Asian Glazed Salmon and Avocado Chocolate Pudding????

Asian Salmon and Noodles

I was looking for a different way to prepare salmon, and found this Asian-glazed idea.  Definitely a 'keeper'.

2 servings of wide Rice Noodles for Pad Thai

1/2 lb Salmon Filet, skin on

3 large Green Onions, sliced

2 handfuls Snow Pea Pods, ends trimmed

3 oz sliced Mushrooms

1/2” finger of fresh Ginger, minced

- - - - - - - - - - -

Salmon Glaze, to taste, make a 'shy' 1/4 cup:

Soy Sauce

Toasted Sesame Oil

Honey

Sriracha or other pepper sauce

- - - - - - - - - -

Stir Fry Sauce (to taste, make 1/3 to 1/2 cup:

Sweet-Hot Chili Sauce (Frank's tm)

Soy Sauce

Hoisin Sauce

Rice Wine Vinegar

Rice Wine

Make up the two sauces, using 1-2 Tbsp of each ingredient, to taste. The Salmon Glaze should be relatively thick.

Cook the noodles; keeping them in the water until needed. Stir fry the veggies.

Sear the salmon, skin side up, first. 4 minutes. The flip and sear the skin side for 3 minutes. Drain the noodles.

Turn the broiler on.  Add the drained noodles to the vegetables, toss to combine, and turn that burner on again to cook them through.

Turn the salmon skin side down again, brush with the glaze, and broil for 3 minutes or so (but don't let it burn.

Divide the salmon in two and plate next to the noodle-vegetable stir fry.

Indian-style Lentil Stuffed Mushrooms

Sally needed a dish to take to a colleague's going-away bash, and I wanted to try something different. Lots of her acquaintances like vegetarian dishes and Indian spiced things, and I happened to see two packs of six nice large mushrooms at the megamart.

12 large stuffable Mushrooms (or 3 Portobellos) stemmed

1 dry measure Lentils for your rice cooker (or ½ cup if cooking on the stove top)

1/4 cup diced Red Onion

1-2 teaspoons Arhar Dal Indian spice blend for lentils

Paprika for dusting

Cook the lentils and onion according to package direction. I did mine in the rice cooker, with 1 measure of lentils and 3 measures of water. Came out perfect. Cool the lentil/onion stuffing.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms, but leave the gills for taste. Stand the 'shrooms cup-up on a baking tray and drizzle with just a bit of EVOO.

Fill the cups to overflowing with packed down lentil mixture. Dust the tops with paparika and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Avocado Chocolate Pudding?????

Sound weird doesn't it?  This was in the newspaper yesterday, being touted as eating healthier because things are in season and thus fresher. Well.... OK, let's try it.

The taste is surprisingly good, very chocolate-y. The texture is nerly indistinguishable from 'real' chocolate pudding.  But this is not an inexpensive dish unless you can find avocados for less than $1 each (what I paid).

2 Medjool Dates, pitted and soaked to rehydrate for 15 minutes (I substituted Apricots)

2 fresh Avocados, peeled and pitted

1/2ccup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (I used Trader Joe's tm Sipping Cocoa)

1/4ccup 'raw' Honey (I used local Seagrape honey)

2 teaspoons Vanilla extract

pinch of sea salt

Blend everything in a food processor... spoon into bowls and chill.

Hmm.. Medjool Dates aren't in season (neither are the dried apricots I used). I've never seen 'tame' honey, how is it different than 'raw' honey? Vanilla extract isn't in season either.

If you want a really unusual dessert for a dinner party, this is a great recipe.  Top with a dollop of handmade lemon-flavored whipped cream for an elegant finish.

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp & Grits, Tortilla Española, Cuppa Quiche

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp & Grits

We had brunch, instead of lunch with Mum, yesterday; Sally had a baby shower to attend in the early afternoon. So instead of our usual luncheon fare, I decided to make Bacon Wrapped Shrimp and Grits. This recipe makes a hearty brunch for four.

1 lb 16-20 count Gulf White Shrimp

1 package Bacon (to make at least 20 'half slice' pieces

1-1/3 cups dry Grits

2-1/2 cups Half & Half

3 cups Water

4 oz shredded Mozzarella and/or Parmesan Cheese

White Pepper to taste

Clean and shell the shrimp. Impale them on short skewers so they're nominally straight.

Wrap each shrimp with a half slice of bacon and arrange on a baking sheet.  Broil about 6 minutes per side until bacon is cooked but not crispy.

