Dec: Our Chistmas Salmon

I still don't feel like Curry, so I thought I'd share with you this salmon recipe and give you a glimpse into kind of what it's like when I cook.

"Hey Peter, would you like to make the Salmon?" "Oh, umm, yeah...sure, I guess so." My mind starts turning. I happen to look at the cherry sampler platter we had received as a gift from some friends. In it was a jar of cherry vinaigrette. "Ooooh", I think to myself, "that would pair great with salmon". I share my idea with Mom...she's not so sure. I also notice a half of leek Mom had out, and hope she doesn't use it so I can.

I consult my books to help me get into the mood and to get an idea as to how I'll cook the fish. I land on a Salmon braised with mushrooms recipe. "Oh, but we don't have mushrooms...they wouldn't be good with the cherry anyway," I think to myself, "I'll braise it with something else, then pour some of the vinaigrette over it when it's done". My stomach rumbles. I end up using the leek (plus another one I found), some sliced celery stalks, and some sliced carrots I stole from a dish Mom was preparing. These will add great flavor to the dish as it cooks, but will be discarded at the end. I cook them with some olive oil in a skillet for a while and add some salt, pepper, and bay leaf. I then add some chicken broth and a splash of Chardonnay, then the salted salmon "roast" (the whole fish without the head and tail), which we had cut in half. The fish sticks up too much in the pan, so I make a makeshift lid with some tin foil.

The heat stays relatively low to cook the fish gently. There's something that's missing...Herbs! On my way to the parsley plant I pass the Sorrel. "Hmm", It's in the back of my mind. The parsley's good and I chop off and mince some of the tops for later. When I take the foil off to put the parsley stems in, the smells are just wonderful. I drool and my stomach rumbles again. I put some stems inside the fish and some on top and cover it again. Right about this time I am quite pleased with how this creation is turning out. I tell Mom how privileged this fish is to be prepared in this way. She gives me a token laugh...she just wants me to get it done (dinner time is getting close).

After a while I pull the salmon out thinking it's done. It's not. Not even close. It cooks longer and I pull it out again, quite confident now that it's done. It's not. It is now falling apart all over the place from all the transferring to and from the pan. I tell Mom that the presentation isn't going to be as stunning as I thought or hoped. That's okay though, the straggling pieces give me opportunity to taste it. My stomach rumbles. Meanwhile the peas are warming up in a steamer in the salmon pan. I make yet another comment to Mom, who was working on an elegant carrot dish with ginger and spiced nuts (yes, we're working together on this meal) about how my peas are jealous of her carrots. I cut off three pieces of the salmon and put them in the pan, and then I put the pea steamer on top still trying to heat them up. Dinner is now waiting on me.

I did end up slicing some sorrel and putting it around the platter. I put the peas, which still weren't steaming (oh well), in the center. Then the salmon was nestled in the bed of peas with some of the flavorful braising liquid spooned over it. With the back of a spoon I painted some cherry "butter", also in the cherry sampler, over the salmon. And now, the cherry vinaigrette, yes...the final touch, or so I thought (In the rush to get it finished I totally forgot about the parsley leaves I had minced). Everything paired quite well with the salmon, and I could hardly slow down enough to enjoy it.


The Recipe:
Sweat:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 leaks, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
4 inner celery stalks, sliced
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper

Add and bring to simmer:
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chardonnay

Add and cover:
1 salmon, tail and head removed, cut in half (see note*)
Kosher salt

Add:
Parsley stems
Celery leaves

Serve with:
12oz frozen peas
12+ leaves Sorrel
Cherry vinaigrette (see accompanied recipe)

Sweat the first ingredients in a skillet or saute pan with some olive oil for about 8 minutes. Add the liquids and bring to a simmer. Salt the fish and add it to the pan with the parsley and any of the celery leaves from the celery. Cover and maintain a simmer and flip the fish after about 2o minutes (when to flip it depends on how large the fish is). Cook for another twenty minutes or until done.

To Serve:
Thinly slice the sorrel. Steam the peas until just heated through. Arrange the sorrel around the edge of the platter, and put the peas in the middle. Cut the salmon into 2 inch pieces using scissors to cut through the bone. Remove any remaining skin that is on the salmon. Place salmon pieces on the peas. Spoon some of the braising liquid over the fish and peas and drizzle some vinaigrette over the fish.

