Recipe: West Indian Curry with Wild Salmon

gotta, gotta try this....

found this on a blog created by someone i met through an old college buddy's wife...

not that you would know this by this "fish" recipe below, but you should check her site/blog "cheriepicked.com" particularly if you are into vegan and vegetarian cooking. me? not so much... but i am trying to learn to cook in a more "environmentally ethical" way and to add more veggies into my diet. so far, so good...

regarding the fish in this dish... i'm sure the author would insist on never using "farmed" fish or fish that is not from a "sustainable" population...

West Indian Curry

March 4th, 2009
from "Cheriepicked.com"

I follow a primarily vegan diet but also enjoy sustainable, environmentally sound, naturally raised, happily sourced fish, meat and dairy on occasion. I have always supported folks running small family operations that treat the land, the oceans and their inhabitants with respect. In addition to being in sync with my personal ethics, these foods taste just astoundingly better than those produced by factory farms.

On my last jaunt to the farmers market I picked up some wild caught salmon and shrimp, stoked on the idea of incorporating it into a curry. Visiting with the fishermen always triggers a desire in me to learn to fly fish. Me- outfitted in a pair of waders thigh deep in a glittering river..that scene pops into my head every damn time. I suppose I should get my shit together and pursue lessons at some point soon.

I love curry and the richness of this one really compliments the fish. You can use a white fish instead of salmon if you’d rather- sea bass or halibut or even a seafood medley to mix in instead of a solid piece. Check whats local to where you live and make sure what you choose is wild caught and not farm raised. Also go with a small fishery with high standards..or better yet be a bad ass and do it right by catching your own. If you’re vegan, this dish is great with deep fried tofu as an alternative. The curry is creamy and has a lovely combination of spices. One of those spices being an all time favorite of mine- cardamom. I eat it over brown rice (of course) and usually drink a dry white Gewurtztraminer with it.

***I like a little touch of sweetness with this recipe. So what I do is about 5 minutes before the sauce is done- as its simmering- I add about half a cup of diced pineapple. I mix it in and let it cook just a couple minutes until the fruit chunks are heated through. This is an optional step but I highly recommend it…its the perfect finishing touch and really rounds out all the flavors well.

Spice Paste

4	cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp	curry powder
1/4 tsp	ground cardamom
1/4 tsp	ground cumin

Sauce

2 tsp	oil
2 Tbsp	minced shallot
1 Tbsp	minced ginger
1 1/2 cups	chopped tomatoes
1 tsp	red pepper flakes
1 cup	coconut milk

Fish (*or deep fried tofu)

	coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1	lemon, juiced
4	fish fillets (6 oz each) skin intact (use salmon, halibut, sea bass)
3/4 pound	of shrimp (optional)
	olive oil spray

Garnish

	fresh chopped cilantro
	coarsely chopped roasted peanuts

Directions

1. Grind ingredients for the paste together in a small bowl using the back of a spoon. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add shallots and ginger. Stir- cook 1 minute. Next add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes and spice paste. Cook and stir for a couple minutes until very fragrant. Add the coconut milk. Stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer to allow the sauce to thicken. At this point you may add shrimp to the sauce if you wish.
3. If using deep fried tofu- add into curry sauce and stir until cooked through. Then add lemon juice and 1 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Simmer for a minute or so. Serve atop brown rice garnished with cilantro and peanuts.
4. If using fillets- preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place fish fillets on a baking sheet skin side down. Rub fillets with lemon juice, salt and pepper and brush or spray each piece with olive oil. Cook 10 minutes or so until opaque in the center and cooked through. Using a spatula remove the fish leaving the skin on the baking sheet. Place atop a bed of brown rice and spoon the curry sauce over it. Garnish with cilantro and peanuts.

New Jummies Correspondent... Samoa Bar Update!

I'm proud to announce the first contribution from a "Jummies" correspondent.... My wife gave my brother-in-law the Samoa recipe from my most recent posting, and he gave it a go this week... below please find pictures of the results along with his "suggestion" regarding how to make the process easier and less "messy".

the only downside is that my wife and i can only imagine what they taste like... but from the pics they sure look good.... we'll need to try our own batch soon.

