A bright citrusy salmon, perfect on a bagel with some cream cheese or as a starter for a fancy meal.
2.5 lbs fresh salmon
1/2 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
zest of two oranges and two lemons
1 T lemon juice
1 T orange juice
1/4 C grand marnier
3/4 C kosher salt
Mix the sugars, salt, and grated zest. Sprinkle half the mixture over the bottom of dish just large enough to hold the salmon (this is important, you want to keep the brine in close contact with the fish). Place the fish in the pan and coat with the mixed citrus juice and grand marnier, then add the rest of the salt-sugar-zest mixture.
Cover with plastic wrap then place a dish on top of the salmon and weight it down.
Refrigerate for two days. The salmon should be firm to the touch when done, if it isn't give it another day in the cure. When it's done rinse the cure off and dry the salmon. Slice it thinly when you're ready to eat.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Beef Fajitas
Caramelized meat, mounds of caramelized and cooked down onions with a bunch of cooked down peppers... This is just rich salty deliciousness of beef with veggies that are cooked until falling apart. Heaven when wrapped in a warm tortilla and served with some pico de gallo.
1.5 lbs beef (something like top round), trimmed of fat and cut in to 1/8th inch strips across the grain
pico de gallo
2-3 small onions, thinly sliced
2-3 mild green chiles (anaheim work well), thinly sliced
5-6 jalapenos, thinly sliced
flour tortillas
1 T vegetable oil
Marinade
6 T vegetable oil
6 T soy sauce
2 T dried oregano
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 T cayenne, or to taste
1 capful liquid smoke
Mix the marinade ingredients, and marinate the beef for a day.
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet or wok (not non-stick) on high heat until almost smoking, then drain the marinade and add the beef (you may need to do this in two or three batches to keep the oil hot enough). Stir it around continuously for a minute or two until well browned, but not over cooked. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
Drop the heat down to medium, add the chiles and onions, and set your oven to 350. Cook the onions and chiles until soft, and toward the end of this throw your tortillas in the oven to warm up.
When the chiles and onions are done kill the heat and return the beef to the pan and mix it all together. Serve on the tortillas with some pico de gallo or salsa.
1.5 lbs beef (something like top round), trimmed of fat and cut in to 1/8th inch strips across the grain
pico de gallo
2-3 small onions, thinly sliced
2-3 mild green chiles (anaheim work well), thinly sliced
5-6 jalapenos, thinly sliced
flour tortillas
1 T vegetable oil
Marinade
6 T vegetable oil
6 T soy sauce
2 T dried oregano
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 T cayenne, or to taste
1 capful liquid smoke
Mix the marinade ingredients, and marinate the beef for a day.
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet or wok (not non-stick) on high heat until almost smoking, then drain the marinade and add the beef (you may need to do this in two or three batches to keep the oil hot enough). Stir it around continuously for a minute or two until well browned, but not over cooked. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
 |
| The finished beef |
Drop the heat down to medium, add the chiles and onions, and set your oven to 350. Cook the onions and chiles until soft, and toward the end of this throw your tortillas in the oven to warm up.
 |
| Chiles and onions cooking |
When the chiles and onions are done kill the heat and return the beef to the pan and mix it all together. Serve on the tortillas with some pico de gallo or salsa.
 |
| Ready for the tortillas |
Salsa
A basic salsa recipe; I like cilantro and love spicy food, so this recipe reflects that. The amount of cilantro could be reduced, and something less spicy than habaneros could be substituted (serranos or jalapenos).
Three good sized ripe tomatoes, roughly 4 cups
3/4 C onion
2 jalapenos
2 anaheim or similar mild green pepper
1/2 C cilantro
4 cloves garlic
salt to taste
3-4 T vinegar, cider or a mix of cider and white
habaneros to desired heat
Roast the tomatoes, jalapenos, and anaheims under a broiler until the skin browns and splits. Allow to cool, then remove stems and tomato cores. Process everything in a food processor, adjust flavor as necessary, and allow to sit so the flavor blend.
