today's lunch

Last week, I made choucroute alsacienne for the office crew.  My intention, this week, had been to make fondue neuchâteloise (the "standard" or "classic" fondue), but my American coworker—the one with the Korean wife who's a trained chef—said that his wife was desperate to get rid of a load of spinach she'd been gifted, so she'd been thinking about making a spinach-based pesto.  I've made spinach-based pestos before, with cashews and white cheddar; they lack the kick of a standard pesto, but they're smooth and pleasant, and they make for a nice change of pace.  So I agreed to a sort of cooperative arrangement:  instead of fondue, we'd do pesto on fusilli pasta.  I would bring the pasta, and the Missus would make the pesto.  Along the way, I decided to make a salad to accompany the pasta, so I bought ingredients for a simple, impromptu caprese:  basil, cherry tomatoes, and mozzarella.  I also wanted to throw in some proteins, so I fried up some Korean-style smoked duck, which tastes an awful lot like regular bacon.  The Missus ended up surprising us by also prepping some lovely butter shrimp spiced up with Thai chili powder, salt, and pepper.  As much as I enjoyed the wife's pesto, I think I enjoyed her shrimp way more, and I pestered my coworker for the spice/seasoning recipe.

The pic below shows my second plate of food.  By that time, the lovely shrimp were all gone, so I can't show you a pic of the best part of the meal.