieces in the last 4 or 5 minutes, and some English peas in the last few minutes. I drained and mixed in some olive-artichoke salsa, dill, and salt.

I put a little tangerine olive oil in a cast iron pan and cooked two green onions, cut into thirds and then quartered into long strips for a few minutes, then added asparagus and thin cuts of seitan. I let it cook for about 4 or 5 minutes over medium heat, then removed the browned seitan to a container and served, topped with salt and pepper, the asparagus, discarding the toughened, stringy onion (it did its job flavoring the food).

I put into the container with the seitan a little jerk seasoning and salt, closed the container, and mixed, then served the oh-so-tasty soft cutlets. It was a good dinner!

We had a mellow evening, incidentally, enjoying Le Voyage du ballon rouge (Flight of the Red Balloon) by Taiwanese director Hsiao-hsien Hou. I occasionally teach a film studies course where half the course is dedicated to Ozu, and I find Hou's work sometimes reminiscent of the quotidian minimalism of Ozu's films. I had also recently seen Hou's 2005 film Zui hao de shi guang (Three Times). I finished my monthly film review tonight, as well, which was an interview with the filmmaker and lead in Brick Lane; I posted the review and the audio of the interview.

Yesterday, my wife and I had the privilege of getting to take care of a sweet child (today is her five-month birthday!). My wife got to their home by 7:30p, and I got there just before 9p after my class, picking up some food (South Indian idli rice cakes and spicy sambar soup, flatbread naan, rice, and chickpea channa masala) that my wife had ordered from Sitar India Palace. Our little friend was crying and probably over-tired; after we got her into her crib, my wife and I enjoyed the food that I had picked up as our dinner.