From Richard:

Suggestion: If you every make them leave the shortbread in the pan, melt the chocolate and pour it in and tile the pan around to spread it. They throw on the coconut so it will stick and then drizzle the caramel. No dunking and stuff which is extra messy. When it all hardens, cut it in the pan and pop them out. It’s fairly soft. Thanks again for the recipe!




Thanks Richard!

Recipe: Samoa Bars

did a google search for copycat cookie recipes for those yummy little bites that the girl scouts sell every year. but what about those of us that want them all year round, don't want to pay $5 a box and have to hoard them all year... even samoas are nasty stale, right?

well... thanks to the blogger that originally posted this... i hope i have credited them properly...

p.s. i haven't tried this yet and will report on the results when i do...

Homemade Girl Scout Cookies: Samoas Bars

I love the look of the original Samoas Girl Scout Cookies, but making them from scratch can be a little bit time consuming. This is largely because the dough must be rolled out, cut out and then each of the cookies has to be handled individually for topping. The results are well worth it, in my opinion, but we don’t always have time to make a labor-intensive recipe - no matter how bad a craving for Girl Scout cookies gets.

Bar cookies are the perfect solution.

This is basically a shortcut recipe that still delivers all the great samoas flavor without some of the more tedious parts of cooking making. These bars have a buttery shortbread base that is topped with the caramel-coconut samoas topping and chocolate. It is made in three stages. First, the shortbread is baked and cooled. Then, the coconut topping is applied. Put the coconut on while it is hot, so it will be fairly easy to push it around. It’s a thick mixture, but a spatula is all you need to press it into an even layer. The bars should be cut after the topping has been applied, and even though the shortbread has a melt-in-your mouth quality to it, the topping holds the bars together well. I recommend using a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice up the bars easily and neatly; small knives don’t work quite as well.

The final step is to dip these in chocolate once the topping has set. Since samoas have chocolate on the bottom and a chocolate drizzle on top, I kept that same look for my bar cookies. If you want something a bit simpler, just dip half that bars in chocolate - or skip the dipping in favor of a drizzle. The important thing is that all the flavors get into the batch. And that you have some friends to share these with, because they can be quite addictive.

Recipe: Lobster and Crab Burger with Tartar Sauce and Corn Relish

Lobster and Crab Burger with Tartar Sauce and Corn Relish

Chef Michael Hillyer – The Capital Grille, Seattle

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound lobster meat, broken into pieces (largest piece ¾ inch)
1 pound Dungeness crabmeat
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon parsley, freshly chopped
2 eggs, beaten
¾ cup mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup plain bread crumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, preferably clarified
4 brioche buns or hamburger buns

For tartar sauce (yields 1½ cups):
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup half-sour pickles, seeds removed, diced
1 tablespoon red onion, diced
1 tablespoon celery (with leaves), diced
1 tablespoon parsley, freshly chopped
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon capers
2 teaspoons caper juice (from the jar)
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch ground white pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper

For corn relish (yields 2 cups):
3 ears corn (¾ pound of corn), freshly shucked
Ice water, for shocking the corn
⅓ cup red bell peppers, diced
⅓ cup red onion, diced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons Pompeian® Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ tablespoon Pompeian® Red Wine Vinegar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Gently squeeze all of the excess moisture from the lobster and crab meats. Carefully examine the lobster and crab meat a handful at a time and remove any shell fragments. Set aside. Mix the dry mustard, Worcestershire, parsley, eggs, mayonnaise, onion powder and salt in a large mixing bowl, then fold in the cleaned lobster and crab meat. Stir until just combined to maintain the texture of the seafood. Gently fold in the bread crumbs and mix until just combined. Do not add more bread crumbs.

Allow the mixture to rest so the bread crumbs have adequate time to absorb any excess moisture. The crab cakes should be extremely moist and tender, just to the point of falling apart. Divide the crab cake mixture into 4 portions and shape into burger forms that fit the buns. Heat the clarified butter in a skillet until just smoking and sauté the crab burgers over medium heat until golden brown. Move them to a baking tray and place in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes to ensure the centers are hot.

