Salmon Chowder

We've eaten this chowder twice since Christmas Eve and every time I forget to take a picture.  On this occasion I remembered to take a picture the day after when we were eating the leftovers for lunch. It doesn't do the chowder justice

This is one of those soups that is 1. delicious 2. easy to make and can be mostly made ahead and 3. works for when you need a nice dinner, but don't have a lot of time to cook.  It's a lighter chowder so it won't leave you feeling super heavy and overloaded with milk and cream when you are finished. We've made it for Christmas Eve several years in a row now and everyone loves it! 

Salmon Chowder
Serves: 6

ingredients:
1 ¹⁄₄ pounds salmon
kosher salt
brown sugar
wood chips
16 oz frozen corn
4 slices good quality bacon
1 medium onion, diced
³⁄₄ cup dry white wine
2 cups fish stock
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or ¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried
tabasco sauce
5 medium red potatoes, washed and diced
1 cup whipping cream
2 cups milk (2%)
¹⁄₄ cup fresh chives, minced

For the salmon: Rub the salmon with some kosher salt and brown sugar (there is no magic amount, but you want the salmon to be covered with brown sugar and salt).  Soak the wood chips in water and start the BBQ.  Once the BBQ is nice and hot add the wood chips (we wrap ours in a tin foil pack and place it on the coals).  Cook the salmon until just barely finished (or a little under done) - it will finish cooking in the soup.  When the salmon is cool enough to handle break it into small pieces.  Place the salmon in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the chowder: In a dutch oven or large stock pot cook the bacon, over medium heat, until cooked all the way through.  Remove the bacon and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels.  Pour off some of the grease until you have a thin layer left in the pan. Add the onion and cook until soft, but not browning, about 5-7 minutes. Add the wine and boil over medium heat-high heat until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.  Add the fish stock, thyme and a dash of tabasco.  Bring to a simmer.  Add the potatoes, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender when pierced with a fork, about 8 minutes. Add the corn, salmon, cream and milk (Be careful not to boil the chowder once you've added the milk or it might curdle) .  Cook until the corn is almost tender, but still crunchy, about 3-5 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately, garnished with bacon and chives.

Note: smoking the salmon on the BBQ is preferred, but if you are pressed for time or don't have a BBQ baking the salmon in the oven is fine.

To make ahead: Prepare the salmon per directions above.  You can make the chowder several hours ahead up to the point of adding the corn, salmon, cream and milk.  Do this last step right before you are ready to serve.

Falafel, Pita and a Salad

Lately, we have been making a lot of simple salads and putting them on top of homemade pita bread (store bought pita doesn't even come close).  We top the salad with falafel and tzatziki.  It is delicious!

The falafel recipe is from Yotam Ottolenghi.  We have his book, Plenty, which does not have a falafel recipe, but I figured he must have one.  He does.  And we made it.  It is amazing!  

The falafel.  It looks so perfect and delicious.

The pita, falafel, tzatziki salad

for the pita bread:

ingredients:

1 Tablespoon honey 

2 teaspoon active dry yeast 

15³⁄₄ oz. (3¹⁄₂ cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more as needed 

2¹⁄₂ oz. (¹⁄₂ cup) whole-wheat flour 

1¹⁄₂ teaspoon kosher salt 

1¹⁄₂ cups lukewarm water, divided

2 Tablespoons olive oil; more for the bowl

In a small bowl, mix the honey with ¹⁄₂ cup lukewarm water and stir in the yeast. Let sit until the yeast has started to foam, 2 to 3 minutes.

Put the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.  On low speed, mix in the olive oil until fully incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add the yeast mixture and 1 cup lukewarm water and mix until fully incorporated, 2 to 3 minutes more. Raise the speed to medium and knead the dough until it comes away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball that is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky, 4 to 5 minutes. If the dough seems too wet, add more all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon at a time. Raise the speed to medium high and continue to knead for 5 minutes. 

Oil a medium bowl, transfer the dough to the bowl, and roll to coat it with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead two or three times to remove any air bubbles.  Roll the dough into a log and divide it evenly into 10 pieces.  Form each piece into a ball (at this point you can freeze what you aren't ready to use.  Just wrap each ball tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.  When you are ready to use the dough bring it to room temperature and continue with the directions) and then roll into disks about ¹⁄₄ inch thick and 6 inches in diameter.  Lightly oil two rimmed baking sheets.  Put the disks on the baking sheets, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until just doubled in thickness, 30 to 45 minutes.  Prepare a medium-high gas grill fire, leaving one burner off, or prepare a charcoal fire with a hot zone and cool zone by pushing the coals to one side of the grill. Brush a cast-iron griddle or skillet lightly with olive oil and put it on the grill over the cool zone. (This can also be done on your stove top) When very hot, cook the pitas in batches on the griddle until starting to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until lightly golden on the bottom and the pitas are cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more.  Cool on a wire rack.  If stuffing, cut the pitas in half and carefully separate the layers with a fork.

