Rate of Enjoyment

Fish can be a tricky item to prepare. It has the uncanny ability to overcook, thus rendering the final product dry and flavorless. Fish is also not cheap. Choosing fish as a meal option can sometimes be a risky proposition. During these unsure economic times who wants to risk losing their supermarket investment?

This is why you protect your dinner portfolio with cooking methods that ensure safe and consistent returns. This is an incredibly easy and fool-proof way to cook salmon. By slowly roasting the fish in a 250 degree oven for 30 minutes, the result is a succulent piece of fish that has a soft, moist, watery quality to it, the evidence of perfectly cooked fish.

Flavor possibilities are nearly endless, though any analyst will tell you to never indulge in too much risk taking. Cooking is synonymous with taking risks but the risks have to be weighed in relation to the flavor possibilities of any given ingredient.

I am reminded of my friend Rachel whose husband came home one evening with a freshly caught salmon. All she had in the fridge was butter and strawberry jam so that is what she put on the fish. She raved about how fantastic that fish was and to this day I marvel at her good fortune and bravery.

Me, I am less of a risk taker. I like to play it safe which is why the fish you see in these photos is flavored with classic Asian ingredients. This dish ensures people keep coming back for more, and that is the highest return a chef can hope for.




Honey-Soy Slow Roasted Salmon

The cooking technique for this fish is located at a wonderful blog called Steamy Kitchen. Check it out for more inspiration on what to do with this dish as well as hundreds of other quick and scrumptious Asian recipes.

For Marinade:

the juice of 1 orange
the juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon sambal oleck, or other Asian hot sauce (optional)

Whisk together all ingredients in medium bowl until sugar and honey are dissolved.

For Salmon:

1 1/2 pounds wild salmon, whole or divided into 4 6 oz pieces
1 orange, sliced

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place orange slices on rimmed baking sheet large enough to suspend the fish.

Pull fish from the refrigerator and marinate on the counter top for 20 minutes. (This helps the fish come to room temperature so it cooks more evenly in the oven.) Remove from marinade, but reserve marinade, place fish on top of orange slices and bake in the oven 30 minutes. (My piece of fish was very thin so I checked it after 25 minutes and it was done.) When a sharp knife inserted into the center easily comes out, the fish is done.

Meanwhile, place marinade ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce until a glaze like consistency is reached. You will have 3-4 tablespoons. If it reduces too much or the mixture is to salty/spicy/sweet etc. add a bit of water until consistency and flavor are attained. Strain marinate thru a fine mesh strainer and reserve.

For Presentation:

1 1 1/2" piece fresh ginger, peeled and julienned into thin strips
4 green onions, 2 cut into 1 1/2 inch julienne, 2 sliced thinly
1 teaspoon cooking oil

Heat a skillet over high heat with cooking oil until smoking. Add julienned ginger and green onion and saute until fragrant and flavors pop, about 20 seconds.


Once fish is cooked, remove fish from the oven. Brush with glaze and top with julienned mixture and green onions.

Going Bananas

The search for a great banana bread recipe was, quite frankly, driving me bananas. There are thousands of recipes out there and I became tired of monkeying around. It was time to take matters into my own hands and create a bread with my own personal taste in mind.

I tried to make this bread as healthy as possible without sacrificing on moistness or taste. White whole wheat flour, oat bran, bananas, and walnut oil make for the healthy additions. I cut back on the sugar and added cinnamon, coffee, chocolate chips, and roasted walnuts for extra flavor.

Perhaps I am like any proud parent in thinking that my creation is absolutely perfect and beautiful in every way. Will you please help me out? Please make this banana bread and tell me what you think.

It is day four, the loaf is almost gone, and it tastes just as delicious as it did on day one. Super ripe bananas are the key to any banana breads great flavor, so the next time you have a few lying around, make this recipe and tell me what you think.




Banana Bread
Makes 1 9x5 loaf

1 3/4 cup King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour
1/4 cup oat bran
1 tablespoon espresso powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup roasted walnut oil
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs, room temperature
1 heaping cup mashed bananas, from 2-3 ripe bananas
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, roasted, chopped, and cooled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9x5 loaf pan with canola oil or cooking oil spray.

