Poached Salmon with Shallot, Tarragon, Dill Sauce

 

Poached Salmon with Shallot, Tarragon, Dill Sauce

Poached salmon is lovely and light for lunch or dinner.
Photo credit: Rebecca Penovich

I was inspired to make salmon with a dill sauce in tribute to the Sochi Olympics 2014 kicking off on Friday.  As I researched online about traditional Russian foods and in a book I own called A Year of Russian Feasts by Catherine Cheremeteff Jones, I realized I know very little about Russian cuisine.

Not one salmon recipe in “A Year of Russian Feasts.”   No salmon in this well-researched article from the Vancouver Sun, “Russian Food, Beyond Pierogies and Cabbage Rolls.”

"Meat, Fowl and Brussels Sprouts Against the Window" by Pyotr Konchalovsky (1937)

“Meat, Fowl and Brussels Sprouts Against the Window” by Pyotr Konchalovsky (1937)

What I discovered were lots of recipes with walnuts (chicken with walnuts, salads with walnuts, walnut sauces, walnut cakes), dumplings, cheese blini, kasha, beets, cabbage, and a popular potato salad called Olivier which incorporates peas, carrots, and salted cucumbers with mayonnaise dressing.

There is much to explore and the cuisine is as vast and varied as the country itself. Mia Stainsby enlightens us in her article “Russian Food, Beyond Pierogies and Cabbage Rolls”:

“Russian food is closely connected to the food of neighbouring countries like Ukraine, the Baltic Republics, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Azerbaijan; they were formerly part of the former Soviet Union.”

While the skiers, snowboarders, and figure skaters in Sochi will be tucking into shish kebab with lamb and vegetables, smoked fish and pickled vegetables, you can make this poached salmon with an easy side of pirozhki from the refrigerator case.

Photo credit: Rebecca Penovich

Photo credit: Rebecca Penovich

Poached Salmon with Shallot, Tarragon, & Dill Sauce

Ingredients

  • 4 salmon filets (about 6 oz each, 1-inch thick) (I leave the skin on to protect it from drying out while simmering)
  • 4 cups chicken stock (I used homemade but you could also use a white wine and water/stock combination)
  • 1 T. chopped shallot
  • Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

For the sauce:

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 T. poaching liquid from the salmon
  • 1 T. chopped shallot
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
  • pinch of kosher salt

Directions

  • In a deep 10-inch skillet with straight sides, bring stock to a simmer.
  • Add the chopped shallot and simmer 2 minutes.
  • Season salmon filets on both sides with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  • Submerge 4 salmon filets, skin sides down, in one layer in the simmering liquid. Cover and poach at a bare simmer, about 8 minutes, or until just cooked through and light pink.
  • Transfer cooked salmon with a slotted spatula to a platter.
  • When salmon is cool enough to handle, peel off skin if desired.  Salmon may be cooked 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
Photo credit:  Rebecca Penovich

Photo credit: Rebecca Penovich

To make the sauce:

  • Gently heat the sour cream in a small, heavy-bottomed sauce pan over very low heat. (You don’t want it to curdle.)
  • Add 1 T. of the poaching liquid and the chopped shallots
  • Warm the sour cream (don’t simmer it) and stir with wooden spoon for 3 minutes to let shallots release their juice.
  • Take off the heat and add tarragon, dill, and pinch of salt.
  • Taste and adjust seasonings to your taste. (If you like more dill, add it.  I like lots of tarragon flavor.)

Go team USA!

U.S. skier Joss Christensen gets in a practice run for Ski Slopestyle ahead of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at the Extreme Park at Rosa Khutor Mountain. (Lars Baron / Getty Images / February 4, 2014)

U.S. skier Joss Christensen gets in a practice run for Ski Slopestyle ahead of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at the Extreme Park at Rosa Khutor Mountain. (Lars Baron / Getty Images / February 4, 2014)

Japanese Dumpling Soup

Japanese-Dumpling-Soup

This is a delicious and easy soup to make.  It is also so light and nutritious that you will feel virtuous eating it.

The key is using a very good chicken broth.  I made my own, using the carcass of a roasted chicken we had the night before but I also like Swanson’s Chicken Broth (a brand I use all the time in my cooking.)

Since the soup was so simple (frozen gyoza dumplings from Trader Joe’s, chopped vegetables, aromatics) I took the extra time to reduce and strain my broth twice to remove impurities and boost the flavor.

I even took the time to make a ‘raft’ of egg whites to clarify the broth further.  Have you heard of this French technique?