While the crab burgers are roasting, toast the brioche buns. Serve the burgers in the buns with a dollop of tartar sauce and a side of corn relish. (See accompanying recipes.)

To prepare tartar sauce:
Combine all of the ingredients in a stainless steel or glass mixing bowl and mix thoroughly until combined. Place ½ cup of the tartar sauce in a food processor and pulse until all ingredients are blended. Combine the puréed mixture into the original bowl and stir well. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. This sauce is best made the night before to allow the flavors to develop.

To prepare corn relish:
Place the peeled ears of corn, with all silk removed from the exterior of each cob, in boiling water. Simmer for 7 minutes, drain, and shock in ice water. Holding the cob by the root end, slide a paring knife toward the cutting board, cutting the corn kernels from the cob. Place the corn in a stainless steel or glass mixing bowl. Add all of the other ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until you are ready to use.

Secrets of Minetta Tavern's Black Label Burger and Fries

Secrets of Minetta Tavern's Black Label Burger

Posted: 17 Mar 2009 08:00 AM PDT

"Clarified butter is drizzled on top of the patty and copious amounts of salt and pepper are added throughout the cooking process. This is one pampered burger."

In the months before Minetta Tavern re-opened under the auspices of Keith Mcnally and chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr it seemed that there was almost as much focus on the possibility of the restaurant serving the Black Label burger as on its renovation and other menu items. Since its opening last week, the hype has only intensified—virtually every account of the place mentions the Black Label burger.

Not that it was inevitable that the blend would be served at Minetta Tavern. Hanson and Nasr literally tried a dozen different blends from New York's top meat purveyors, including four different ones from La Frieda alone. Nasr recalls one tasting in which a large table at Balthazar—one of the duo's other wildly popular restaurants—was completely covered in bisected burgers. So many, in fact, that the exercise required notes like a wine tasting. But once the results were tabulated it was clear that the Black Label from La Frieda was far ahead of its competitors.

The Black Label has undergone some modifications since AHT featured it last November. The dry aged ribeye that was replaced with NY strip is back in the mix along with skirt steak and brisket, the ratios of which are a closely guarded secret. All the beef is prime and sourced from Creekstone Farms, Kentucky. The ribeye used in the Black Label is the same cut that is on the menu at Minetta Tavern for $90 (and is worth every penny). Nasr says that it is important to use prime grade beef because, due to its intense marbling, less external fat is required in the the blend, thus concentrating the beef flavor.

Left to right: Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson.

After exhaustive testing Hanson and Nasr requested that the flavor of dry aging be dialed up in the mix. I assumed that this would entail merely adding more of the moldy fat from the outside edge of the primal cut, but Pat La Frieda explained that he uses the muscle because the fat, especially from dry aged meat, would be too mushy. To elicit the flavor using muscle rather than fat requires beef that is aged for a longer period of time. If you are wondering why the hamburger at Minetta Tavern cost $26, the answer is in the dry aging box.

Once the beef blend was determined, the focus shifted to the supporting ingredients. "We originally wanted to try a potato rolls," says Nasr, but after consulting with head baker Paula Oland of Balthazar Bakery they decided that the Black Label needed a custom bun. "We have one of the top bakeries in America and we would foolish to not use it," states Nasr. The result of the collaboration was a brioche with a dark tan crust studded with sesame seeds—they add a pleasing "nuttiness," notes Nasr—with a creamy, eggy interior not unlike challah bread. The bun is about as sweet as a potato roll—in other words, far less cloying than most brioche. It also has far more salt and butter than normal—the bottom of the roll is greasy like a croissant. It is baked a day in advance so the bun can harden slightly overnight, allowing it to become more robust. It is then cut ahead of time to allow the open face to become slightly stale and better stand up to the torrents of juice that the Black Label patty gushes.

