Salmon & Rotini Alfredo Casserole and more.

Seems like I've been on a comfort food kick lately.  Here's one that I created based on bits and ideas from other recipes. 

Salmon Rotini Alfredo

We've been enjoying the wild-caught sockeye salmon that Costco has featured the couple months.  But that season is over.  Here's what I did with the last pound we had. Great taste, and feeds about 6 people.

1 lb fresh Salmon fillets

2 Lemons

8 oz dry Rotini pasta (half a box)

1 jar (15 oz) Alfredo Sauce (I like the Newman's Owntm version with garlic)

1 16 oz bag frozen Gumbo Vegetable medley (or other frozen mixed veg that you may like)

3/4 cup frozen Peas

1/2 cup diced white Onion

1 stick Celery

1-1/2 Tbsp Dill

1 tsp White Pepper

4 oz shredded mixed cheese

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (the stuff in the round can)

Slice the lemons into 1/4" thick rounds and place in a large skillet as a bed for the salmon fillets to cook on. Place the end-cuts of lemon in the pan as well, along with a 1/4" of water. Cover, bring to boil and simmer the water to poach the fish about 15 minutes or until just flaky done. Remove fish to a plate and place in the refrigerator to cool. When the fish is cool, remove the skin and break the meat into flakes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain and reserve. In a skillet, saute the onion and celery and reserve.

In a small bowl, mix together the Panko and Parmesan.

In a large bowl combine the vegetables, salmon, Alfredo sauce and spices, folding the mixture to combine after each addition. Spoon mixture into an 8x11 baking dish, top with shredded cheese, then top that with the Panko/Parmesan mixture.

Bake at 400F for 30-45 minutes until the top is brown and crusty:

Let is rest 10-15 minutes before serving.  I served it with a side of peas since Lady Sally believes that casseroles, meat and veg pies and the like need a side dish.  This made a great lunch with Mum yesterday, with leftovers for dinner in the week.

Chilindron de Chivo

I just know some of you are gonna cringe at this dish.  But if you get a chance, please try it.  You'll love it.  Chilindron, in  Spanish, is a seasoning, or technique of cooking with tomatoes and peppers.  NOT spicy peppers, mind you, ordinary bells and paprika.  Chivo is the Spanish word for kid goat.  Yes, dear midwestern readers -- goat.  Nice tender young goat, not stinky old goat.

Now, I have to tell you, I have not made this dish.  I had it for the first time the other day at a local Cuban place called Cafe San Luis.  They serve it as the Friday Special, with two sides.  

The Chilindron de Chivo that I was served was almost like Osso Bucco -- a shoulder joint and a knee joint braised low and slow until the meat is practically falling off the bone.  The Goat was wonderful -- sweeter than pork or beef, not very fatty, and the flavor of the chilindron was reminiscent of a mild barbecue sauce.  Goat, like venison, benefits from having most of the fat cut away before cooking, otherwise the dish can be very strong.

The dish also reminds me somewhat of Bajan Pepperpot Beef, without the cinnamon and allspice.  A good things to do with parts of an animal that would be discarded by the wealthy and cherished by the not-so-wealthy.

I didn't have my camera with me, and my stupid-phone can barely take a picture.  But this image I found on the Internet looks very similar to what I was served.

Here's a recipe for Chilindron de Carne -- substitute any meat you choose.  The ingredients sound like what I had, but I haven't tested the recipe yet.  Try it -- I'm going to!

To marinate the meat:
2 1/2 lbs. lamb/pork/beef shank
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper (fresh ground, of course)
Juice of 2 Limes, or 2-4 Tbsp White Vinegar

Double or triple the amounts of marinade if using large-jointed meats.

Ingredients for the rest:
1/4 cup Extra-virgin Olive Oil, for browning
6 slices Bacon, cooked and chopped
1 whole Onion, diced
4-6 cloves Garlic, peeled and minced fine
2 cups Tomato Puree or sauce
1 tsp. ground Cumin
1 Tbsp Paprika
1/2 tsp. dry Oregano
2 Bay leaves
1 tsp. Salt
1 cup Water

Marinate the meat for 2+ hours

Heat olive oil on medium-high heat in a deep pan, or Dutch oven, brown the meat on all sides -- about 3 minutes per side. Work in batches if needed. Reserve the meat.

In same pan reduce heat to medium and sauté the bacon.  Chop and return to the pan.  Add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper and sauté 5-6 minutes until caramelized.

