Another thing to do with tinned fish, it does take longer than stated

I'm feeling rather pleased this week. This recipe as quite a find (I'll get into timing in a bit) and I found it when I was searching for something else (which I now forget). I chose to make it for two reasons: One, I had everything in the pantry. Two: It intrigued me because I don't always see recipes that use a considerable amount of shallots and Three: I wanted to see how the anchovies did with the sweetness of tomato paste.

Pretty damn well, I'm happy to say.

Our ingredients list (easily halved for those of us who live solo #StudioLiving)

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 6 large shallots, very thinly sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, 4 thinly sliced, 1 finely chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (taste often and adjust as necessary)
• 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste (I used more, which will not surprise anyone)
• 1 (2-ounce) can anchovy fillets (about 12), drained (I had a jar of Bellino and used those. Solid choice. Use your favorite whatever its container)
• 1 (4.5-ounce) tube or (6-ounce) can of tomato paste (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup) (Here's another happy thing. A whole can of tomato paste! Much cheaper than a tube of the double-concentrated, though I always have that around for those recipes that one just on Tablespoon)
• 10 ounces pasta (I had radiatore. I think farfalle would also work, a recommendation for occasional guest Ny. I love long pasta like the buccatini on Alison Roman's page, but my stove is rather small to handle the big pot needed)
• 1 cup parsley, leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
• Flaky sea salt

 Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium high (I actually used a saute pan, I usually do for pasta sauces). Add shallots and thinly sliced garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots have become totally softened and caramelized with golden-brown fried edges, 15 to 20 minutes. 

Okay, here's where I get cranky. This is a bit too hot of a pan, IMO, and a bit too short of a time frame. I did this over medium heat, stirring every 1-2 minutes and occasionally taking a sip of wine. It took me closer to 40 minutues (and an episode of The Leviathan Chronicles podcast), but I got the shallots nice and brown and the kitchen smelled fabulous. 

2. Add red-pepper flakes and anchovies. (No need to chop the anchovies; they will dissolve on their own.) Stir to melt the anchovies into the shallots, about 2 minutes.

This took about seven minutes. I recommend smushing the anchovies a bit to help distribute them evenly from the get-go.  I also needed to deglaze the pan with a splash of the chardonay I was drinking when too much was sticking to the bottom of the pan. 

3. Add tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly to prevent any scorching, until the tomato paste has started to cook in the oil a bit, caramelizing at the edges and going from bright red to a deeper brick red color, about 2 minutes. (try closer to 6) Remove from heat and transfer about half the mixture to a resealable container, leaving the rest behind. These are your leftovers to be used elsewhere: in another batch of pasta or smeared onto roasted vegetables, spooned over fried eggs or spread underneath crispy chicken thighs.

4. To serve, cook pasta according to package instructions in a large pot of salted boiling water until very al dente (perhaps more al dente than usual). Transfer to Dutch oven with remaining shallot mixture (or a skillet if you are using the leftover portion) and 1 cup pasta water. Cook over medium-high heat, swirling the skillet to coat each piece of pasta, using a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any bits on the bottom, until pasta is thick and sauce has reduced and is sticky, but not saucy, 3 to 5 minutes. (The swirling looks cool if you want to show off, but really isn't necessary.) 

5. In a small bowl, combine parsley and finely chopped garlic clove, and season with flaky salt and pepper. Divide pasta among bowls, or transfer to one large serving bowl, and top with parsley mixture and a bit more red-pepper flakes, if you like.

Fish for breakfast

Fish for breakfast is hardly a new concept. People all over the planet have been doing it since time immemorial, though unless you count lox on bagels, it has never been a regular thing for me.

My first exposure to the concept was from my father, who occasionally liked to fish. He would sometimes zap some smelt in a pan to have along with his fried eggs and toast. I didn't care for smelt when I was a rugrat. 

Now, older and wiser, I do try new things here and there. I also consume a lot of British media, so I suppose it was only a matter of time before I tried kedgeree, if only out of curiosity. I mentioned I was thinking of trying it, and my friend Marybeth provided this recipe from the BBC. 