Three good sized ripe tomatoes, roughly 4 cups
3/4 C onion
2 jalapenos
2 anaheim or similar mild green pepper
1/2 C cilantro
4 cloves garlic
salt to taste
3-4 T vinegar, cider or a mix of cider and white
habaneros to desired heat
Roast the tomatoes, jalapenos, and anaheims under a broiler until the skin browns and splits. Allow to cool, then remove stems and tomato cores. Process everything in a food processor, adjust flavor as necessary, and allow to sit so the flavor blend.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Roasted Marrow Bones with Parsley Salad
This is one of those decadent dishes you shouldn't make very often, but it is SO good. Invite a few friends who don't value their hearts much to help eat it.
8 beef or veal marrow bone halves (with the cut along the axis), 3 to 4 inches long, roughly 3 lbs
2 C roughly chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/2 C sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 T capers, chopped
3 T extra virgin olive oil
~2 T fresh lemon juice
Coarse sea salt to taste
At least 8 1/2-inch-thick slices of crusty bread, toasted (try not to over toast, you want crunch, but also some chewiness. Think bruschetta, not crostini, and the rub down with a garlic clove might not be a bad idea.)
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put bones, cut side up, on foil-lined baking sheet or in ovenproof skillet. Cook until marrow is soft and has begun to separate from the bone, about 15 minutes. (Stop when the marrow is soft and spreadable but not liquifying and running out)
2. Meanwhile, combine parsley, onion and capers in small bowl. Just before bones are ready, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice and drizzle dressing over parsley mixture until leaves are just coated. Put roasted bones, parsley salad, salt and toast on a large plate. To serve, scoop out marrow, spread on toast, sprinkle with salt and top with parsley salad.
8 beef or veal marrow bone halves (with the cut along the axis), 3 to 4 inches long, roughly 3 lbs
2 C roughly chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/2 C sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 T capers, chopped
3 T extra virgin olive oil
~2 T fresh lemon juice
Coarse sea salt to taste
At least 8 1/2-inch-thick slices of crusty bread, toasted (try not to over toast, you want crunch, but also some chewiness. Think bruschetta, not crostini, and the rub down with a garlic clove might not be a bad idea.)
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put bones, cut side up, on foil-lined baking sheet or in ovenproof skillet. Cook until marrow is soft and has begun to separate from the bone, about 15 minutes. (Stop when the marrow is soft and spreadable but not liquifying and running out)
2. Meanwhile, combine parsley, onion and capers in small bowl. Just before bones are ready, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice and drizzle dressing over parsley mixture until leaves are just coated. Put roasted bones, parsley salad, salt and toast on a large plate. To serve, scoop out marrow, spread on toast, sprinkle with salt and top with parsley salad.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Glace de Viande
This one is a beast to make, but it will make 3-4 servings of the base for some of the best sauces you'll ever taste. This is, essentially, a stock that's cooked down until the natural gelatin thickens the sauce, but you'll have to make the stock yourself as store bought stuff doesn't have the gelatin or the depth of flavor that you need. You'll also need a big soup pot to hold everything.
Ingredients:
8 lbs beef bones, a mix of marrow bones and joint ends (you don't want the typical soup bones that are a little chunk of bone with a bunch of meat around it)
1 lb onion, rough chopped
1 lb carrots, rough chopped
1/2 lb celery, rough chopped
8-10 sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf
15-20 peppercorns
3 cloves garlic
1 t dried thyme
Instructions:
Roast the bones in a 400 degree oven for 3 hours. Add the onions, celery and carrot plus 2 cups of cold water to the roasting pan (carefully, there may be some splattering from the hot fat in the pan) with the bones and return to the oven for another hour.
Transfer all of the bones and veggies to a soup pot as well as all the juices and anything you can scrap off the pan, add the rest of the ingredients and add enough water to cover everything by an inch or two. Simmer for 8 hours, adding water occasionally if needed, and skimming off any scum that floats to the surface.
Kill the heat and strain out all the veggies, bones, and other solids and pitch them, then chill it down in the fridge to solidify the fat so it can be easily removed. Now take the stock and bring it to a high boil for three hours or so until the volume is reduced to about a pint.
The finished glace de viande can then be turned into specific sauces: add in the drippings from a roasted chicken, some poached garlic, and a few tablespoons of butter and you have a sauce for the chicken; use some burgundy to deglaze the pan after cooking some steaks, then add in the glace and a couple tablespoons of butter and you have bordelaise sauce for the steak. Leftover glace de viande freezes well.