Add the meat back. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2-3 hours. Check every 1/2 hour and add water if it reduces too much. You don't want a watery stew, but you don't want a thick paste either.

Buckingham Farms 

If you get down to my part of Florida, be sure to check out this great local Fresh Farm, Farm Store and restaurant.   They're a hydroponic operation with both raised beds and stacked grow pots.  Call ahead for vegetable availability.

The well appointed store also sells their own eggs, local honey and other products.  The restaurant serves breakfast and lunch, and a variety of wonderful pastries and desserts.  If the 1/2 pound bison burger ($12) with all all the fixings that we saw being delivered to a table is any marker, this is a great place to eat!  They also have an open-air Rustic Barn which can be the venue for special events like weddings, rehearsal dinners, etc. 

12931 Orange River Blvd

Fort Myers, FL

239-206-2303

www.buckinghamfarmsonline.com

Veggie Sides & Mains

I don't think I've ever done a totally vegetable column before, so here goes.

Side 1:  Fried Potatoes

A week or so back I was getting ready to make dinner and only had one veg. Usually Sally likes me to prepare fish or chicken and two veg rather than a starch and a veg. But....

I had rice.  I had lentils, and I had a three or four sorry looking potatoes looking at me with too many eyes.  Then it dawned on me.  I hadn't made or eaten fried potatoes in a coon's age, as we used to say.  So I plucked out all those eyes, and sliced the spuds about 1/8" to 1/4" thick.

I know, I know, this is no big news to my Midwestern readers who grow and consume tons of spuds.  But down here in the swamps we tend to eat other things, including some spud-substitute root-starches like Name and Boniato.

Out came the griddle pan, and a splash of oil.  Down went the potato coins  with a dash of Badia Sazon Complettm seasoning, and Viola (or is that voila?) I had what we used to call Raw Fried Potatoes to go with the Poached Salmon and Frozen Peas I was making.

Side 2:  Broccoli Cheese

Another day, I was looking for something different to do with Broccoli, which we both love.  I stumbled across a recipe by one of my food Gurus -- Alton Brown -- and this is my take on his dish.

Disassemble two or three heads of broccoli into florets.  Toss the veg with a couple tablespoons of EVOO (I do this is a plastic bag.  Then add some (a shy quarter cup?) Parmesan cheese (the canned stuff is OK for this application) and toss again.  Finally add a quarter cup of Panko bread crumbs and some slivered Almonds, and toss a third time.  Dump the coated veg in a baking dish and bake at 350-375F for 25 minutes or so, until the cheese is melted and the panko is brown and crunchy.  Serve hot.

Main 1:  Vegetarian Lasagna

Sally asked me to make a 'potluck' dish for one of her office parties, and "make it vegetarian, please".

I know.... You're thinking "What's so special about Vegetarian Lasagna?"   Well in this case it's the method.  I've had vegetarian lasagna that used the eggplant as noodle substitutes -- essentially Eggplant Parmesan under a nom de kitchen.  I've had veggie lasagna that just layered a variety of vegetable slices cooked in sauce.  But this is the first vegetarian eggplant I've seen or heard of that treats a vegetable like the ground beef in a regular lasagna.

Assemble the usual suspects for lasagna -- marinara sauce (I like Newman's Owntm sauces), cheeses, noodles, fillers like spinach and/or mushrooms.  But instead of ground beef, pick up a largish eggplant of the same size, 1-2 lbs.  

Do not pre-cook the noodles.  That's a ridiculous waste of time, effort and water.  Don't spend money on those expensive no-cook noodles, either.  Ordinary old Lasagna noodles work just fine.  When the time comes, just lay them in the dish side by side, and add a layer of something on top.

Peel the eggplant, and either fine dice it, or use a grater like our Saladmastertm to achieve 1/4" to 3/8" nuggets of eggplant, similar to coarse ground beef.  Toss that in a skillet with  some ExtraVirginOliveOil and some Italian spices - oregano, thyme, sage, etc. and saute until most of the water is lost and the eggplant firms up -- just like you would brown the beef:

Add the marinara sauce, maybe some water, and your onion, garlic, mushrooms and other things just as you would for a meaty lasagna sauce:

Let that all cook together for a few minutes to marry the flavors.  Turn the fire off and set it aside to cool a bit.

