Thanks guys, for such a great time!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Foodie Fights 2010
Thanks guys, for such a great time!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Grilled Sweet & Sour Salmon
The sweet & sour sauce is what makes this salmon so good. It's from The Gas Grill Gourmet by A. Cort Sinnes. I've used it on pork, chicken, meatballs, and salmon, always with perfect results. The actual recipe is a pork recipe and the sauce is a marinade. I usually double the recipe and use half as a marinade and half as a finishing sauce or glaze. I don't include the oil; I've made it both with and without and can't tell the difference. As is, the sauce is very thin. When I've wanted it thicker--like as a glaze on my meatballs--I whisk 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch for each batch, depending on how thick I want it to be, and then simmer it until it's thickened, about 5 minutes.
Note: I did not marinate the salmon. I simply grilled it and then brushed it with the sauce, allowing it to caramelize slightly while on the grill. I also did not double the sauce this time.
Grilled Sweet & Sour Salmon (Adapted from The Gas Grill Gourmet)
Printable Recipe
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 cloves garlic, pressed
6 2-inch wide salmon fillets (about 6 oz each)
sesame seeds and thinly sliced green onion for garnish
1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl (I use a 2-cup glass measure) and whisk well to combine. Set aside.
2. Brush the grate of a gas grill with a wire brush to remove any residue from the last time you grilled. Heat the grill over high heat until it's smoking hot, 450-500 deg., and brush the grate again. Use long tongs to wipe the grate with vegetable oil-soaked paper towels and immediately place the salmon, skin-side up (if they have skin), on the grate.
3. Grill the fillets for 4-6 minutes--don't try to move them yet. You'll know when it's time to flip them when they release easily from the grate with a gentle horizontal jiggle (go with the bars of the grate, and don't try to pick them straight up off the grate). Flip the fillets skin-side down, leaving one burner empty.
3. Once the fillets are flipped, turn the burner(s) with the fillets to low, and leave the empty one on high. Brush the tops of the salmon with the sauce, close the grill lid, and continue to grill until the salmon is cooked almost all the way through, 6-8 minutes (the salmon will continue to cook after you take it off the grill), and the sauce has slightly caramelized. Brush the fillets with more glaze before removing them from the grill, and once more before serving. Garnish with the sesame seeds and green onion if you like.
Ingredient note: You'll find hoisin sauce in the Asian section of your grocery store.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Bean Sprout Salad
The restaurant served a bean sprout salad. I don't remember eating it, but it was one of his favorite dishes. I've thought of it often over the years, and decided to try to make something similar. My first few tries were lackluster, at best. Then I came across a recipe from Rena Gray that she had posted on her blog. She, too, loved bean sprout salad, and tried recipe after recipe trying to find the perfect dressing. She ended up combining a couple different recipes to get the right combination of flavors. I was thrilled! I like to experiment, but why do it if someone has already figured it out?
I don't know if this is close to the bean sprout salad my Wuerzburg Chinese restaurant served, but it is so delicious and full of flavor. I recently served this with Grilled Sweet & Sour Salmon and it was a perfect accompaniment. Thanks, Rena!
Note: Rena encourages you to experiment with the amounts of vinegar and soy sauce. I did decrease the vinegar a bit because I'm a little vinegar-sensitive ;)
Bean Sprout Salad (adapted from Rena Gray)
Printable Recipe
1 tablespoons sesame seed oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon honey
1 1/2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar (original recipe-2 TBL)
1 pound bean sprouts, rinsed and blotted on paper towels
Combine the sesame seed oil, soy sauce, garlic, honey, and vinegar in a medium bowl and whisk well to combine. Add the bean sprouts and toss gently with tongs. Serve immediately.
Makes about 6 servings.
Labels:
dressings,
gifts from fellow bloggers,
salad,
sides,
vegetarian
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Carrot and Zucchini Ribbons
I use a veggie peeler to make the carrot ribbons and a mandolin to make the zucchini ribbons. The veggie peeler didn't work well for me for the zucchini (could be the type of peeler I have), but you can try it if you don't have a mandolin. If using a mandolin, you want to use a very thin setting. When making the carrot strips, rotate the carrot a quarter turn every 1 or 2 strips so that you end up making a square around the core of the carrot. Stop when all that's left is the core.
And, of course, a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top makes all the difference.
Note: I've found yellow (like crook-neck) squash has too many seeds and too much moisture to work well when cut in thin strips. This summer I'll use yellow zucchini for a beautiful 3-color dish.
Carrot and Zucchini Ribbons
Printable Recipe
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 large carrots, scraped and made into strips
4 small zucchini, sliced very thin
kosher salt and fresh black pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for serving
Heat a large (12-inch) non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the oil and heat for 10 seconds. Add the carrots and zucchini, and cook, stirring and tossing often with tongs, until the vegetables are al dente, 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with Parmesan, and serve.
Makes 4-6 servings.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Fisherman's Stew
I first had fisherman's stew back in 2002. We were in Utah looking for a house and stopped at a restaurant called McGrath's Fish House for lunch. I was 3 months pregnant and just coming out of the sick-as-a-dog stage, and wanted to go easy on my stomach. After looking at the menu I settled on bread and a bowl of "fisherman's stew", whatever that was. I was richly rewarded for my choice. It was so delicious--veggies, potato, tomato-y broth, and big chunks of fish. After finally moving to Utah we ate at McGrath's several times, and each time I had a bowl of fisherman's stew with my meal. I kept thinking, "I bet I can make this. I bet I can figure this out." I spent the next 6 months working on a recipe and then I nailed it. We've been back to the restaurant since, and know what? My soup is better. Yeah, that's right...
I served this soup with buttermilk biscuits made with my homemade Buttermilk Pancake Mix (don't you love the flower shape?). I'll post the recipe soon.
1 medium onion, diced
2 large carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 lb. yellow or red potatoes (about 3 med.), cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8-oz bottle clam juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 6 to 8-oz fillet salmon
1 6 to 8-oz fillet salmon
1. Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat until hot; reduce the heat to medium. Add the oil and heat it for 10 seconds. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add the potato, wine, tomatoes, clam juice, tomato paste, chicken broth, bay leaf, thyme, and salt. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, or until the potato is almost tender.
3. Add the parsley and salmon and cook, stirring to break up the fillet, until it's fully cooked and broken into bite-size pieces.
Makes 6-8 servings.
Note: To use left-over salmon, simply add the cooked salmon at the end with the parsley and heat through.
Labels:
2-fers,
main dish,
recipes from my book,
salmon,
soup
Saturday, April 3, 2010
I will bake a difference!
Share Our Strength is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to end childhood hunger in America by providing healthy, nutritious food to children who would otherwise not have access to it. The Great American Bake Sale is just one of Share Our Strength's 5 programs. During the bake-sale season of March 1-October 31, 2010, volunteers all over the country will hold bake sales in an effort to help Share Our Strength reach their goal this year of $1.8 million. It sounds like a lot of money to be raised by selling cookies, but since Share Our Strength was started in 2003, they've raised almost $6 million through the bake sales.
My team's name is Herriman Against Hunger, and our bake sale will be May 22, from 10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Our local Goldenwest Credit Union branch has graciously agreed to let us take over part of their parking lot so we'll have some great exposure on one of our main streets. It's going to be such a great experience! I'll keep you updated on the fun--and crazy, I'm sure--plans :)
If you'd like to make a donation to my teams efforts, you can click on the Great American Bake Sale graphic at the top-left of the page which will take you to my page on the Share our Strength website. Thanks!
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