Lightly whip 3-4 egg whites (depending on how much broth you have) and bring the broth just to a boil, pour the egg whites on top of the broth and turn the broth down to a simmer.  The egg whites coagulate on top, forming a ‘raft’ and the proteins, foam, and other ‘floaties’ gravitate to the raft and stick there, clarifying your broth.

After several minutes, you ladle out the egg white raft and throw it away and you have a very clear, clean soup.

My mother made beef consommé from scratch for my brother’s high school French class and I remember her using this technique to the letter (probably from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.) I also remember her saying that the classic consommé was a lot of work and what you end up with is beef stock!

Photo credit: WGBH

Photo credit: WGBH

So fiddle with your stock or not, but do make this soup and feel good whilst slurping it.

Ingredients

  • 6 cups clear chicken broth (homemade if you can bother)
  • 1 slice fresh ginger root, peeled (a coin about 1/4 in. thick will do)
  • 1 cup diced peeled carrots (about 2 medium)
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 package frozen chicken, pork or shrimp gyoza from Trader Joe’s (I used pork but the shrimp gyoza are also very good
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 4 thinly sliced green onions, with green tops for garnish

Directions

  • Heat the broth to simmer and add the carrots, celery, and ginger.
  • Simmer for 10 minutes and then remove the ginger root (the broth should be lightly infused with ginger.)
  • Bring soup up to just a boil and add the gyoza dumplings, immediately turn the heat back down so dumplings are at a simmer.
  • Add the soy sauce and the green onions.
  • Simmer dumplings for about 8 minutes until tender.
  • Ladle soup and dumplings into bowls and garnish with the parsley.

Slurp!

Japanese-Dumpling-Soup

Mushroom and Wild Rice Bisque

Mushroom and Wild Rice Bisque

Mushrooms and wild rice were a centerpiece of my Minnesota childhood holiday meals. Both ingredients were considered “spendy” (Minnesota slang for expensive), and thus we didn’t have them everyday.

On Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter my mom would break away from the budget and our guests would be treated to luxurious dishes that made these holidays special, such as Minnesota Wild Rice Casserole which combined sautéed onions, green pepper, celery, button mushrooms,  chopped pimento and lots and lots of butter.

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Wild rice is actually a grass, sustainably harvested by hand by the Ojibwe Nation in northern Minnesota.

Mushroom and wild rice soup was a budget-friendly alternative.  You could have a small cup or bowl if you were out shopping, which my mom and I did at Byerly’s, an upscale grocery store in St. Paul.  My sister, who lived in the more cosmopolitan Minneapolis, took me to Cafe Brenda in the 1980s, and this is the soup I came to love.

Raw mushrooms

Mushroom and Wild Rice Bisque

adapted from The Cafe Brenda Cookbook: Redefining Seafood and Vegetarian Cuisine

Ingredients

  • 3/4 C. wild rice (order from White Earth Nation/Ojibwe site)
  • 7 C. vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1/3 C. long-grain brown rice
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 green onion, chopped (optional) (save the green parts for garnish on top)
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 4 T. butter
  • 1 pound mushrooms, sliced (I used a combination of cremini and white button)
  • 2 C. half and half
  • 1/4 C. parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire
  • salt and pepper to taste

Sliced mushrooms

Directions

  • Rinse wild rice thoroughly in a strainer.
  • Bring stock to a boil, add wild rice, brown rice and rosemary sprigs.  
  • Simmer, covered, for 1 hour or until rice is tender.  
  • While rice is cooking, chop vegetables.
  • Sauté onions, carrot, and celery in 2 T. of butter until very soft (about 10 minutes.)
  • Warm the half and half in a saucepan and add the vegetable mixture.  Let steep for 5-10 minutes.
  • Melt remaining 2 T. of butter and sauté the mushrooms until nicely colored and soft.
  • Add half of the mushroom mixture to the vegetables and half and half.  Puree the vegetables in the pot with your immersion blender or pour into a blender and puree.
  • Add the pureed mixture to the rice and stock mixture and stir to combine.  Take out the rosemary sprigs.
  • Add the remaining sautéed mushrooms.
  • Season the soup with Worcestershire, salt, pepper and parsley.
  • Simmer the soup gently, until heated through but do not let it boil.  Flavors develop best overnight.

Mushroom and wild rice bisque

 

 

wild rice harvest

The Ojibwe people still harvest wild rice by hand in Northern Minnesota. Photo: White Earth Nation.