• 475g/1lb 1oz undyed smoked haddock fillet, cut in half  (I didn't have access to haddock, the grocery said they had trout, but ended up substituting salmon, so see the additional instructions below for that).
• 2 bay leaves
• 200g/7oz basmati rice, rinsed in cold water and drained
• 4 free-range eggs
• 100g/3½oz frozen peas (optional) (I plan to us a bit more next time. I adore curry and peas together)
• 40g/1½oz butter
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil (there's a history of sunflower allergy in my family, so I used safflower. Avocado would also do. Light and neutral is whats needed)
• 1 onion, finely chopped (as with the peas, there will be more next time)
• 1 heaped tbsp medium curry powder
• 3 tbsp double cream
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
• ½ lemon, juice only
• freshly ground black pepper

Place the haddock in a large frying pan, skin-side up. Pour over 500ml/18fl oz water, add the bay leaves and bring the water to a gentle simmer. Cook the fish for 8–10 minutes until it is just done and flakes easily. Drain in a colander set over a bowl, reserving the cooking liquor, and discard the bay leaves.

Pour the cooking liquor into a saucepan and stir in the rice. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the rice very gently for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the rice covered for 3–5 minutes more. By this time it should have absorbed all the fish liquor.

While the rice is cooking, bring some water to the boil in a saucepan. Add the eggs and cook for 8 minutes. Drain them in a sieve under cold running water and when cool enough to handle, peel them carefully and set aside. Cook the peas, if using, in a small saucepan of boiling water and drain.

Melt the butter with the oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion over a low heat for 5 minutes until well softened, stirring occasionally. Add the curry powder and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring constantly. 

A word about the curry powder. I am quite fond of spicy heat, but I have to say that the extra-hot curry powder I had in the house was a bit much. I will be getting a milder one for the next batch. If you want an assortment to choose from, I am happy to recommend Auntie Arwen's (this is not a paid endorsement, but I'll happily take money for it).

Place the cooked rice into the pan and stir into the onions. Add the peas, cream, parsley and a few twists of ground black pepper.

Flake the fish into chunky pieces and add these to the pan. Gently stir in the lemon juice and cook for 1–2 minutes. Cut the eggs into quarters and place them on top of the rice. Cover the pan with a lid and heat through for 2–3 minutes or until the eggs are warm, then serve.

If not serving immediately, tip the kedgeree into a warm dish and dot with a few cubes of butter. Cover with kitchen foil and keep warm in a low oven for up to 20 minutes before serving.

The instructions I followed at the first step:  To make this dish using hot smoked salmon, swap in 500ml/18fl oz light chicken stock in place of the cooking liquor from the fish. Stir in the hot smoked salmon with the peas.

Seeking perfection: Salmon Cakes

I have been cooking, I just haven't been blogging. Sometimes because I'm making old favorites, sometimes from laziness, and sometimes because dishes don't turn out the way I want them.

Case in point: This is my second attempt at salmon cakes and I've gotten closer to what I want, but more importantly, I'm pretty sure what I want to do next.

Preheat over to 350 F

Ingredients for this batch:

• 1 14.5 ounce can of salmon (who the hell decided on 14.5 ounce cans?), drained.
• .5 Cup Ka-Me wasabi flavor rice cracker crumbs (I used a coffee grinder, more on that in a bit)
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Penzey's Wasabi powder (thank you Gina!)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 Tablespoons plain yogurt (I'm a fan of Fage Total)
• 1 Tablespoon mayonaise

Vacate salmon from can with a fork, breaking up the chunks until it is more flaky than chunky, stir in the green onions, cracker crumbs and egg until everything is mixed to the point where you don't see cracker crumbs. Stir in yogurt and mayo.

You could form these into balls or patties, but I decided to use a muffin tin to help me get six cakes, with the idea of 2 as a main dish serving:

I baked these for about 20 minutes and then broiled for about 4 minutes to get a nice crunchy top. They didn't come out of the pan in one piece because they were just too wet. Still tasty and a nice warmth from the wasabi. I'm not sure if wasabi paste would give the same, but if I try, I'll let you know.

For a condiment, I mixed up some garlic-chili sauce with some plain yogurt and on the side were some sliced cucumbers with sesame seeds.

So, my critique:

• I should have crumbed (yes, that is now a word) the crackers in a food processor or used a rolling pin or my favorite mallet to get bigger pieces. I think they would have absorbed the liquid better if they were closer to the flaky fluffy consistency of panko.
• I probably also needed at least 2 Tablespoons more of crumbs
• More green onions. At least two more.
• Peppers of some kind? Maybe, I'm not sure. Red bell might work. Or well-drained peppadew. These were creamy, with the crust being where a different texture is. A little crunch might not be a bad idea.
• Just yogurt, no mayo to get more of a tang.

So we shall see what happens next. 

Fishy Indulgence

When I go to restaurants, I like to get something I haven't tried before or something I wouldn't likely make at home. I don't usually try to recreate restaurant dishes, but this entry's recipe is an exception.