Combine the grits, water and milk in a large pot. Bring to a boil on high heat and, stirring continuously, reduce heat to low over the next 20 minutes. Add white pepper to taste, so the grits have just a little zing. When the grits are nice and creamy, add the cheese and stir to combine. Some people serve this on a plate, I like my grits in bowl. I made a batch of slightly sweet, milk and sugar-topped three ingredient Soda Biscuits to accompany the grits. Get 'em while they're hot!

Tortilla Española

Also known as Tortilla de patata. Has nothing to do with those thin skillet-bread things from Mexico. This classic Spanish dish can be breakfast, brunch, dinner, or even a sandwich on nice crusty bread.

My recipe is for an individual tortilla in a skillet 8'-9” in diameter. Double the ingredients (or more) for a larger (12” skillet) tortilla

2 Eggs, beaten

1 Potato (red or gold) sliced 3/8” thick (skin on) to cover the bottom on the skillet

1/4 cup diced Red Onion

Salt & Pepper to taste

Beat the eggs and add to them the diced onion.

Lay the potato slices on a plate and pre-cook them for 3 minutes or so in the microwave util they're getting just a bit soft. Heat an Oven Proof skillet to medium-high and add a splash of EVOO. Fry the potatoes on one side until nicely browned. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Turn your broiler on High. Turn the potato slices over.  Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes and let it cook, undisturbed, for a minute or two while the broiler heats up. Add additional salt and pepper if desired.

Slide the skillet (top shelf) under your broiler for a minute or three until the surface of the eggs starts to brown and is nice and puffy. Serve hot or cold, with a splash of Salsa Aperitivo (I'm working up my own recipe for this salsa and will report it here soon).

Quiche Inna Cup

Well, quiche in a mug anyway. I saw this on the 'Net and just had to try it as a potential breakfast dish for our guests. Pretty simple really.

2 Eggs, beaten

1 cup fillings (onion, bell pepper, bacon or ham, cheese, tomato, etc.)

1 Mug (mine was 3-3/8” x 4-1/2” and holds 1-1/2 cups of liquid)

Combine the ingredients in a bowl.

Then pour them into a mug.

Microwave in 1 minute intervals (or less) for 4 minutes. The filling will rise (a lot) and to prevent overflow you'll want to work in shorter and shorter nuke intervals until you reach 4 minutes. Five minutes will make your quiche too dry; three might not be cooked enough.

Actually, for this size mug, 1 cup of filling and two eggs was a bit too much, as you can see from the photo. Or maybe not.

Serve in the mug (the fun way); or run a knife around the edge and serve on a plate (the stodgy way).

Paella and a Stir Fry

Only two recipes this week, but they're reallly good!

Paella Mixta

Another in a long list of dishes I haven't made in years. Back in the Dark Ages, I made this the first few times in a stock pot rather than a wide, shallow pan! Then I got a real paella pan and had a blast!  Paella is a great party dish  because it serves quite a few people without a great deal of hassle.  The amounts below serve 6-8 hungry adults.

Paella is an old Spanish dish, originating around the area of Valencia on the east coast. The culinary masters of New Orleans, America's first foodie city, took the concept, changed it up a bit (including the aforesaid deep cooking vessel) and called it Jambalaya – rice cooked up through layers of “anything that swims, crawls, flies or walks”, plus celery, onion and bell pepper.

We had our neighbors over for dinner on Saturday, and it was an excuse for me to break out the paella pan for the first time in ages. There is a huge variety of paella recipes, the one I made would be called Paella Mixta – meat and seafood and vegetables; but you can have all seafood, all veggies and many many more. The common ingredients between varieties are white rice and saffron. Beans of one kind or another are also very common. Here's everything you need:

2 cups Valencia rice (short grain rice is more sticky than long grain; better for paella)

1 Red Bell

1 Green Bell

2 cans cooked Beans (I used Cargamanto or Cranberry beans, but any bean will do)

2 Chicken Breasts

1 lb Shrimp

1 link (9”) Andouille Sausage

1 Red Onion, diced

2 Roma tomatoes

4 cloves Garlic, minced

1 pinch Saffron (Don't have saffron, the ubiquitous Turmeric will do if you must.)

 Sally and I both have paella pans which are 16"-18" in diameter.  If you don't have a paella pan, use the widest, shallowest skillet you have.  If you've only got a 12" skillet, cut the ingredient amounts in half, and make dinner for 3 or 4 rather than 6-8.  FWIW, you can also cook a paella over your grill instead of the stove top.