Pan-Seared Lamb Chops with Mint, Roasted Carrots, and Chez Panisse Bread Crumb Salsa

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This week these lovely lamb loin chops were on sale at our local grocery store for $9.99/pound.  Usually when we are in the mood for lamb I buy a bone-in or boneless leg and roast it slowly or cut it up for an Indian curry.   Rack of lamb and individual chops are expensive (up to $16.99/pound in our part of the country) and thus, I did not want to mess this recipe up!

I had this Bon Appétit recipe saved in my Epicurious recipe box online.  It had garnered raves and 4 forks so it was time to try it.  I was intrigued by the marinade which included both cumin and coriander in addition to the traditional mint and garlic.

Lamb loin chops

Savory Mint Lamb Chops

Makes 4 servings

Recipe technique adapted slightly from Bon Appétit  October 2006; originally published April 1991

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 (1- to 1 1/2-inch-thick) lamb loin chops (about 5 ounces each), trimmed

Directions

  • Place olive oil, chopped fresh mint, minced garlic, salt, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, and black pepper in small bowl; mix well.
  • Spread herb mixture over both sides of lamb chops. Let stand 10 minutes.

[Rebecca’s Note: I find that lamb benefits greatly from a longer marinating time. The flavors permeate the meat and enhance the lamb’s natural flavor. Let the chops sit in the marinade (turn occasionally) for at least an hour or overnight if you wish.]

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The Bon Appétit recipe called for broiling the chops for 4 minutes per side but in my test the chops were a bit overdone (could have been my oven’s broiler temperature) and they lacked the crust you get when you sear meat.

The marinade was a keeper; even the overdone chops had a great flavor.  I tested another batch of the chops with the same marinade and this time fired up my cast iron skillets.

  • Preheat oven to 400°.
  • Carefully blot the marinade from the chops with paper towels.  You want a good sear on the chops and a wet chop will create steam.
  • Heat the cast iron pan over medium high heat and then add a teaspoon of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

[My searing technique:  heat up the dry cast iron over your flame for at least a minute or two to get it nice and hot, THEN add your bit of oil and let that heat up for another minute til a drop of water sizzles in the oil.]

  • Sear the chops over medium high heat for 2 and 1/2 minutes per side (4 chops fit in my pan so I use TWO pans for 8 chops); then place the skillet with chops in the hot oven for another 2-3 minutes.

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  • Place cooked chops on your cutting board and let them rest for 5 minutes to absorb their juices.

This resulted in a perfectly tender, rare to medium-rare chop (a little bit of pink in the center.)

NOTE: Cooking times for lamb chops will vary according to their thickness; I always err on the side of rare because you can always put them back in (but you can’t un-cook them!)
I am a sucker for an herbaceous pesto, salsa or chimichurri and this one from the Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook (via the Alexandra Cooks blog) is spectacular with the lamb.

Bread Crumb Salsa

Source: Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
  • kosher salt
  • 1 shallot, finely minced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped thyme (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon capers, drained and minced
  • 2 oil-packed anchovies, cleaned and chopped (I used 1 T. anchovy paste because that’s what I had; it worked fine)
  • kosher salt to taste

Directions

>Heat a medium skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil. When the oil starts looking hot, add the bread crumbs and a pinch of kosher salt and turn the heat down to medium.

[Rebecca’s Note: In all honesty, I burnt the crumbs while I was checking my email and thus left them out. The salsa was still fantastic. If you don’t want the bread or don’t have the time; go ahead and skip them this time.]

  • Meanwhile, place minced shallots in a small bowl and cover with the vinegar. Let stand for at least 15 minutes. [There is a reason Alice Waters does this; it mellows the shallots’ bite and subtly pickles them. Don’t skip this step; make a time allowance for it.]
  • In a separate bowl, stir together the oil, chopped herbs, minced capers and minced anchovies.
  • Before serving, add the toasted bread crumbs and macerated shallots to the bowl of oil and herbs. Stir to combine.

Roasted Carrots

Roasted Carrots

This is my go-to recipe for cooked carrots. Roasting brings out the flavor and the method is hands-off so you can attend to other cooking matters (like searing expensive meat) and know your carrots are going to be just right.

Ingredients

  • 6 large carrots, peeled (about a pound)
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 T. chopped parsley
  • 1 T. lemon zest

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a baking dish, toss the carrots with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until tender.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley and lemon zest.

Grilled Salmon, Asparagus, Lime Butter, Quinoa, Parsley, Mint

Grilled Salmon with Lime-Butter Sauce

 

 

Oh salmon and asparagus lovers, make this for dinner TO-NIGHT.  It was insanely delicious and very easy.