Whisk together flour, oat bran, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Place brown sugar, walnut oil, and canola oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Blend until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl between additions. Add mashed bananas, yogurt, vanilla and blend.

Add chocolate chips and roasted nuts to flour and mix gently with your hands to coat chips and nuts in flour. On low speed, add half flour and mix until barely combined. Add the rest of the flour and mix until barely incorporated. Remove bowl from machine and blend remainder of flour in with a spatula. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

For a Change

It is pumpkin season and I am sure many of you are busy making pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin spice bars, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin soup. Keep up the good work, I love all those things and am busy making them too.

Hopefully you have self control and can hold back when you make lovely baked goods and don't accidentally (on purpose) eat your whole loaf of pumpkin bread because it is delicious, and you used half whole wheat flour, and nobody is around to stop you...

I do not always exhibit self control so it is necessary to find other uses for all that puree that was made one day because it was Halloween and there were extra pumpkins and somebody told me to.

This is a unique twist on pumpkin that is healthy, tasty, and perfect for holiday parties. It is pumpkin hummus. Hummus is perfectly delicious on its own, but add pumpkin and it speaks to a whole new season.

This dip has an obvious, but not overpowering, pumpkin taste that pumpkin and non-pumpkin lovers will both enjoy. Adjust lemon, cayenne, garlic, and spices to suit your own personal tastes. Garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds for a festive version of the classic spread.




Pumpkin Hummus

2 15 oz cans organic garbanzo beans
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree, or about 1 1/2 cups fresh puree
3 Tablespoons tahini
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon chopped garlic (roasted garlic would be nice here too)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds and Olive Oil, for garnish

Place garbano beans in bowl of large food processor and pulse until broken down slightly. Add pumpkin puree and process until they are well combined. Add everything else, except for parsley or cilantro, and blend until creamy and smooth. Add parsley or cilantro and pulse to combine. Taste and adjust with additional salt, pepper, lemon juice, or cayenne. It is best to refrigerate for a few hours so flavors can combine.

Before serving, mound hummus in a decorative bowl or serving platter and top with olive oil, roasted pumpkin seeds, and additional cayenne, if desired.

Amore

When the weather turns damp there is great satisfaction to be found hiding away indoors. This recipe for bolognese sauce is a perfect cold weather, lazy day affair as it will demand at least 5 hours of your time. In exchange, you are left with an amazingly delicious meat sauce to use however you choose.

Bolognese sauce comes from Bologna, a city in Northern Italy known for its special meat sauces and homemade pastas. To properly honor your meat sauce, seek out the best-quality freshest pasta you can find, or make pasta from scratch. In fact, people that make homemade pastas are like Gods to me, so please tell me if you do and I will properly worship you.

Recently I have discovered a fantastic pasta, made in Italy, that tastes homemade. The brand is Bertagni and they have been making tortellini since the 1800's. Whole Foods and Central Market both carry them. When you do not want to make your own pasta, but want to eat pasta that tastes homemade, seek out this variety.




If you are really smart and organized, you will make a double batch of the meat sauce and hide some away in the freezer for a not-so-rainy day. This sauce freezes well, arguably it improves in the freezer, and makes for a quick weeknight dinner. I like to serve this sauce over garganelli or tagliatelle, but any noodle you favor will do.

To really impress people, make a classic lasagna alla Bolognese with spinach pasta, ragu, and bechamel. This classic baked pasta dish is the King of Lasagna. Made with layers of rich ragu and creamy bechamel, it is quite different, but equally as delicious, as our cheese-filled American lasagna.

This meat sauce is finger/plate lickin good. It is worth the 5 hours it will take you to make it. Seriously, every bite is just as good, even better even, than the previous bite. It is pasta crack, not good for your diet, but excellent for your soul.




Ragu alla Bolognese

1 28 oz jar whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, with juice
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 pound ground sirloin, or other beef, not lean
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork, (or sometimes I'll use sweet italian pork sausage, casings removed)
1 small yellow onion, chopped small
1 carrot, peeled and chopped small
1 rib celery, chopped small
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup whole milk
1 cup dry red wine
1 bay leaf
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Puree tomatoes with juice in a blender until smooth. Set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to large skillet or dutch oven set over medium heat. Add ground beef, veal, and pork breaking meat up into small pieces with a wooden spoon until meat is no longer pink. Adjust heat accordingly so meat cooks but does not brown. Drain meat in a colander to remove excess fat.