Triage, or mis en place as the French say is really important to the simple and successful creation of this dish.  Cut up everything and put it in bowls where you can access it quickly and easily.  Here's my mis en place:

 Slice the sausage into coins. Peel the shrimp, or not (I do). Cut the chicken into strips or bite sized pieces. Slice the onion, bell peppers and tomatoes. 

Paella is all about layers – layers of flavors and ingredients. The bottom layer is invariably rice. Rice with that pinch of saffron. Let the rice start to brown just a bit, then add about two cups of water or broth.

Now start  layering the other ingredients.  I like to alternate layers of meat and veg, saving the shrimp (or other delicate seafood) until last.

I put down the chicken first, as it takes longest to cook. That's the only thing you touch after it goes in the pan. After I turned the chicken over, I added the bell peppers and garlic.

After that it's add the sausage, followed by the tomatoes beans and onions.  About now you'll need to add more water or broth, because the rice will have absorbed the first lot.

 By now the rice should be mostly cooked. If not, add more liquid and continue simmering. When the rice is cooked, let the pan go dry but try not to let things burn.  In the last few minutes add the shrimp as they take only a couple minutes to cook.

One of the delights for paella aficianados is the layer of crusty toasted (some say burnt) rice at the bottom of the pan, called socarrat.

Serve with crusty bread and butter, or pa amb tomquet -- toast rubbed with raw garlic and tomato, for sopping up any errant juices.

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

 I needed something different to do with broccoli the other night, and remembered this dish -- my first ever stir fry, copied from Martin Yan of Yan Can Cook, the old Saturday morning PBS show that was my introduction to Asian cooking.  Every week, sifu Yan would say  "If Yan Can Cook, you can too!"   Serves two.

I doctor my Beef & Broccoli up with some green onion, snowpea pods, and mushrooms.

1/3 lb Deli Roast Beef sliced 1/8" thin

1 head Broccoli, florettes trimmed off

2 Green Onions, sliced thin

1/2 cup chopped Snow Pea Pods

1/2 cup sliced Mushrooms

Sauce:

1/4 cup low sodium Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce

2 Tbsp Rice Wine

2 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil

While your wok or large skillet is heating as hot as it will go, slice the beef into strips, trim the broccoli, and other ingredients.  In a cup combine the liquids for the sauce.

Toss is a tablespoon or two (no more) of EVOO, and swirl it in the pan.  Add the beef strips and toss them around for a minute or three.  Remove from the pan and reserve.  Now stir fry the veggies for a minute or two.  Add the beef back to the pan, stir, then pour the sauce overall.  Cook another minute or two until the sauce starts to thicken, then serve.   Takes less time to prepare than it takes my rice cooker to make a small pot of rice.

I prefer Deli sliced beef for three reasons.  One, it's already mostly cooked, making my job easier.  Two it's much more tender than that stuff sold in the meat department as Beef For Stir Fry. Three, you can buy as much or little beef as you need, not just a plastic wrapped package of 'trimmings'.

Fish Balls, Broccoli Salad, Turkey Chili Mac

Several interesting and tasty dishes for you to try this week.  Some of them older than I am!
 

Broccoli Salad

A refreshing change for a dinner side salad. I hadn't made one like this is donkey's years, but was reminded of it the other day.

4 cups small Broccoli florets
1-1/2 cups halved seedless Green Grapes
1 cup chopped Celery
1 cup Raisins

1 sweet Apple, chopped (not a Granny Smith or a Red Delicious, the most flavorless apples on the market)
1/4 cup salted Sunflower Seed kernels
1/3 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain Yogurt
3 tablespoons Sugar
1 tablespoon White Wine Vinegar

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the mayonnaise and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Pour dressing over broccoli mixture, and toss well. Chill for at least an hour. Makes 8 servings (serving size, about 1 cup).

Cod Catalunya

Catalunya or Catalonia is the name of a major region of northeastern Spain with it's own language, bordered by France in the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean. Sally's Dad retired there, and she visited him twice yearly until his passing a couple years ago.

This simple pan-poached cod on a bed of neutral-flavored cucumber slices, is dressed with a pinch of cumin and a couple teaspoons of Spanish Salsa Verde, which in the Catalan language is called Salsa Jurvert. “Jur” being Catalonian for 'basil', a major component of the condiment.