Assemble your usual lasagna:  a smear of sauce on the bottom, a layer of noodles (uncooked), layer of cheese mix, noodles, meat sauce.... layer after layer.  Top with cheese and bake as you normally would.  Let it rest, then cut a slice of the best vegetarian lasagna you've ever tasted. 

Yummers!

Main 2:  Baingan Bharta -- Eggplant Curry

So we got together Saturday evening with our vegan friends Susan and Patrick, to watch the University of Florida football team continue its now 29-year-long winning streak against the University of Kentucky.  I said I'd make a "tailgate dish" even though we'd be watching from the comfort of the living room rather than a hot, sweaty parking lot.

Awhile back I'd visited my local Indian market to buy a specific item or two, without any cash.  They have a minimum $10 purchase to use your debit/credit card, so I picked up a couple other things, including a spice blend called Baingan Bharta Masala -- Eggplant Curry Spice Blend.   The spice is similar to the ubiquitous Garam Masala found in many Indian dishes, not particularly hot spicy.   Sally and I love eggplant in all its variations, so this sounded interesting, both from the prep/method side of things and the flavor profile.

1 largish Eggplant - 1-2 lbs

1 large White Onion, sliced

3-4 Roma Tomatoes, chopped

1 thumb Ginger, minced

3 cloves Garlic, minced

1+ cups frozen Peas

Baingan Bharta Masala (or you can substitute Garam Masala)

Peel that stupid label off the eggplant, rub the veg with a tablespoon of olive oil, and place it on a baking sheet in a 450F preheated oven, for 45 minutes or a bit more.  Better yet, roast it over an open flame!  Cool, peel, and chop the eggplant into a bowl.  Then rough mash with a potato masher, but leave it somewhat lumpy.

In a deep skillet, caramelize the onion, garlic and ginger.  Add the chopped tomatoes and toss to combine.  Then add the eggplant and spice blend -- I used about 1-1/2 Tbsp of spice, this is not a fiery blend.    Lastly, fold the peas into the mixture and heat through. 

Serve with Nan or Pita bread, or even a wrap.   This is a keeper!   I'm even going to enter it in a Tailgate Food recipe contest that I know of!

Dinner is served!

Main 3:  Breakfast (or even dinner) Omelet

I am not one of those chefs who advocates omelets which are  barely on the set side of runny, with a sprinkle of seasoning and a pinch of cheese.  I like my omelets to be fulsome -- full of some mushrooms, some cheese, some shrimp, some whatever.  

The best omelets I've ever had were from the New Orleans Cafe in Salt Lake City back in the late 80s/early 90s.  They had a Sunday Jazz Brunch, for us non-Mormon, non-churchgoers, that was outstanding both in music and food.  They featured a three or four egg Mushroom, Shrimp, Avocado and Cream Cheese Omelet that was heaven on a plate.  Like my omelets this was no barely set smear of wafer thin egg on a plate.  It was a MEAL!

Anyway, the omelet pictured here isn't that fulsome, but it does contain 4 eggs, a nice handful of mushrooms, a little diced red bell pepper, and some tasty white cheddar.

Saturday Breakfast for two, with a toasted bagel on the side with a schmear of chef-made marmalade, Marmitetm or just Oliviotm (our healthier butter-substitute choice).  

Add  few strips of bacon or a slice of fried ham and you've got dinner!

Mango Gazpacho, Brazilian Stew & Egg-less Triple Ginger Bread

Our friends Susan and Patrick celebrated their eleventh wedding anniversary the other day, and since they're vegans (the vegetarian kind, not the ones from the star Vega!) I made them a totally vegan anniversary dinner.

Chilled Mango Gazpacho

This is a great Floribeño take on a European classic. Florida cuisine used to be called Floribbean, which always sounded like you were stuttering. I like Floribeño a lot better.

3 cups Mango, chopped

1 English Cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped

1 cup Coconut Water, not Coconut Milk or Cream

1/2 cup Vegetable Broth

3/4" finger fresh Ginger, minced

1 tsp Curry Powder of choice

1/2 tsp Red Pepper flakes

1 Tbsp Cider Vinegar

2 Tbsp Mint, chopped, plus additional

S&P TT

In a blender, combine 1 cup of mango, half the cucumber, half the bell pepper, coconut milk, broth, ginger, curry powder and vinegar. Puree until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse a couple times to combine. But leave it somewhat chunky. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. When served, top with a chiffonade of additional mint.

This is going to become a summertime, or anytime, favorite around here.