Ingredients:
8 lbs beef bones, a mix of marrow bones and joint ends (you don't want the typical soup bones that are a little chunk of bone with a bunch of meat around it)
1 lb onion, rough chopped
1 lb carrots, rough chopped
1/2 lb celery, rough chopped
8-10 sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf
15-20 peppercorns
3 cloves garlic
1 t dried thyme
Instructions:
Roast the bones in a 400 degree oven for 3 hours. Add the onions, celery and carrot plus 2 cups of cold water to the roasting pan (carefully, there may be some splattering from the hot fat in the pan) with the bones and return to the oven for another hour.
Transfer all of the bones and veggies to a soup pot as well as all the juices and anything you can scrap off the pan, add the rest of the ingredients and add enough water to cover everything by an inch or two. Simmer for 8 hours, adding water occasionally if needed, and skimming off any scum that floats to the surface.
Kill the heat and strain out all the veggies, bones, and other solids and pitch them, then chill it down in the fridge to solidify the fat so it can be easily removed. Now take the stock and bring it to a high boil for three hours or so until the volume is reduced to about a pint.
The finished glace de viande can then be turned into specific sauces: add in the drippings from a roasted chicken, some poached garlic, and a few tablespoons of butter and you have a sauce for the chicken; use some burgundy to deglaze the pan after cooking some steaks, then add in the glace and a couple tablespoons of butter and you have bordelaise sauce for the steak. Leftover glace de viande freezes well.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Roast Leg of Lamb with Couscous
One of my classics for large groups and special occasions: leg of lamb cooked in the middle eastern style and served with couscous.
Leg of lamb, preferably bone in
A bottle of red wine (a good merlot or another fruity wine)
A large onion, quartered and slivered
4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
several tablespoons dried mint
Salt and pepper to taste
Couscous
1. Rub the lamb down with the garlic, mint, and salt, and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
2. Place the lamb in a baking dish, add the onions, and pour the entire bottle of wine on the lamb.
3. Cover and marinate for at least a day, turning several times.
4. Preheat an oven to 350 F, and bake the lamb, covered, till medium rare; an internal temperature of 130-140 F depending on how you like it (I typically aim for 130-135 F assuming it'll end up medium rare after resting).
5. Remove the pan and allow to rest before removing the lamb from the pool of marinade and drippings.
6. Use the heated marinade and drippings (as well as the onions and miscellaneous meaty bits) as the liquid when making the couscous (add in some stock if you don't have quite enough liquid.
7. Serve the lamb on couscous with a side of labna (labneh, or however it's spelled in your local middle eastern market) or toum. If you can't find labna you can make it by tossing plain yogurt in a few layers of cheese cloth and hanging it until it reaches the consistency of cream cheese.
Leg of lamb, preferably bone in
A bottle of red wine (a good merlot or another fruity wine)
A large onion, quartered and slivered
4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
several tablespoons dried mint
Salt and pepper to taste
Couscous
1. Rub the lamb down with the garlic, mint, and salt, and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
2. Place the lamb in a baking dish, add the onions, and pour the entire bottle of wine on the lamb.
3. Cover and marinate for at least a day, turning several times.
4. Preheat an oven to 350 F, and bake the lamb, covered, till medium rare; an internal temperature of 130-140 F depending on how you like it (I typically aim for 130-135 F assuming it'll end up medium rare after resting).
5. Remove the pan and allow to rest before removing the lamb from the pool of marinade and drippings.
6. Use the heated marinade and drippings (as well as the onions and miscellaneous meaty bits) as the liquid when making the couscous (add in some stock if you don't have quite enough liquid.
7. Serve the lamb on couscous with a side of labna (labneh, or however it's spelled in your local middle eastern market) or toum. If you can't find labna you can make it by tossing plain yogurt in a few layers of cheese cloth and hanging it until it reaches the consistency of cream cheese.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Sundried tomato spread
Another simple spread suitable for parties or just as a snack.