As often as I crave salmon, I find that I don’t buy it or cook it enough.  It’s not a favorite meal of my husband or son (even though the husband will eat it).  It seems too finicky and expensive to do for group entertaining (although I love to serve it at smaller dinner parties.)  So I often find myself passing it by in the grocery store, until one day, I just must have it and cook it for myself.  My comfort food.

This recipe, adapted from Gourmet’s Ian Knauer is wonderful.  The key is the lime butter sauce (I know, not healthy.)  But oh so good.  And a little goes a long way (unless you eat it by the spoonful as you are ‘testing’ as I did.)

I always buy salmon filet with the skin on.  Go for wild-caught Pacific salmon if you can find it.  If your store only has Atlantic farm-raised salmon, look for  pink-fleshed, firm filets, and go ahead and be persnickety–go to the fish counter and ask the seafood guy or gal a few questions.  Take a sniff.  Fish should smell like the sea (a little bit briny) but not at all fishy.

 

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I cut these salmon filets myself from one large piece of salmon. (That is why one is smaller than the other three.) You can have your fish guy cut it for you or get all center-cut pieces for more expense.

Ingredients

For the salmon:

  • 4 (6-oz) pieces center-cut salmon fillet (about 1 inch thick) with skin
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 tablespoons lime butter sauce

For the asparagus:

  • 1 1/2 lb medium asparagus (24), trimmed
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt

For the Lime-Butter Sauce:

  • 1 large garlic clove, chopped
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
For the quinoa with mint and parsley:
  • 1 C. uncooked quinoa
  • 2 C. water or stock (as package requires)
  • 1/4 C. chopped fresh mint
  • 1/4 C. chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 C. Lime-Butter Sauce
  • Pinch of kosher salt to taste

Directions

For the Salmon:

  • Preheat your grill (medium high heat for gas or about 350°).  Make sure grill grates are clean and brush them with oil so fish does not stick.
  • Brush fillets lightly on both sides with extra virgin olive oil, then season both flesh and skin sides with salt and pepper.
  • Put salmon filets on hot grill, SKIN side down; grill with the lid closed without moving them until skin crisps and you can lift with a spatula, about  6-7 minutes (depending on how thick your filets are.)
  • Hint:  once the albumen (the white stuff that is a protein in salmon) shows on the flesh surface that means it’s almost done.

Do NOT flip until you can easily loosen the salmon skin from the grill grate. (I usually don’t flip them at all because I find they fall apart.  I want tender salmon and I don’t want it all to fall in the grate.)

For the Grilled Asparagus:

 

I like the thin spears.

Lovely thin spears.

  • Prepare grill (to medium high heat, as for salmon above.)
  • Toss trimmed asparagus with olive oil and season with kosher salt.
  • Place asparagus perpendicular directly on the oiled grill rack (or alternatively place on a grill pan so they don’t go through the grate ) and grill until blistered and tender, 3 to 5 minutes, turning occasionally.

 

For the Lime-Butter Sauce:

This sauce, as simple as it is, was out of this world.  It elevates the entire dish and you will want it on everything.  It’s a bit like a citrusy hollandaise but without the egg yolks.  Thank you, Ian Knauer, for this killer sauce.
  • Purée garlic clove with lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth.
  • With motor running, add melted butter and blend until emulsified, about 30 seconds.

Lime butter sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Stir before using.

 

Lime Butter Sauce

For the Quinoa with Parsley and Mint:

I made the quinoa the night before, following the package directions.

  • Cook the quinoa in 2 and 1/4 to 2 and 1/2 cups fresh water, covered, until all of the water is absorbed.  Add pinch of kosher salt to taste. (You can also cook the quinoa in chicken or vegetable stock if you desire a more robust taste.)  At this point you can refrigerate the quinoa over night and reheat it before serving.
  • Scoop the cooked quinoa into a bowl and add the chopped mint and parsley.  Toss.
  • Before plating with the grilled salmon and asparagus, add 1/4 C. of the warm Lime-Butter Sauce to the quinoa.  Toss.

To serve:

Place a scoop of warm quinoa and herb mixture on plate.  Top with grilled salmon filet.  Serve with grilled asparagus on the side.  Spoon Lime-Butter Sauce over the salmon and enjoy!

(Rebecca’s Note:  Here’s a marriage hint.  If you love under-done fish (I would call it “just-right”) and your husband loves over-done fish (he would call it “not raw”), remember that you can always finish it in the oven or on stove-top.