Using the same pot, add remaining oil and butter. Saute onion, carrot, and celery over medium heat until vegetables sweat and begin to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

Add meat back to pot and stir everything to combine. Add milk and simmer until milk absorbs into sauce, about 5 minutes, then add wine and simmer until juices are mostly evaporated, another 5-8 minutes. Add reserved tomatoes and bay leaf.

Cook ragu, stirring occasionally, at a bare simmer until meat is tender and sauce is thick. This will take about 3 hours. If sauce gets too thick, add water or beef broth to thin slightly. Season with salt and pepper. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week or the freezer for up to 3 months.

Easy Breezy

I hesitate sharing this salad with you because there is so little to it, it is like you are not even cooking. Let's consider this post a shout out to all the people who read and/or look at photos on this blog, but never have the intention of actually cooking any of them. To my kitchen novices, this post is for you.

Let me please say, this is a totally fantastic and amazing salad that I have been eating for dinner each night this week. Just because it is simple does not make it any less delicious than something which requires several hours of your precious time.

The dressing for this salad was a featured item at Central Market, and they were sampling it as I was walking through the produce section the other day. It was a combination of honeycrisp apples, blue cheese, honey toasted pecans, and San Pasqual Dressing. I do not know what San Pasqual is or why the dressing is called that, but it is very delicious.

Perhaps the grocery store you shop at does not sell this San Pasqual dressing. Have no fear as it would taste great with several flavors of vinaigrette such as raspberry, citrus, shallot, or anything with a sweet/tart taste. This salad would also be great with bacon, dried cranberries and pan-roasted chicken if you want to bulk up the protein and serve this as an entree salad.

Oh, and one more thing. This recipe calls for blue or gorgonzola cheese. I generally detest both of them, but there is one blue cheese that is more salty than stinky. I love it in this salad, so if you too think you don't like blue, look for the brand Stella, and you may be pleasantly surprised. If not, leave it out or sub another crumbly cheese in its place, herbed goat cheese being a nice choice.




Fall Apple Salad
Serves 4-6 as an appetizer, 2-4 as an entree

1 5 oz box organic baby salad greens
1 medium apple, cored and sliced thin
1/4 cup honey toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2-4 Tbs. San Pasqual or dressing of your choice
1/4 cup gorgonzola or blue cheese, crumbled slightly
2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)
2-4 pan roasted chicken breasts, sliced (optional)

In a bowl combine salad greens, apples, honey toasted pecans, dried cranberries and toss with salad dressing. Garnish with cheese (chicken and bacon) and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

It's a Wrap

Hey all. Did you forget about me? I haven't forgotten about you. Well, maybe a little, but it's not my fault. Okay, maybe it is. But I have a good excuse. Argh, alright, maybe I don't. But I am back now, and hopefully that counts for something.

As a busy single girl, currently logging 55 hours a week cooking for other people, it leaves not much extra time to cook for myself. My once impressively stocked refrigerator is whittled down to the basics: cereal, milk, cheese, chocolate, wine, and usually most of the ingredients to throw together this awesome wrap sandwich.

While normally I would grill my own chicken, make dressing from scratch, and probably do several other steps that would make this simple sandwich a day-long event, I no longer have time for all that.

Now, I buy Annie's Organic Light Raspberry Vinaigrette, crumbled feta, grilled chicken, prepackaged baby greens, and brown rice wraps (they are wheat free and lower in carbs, but mostly I just really like the way they taste). Throw in a few freshly cut strawberries and pear slices, and this is a delicious meal that takes only moments to assemble but will provide hours of satisfaction.

Hopefully you find this sandwich a great jumping off point to allow your creativity to soar. This year is the year of the sandwich. Which sandwich currently best describes you?