The Black Label was originally served in the same manner as the "regular" blend ($16) that is on the Minetta Tavern menu—with cheddar cheese and caramelized onions. (Nasr laughs at the fact that the other burger on the menu is now referred to as "regular" because before the Black Label was developed it was La Frieda's premium product.) But the ultimate decision was to serve the Black Label sans cheese. "I don't think it needs the cheese," states Nasr although Hanson counters that he still eats his with the cheddar—a tangy and sharp variety from Pennsylvania. While they will let you order it with cheese if you want, I recommend that you first try it without and see if you think it's missing anything. I don't think you will, but it's nice to know that you have the option to add cheese at no additional cost.

The onions remain on the burger. While I don't usually order my burgers with cooked onions, the ones here—adhering as they do to classic technique (they could easily be the basis for the French onion soup at Balthazar)—are quite special and are far more involved that your average fried onion. They are sautéed ahead of time to the point where they just begin to caramelize but still retain a bit of snap.

The Black Label blend is delivered daily in loose-packed bags, and the patties are hand formed and weighed out to over eight ounces each. The beef—from grinding (or more accurately chopping) to the formation of the patty—is worked as little as possible. The result is an extremely fluffy burger that retains its juices. The patties are tempered ahead of time in the same way that one might do with a steak.

"We installed a plancha to do seafood," says Nasr "but now we only use it for the burgers." The griddle is not as searing hot as one might assume—the Black Label cooks differently from other blends and produces such a thick crust that it can be difficult to achieve even a rare internal temperature without completely burning the outside when cooking on high heat.

Grapeseed oil, chosen for its high smoke point and flavor neutrality, is applied to the griddle to prevent the patty from sticking until it develops a crust. The patty is gently placed on the griddle and pressed down with just enough pressure to ensure complete contact with the cooking surface. Clarified butter is drizzled on top of the patty and copious amounts of salt and pepper are added throughout the cooking process. This is one pampered burger.

The griddle may not be turned up all the way, but it's still plenty hot and smoke billows from the sizzling patty.

Once the patty has developed a decent crust it is gingerly turned over, treated more like a delicate piece of fish than a hamburger.

After the burger is cooked to order—the chef uses a simple metal skewer to check the internal temperature, pressing it on to his lower lip—it is left to rest like a steak to allow the juices to redistribute within the patty. While the burger lounges, the onions are griddled in the beef juices to a deep char. This only takes a moment before they are placed on the burger to rest while the bun is prepared.

The bun is toasted under a broiler, a crunchy ring burnished onto its outer circumference. The patty and onion stack is then placed on the griddle for a minute or so to bring the exterior temperature up before being placed on the bun.

The french fries are cut a day in advance and soaked in water overnight to remove the starch, decreasing the chances that they will stick when frying. They are then dried and blanched at a low temperature in peanut oil just long enough to cook them through, but not turn them golden. Then they are left to rest.

When it is almost time to plate the hamburger the fries are dropped into scalding oil and fried until golden and crispy. After a liberal seasoning of salt, an extremely generous portion is deposited next to the burger. They are indistinguishable from the fries at Balthazar, which are arguably the best in the city.

The finished burger looks so simple, completely belying the rigorous preparation involved in bringing it to table. Although the bun might appear too large, it is so light and airy that as it compresses and conforms around the plump patty the beef-to-bun ratio is actually spot on. The acridity of the onions balances the subtle sweetness of the bun, allowing the flavor of the beef to be fully realized. The Black Label is simply ethereal—tender, succulent, and brimming with the flavor of dry aging: that musky, Roquefort-like tang that is so intoxicating.

I called Pat La Frieda and Mark Pastore of Pat La Frieda Wholesale Meats to ask what they thought about the way the Black Label came out at Minetta Tavern. They were both unequivocal in their praise. La Frieda called the burger "perfectly executed" and said that "we are lucky to be working with Riad and Lee—they are the right guys for the job." Furthermore, it made all the late nights and hours of research and development "worthwhile." Pastore called the effort "more than I could have hoped for" further iterating that eating a Black Label burger at the Minetta Tavern is "like biting heaven."

Recipe: Lydia Matticchio's Spaghetti and Pesto Trapanese

Saw this on PBS and just had to post it... can't wait to give it a try...