Brazilian Black Bean & Mango Stew

This is the simplified, veganized version of a carnivore original from South America, but with all the original flavor. The Tofurkey tm Chorizo flavored meat substitute has all the great flavors of traditional Mexican chorizo, but none of the fat. It even 'dissolves' into a flavor base when you start to cook it, just like the good stuff made south of the border. Fabulous!

2, 15oz cans Black Beans, drained & rinsed

2, 15oz cans Rotel tm with Lime & Cilantro

1 large Red Onion, diced

1 large Yam/Sweet Potato, peeled and cubed

8 oz Tofurkey Chorizo flavored faux meat.

2 cups cubed Mango

Combine beans, Rotel, onion, yam and chorizo, with a couple cups of water and simmer for 30-45 minutes to marry the flavors. In the last 5 minutes, add the mango and cook just to warm it through. Serve over Cumin Rice. For a nicer presentation, add the cubes of mango on top of the plated stew.

Cumin Rice

To your usual 1 cup of rice and two cups of water, add 2-3 Tbsp of whole cumin seeds which have been somewhat cracked in your mortar & pestle, then toasted for a few minutes in a dry skillet. Don't have a mortar & pestle?  Take the seeds for a 3-5 second buzzzzz in your coffee grinder.

Egg-less Triple Gingerbread

For dessert I made this vegan cake, topped with vegan Lemon Curd

1-1/2 cups Whole Wheat flour

1⁄2 teaspoon Baking Powder

1⁄2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1⁄4 teaspoon Salt

1⁄2 teaspoon powdered Ginger

1/4 teaspoon grated fresh Ginger

1/4 cup Sushi Ginger, chopped

1⁄2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1⁄4 cup Vegetable oil or margarine

1⁄2 cup Brown Sugar

1⁄2 cup Light Molasses

1⁄2 cup boiling Water

Prepare 8x8 pan with parchment paper or cooking spray. Preheat oven to 325°F.

In a large bowl SIFT together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, spices and the three gingers; set aside. In another bowl, cream oil/margarine and sugar, and mix well; add molasses, then boiling water.

Combine dry and liquid ingredients and beat well. Pour into prepared pan and bake 40-50 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool. 

 

Top with Ten Minute Lemon Curd (August 24, 2015 post). I made the curd for this dinner using an egg substitute called

The Neat Egg tm

Unlike Egg Beaters tm and similar products, this egg substitute contains no eggs. The ingredient list reads: Chia Seeds, Garbanzo Beans.

For "egg in a dish" applications, where egg is a binder, this stuff works really well -- baking, casseroles, etc. I would not try it in a quiche though...

2 Tbsp water + 1 Tbsp Neat Egg = 1 substitute egg . This forms a sort of gelatinous blob that you then incorporate into a recipe. Make sure you really mix it in well.

When I used Neat Egg to make the Microwave Lemon Curd, the result was virtually indistinguishable from using 'real' eggs. Although, as I say, make sure it's well incorporated. I got some brown bits in the curd, when the Neat Egg was not completely dissolved into the egg/sugar mix. The Neat Egg curd didn't set up as well as I liked. Next time I'll use 2-1/2 substitute eggs.

Travel Adventures and Tilapia

Well, we took a long holiday weekend, and went up to Manasota Key with some friends. We stayed at the Pearl Beach Inn, one of the two or three resorts on the island which is not yuppiefied condos or similar upscale digs. We prefer more Olde Florida places.

Pearl Beach Inn is pretty darn nice. Just steps from the water, many of the rooms, such as the ones we got, have fabulous views of the beach and water. The rooms have a full-size fridge and microwave, but no stove top, so the Kilted Cook pretty much had a holiday too -- except for breakfasts, lunches and Tea Boy duties after the afternoon naps.

Sally and I had bagels with peanut butter and apple slices Saturday and Sunday morning, and PB Bagels and slices of perfectly ripe Honeydew Melon this morning. For lunches we had Serrano Ham (unfortunately not the good Spanish product by that name) or Smoked Chicken with Muenster or Provolone Cheese with yellow tomatoes and condiments; with chips on the side. Dinners we went out to restaurants together.

The WiFi was down so we felt somewhat isolated, although those with smartphones were able to do so looking up of things, checking weather, etc. We played in the warm waters of the Gulf, collected a few petrified shark's teeth, read, slept, and Sally did two very nice watercolors. One is the seascape view outside our window; the other a painting of a sea turtle from a photo taken by our friend Melinda.