I paired my Cod Catalunya with the Broccoli Salad (not a Catalonian dish) above and steamed peas for a tasty mid-week dinner.

Chili Mac

Here's another dish I haven't made in decades. I don't know why. Last time I'm pretty sure I made it the “traditional” way with ground beef and macaroni. This time around I used multicolor corkscrew pasta, ground turkey, and a product new to me from Ro*Teltm which was the inspiration for making the dish – Chili Fixin's. This is not your usual Ro*Tel, it's much darker and richer in flavor – the perfect tomato base for a chili, with just the right amount of heat for us. If you want things hotter, add some cayenne, red pepper flakes, or hot pepper sauce, to taste.

1 lb Ground Turkey

1 12oz box multicolor Rotini pasta

1 can Ro*Tel Chili Fixin's

1/2c cup diced Onion

1/2c cup mixed red and green Bell Peppers

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Sazon Completetm from Badia spices or another 24/7 kind of spice blend

Shredded Cheese – I like the “Mexican Blend”

Cook the pasta according to shortest time on the package directions; you want it al dente. Drain. Reserve.

Brown the ground turkey and saute the veggies. When the veggies are starting to soften, add the can of Ro*Tel and stir. Taste and adjust the flavor with the other spices if necessary. Add to the cooking sauce about half of the cooked pasta (save the rest for another dish), and stir to combine. Cover and cook another 5 minutes to heat the pasta through. Plate and top with shredded cheese to taste.

You can freeze cooked leftover pasta in a zip-top bag. To bring it back from the dead, drop the frozen pasta in boiling water for about 2 minutes.

Any Meat Balls

I got this technique from Melissa Clark, via The New York Times Food Section. Serves 4; takes 20 minutes.

“Making great meatballs is all about memorizing a basic ratio that you can adjust to suit your taste. Start with a pound of ground meat — any kind will work, even fish if you want to take it in that direction. Add 1/2 cup bread crumbs for lightness, a teaspoon of salt, and an egg to bind it together. That’s all you need. Pepper and other spices, chopped herbs and minced allium (garlic, onion, scallions or shallot) can be added to taste. Then broil or fry as you like.”

Hmmmm. Fish balls, he said wonderingly?

My Fish Balls

3/4 lb Tilapia or any nice white fish

½ tsp Salt

1/3 cup Panko

1 Egg

1 Tbsp Fish Spice – I love the Pride of Szged tm brand

1-265 Green Onion minced

1/4 cup minced Crimini mushroom

Take the fish for a spin in your food processor until its 'small' but not mushy. In a bowl, combine the fish with everything else. Divide into 6 portions and roll into balls. I baked mine, in cups, @400F for 20-25 minutes. A mini-muffin tin would be the perfect baking medium. Or you could pan fry, or even deep fry the balls.

Hard Boiled Eggs

Last week's Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches raised the question of “How do you hard boil eggs?”

Really?

Well, alright. In today's world where you can buy peeled hardboiled eggs, I suppose some people have never learned this kitchen basic.

Put the eggs in a largish, deep pot, covered by about an inch by water. Bring to a hard rolling boil. Turn the fire off, cover the pot and set it aside for 15 minutes, off the heat. Drain and rinse the eggs and put them back in the pot with a couple handfuls of ice cubes, and water to cover.

Wait a few minutes till the ice is mostly melted, unless you like really cold hands! Roll and tap the eggs to crack the shells very fine, then underwater, peel the eggs. Makes it much easier to get the shell and that skin off. Don't try this on land, kids... keep them under the agua!

Afternoon Tea Delights and Kansas City Steak Filets Mignon

Saturday we celebrated Sally's Mum's 80^th birthday with an afternoon tea. We invited a number of her old work chums, plus friends and family, and had a great time. Naturally, I did a lot of the food, although we did have some 'boughten' elements.

Strawberry Scones

Makes 8 wedges or more than a dozen 3” rounds

2-1/2 cups AP Flour

3 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter, cut into chunks

1-1/2 cups chopped fresh Strawberries

2 Eggs, beaten

1/2 cup Half-and-Half (make that a "scant" half cup, so the dough isn't too moist)

Best done the day before: take 1/2 cup of chopped strawberry and mash them in a bowl. Add the sugar and a splash of water, and stir to combine. Let the mix set overnight in the fridge to make a strawberry syrup.

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut-in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gently toss in the strawberries. Make a well in center of the mixture; set aside.

