GRILLED SALMON WITH STIR-FRIED GREEN BEANS (ASIAN FUSION) Feeling mildly creative last night, I drew some concepts from a new cookbook ("Susanna Foo Chinese Cuisine") and some from a grilled-salmon lunch special that I like from T. S. Ma, a fairly decent spot near my office in New York, and came up with a Chinese-style entree that I thought worked quite well: At least an hour before dinner, cut slits deep into the flesh of a 1-pound salmon steak, and coat it with a marinade made from 1 tablespoon peanut oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon hot-pepper vodka and a sprinkle of black pepper. Turn it over in the marinade occasionally and set aside. Wash and trim about 3/4 pound green beans and boil them in salted water until they're nearly done but still on the crisp side of tender. Drain, rinse in cool water, and set aside. Finely mince 2 large garlic cloves and a roughly equal amount of fresh ginger, and stir them in to 2 tablespoons Chinese black bean sauce. Add a shake of dried red-pepper flakes, a teaspoon of hot-pepper vodka and a teaspoon of sesame oil. Have ready 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/2 tablespoon corn starch dissolved in a little water. Throw the salmon on the grill (it should take 10-12 minutes), and fire up the wok. When the wok is very hot, drizzle in 1 tablespoon peanut oil, and, when it's hot, stir-fry the black-bean mixture until it's highly aromatic and the garlic and ginger are cooked. Add the almost-cooked green beans, toss-fry just until they're coated with the black-bean mixture, then pour in the broth, cover the wok, and turn the heat down very low. When the salmon is almost done, add the cornstarch and stir until the sauce thickens. Pour the beans and sauce into a serving bowl. Cut the salmon steak crossways into four pieces and arrange them on top of the beans. Serve with steaming white rice. This one made an excellent match with the crisp, citric Markham Sauvignon Blanc.
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