*This recipe would work well with Salmon fillets too.

Cherry Vinaigrette:
1/2 c. olive oil

2 shallots, finely chopped
1/3 c. red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar of both
1/4 c. pitted unsweetened dried cherries, chopped
1 tbsp poppy seeds
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté for about 2 minutes, or until softened. Add the vinegar and boil for 1 minute. Add the dried cherries, salt and pepper, poppy seeds, and heat through for one minute longer. Taste for seasoning.

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Pumpkin Pie ice cream (with the crust)

I enjoy Pumpkin Pie ice cream, but we can do without the crust, thank you.

Sure enough.

Dec: Curry and Winter Squash

How about Curry for Christmas this year! Eww, that doesn't sound very good...never mind.

Check back next week for curry. Until then, here are some good holiday recipes.

Dec: Lamb Stew

The slow cooking process of this stew produces meat that is super tender. I would encourage you to make this a day before you serve it. The flavors sort of develop, and I believe the difference is noticeable.

See below for some interesting things about lamb. If you are unfamiliar with lamb this recipe is a great introduction. You can substitute an equal amount of beef for lamb if you like. You can also substitute some cubed Yukon Gold potatoes instead of the beans.

Ingredients

12 oz can white beans (or 1+ cup dried small white beans)

4 lb Lamb stew meat (leg, shoulder, chops, or cutlets cut into 1 in cubes)
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup flour

3/4 cup red wine (such as Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon)
8 cups lamb and/or chicken stock
8 oz can tomato paste

6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 celery, sliced

Rosemary and thyme sprigs, and celery leaves

1-2 cups frozen peas
More salt and pepper as needed

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Cook rinsed and cleaned beans until nearly done, 45-60 min, and drain. You can skip this step if you’re using canned beans.

Heat about a ¼ cup olive oil (or I like to use the fat on the top of the stock after it has chilled) in the soup pot you are using. Combine the lamb, salt, pepper, and flour. Brown the meat for a few minutes.

Now add the wine, stock, and tomato, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 1½ hours.

With more olive oil, sauté the garlic and onion, seasoning them with some salt and pepper as they cook. Add these and the celery to the soup. Cook for another 15 minutes.

Tie a few herb sprigs together (2 rosemary, 6+ thyme, and the inner celery leaves) with some string, and put this in the soup. Also add the beans at this time. Cook for another 45 minutes.

5 minutes before the soup is done, you can add some peas. This adds color and a little freshness to the soup. You can serve the stew immediately or chill for later.

Adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground pepper as the stew cooks. Maintain a good simmer throughout the cooking time. The total cooking time could be up to three hours.

Special Ingredient: Lamb
I like lamb and have really been enjoying the sheep we raised on our property. It turned out to be all worth it (although I wasn't the one who tended to the sheep, I still had to deal with the its noise). I recently made this stew using meat from it. Here is an interesting quote about lamb form a book we have called Cutting-up in the Kitchen.

"It is interesting to note that throughout the rest of the world, lamb is one of the very few meats against which there are no prejudices. Beef is not consumed in India because of religious taboos. In Ethiopia cattle are hoarded like gold as an indication of wealth, but no one would eat one. Pork is not eaten by Moslems or followers of the traditional Jewish faith. But with the possible exception of fish, there are fewer prejudices against lamb than any other meat. It is, to some, a symbol of purity. This reputation is based at least partly in fact: fewer lambs are condemned by government inspection than any other class of meat animal."

Lamb is the term used for "young sheep". It is also used to refer to the meat of a sheep. Here is a good visual of the various cuts of lamb.

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Please leave a comment if you have a comment or question about this recipe or any other recipe. Also let me know if you made it and tell me how it was. You can leave a comment by clicking on the comments link.

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I found out that the best way to view my blog is in the firefox browser. If you don't have it, you may want to download it from here...Mozilla.com.