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Spaghetti and Pesto Trapanese

Spaghetti alla Pesto Trapanese alla Anna

Serves 4 to 6

The beauty and delight of this dish is that it is so fresh and clean-and it is a cinch to make. It’s important to make the pesto with the best ingredients then just toss in the hot cooked spaghetti to coat it and enjoy.

Ingredients:

¾ pound (about 2-1/2 cups) cherry tomatoes, very ripe and sweet
12 large fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup of whole almonds, lightly toasted
1 plump garlic clove, crushed and peeled
1/4 teaspoon peperoncino or to taste
½ teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt, or to taste, plus more for the pasta
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound spaghetti
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano

Recommended equipment:

· A blender (my preference) or a food processor
· A pot for cooking the spaghetti

Rinse the cherry tomatoes and pat them dry. Rinse the basil leaves and pat dry.

Drop the tomatoes into the blender jar or food processor bowl followed by the garlic clove, the almonds, basil leaves, peperoncino and ½ tsp salt. Blend for a minute or more to a fine purée; scrape down the bowl and blend again if any large bits or pieces have survived.

With the machine still running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream, emulsifying the purée into a thick pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning. (If you’re going dress the pasta within a couple of hours, leave the pesto at room temperature.

Refrigerate if for longer storage, up to 2 days, but let it return to room temperature before cooking the pasta.

To cook the spaghetti, heat 6 quarts of water, with 1 tablespoon salt, to the boil in the large pot. Scrape all the pesto into a big warm bowl.

Cook the spaghetti al dente, lift it from the cooking pot, drain briefly, and drop onto the pesto. Toss quickly to coat the spaghetti, sprinkle the cheese all over, and toss again. Serve immediately in warm bowls.

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i like this version too (especially the part where the cherry tomatos are "blistered ik a dry skillet"). i think this might had a more rich, complex flavor to the pesto....

Dinner Tonight: Pesto Trapanese

Posted by Blake Royer, April 8, 2008 at 4:00 PM

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/04/dinner-tonight-pesto-trapanese-recipe.html

I'm usually suspicious of any alterations to traditional basil pesto—those fancy, misguided ideas like trading out pine nuts for pistachios. "Don't mess with perfection," is my feeling. Except in many cases, these other pestos aren't trying to mess up a good thing—they're traditions of their own. Pine nuts, basil, Parmesan, and olive oil may be the most popular and arguably the most sublime of these concoctions (known officially as pesto Genovese), but there are others great ones, like this one from Sicily: pesto Trapanese.

Other than replacing pine nuts with almonds, it's not a sweeping change. But the recipe also adds cherry tomatoes, and they offer a little sweetness. Their crushed juices also help counteract the relative dryness of the almonds, which, unlike softer pine nuts, refuse to give themselves up to the pesto—they remain distinct and crunchy, adding a wonderful textural interest to the dish that pesto Genovese sometimes lacks. I found that a little pasta water was the essential step to keep it from drying out too much and helping to bind everything together.

About the author: Blake Royer lives in Brooklyn and spends most of his free time cooking and writing about it here at Serious Eats and on The Paupered Chef. From 9 to 5 weekdays, he works as an assistant book editor in Manhattan.

Pesto Trapanese with Spaghetti

- serves 4 -
Adapted from Jamie's Italy

Ingredients

1 pound spaghetti
1/4 pound almonds, skin on or off
1 clove garlic, peeled
4 large handfuls fresh basil leaves
5 oz grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese
Good olive oil
1 pound cherry tomatoes, blistered in a dry skillet

Procedure:

1. Bring a large pot of salty water to boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, warm the almonds in a dry pan until just lightly toasted, then transfer to a food processor and process into a coarse powder. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the basil and garlic with a little oil to the food processor, blend, then stir into the almonds.

3. Add the cheese, then squeeze the tomatoes and their juice into the mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then add oil to loosen the mixture until it's the right pesto consistency. Add some pasta water if it's getting too oily.

4. Toss the cooked pasta with the pesto, reserving some pasta water to add (if necessary) to keep it from drying out. Serve immediately.