From 2010 to 2016, Nexx and I lived in Stamford, CT, which is home to some pretty damn fine food. One of my favorites is Remo's Pizza, if you like thin crust, go here. It's on Bedford Street, but I digress, that's not the place that inspired today's dish.

Another Italian place on the same street used to make a pasta dish I loved. Farfalle, smoked salmon, fresh salmon, and a champagne-cream sauce with chives. I ordered this regularly until they took it off the menu. The bastards.

I'm really happy with how this came out, and it was pretty easy. The only change I think I'd make is a drier champagne.

The ingredients list:

• 8 ounces smoked salmon
• 8 ounces cooked fresh salmon
• 1 pound orchiette (Nexx doesn't like farfalle and I wanted a pasta that would hold a sauce
• 1 pint (16 fluid ounces) cream
• 8 fluid ounces dry champagne
• 4 tablespoons of chopped chives
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• Black pepper to taste
• Capers for garnish

I cooked the salmon with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper in the immersion circulator for 45 minutes. You can also bake a salmon filet about that size at 350 F for about 25 minutes (check frequently).

While the salmon was cooking, I started the sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan on medium-low heat, then gradually whisking in the flour until I had a roux. After that, I added the cream a bit at a time until everything was incorporated and smooth, then stirred in the chives.

Now comes a challenge. How to add the champagne and not have the acid curdle the cream? First, I turned the heat down to low. Next, I popped the champagne and poured it into one of my big coffee mugs. I know that sounds weird, but I had a reason. The way I figured it, if I kept the heat low and added the champagne just a bit at a time, I could easily use the Tablespoon to access the liquid without spilling so to add a little bit of booze at a time. It worked beautifully. I kept the sauce on low while the pasta was cooking, stirring every few minutes.

While the pasta water was boiling, I removed the pin bones from the salmon filet and removed most of it from the skin by flaking it off with a fork. Nexx took the skin, put it in his favorite cast-iron pan and crisped it up with the creme bruleé torch and had a snack. I cut the smoked salmon into bite-sized pieces--between 2 and 3 square inches.

I drained the pasta and returned it to the pot, added a Tablespoon of champagne and stirred in the salmon. Once it was incorporated, I added the cream sauce and then ladled into bowls.

I put black pepper and capers on the table to be added as we liked. Even if you love capers, go easy on them because they could quickly become front and center, and you'd lose the lovely interplay between fresh and smoked salmon.

I hope you enjoy!

Happy New Year!

This has been an interesting month. I wrapped up 2011 being sort of sick, which kind of killed the week I had taken off from my day job. I've made a few things, some memorable and some less so. I'm going to talk about a couple of the less memorable ones, that might be able to be saved.

The first one was an herbed chicken I put together. I've used yogurt and spices as a successful coating for baked chicken before. My vision was marjoram and black pepper and nice juicy chicken.  

I think I goofed in trying to use Greek yogurt for this one. I did thin it out a little bit, but it was more like a frosting than a coating. I just wasn't thrilled with the results. My sweetie liked some of it, but we agreed that this was not my best effort. I will be experimenting some more with this one.

Another one, I made last night. I didn't make a New Year's resolution to eat more fish, but we are starting to do so. Salmon is very low in mercury (unlike two of my favorite, tuna and halibut), so I think I'll be looking for a lot of salmon recipes in the future. Fish is also the easiest protein for me to chew these days. I can only eat so much soup, yogurt and quiche.

Now I like the herb dill as much as the next chef. Heck, I have a friend called Dill (though that's short for Dillanger). Still, I wanted something a little different. This gets challenging with a couple of different palates in the house. The sweetie doesn't like teriaki, and the mustard/brown sugar glaze I made when we still lived with Austin didn't go over too well either.

So you can imagine my delight when I found this recipe. That is, until I made it:

• 3 lbs salmon (I actually had about 3/4 of a pound, two small fillets, and this recipe was just enough to marinate.
• 1/3 cup soy sauce (I use Kikoman)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 T oil (I used vegetable, as my other choices were peanut, olive or sesame and I wasn't sure any of them would work)
• 1 large clove garlic, crushed (or in my case, pressed)
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• Handful fresh chopped parsley. (Whose hand, I ask you? My hands aren't very big, someone who's over six feet is going to have  much bigger ones. I decided on a generous quarter up)

Marinade for 2-3 hours. Broil

Definitely trying for three hours next time. On my sweetie's suggestion, I will be cutting down on the soy sauce. It overwhelmed everything. I think I will also increase the lemon peel, cut down on the oil and add a little more garlic. Possibly, there will be some thickener to make the marinade into a glaze afterwards. We'll see how it goes.