Also, you can now print out the recipes by clicking on "click here for a printer friendly version of this recipe" at the bottom of the post. Something will pop up asking you in what program you would like to open it in (I would recommend Microsoft Word). You can also save it by choosing "Save to Disk". Then simply choose a location for it. I thought it may be easier for you to have the recipe printed if you were actually going to make it.

Dec: Stock Making

Stocks are among the most basic preparations found in any kitchen. In fact, they are referred to in French as fonds de cuisine, or the foundation of cooking. Stocks are made by gently simmering meaty bones, trim, and/or vegetables in a liquid to extract their flavor, aroma, color, body, and nutritive value. The liquid is then used to prepare sauces, soups, stews, and braises and as a cooking medium for vegetables and grains.

Especially in the colder months, we are using more and more stocks as the base liquid in soups, stews, and braises. As you can see by the definition above, stocks are used for many preparations. And in my book, you can never have enough stock. I know you can buy a can of stock at the store, and I do sometimes, but try making some homemade and see if you can't tell the difference! Many of my recipes will include some sort of stock so I thought I'd define what I mean when I call for it, and explain how it is made. A good homemade stock is like liquid gold!

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Stocks are not difficult to make, but they are somewhat time consuming. Start with cool water and bring to a gentle simmer over low heat to gently extract the flavor from the bones. Make sure and monitor the temperature, you should never find the stock boiling. The low heat will help to keep the stock clear. Aside from the aesthetics of a clear stock, as opposed to a cloudy one, the impurities that leave the stock cloudy are the same elements that will quickly spoil and sour a stock. The clearer the stock, the longer its shelf life.

To add body and to give the stock a more full and balanced taste you will be adding some vegetables (usually onion, carrots, and celery, known as mirepoix). These vegetables should be roughly chopped and added about an hour before the cooking is over. Adding the vegetables at this point will allow enough time for the best flavor to be extracted but not so much time that the flavor is broken down and destroyed. When to add the aromatics also depends on how fine or large they were cut. Probably the best way to tell when a stock is done is to taste it. But here are some approximate guidelines you can use.

PER QUART OF WATER USED

for fish: 30 min

for poultry: 60 min

for lamb: 75 min

for veal: 75 min

for beef: 90 min

The base ingredients in a stock:

Bones and trimmings

Carrots, Celery, Onion

Bay leaves, peppercorns, garlic clove

Bouquet garni (Herbs sprigs tied together with a string or twisty tie)

I'm going to break this process down into several steps and if you follow along, you really can't go wrong.

1. Put whatever bones and trimmings you have into a stockpot (or a saucepan if you don't have a whole lot), and add cool water until just covered.
2. Over low heat, bring to a gentle simmer. Maintain a gentle simmer throughout the whole cooking time, skimming (see below) off any foam and scum that accumulates on to p.
3. Add the chopped vegetables into the stock an hour before the cooking is done (do not stir them in, just dump them in. If they are not all covered by water press them down with a spoon or the skimmer. Never stir the stock).
4. Add the bay leaves (2 -3), peppercorns (8 - 10), and 1 or 2 garlic cloves.
5. Continue to cook for another 30 minutes then add the bouquet garni.
6. Cook for another 30 minutes then carefully strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth.

Chill the stock. After about 12 hours in the fridge it should gel up. this is a very good thing. If you made a big batch (which I would recommend if you have the ingredients), you can store it in ziploc bags in the freezer.

I would advise you to make some stock to be ready for next week's lamb stew recipe!


Equipment: The Stockpot
Obviously, one of the major uses for a stockpot is for making stocks. Stockpots are usually taller than they are are wide, this allows for less evaporation. Anodized aluminum and stainless steal are the preferred materials. Stockpots are very useful for other kitchen preparations as well. We use them for soups, stews, making rice, and boiling pasta. Stockpots come in various sizes from 4 quart to 18 quart and bigger.

Equipment: Skimmer (fine mesh)

This is one of the most useful tools in a kitchen. It can be used for anything from skimming, to sifting, to straining, to scooping out blanched vegetables. For the stocks, it can be used to skim off the fat and scum that accumulates on the surface. It also works to strain the stock when it's done. This is a good one...Calphalon Stainless Skimmer.

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Chinese Abacus

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