Grilled Salmon with Lime-Butter Sauce

It can be hard to see things out there on the grill unless you have an outdoor kitchen with as much lighting as your regular kitchen.  Restaurants routinely finish grilled or seared steaks in the oven (after bathing them in herb butter.)  In this recipe you’ve got lime butter sauce going for you.  If you bring your grilled salmon in from outside and it looks just right to you but too pink for  your significant other, then put the filet in question in a heated, oiled cast iron pan (fish flesh down or up) and spoon some of the lime butter sauce on top. Get a sear on it, and let him decide when it’s done. In fact, if you want a good sear or char on your fish but want it tender on the inside, you might want to do this treatment on yours as well.)

 

Joe’s Lunchbox: Veggie Fried Rice

 

Veggie fried brown rice with green onion and scrambled egg.

Veggie fried brown rice with green onion and scrambled egg.

 

Joe came home from his 5th-grade nutrition class saying that he’d like to eat less meat and more vegetables and grains.  I said, that’s great!  Let’s try some new recipes. I’d like to eat less meat, too!

So I’ve been making of lot of rice (brown and basmati), beans (pinto and black), and several permutations of this vegetable fried rice.  Fried rice is a good way to use up leftover steamed rice and whatever else might be languishing in your vegetable bin (green onions, shallots, carrots, celery, mushrooms, broccoli, frozen peas, corn).

 

Rice cookers come in a vast array of price ranges.

Rice cookers come in a vast array of price ranges.  I bought mine (same make and model as pictured) at a thrift store for $6 but you can pay up to $199 for a fancy one with digital display.

 

I bought a rice cooker at the thrift store and we’ve been putting it to use, making rice at least once a week.  Normally I’m not a fan of gadgets that are devoted to one single purpose.  I already have too many gadgets.  My good friend (whose husband comes from a large Filipino family and eats rice at every meal, including breakfast) swore she could not live without hers and now I am a convert.

It is so easy to cook rice this way if you are going to be cooking it once a week or more. The rice steams perfectly and the cooker turns itself off (into ‘warm’ mode) when it’s ready so it is very forgiving of your timeline.  The rice comes out just right, every single time.  (No more peeking under the lid to check if rice is done.)

Here’s the scenario:  rush home from work or whatever your activity was pre-dinner, walk in the door, get out the rice cooker, pour a cup of rice in and at least a cup and half of water, push the button, then live your life, write your blog, check your email, feed the cat and/or dog, throw a load of laundry in, get the mail, pay a bill online, pick that random sock off the floor, and in 20 minutes or so, rice is done.  Check.

 

Excellent Chinese cookbook by Nancie McDermott.

Excellent Chinese cookbook by Nancie McDermott.

 

Nancie McDermott, author of Quick and Easy Chinese: 70 Everyday Recipes (Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 2008) includes four recipes for fried rice.  Once you have her method, you can adapt the recipes to include what you have on hand (or exclude what you don’t.)  You’ll need some basic Asian pantry items (soy sauce, sesame oil) and if you’d like you can jazz it up with other Asian sauces, condiments, or chile pastes you might have.

I love going to our big Asian grocery store, so my exotic condiment shelves overflow.

 

Love spicy, garlicky Asian condiments.

Love spicy, garlicky Asian condiments.

 

Seriously though.  You only need soy sauce and sesame oil (plus aromatics like garlic, ginger, onion) to make an outstanding fried rice.

Vegetables for fried rice

 

 

Garlic and brown eggs still life,

Here is Nancie’s recipe for Ham-and-Egg Fried Rice which I have adapted by taking out the ham and adding more vegetables and aromatics.  The excellent cooking instructions are hers with some adaptations from me.

Basic Veggie Fried Rice

Serves 4.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cooked rice, cold or at room temperature (Note from Rebecca: use up that leftover rice from your Chinese takeout order)
  • 1 T. vegetable oil
  • 1 T. sesame oil
  • 1 T. chopped garlic
  • 1 T. dark soy sauce
  • 1/2 C. shredded carrot (I peel the outer layer of a large carrot and discard the dirty peel, then keep shaving the carrot into ribbons until I have 1/2 C.  Then cut the ribbons in half to make them more bite-size.)
  • 3 T. chopped green onion
  • 3 well-beaten eggs

Directions

  • Break up the rice clumps into individual grains for easy stir-frying.
  • Heat a wok or large, deep skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the oils and swirl to coat the pan.  Add the garlic and green onions and cook, stirring often, for 15 seconds.  Do not let the garlic burn.  If you feel (see or smell it burning) turn the heat down!
  • Add the eggs and then tilt the pan to spread them out.  Stir the eggs and aromatics together and scramble the eggs into soft lumps.
  • When the eggs have barely scrambled, add the rice all at once and toss.
  • Cook the rice, tossing often, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add the soy sauce and stir.
  • Add the carrot ribbons and toss another 30 seconds until rice is hot and tender.

