riding a wild scallion

Matt and I took a special trip to Trader Joe's upon hearing they were carrying a double magnum of tasty Amarone for a steal of a deal. ($29.99 for a Jeroboam??? You can't beat that with a stick! And my theory is that the larger bottles age better and since it's typically a bigger investment to purchase one, vineyards only bottle their better harvests/varietals in the double magnum+ sized bottles.)

While we were there, I also bought a couple dozen scallions. They were unusually fresh by DC standards (probably because I bought them in Alexandria, VA) and paired well with the juicy hunk of ginger root that I picked up at the neighboring grocery store. So the last 48 hours have been spent in a ginger root-scallion frenzy, from steamed red snapper to pan-fried chicken breast, I really milked these ingredients to the best of my ability. I'm starting to appreciate why my dad loves those scallions. Bold and zippy, they can hold up to stronger-flavored foods, but light and zesty, they don't over-power milder fish or chicken.

Not to break up the Chinese bulb-root flavor trifecta, I made sure to add a little garlic into each meal, by putting a side of edamame flash-fried in XO sauce, dried scallops in a spicy garlic sauce, on the snapper and putting a side of garlicky asparagus on the chicken... mmm... Speakeasy Kitchen is coming in strong!