Makes 10 pitas.  Recipe by Mary Karlin, "Grilled Pita Bread", Fine Cooking, Issue 105

for the falafel:

ingredients:

1¹⁄₄ cups dried chickpeas

¹⁄₂ medium onion, finely chopped (¹⁄₂ cup in total)

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 Tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 Tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

¹⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground cumin

¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground coriander

¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground cardamom

¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking powder

3 Tablespoon water

1¹⁄₂ Tablespoon all-purpose flour

About 3 cups sunflower (or vegetable) oil, for frying

¹⁄₂ teaspoon sesame seeds, for coating

Salt to taste

Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with cold water at least twice their volume. Set aside to soak overnight.

The next day, drain the chickpeas well and combine them with the onion, garlic, parsley and cilantro. Pulse the mix in batches, pulsing each for 30 to 40 seconds, until it is finely chopped and holds itself together. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the spices, baking powder, ³⁄₄ teaspoon salt, flour and water. Mix well by hand until smooth and uniform. Cover the mixture and leave it in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or until ready to use.

Fill a deep, heavy-bottomed medium saucepan with enough oil to come 2³⁄₄ inches up the sides of the pan. Heat the oil to 350°F.

With wet hands, press 1 tablespoon of the mixture in the palm of your hand to form a patty or a ball the size of a small walnut.

Sprinkle the balls evenly with sesame seeds and deep-fry them in batches for 4 minutes, until well browned and cooked through. It is important they really dry out the inside, so make sure they get enough time in the oil. Drain in a colander lined with paper towels and serve at once.

Serves 4: Makes about 20 balls

Recipe from Jerusalem: A Cookbook, by Yotam Ottolenghi

for the tzatziki:

ingredients:

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded grated or finely chopped

2 cups plain, whole-milk, greek yogurt

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 lemon, juiced

¹⁄₈ cup dried dill, more if desired - just add it in slowly

salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl combine the cucumber, yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, and dill.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. This can be made a few hours ahead - just cover and refrigerate. 

Adapted from Bobby Flay's, Boy Gets Grill, Cucumber-Yogurt Salad and Toasted Walnuts

for the salads:

ingredients:

pita bread

romaine, chopped

tomatoes, chopped

onions, chopped

cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

tzatziki sauce

falafel

feta, if desired

Start with a pita bread.  Pile on romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, onions and garlic.  Add falafel (about 4/person), the tzatziki and feta.  Drizzle with some good olive oil.  

Enjoy and if you are actually able to pick it up, as my husband says, "don't break the grip"!  

Mojitos

My aunt gave me some recipes for a shower that she gave me for my wedding.  One of those recipes was for these mojitos.  They are almost a little too delicious!  And very easy to drink!

ingredients:

3 sprigs mint 
1/2 lime 
1/2 cup lime simple syrup, recipe below 
1-1/2 shots light rum 
splash of club soda 
mint and lime for garnish 

Simple Syrup ingredients: 
3/4 cup fresh lime juice 
1/4 cup water 
1 cup superfine sugar

For the simple syrup.  Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes. cool.

Divide the mint and lime among the glasses and muddle. (My aunt gave me a wooden muddler, but you could use the end of a wooden spoon to break up the mint and lime).  Add the simple syrup, rum, club soda and a few ice cubes. Garnish with lime and mint.

Serves 4

Herb Fried Chicken

My husband's favorite birthday dinner is always herb fried chicken, a childhood favorite, and this year was no exception.  The chicken stays nice and moist and we only pan-fry the chicken and then finish it in the oven so it's not too greasy.  It sounds like a lot of work but it is actually very easy and a definite crowd pleaser.  

ingredients:

6 chicken breasts, pounded
eggs, start with 2 and add more as needed
¹⁄₂ cup beer
2 cups flour
¹⁄₂ cup oats
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
¹⁄₄ cup parsley, finely chopped
6-8 sprigs fresh sage
1 sprig fresh rosemary
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
5-6 fresh basil leaves
canola oil

Heat the oven to 425°F.  Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet and set aside. 