 

The key to a stir-fry is to have all your ingredients chopped up, measured, and ready to go.  The French term is mise en place.

The key to a stir-fry is to have all your ingredients chopped up, measured, and ready to go.
The French term is mise en place.

 

Consider fried rice as your emergency back-up plan when you haven’t planned dinner or had time to shop.  The most time-consuming part of it is the chopping, and if you take a tip from my (much more well-organized) sister, you will OF COURSE have little zip-lock baggies in your fridge with the dribs and drabs of chopped garlic, chopped onion or shallot, sliced cabbage, the 3 tablespoons of cooked corn too good to throw out, the one chicken breast your family didn’t eat at dinner 2 nights ago, etcetera.

Master the method and then go forth and experiment!  Buy some crazy condiments at your Asian grocery store (which makes a fun field trip for children, by the way.)

Cheers!

Rebecca

 

 

 

Israeli Couscous with Zucchini, Herbs, and Sauteed Shrimp

Contrary to popular belief, pearl cous cous is a pasta, not a grain. Photo by Allison Beuker.

Contrary to popular belief, pearl couscous is a pasta, not a grain.
Photo by Allison Beuker.

I am always looking for interesting pasta or grain dishes to take to the pool or a cookout. Something easily transportable that will also keep well and provide the perfect vehicle for fresh vegetables and herbs from the garden.

From time to time we get bored with our old favorites:  curried rice and raisins, basil pesto with farfalle and asparagus, sesame noodles (although those are are good ones!)

Thanks to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, home cooks now have access to interesting ancient grains and starches, including exotic stuff like quinoa, Burmese red rice, farro, spelt and barley.

 

Pick up a box at your local Trader Joe's.

Pick up a box at your local Trader Joe’s.

 

In my quest to expand my grain horizons, I bought a box of Israeli pearl couscous.  The recipe on the back of the box looked tempting enough, but I thought I could doctor it up a bit to make it a main dish.

In my research on couscous, I found there is a raging debate whether couscous is a grain or a pasta.  Foodies: they are a contentious bunch.  Since couscous is made with semolina flour, I’m going to side with the ‘couscous is a pasta’ faction.  (The other side of the argument is that since semolina flour is made from a grain, couscous is a by-product of grain.  You decide.)

Pearl couscous is larger than the Moroccan couscous we typically see in tabbouleh. (Don’t ask me why pearl couscous is known as ‘Israeli’ and the other kind ‘Moroccan’ because then we might need to convene a Middle-East Peace Food Summit.)

couscous ingredients

Chopped zucchini, green onions, and shallots. Photo by Rebecca Penovich.

 

Ingredients

Serves 4.

  • 5 T. unsalted butter
  • 2 T. chopped shallots
  • 2 T. crushed garlic (I use Gourmet Garden garlic paste in the tube, it’s easier)
  • 2 T. chopped green onion (white and green parts)
  • 1 C. chopped green zucchini
  • 1 1/2 C. Israeli couscous
  • 1 3/4 C. chicken broth
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 16 medium uncooked shrimp (peeled and deveined)
  • 1 C. frozen peas (defrost them by running some cold water over them, they should still have a bit of crunch)
  • 1/4 C. freshly chopped parsley
  • 2 T. chopped fresh dill
  • 2 T. fresh lemon juice
  • zest of 1/2 lemon

 

 Directions

  • Melt  2 T. butter in large saute pan over medium heat. Add 1 T. chopped shallots,  1 T. chopped green onion, and 1 T. crushed garlic to the pan.  Add 1 1/2 cups pearl couscous (the contents of the box) to the pan and saute until golden for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add 1 3/4 C. chicken broth and 1/2 tsp. salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender.  At this point the pearl couscous will have the texture of risotto, but a bit chewier.
  • Spread the cooked couscous out on a baking sheet to cool while you saute the zucchini and the shrimp.  (I did this because I did not want the couscous to get sticky while I prepared the seafood and vegetable I wanted to mix with it.)
  • In the same large saute pan, melt 2 T. butter over medium heat and when butter is sputtering, add 16 medium count peeled, fresh shrimp to the pan.  Saute shrimp 2 minutes on each side (flipping once) until firm and pink (do not over-cook because you are going to put them back on the flame when mixed with the cooked couscous).
Saute shrimp in butter. Photo by Rebecca Penovich.