Chicken Wrap Sandwich with Fruit
Serves 1

1 large tortilla wrap, I use Ezekiel Brown Rice Wraps
1 packed cup baby lettuce leaves
2 teaspoons raspberry vinaigrette
4 ounces cooked chicken, sliced
2 teaspoons Asian Mustard Oven and Grill Sauce, or any kind of sweet, spicy mustard sauce
1/2 ounce crumbled feta or goat cheese
2 strawberries, sliced
1/4 of a ripe pear, sliced

Heat tortilla on gas burner, grill, or skillet until heated and pliable. Mix together baby lettuce and raspberry vinaigrette and place on bottom third of wrap. Mix chicken with Asian Mustard and place evenly atop lettuce. Add cheese, strawberries, and pear, placing ingredients evenly on top of chicken. Fold the wrap tightly, pressing together slightly with your hands to secure it in place. Slice it diagonally into two even pieces. Eat immediately. Repeat if necessary.

Oh My

If you are a stress-eater, please do not make this pie. You will be mad at me because you will eat two slices for dinner every night until it is gone. You will try to take a photo of it for your food blog but it looks so enticing that after only a few photos your will-power gives in and there is no pie left to photo.

Do not make this pie if you live alone. No one will see you hunched over the counter, fork in hand, eating directly from the pie plate. No one will be the voice of reason and remind you that you are not, in fact, participating in a pie eating contest.

Do not make this pie if you have a late-night eating disorder in which food calls out to you from the refrigerator. All of your good intentions will not be strong enough to ignore the magnetic pull. Especially if you keep opening up the refrigerator in order to refill your wine, er, uh, water glass, being that you are a thirsty girl who needs to stay adequately hydrated.

And lastly, do not make this pie if the combination of sweet, salty, creamy, chocolaty, and flaky are words you live for. The crust has the perfect amount of salt for each bite to be just addictive enough to want another one. Even though you have unbuttoned the buttons on your fat-girl pants and know somewhere in the depths of your mind that this is all wrong, still you cannot stop.

Do make this pie if you live in a house full of people who will help you to gobble it up. Or if you have a lot of friends that stop by frequently or are going to a party somewhere. This is a great pie to take to a party. Everyone will love it. If not, then you should not be friends with them anyway, as they clearly do not possess good taste.

The only semi-challenging piece to this pie is the crust. It needs to be blind-baked but yours truly took the beans out a little too soon and the crust shrank a bit. Hopefully yours does not, but at least take comfort in the fact that others too suffer from shrinkage. Such is life, my friends, and sometimes your crust will shrink. But please don't fret, as it still tastes perfectly delicious.

The filling is super simple. It will turn from a gritty brown to a deep, velvety, rich, thick chocolate pudding in a matter of minutes. For you apprehensive pie crust makers, this could also be served in cups, or a cookie crust, or any other creative vessel you can think of.




Chocolate Pudding Pie
Courtesy of Gourmet Magazine
Serves 8

Pastry dough

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Filling

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole milk
4 oz bittersweet chocolate (not more than 60% cacao), finely chopped
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chilled heavy cream
Equipment:pie weights or dried beans
Garnish:bittersweet chocolate shavings (optional)

Make dough:

Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Drizzle 2 Tbsp ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.
Squeeze a small handful of dough: If dough doesn’t hold together, add more ice water, 1 Tbsp at a time, stirring until incorporated. (Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough.)
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all of dough together, with a pastry scraper if you have one, and form into a 5-inch disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

Make pie shell:

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into an 11-inch round, then fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang under and crimp edge decoratively. Prick bottom and side of shell all over with a fork, then chill shell 30 minutes.
While shell chills, preheat oven to 375°F with a baking sheet on middle rack.
Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake on baking sheet until pastry is set and edge is pale golden, about 25 minutes. Carefully remove weights and foil, then bake shell on baking sheet until pale golden all over, 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool shell.

Make filling:

Whisk together cornstarch, 1/3 cup sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a 2-qt heavy saucepan, then gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, then boil, whisking, 2 minutes (mixture will thicken). Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate and vanilla until smooth.
Pour filling into cooled shell and chill, its surface covered with wax paper (if you want to prevent a skin from forming), until cold, at least 2 hours.
Just before serving, beat cream with remaining 2 Tbsp sugar until it just holds soft peaks. Spoon onto pie.

Pastry dough can be chilled up to 2 days.
Pie (without whipped cream) can be chilled up to 1 day.