Comments? Questions? Recipes to try? Let's hear from you!

Weeknight dinner--Easy fish tacos

Weeknights can be a challenge. After eight or so hours at my desk (I am lucky enough that my day job lets me work from home), the last thing I feel like doing is a lot of chopping, dicing, julienne or mincing.


On the other foot, sometimes a meeting goes so well that spending my lunch hour destroying a vegetable can be downright therapeutic. When I found the below recipe on Cooking Light, I decided to make the slaw at lunchtime and I think the meal was the more enjoyable for it. Slaw generally is made better a day before so the flavors have a chance to blend anyway

• 4 cups thinly sliced cabbage
• 1 cup chopped plum tomatoes (this turned out to be 2)
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 T fresh lime juice (I used the whole lime, a small one a little bigger than a golf ball. It yielded about 3.5T)
• 5 T extra virgin olive oil (there's a bit of a math problem in the recipe)
• 1/2 t salt, divided
• 1 pound tilapia filets (I used cod. Partly because I try to buy local when I can, partly because it has a little more flavor than tilapia)
• 1 t chili powder (I was a little more generous, see below)
• corn tortillas

• Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add juice, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss well to combine. (I added a t of cumin as well)
• Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish evenly with chili powder and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat, and cut fish into bite-sized pieces.
• Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/4 cup cabbage mixture down the center of each tortilla. Divide fish evenly among tortillas; fold in half. Serve tacos with remaining cabbage mixture.

--------------------------------------------
I used two T of oil to cook the fish, and next time I'll do it on medium heat. Even in a non-stick pan, my fillets stuck. I also just shook the chili powder onto the fish until it was nicely coated. 


I love the way this turned out. Corn tortillas are definitely the way to go, partly for their sturdiness, partly for the texture adding to the overall mouthfeel. I also added sliced avocado to my tacos, which added a creamy element without taking away from the flaky fish or the crunch of the cabbage.


For a contrast, I served with black beans. I ate some of the leftover cabbage in the remaining tacos (we had three apiece) for lunch the following and it was delicious on its own.


Now, what to do with all the leftover cabbage? Tune in next time!


Questions? Comments? Recipes you'd like to see? Let's hear them!

In which Kate learns take better inventory of her wine

This week's entry should have been a resounding success, if it weren't for one thing: I grabbed the wrong bottle of wine. Let me begin at the beginning:

A while back, I found this recipe. Olive Oil Cured Swordfish. I loved it on sight. First off, I really enjoy the flavor and texture of swordfish. Second of all, a lot of the recipes I've seen for swordfish are heavy on the citrus, almost too much so. This one used it as an appetizer, and the orange and coriander made it very different from what I've seen. And it was pretty easy--my biggest challenge was finding a vessel big enough to lay out the fish slices:

Ingredients:

6 oz fresh swordfish

1/4 cup dry white wine. Dry. Note that, it's very important. 

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 t salt

1 orange

Sea Salt

Freshly ground black pepper.

What happened with the wine was this, I took inventory, found the wine I wanted to use (we only had two whites in the house), made a mental note and prepared my shopping list. When I grabbed the wine to make the marinade (see below), it was a sweet wine, not a dry one.  If I'd had more lemon juice to counter it, things might have turned out better.

As it was, I sliced the swordfish thinly, the hint in the recipe to lead with the heel of the knife was very useful. I ended up with pretty uniform slices. 

in a small bowl, whisk together the white wine, lemon juice and salt to combine. Pour this mixture over the raw fish slices and allow to rest for 1 hour at room temperature. I would recommend a little more than an hour if you have the time. My thicker slices didn't get "cooked" in the full hour.

Meanwhile, zest the orange, then segment (supreme) it, slicing the segments again in half lengthwise. Reserve both. Toast, then grind the whole coriander in a mortar & pestle. Here is a place where I need a lot of practice, my knife work is not, shall we say, supreme. Fortunately, my sweetie goes through satsumas in the winter the way I go through chocolate when I have PMS.  

Remove the fish slices from the marinade and set them atop a large piece of paper towel set on a plate. Top with another piece of paper towel to cover and gently press to dry.

Transfer the fish slices to a serving platter, arranging them in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil to just cover. Scatter the orange segments, zest and ground coriander over them and sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

I decided to serve this over an arugula salad as a main dish. It worked reasonably well, but it wasn't perfect. A day later, the marinade had done its job completely and the results was delicious. I plan to make this again, and when I have the money, serve it on a block of Himalayan salt like the one below


Happy eating everyone! As always, comments are encouraged.

Next week: something with sumac, and I don't mean the poison kind.