In another bowl stir together the eggs, half-and-half, and the strawberry syrup, and beat until well combined. Add the egg mixture to flour mixture a bit at a time, stirring with a spatula until the flour mix is just moistened. If too wet, add a bit more flour.

Turn dough out onto a generously floured surface. Knead the dough 5 or 6 times by folding and pressing. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pat or lightly roll the dough into a 3/4-inch-thick disk. Slice disk into wedges and pull apart slightly. Or cut into rounds, reforming the dough as needed.

Brush with additional half-and-half and sprinkle with extra sugar. Bake about 30 minutes or until golden.

Crumpets

Crumpets are sorta like English muffins. But that's like saying a Mazeratti is sorta like an Oldsmobile. This recipe makes about a dozen, and takes nearly 4 hours to complete. You're going to need crumpet rings or egg rings for this recipe.

1 lb AP flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 pkt fast-rising active dry yeast

1/2 pint warm milk

1/2 pint warm water

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Put the flour and salt into a large bowl and stir in the sugar and yeast. Make a well in the center. Pour in the warm milk and water, and mix to create a thick batter. Beat well until completely combined and then cover with a towel or cling film.

Leave the batter in a warm place to rise for an hour until it's a light, spongy texture. I like to use the microwave, it cuts down on drafts as well as keeps things at a decent temp.

After the hour of rise, stir the batter well to knock out any air. Yep, sounds crazy, but it works. Now add the baking soda, stir again, and allow to rise for another hour.

Heat a non-stick frying pan, or griddle, over a very low heat (325F) with a wipe of oil or butter. Wipe with a paper towel to remove excess oil/butter. Sit greased crumpet rings in the pan, and leave them to heat up for a couple of minutes. My electric skillet only holds 5 egg rings.

Pour in enough mixture to fill the rings almost to the top of the rings. It took a bit less than 1/4 cup of batter per egg ring.

The batter will rise a bit during cooking, and you want the crumpets to finish about 3/4" thick. Let them cook until lots of small holes appear on the surface, and the batter has just dried out (like a pancake). This takes 10-15 minutes. Don't hurry...

While a batch is cooking, cover the batter and return it to the microwave. That way you'll get a bit more rise.

Remove the rings and turn. the crumpets over to cook for an additional 10-15 minutes on the other side.

You want the crumpets lightly browned. To serve, slice in half, and slather with butter while still hot. Or slice in half and toast slightly before applying butter, preserves, or curd.

Tea Sandwiches

I made three kinds: Chicken Salad, Egg Salad, and Vegetable Paté. All sandwiches are made without crusts on plain white bread, and quartered. Let the bread “air” for an hour or so, so it becomes a bit stiff. This makes it easier to cut off the crusts and spread with the fillings.

Chicken Salad

Take 1/2 lb deli chicken breast sliced 1/8” thin, then cross-grain cut into a fine mince. Add mayonnaise, minced celery and green onion, salt, white pepper and paparika to taste and texture.

Deviled Egg Salad

Hardboil six eggs, peel and chop fine. Add mayonnaise, minced green onion and celery, salt, white pepper, and Cajun spice to taste and texture.

Vegetable Paté

In a food processor, combine a cup of cooked lentils, half a cup of cooked Pinto beans, a Tablespoon or more of Arhar Dal, Indian spice blend, and 1/4 cup EVOO. Take it for a spin until you've got a smooth consistency. Add a bit more EVOO if necessary. Turn out into a container and fold in 1/4 cup diced onion and the same amount of diced red bell pepper.

Kansas City Steaks – Filets Mignon

Back in November, when I competed in the World Food Championships Food Blogger competition, our sponsor Kansas City Steaks promised to send us each some additional beef. One thing led to another, and eventually were got our beef. I chose four filets mignon, the same cut I'd used to take second place in the cook-off.

Since Holly (the beef-a-holic) made a flying visit for her Grandma's birthday I figured that would be the perfect time to make this perfect cut of beef. So for Sunday brunch, the day after the party, I reprised my award winning filet recipe.

Marinate the steaks for an hour in a zip-top bag filled with Mojo Criollo sauce. 

Preheat the oven to 275F. Cook the steaks 15-20 minutes to an internal temperature of 95F. Remove the steaks from the oven and sear 2-3 minutes per side for a perfect medium-rare steak. I served them with steamed green beans and mashed potatoes assembled by Sally.