Saturday, Sally and I went to visit my old friend Raul, who owns the El Chipotle Latin Market and Restaurant in nearby Venice. I've known Raul since probably 2008, when I moved to Venice. Before I retired, he and I almost went into the restaurant business together, but we couldn't find a decent property at a decent price. Since then, he remodeled the back of his market into a small but functional three tables and a counter space, with some of the most authentic Latin food you'll find on the Gulf Coast. We had one of three combo platters, offering two tacos of choice and a Peruvian style Tamale wrapped in banana leaf rather than corn husks as they are in Mexico. We also ordered a side of rice and a side of beans. I had to beef tacos and Sally had one chicken and one pork. For $8.95 it was a real tasty meal deal!

The first night we went to dinner at the Gulf View Grill, near the southern end of the island. It's a great two story place with unparalleled sunset views from the second floor. We ate there last year when we visited Manasota, and returned again this year. Very good seafood with interesting preparations and selections.

The second night we went to another favorite place. This one in downtown historic Englewood; a pizza place called Bobarino's.  It's a really funky but fun place with interesting art on the walls and really good Italian-American food. Excellent thin crust pizza, calzones and stromboli.  One of our party had a serving of the hand-made noodle Lasagna Special -- it was -- no joke - bigger than 6" x 8" and nearly 3" thick!    I had the Bobarino Roll, similar to a stromboli, with ham, mushrooms, black olives and cheeses.  Yuuummm!

Sunday we went to a place called the Beach Road Wine Bar & Bistro. Interesting place... in the Chinese sense of the word. The ambiance was nice -- covered outdoor seating by the water. But the food was 'different'. Two friends had shrimp and grits, which were smothered under a bunch of salad-like toppings?????? Another had a quinoa salad which was declared 'fabulous'. Sally had swordfish with a cream sauce that was a bit too spicy. And I got the Hot & Spicy dish of the year! Granted it was marked HOT! But this was ridiculous!! 

 It was supposed to be shrimp mac & cheese with andouille sausage and an asiago cheese and wine sauce 'with jalapenos'. What I got was a watery thin 'cheese soup', with a handful of macaroni, a lot of andouille (which I love), and well over a cup full of sliced jalapenos!!! Now I don't mind some heat, but this was ridiculous. Bordering on gratuitously hot, I had trouble distinguishing any of the other flavors that were there -- and that was after I picked out every scrap of jalapeno! We agreed the atmosphere was nice but the food was a bit much. The associated Boutique got top marks from the ladies, though.

Tilapia

Tilapia is one of the aquaculture success stories of the last decade. Earlier attempts yielded somewhat soft, mushy fillets and bland, tasteless meat. But those days are gone. Properly farmed tilapia are firm and tasty, whether raised in in-ground ponds, or in raised steel/aluminum tanks. The techniques for feeding and otherwise raising first class meat fish are well known, and repeatable from farm to farm.

 

Harvest-size Blue Tilapia

We have two tilapia farms here in Fort Myers, and I had the pleasure of touring both of them last year. The one I'll tell you about today is Southern Fresh Farms, a "Fish & Farmer's Market" and Agricultural Park. They're at 8500 Penzance Blvd. www.Southern FreshFarms.com   Call them for a tour.

This is a "showcase" farm, with both in-ground and hydroponic cultivation. The water for the hydroponic plants comes from 'used', nutrient-rich tilapia growing tanks, which are refreshed constantly while the used water is piped directly to the plants. They have seasonally themed activities for kids and grown-ups alike. They offer for sale whole or filleted fish, fresh veggies (in particular hydroponic greens), local honey, a playground, a fish pond with pier, a petting farm, and an informal restaurant serving fish sandwiches and tacos and more. If you're in town, stop by and try some of their fabulous goodies.

Tilapia are commonly grown in 3000-5000 gallon tanks; usually round or oval rather than square. Tilapia are nest breeders and if you give them corners they'll build nests and make baby fish. And they'll keep making baby fish until the tank is massively overpopulated and the size of the fish drops. With round tanks you keep the fish swimming around, which makes them nice and firm, and you control the breeding by placing or removing 'nesting cormers' so that the usual fish is 1.5-1.75 pounds which yields two nice half-pound fillets.

 

A properly densely populated tank of Red Tilapia

Next week I'll be back with more interesting recipes and foods for you to try.