Blend together:
6 oil packed sun dried tomato halves
1/4 C goat cheese
2 T marscarpone (or cream cheese)
1 T fresh sage (chopped)
Blend together:
6 oil packed sun dried tomato halves
1/4 C goat cheese
2 T marscarpone (or cream cheese)
1 T fresh sage (chopped)
Olive spread
A quick spread for crackers or toast, perfect for parties.
Blend together:
1/2 C pitted black olives (good ones, NOT canned)
2 t olive oil
2 t balsamic vinegar
1 head roasted garlic
1 T Italian parsley (chopped)
1/4 t black pepper
Blend together:
1/2 C pitted black olives (good ones, NOT canned)
2 t olive oil
2 t balsamic vinegar
1 head roasted garlic
1 T Italian parsley (chopped)
1/4 t black pepper
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thai Red Curry Paste, Type 2
A lighter Thai red curry paste suitable for chicken and fish.
1 t coriander, ground
10-20 (or to taste) red chiles, preferably Thai
1/2 t cumin
4 shallots or green onions
2 lemon grass stalks, chopped, woody part discarded, or 6 T frozen shredded lemon grass
1/2 t black pepper, ground
2 cloves garlic
4 cilantro roots, or handful of leaves and stems
1 T galangal or ginger, grated
1 t tumeric
1/2 t shrimp paste
1 t salt
2 T vegetable oil
pinch cinnamon (optional)
2 kaffir lime leaves (optional)
Combine all in a food processor.
This curry paste doesn't keep quite as well as the red curry paste 1, but makes far less of it. This version is also much lighter in flavor so it won't completely kill fish or chicken.
1 t coriander, ground
10-20 (or to taste) red chiles, preferably Thai
1/2 t cumin
4 shallots or green onions
2 lemon grass stalks, chopped, woody part discarded, or 6 T frozen shredded lemon grass
1/2 t black pepper, ground
2 cloves garlic
4 cilantro roots, or handful of leaves and stems
1 T galangal or ginger, grated
1 t tumeric
1/2 t shrimp paste
1 t salt
2 T vegetable oil
pinch cinnamon (optional)
2 kaffir lime leaves (optional)
Combine all in a food processor.
This curry paste doesn't keep quite as well as the red curry paste 1, but makes far less of it. This version is also much lighter in flavor so it won't completely kill fish or chicken.
Thai Red Curry Paste, type 1
A rich version of Thai red curry paste most suited to beef and game.
2 T coriander, ground
6-12 (or to taste) red chiles, preferably Thai
1 t cumin, ground
1 T paprika
1-2 t decorticated green cardamom, ground
1/2 t nutmeg, ground
zest of one orange
1/4 t cloves, ground
1/2 t cinnamon
1 stalk lemon grass finely chopped (if you don't chop it the food processor will have a hard time), discarding woody part of base, alternatively, 3 T frozen shredded lemon grass
1.5 T sugar
4 cloves garlic
1/2 t salt
2 cm galangal or ginger, peeled and grated
4 shallots or green onions
3 T shrimp paste
3-4 T lime juice
2 T vegetable oil
Combine all in a food processor.
This stuff is salty enough that it'll keep for a long time in the fridge, but makes enough that you should plan on freezing some. This particular version is best suited to richer meats like beef or game; a lighter version more suitable for chicken or fish is under Red Curry Paste 2.
2 T coriander, ground
6-12 (or to taste) red chiles, preferably Thai
1 t cumin, ground
1 T paprika
1-2 t decorticated green cardamom, ground
1/2 t nutmeg, ground
zest of one orange
1/4 t cloves, ground
1/2 t cinnamon
1 stalk lemon grass finely chopped (if you don't chop it the food processor will have a hard time), discarding woody part of base, alternatively, 3 T frozen shredded lemon grass
1.5 T sugar
4 cloves garlic
1/2 t salt
2 cm galangal or ginger, peeled and grated
4 shallots or green onions
3 T shrimp paste
3-4 T lime juice
2 T vegetable oil
Combine all in a food processor.
This stuff is salty enough that it'll keep for a long time in the fridge, but makes enough that you should plan on freezing some. This particular version is best suited to richer meats like beef or game; a lighter version more suitable for chicken or fish is under Red Curry Paste 2.
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