Combine, flour, oats, spices and herbs in a food processor.  Pulse until to mix and break up oats and herbs (you still want to see them).  Set aside.

Mix eggs and beer and place in a shallow dish.

In a deep sauté pan pour in the canola oil so that there is about 1 inch of oil.  Heat the oil on medium high heat until the oil is hot, about 325°F.

Dip the chicken pieces in the egg/beer batter and then dredge through the flour mixture.  Shake off any excess.  

Place the floured chicken pieces in the hot oil (make sure to leave space between them - you can fry in batches if neccessary) and pan fry until golden brown on the bottom (about 5-7 minutes).  Flip and fry on the other side until golden brown.  (you will need to adjust the heat as you go along so they don't start to burn).  Once both sides are golden place the chicken on the cooling rack/baking sheet and place them in the oven until cooked through.  The easiest way is to check with a meat thermometer (your thermometer should tell you what temperature your chicken should be at).

Serve immediately!

Serves 6

R's mom's versions of Herb Fried Chicken, adapted from, Lynn Alley's, "COOKING WITH FRESH HERBS"

Artichokes and Garlic Olive Oil

Artichokes are one of those winter vegetables that we love.  The kids gobble them up so fast that we have to watch them to make sure they aren't eating the whole leaf!  We steam them until the leaves are tender (or for a real treat we partially steam them, cut them in half and finish them off on the BBQ!) and then we dip them in garlic olive oil! 

Artichokes:

Steam until tender (about 40 minutes)

Garlic Olive Oil:

Good olive oil
sea salt
several cloves of garlic (more or less depending on how much garlic you like)

Fill a ramekin with some olive oil (about 1/4 of a cup).  Minch several garlic cloves and add them to the oil.  Add a pinch (or 2) of salt, to taste.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I LOVE brussel sprouts.  We eat them several times a week when they are in season.  They make for a very tasty and easy vegetable.

ingredients:

1 lb brussel sprouts
olive oil
sea salt
black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Trim the ends off the brussel sprouts. Either quarter them or thinly slice them from the top to the bottom (see picture).  Generously coat them with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Cook for 30-35 minutes.  The brussel sprouts should be soft and starting to brown.  Serve before you eat them all yourself!

Serves 4

BBQ Chicken Salad and BBQ Sauce

We make a lot of salads at our house.  We have one every night with dinner, but my favorite is our BBQ'd Chicken Salad with homemade BBQ sauce.  I know it's weird but I LOVE BBQ sauce!  I have made several different recipes, but lately I have been making one that comes from a Fine Cooking recipe for barbecued chicken.  

The salad is pretty versatile and you can add whatever vegetables you have.  Ours has different ingredients every time we make it.  And there really are no exact measurements - just put in the amount you want.  Remember less is more!  It's easy to add extras!

It's also great deconstructed for the kids.  L & M gobble this stuff up - especially when there is blue cheese involved.  (Yes, blue cheese and BBQ sauce make for an amazing combination.)

salad ingredients:
head of Romaine lettuce, chopped
1 bone-in breast barbecued chicken (or for the quick, easy version....rub the chicken breast with olive oil, salt, pepper and a bit of BBQ sauce.  Bake it in a 400°F oven until 165°F.  Let it cool and pull apart. Set aside.)
¹⁄₂ cup corn
¹⁄₂ - 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
black olives, chopped
green beans, briefly cooked or steamed
artichoke hearts, quartered
¹⁄₂ cup cooked quinoa
tomatoes (I like the strawberry sized ones)
avocado
cilantro
onion
blue cheese
salt and pepper to taste

dressing:
equal parts bbq sauce and olive oil
balsamic vinegar, to taste 
salt and pepper

bbq sauce:
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
¹⁄₂ cup cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. pure maple syrup
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
¹⁄₂ tsp. hot sauce, such as Tabasco
¹⁄₂ tsp. kosher salt
¹⁄₄ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

To make the sauce: in a medium saucepan, boil the apple juice and vinegar over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium low and add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

The bbq sauce can be made ahead and will keep in the refrigerator for about 1 week.

To make the salad: Mix the dressing ingredients in small jar with a tight fitting lid.  Shake vigerously and set aside.  Toss all of the salad ingredients together in a large bowl.  Add the dressing to taste and serve.

The salad may be made several hours in advance.  Simply keep out the tomatoes, avocados and dressing until you are ready to serve.

Serves 4

The barbecue sauce recipe is from Fine Cooking, June/July 2013.