Saute shrimp in butter.
Photo by Rebecca Penovich.

 

  • Pour the cooked shrimp and butter mixture over the cooked couscous and toss.
  • In the same large saute pan, melt remaining 1 T.butter until sizzling and add remaining 1 T. chopped shallot, 1 T. crushed garlic, and 1 T. green onion.  Add 1 C. chopped zucchini. Saute zucchini and aromatics for 4 minutes until zucchini is browned but not mushy.
  • Squeeze 1 T. fresh lemon juice over sauteed zucchini and add the couscous and shrimp mixture back to the saute pan.
  • Toss all together and add 1 C. of defrosted peas, 1/4 C. of chopped, fresh parsley and 2 T. of chopped fresh dill.  Heat over low flame until peas are warm.
  • Taste and adjust seasonings by adding remaining 1 T. lemon juice, lemon zest, and a pinch of kosher salt if needed.

 

shrimp with couscous

Lamb Kofta Kebab

Grill your kofta with or without vegetables.  Photo courtesy of American Homestead.

Grilled kofta with vegetables.
Photo credit to American Homestead

 

We’ve been on a Middle Eastern food kick lately.  Something about the change in the seasons has us craving the exotic and layered spices associated with the food of this region and simple grilled meats served with a yogurt sauce, fresh herbs, and rice.

Kofta kebabs use ground meat (lamb, ground chuck, or ground sirloin) mixed with onion, garlic and spices and are easy and quick to cook.  Inexpensive and flavorful: can’t beat that for a good summer meal.

I based my kofta on this recipe from allrecipes.com but there is an almost identical one from The Food Network site.

Break open the spice cabinet, I used 10 different spices in these to imbue them with maximum flavor.

Break out the spices, this recipe calls for 10 different dry spices.

It is a very good practice to measure all your spices beforehand and place them in ramekins or on parchment paper.

Garlic paste, minced onion, and chopped parsley.

Garlic paste, minced onion, and chopped parsley.

Lamb Kofta Kebabs

Ingredients

  • 4 T. crushed garlic (I have been using the Gourmet Garden brand of garlic paste in the tube.  It’s just easier than chopping.)
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 lbs. ground lamb
  • 6 T. grated yellow onion
  • 6 T. chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 T. ground coriander
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 T. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. ground allspice
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

Directions

  • Place the ground lamb in a large bowl. Add the spices along with the onion and garlic, and mix well.
  • Form the mixture into 22 balls (about 1.5 ounces each).  Mold each ball around the tip of a skewer, pushing the ball down the skewer and flattening into a 2 inch oval; each skewer should have a total of 3 koftas (if you are  not threading them with vegetables.) Repeat with the remaining skewers.
  • Place the kebabs onto a baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.  This is an important step because if the kofta are not chilled they may fall off the skewers when you grill them.
  • Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil grate.
  • Cook the skewers on the preheated grill, turning once or twice, until the lamb has cooked to your desired degree of doneness, about 6 minutes for medium.

 

Lamb ready for chilling.  You can chill too.

Lamb ready for chilling. You can chill too.

 

Serve with tzatziki (recipe follows) and basmati rice.

Grilled kofta, ready to eat.

Grilled kofta, ready to eat.

 

Tzatziki

recipe adapted from “Ask the Barefoot Contessa,” House Beautiful magazine

2 cups plain Greek yogurt (such as Fage Total 2%)

1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved, and seeded

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 T. crushed garlic (Gourmet Garden brand is nice)

2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 T. white vinegar

1 T.  minced fresh dill (optional)

Place the yogurt in a bowl.  Grate the cucumber on a box grater and squeeze the grated cucumber with your hand to remove most of the liquid.  Add to the yogurt.  Add the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, and dill.  Stir gently until blended and chill at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop.

 

Tzatziki = refreshing sauce of yogurt, cucumber, garlic, and dill

Tzatziki = refreshing sauce of yogurt, cucumber, garlic, and dill

 

Kofta are incredibly versatile.  If it is raining when you want to grill, you can broil these on high (preheat your broiler).  You can also skip the skewering step and make them into small lamb sliders and broil them.  Serve them over rice or tucked into flatbreads with some lightly dressed salad greens.

 

Kofta kebabs are versatile, eat them with rice or in flatbreads. Photo credit:  Jamie Oliver, foodnetwork.com

Kofta kebabs are versatile, eat them with rice or in flatbreads.
Photo credit: Jamie Oliver, foodnetwork.com

 

Mixed Grill with Root Vegetables

Corks & Cake Contributor:  Lee Ojascastro

 

We are cooking the rainbow.

We are cooking the rainbow.

 

From time to time on Corks & Cake we will invite some of our favorite ladies and gents from around the country to tell us what they are buying, loving, eating, cooking, drinking, or growing.  Here is one such lady, Lee Hassett Ojascastro, my dearest friend from college, who hails from St. Louis, where she cooks, substitute teaches elementary school, and entertains in wildly stylish fashion with her husband and young son.

 

Last week we had a warm, breezy Wednesday night in St. Louis.  After some freaky weather here in the midwest, this night felt like early summer, drawing us out to grill even though it was only midway through the work week.

Ready for the grill.  Believe me, grilled brussel sprouts are a relevation. Photo by Lee Ojascastro

Ready for the grill. Believe me, grilled Brussels sprouts are a relevation.
Photo by Lee Ojascastro

 

In addition to the usual zucchini, we threw root vegetables into the mix, using yellow beets, Brussels sprouts, and sliced Bermuda onion.We cut up the beets, green zucchini, Brussels sprouts, Bermuda onion, lightly brushed them with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkled them with kosher salt, freshly ground Malabar black pepper, and a dash of sugar.   We threw some baby carrots into the mix and gave them a coating as well. The yellow beets don’t really need the sugar but the Brussels sprouts seriously benefit from it.

We have been grilling everything with our new “Cookina” grill cooking sheet from the online store TheGrommet.com (my favorite place to interweb shop besides Amazon.) The Cookina is a flexible, non-stick mat that can withstand temperatures up to 500°.  It’s great for the grill because you don’t have to worry about your vegetables falling through the grate and you don’t have to take the time to skewer them or worry about them sticking to your dirty grill (hey, husband, note to self:  brush off the grill.)  It’s food-safe, reusable and reversible!

We’ve also been chopping up and grilling kale (don’t bother removing the spines). The kale’s sharp green flavor combined with the sweetness of the beets and the lemony smoothness of hummus is a taste sensation you don’t want to miss!

 

Rebecca’s Note:  Here is a well-written recipe for Grilled Kale from Barton Seaver’s new book, Where There’s Smoke, posted on one of my favorite food blogs, Leite’s Culinaria. Check it out.

 

Grilling over high heat. Flip them once or often?

High heat, no skewers, no sticking to the grate with our new grill mat!

 

St. Louis-style barbecue pork steaks in the foil packets, upper right. Photo by Lee Ojascastro

St. Louis-style barbecue pork steaks in the foil packets, upper right.
Photo by Lee Ojascastro

 

We have pork steaks in the foil packets on the top grill shelf in the photo above. It is a St. Louis tradition to grill ‘pork steaks’ on Memorial Day weekend.  For those of you who may not have heard of pork steak, it is a cut of pork shoulder (also called pork shoulder blade) found in all of our grocery stores. Here is a great explanation of the cut and the method by fellow St. Louis cook Kitchen Riffs.  Grill them, then braise them in a liquid on the grill over indirect heat (or in the oven at low temperature) for 90-120 minutes to make them tender. (Note: this is a special cut that has a lot of necessary marbling; do not try to substitute pork loin, tenderloin, or chops because they will be dry as the Sahara.)

Here’s how my husband and I prepare them:

  • Sprinkle the pork with kosher salt, black pepper, sugar and garlic powder and drizzle with olive oil.
  • Sear the pork until you have grill marks on both sides the way you like them, then wrap each pork steak tightly in foil.
  • You can add whatever barbecue sauce you like (or a combination of barbecue sauce and beer) to the packets, but frankly I prefer them undressed.
  • Place over indirect heat on the grill (we use the top shelf) for 1 1/2 or 2 hours depending on their thickness.

They are fall-apart tender and are juicy and amazing. The grilled beets, Brussels sprouts and some quinoa are a perfect match.  My husband, who adores spice, likes to sprinkle ground cumin over his pork steak before digging in.

Also a good match:  cold Chardonnay of your choice.

A cold glass of chardonnay.  Stemless, so you can also garden (pull random weeds) while you are grilling.

A cold glass of chardonnay. Stemless, so you can also garden (pull random weeds) while you are grilling.

 

Serve it forth with lemony hummus.

Serve it forth with lemony hummus.

 

We serve our mixed vegetable grill with lemony hummus.  I like the Sabra brand of hummus but doctor up the flavor with a drizzle of fresh lemon juice and a splash more of my favorite olive oil.

Easy, healthy and good!  Try root vegetables on your grill this summer.

Cheers!

Lee