Spring Equinox Dinner, March 20, 2017

Eons ago, I read an article, or perhaps in some book, that the author made salmon cakes, new potatoes, and asparagus every year on the first day of spring. That sounded like a fine and delicious tradition to me. When I was growing up, I always hated asparagus. In fact, it rather horrified me. I couldn't understand why my mom liked it so much. It wasn't until my friend, Ben, invited me over for dinner one night when I was about 18 that I began to like it. I can't recall what the meat was, but his mom put plates holding not only asparagus, but squash, in front of us. I thought, "Oh, my lord! I'm going to have to choke this stuff down and pretend to like it." I was astonished to find that I quite liked both vegetables. I've been an asparagus fan ever since! My favorite way to eat is simply steamed, so it's just tender, and then plunged into an ice bath to retain the brightness and keep it from becoming overcooked. Sometimes, though, I get lazy and skip the ice bath. I am always disappointed in myself when that happens.

Fish cakes, on the other hand, have always been something I really liked. My grandmom made both tuna & salmon patties when I was a kid and I happily gobbled them up. So, when I decided to make salmon cakes every year for the spring equinox, I did what my grandmom did. I start by sorting the bones and skin out from a (drained) large can of salmon (about 15 ounces). You don't even have to do that, actually. The skin and bones are both perfectly okay to eat. They just really skeeve me out. My cat's birthday is the first day of spring, so he always gets the parts I don't like, along with some of the legit meat, as a birthday treat. I flake the salmon, then mix it with a lightly beaten egg, about half a sleeve of saltine crackers, salt, pepper, and a dash of worcestershire sauce. I heat some oil in a skillet and form the salmon mixture into 4 cakes. When the oil is properly hot, I add the salmon cakes and cook them until they're browned on each side and heated through.

As for the potatoes, I boil them whole, for the most part, with the skin on. If there are a few larger ones, I will halve those. When they are tender, I drain them and stir in butter, salt, pepper, and snipped dill. When I was in middle school, my friend, Charisma, had me to supper and her mom served us potatoes made that way. They seemed very fancy to me!

I always have the impulse to make some sort of lemony dessert---a layer cake, meringues served with lemon curd, lemon meringue pie. That seems like the perfect spring treat, to me. My wife, however, hates all things tart. So, this year, I cut up some organic strawberries before dinner, added a smidge of sugar, stirred them up, and let them macerate during supper. After the main course, I dished them up into our pretty new pastel bowls and set out a can of whipped cream. My wife proceeded to show our wee boy how to eat whipped cream from the can. He just wasn't at all sure what to think of that, but it did make him giggle.

Happy Spring!

Greek-Style Fish Salad and Green Soup, June 14, 2016

Last night, in honor of Garden Day, I made a very vegetable-filled dinner. Our appetizer was skewers of cucumber chunks, small varicolored tomatoes, and bocconcini, with pesto for dipping. However, we have both come to the conclusion, after numerous tries, that we just aren't really pesto people. The veggies & cheese, on their own, were terrific, though. Our main meal consisted of soup and salad, with multigrain bread to accompany them. I think I'm not such a fan of fish in salad, but Jeannene loved the Greek-style fish salad I made. I would find it phenomenal with no meat. Chicken might also be okay. I adapted the recipe from one in a favorite salad cookbook of mine, Twelve Months of Monastery Salads by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette. The soup of fresh greens was adapted from his Twelve Months of Monastery Soups. I was a bit skeptical about the soup before I tried it, but it was delicious, if a bit rich!

Greek-Style Fish Salad

4 c. water

12 oz. tilapia fillets

Juice of 1 lemon

A bag of baby spinach

1 red onion, chopped

A handful of grape tomatoes (I used the teeny ones from Lady Moon Farm---love them)

A handful of bocconcini (can sub feta, blue cheese, or whatever you love)

Dressing:

1/2 c. good quality olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp. white wine vinegar

3 cloves garlic, minced

A pinch of oregano (use fresh chopped oregano, if possible---I forgot to get herbs at the store)

A pinch of basil (see above)

A pinch of thyme (again, fresh if possible)

Salt & pepper

(I forgot olives, but the original recipe calls for pitted kalamatas, which I think would be stellar)

Bring the water to a boil in a large pot or skillet. Add fish and juice, cover, and cook about 10 minutes, until fish is cooks through and flakes easily. Cool before cutting into small pieces and chilling at least an hour. Put veggies in a serving bowl and toss. Add fish & cheese and gently incorporate. Whisk dressing ingredients together until the mixture is thickened. Toss gently with salad to coat everything. Serves 6. 

Green Soup

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 onion, chopped

1/4 head of green leaf lettuce or similar, chopped

A big handful of baby spinach

A big handful of watercress

32 oz. chicken or veggie broth

1 potato, sliced

A big glug of cream (I think low fat or skim milk would also be great; vegans could sub coconut milk)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Paprika for finishing

Cook the onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add the other veggies and the broth. Bring to a boil and cook 15 minutes. Lower heat and simmer 10 minutes. Puree with immersion blender or in a regular blender (if you don't have an immersion blender, you probably want one). Add cream/milk, salt, and pepper. Heat through, taking care not to boil. Serve with a sprinkling of paprika. Serves 2-4. 

Shrimp Creole, April 21, 2016

Jeannene's been on kind of a shrimp strike for several years now. She will, on rare occasions, eat it. She loves a friend's shrimp cocktail when he brings it to game night potlucks and she loves it when I make my grandmom's shrimp in beer. She certainly enjoyed the shrimp we had in Savannah last summer. However, other than that, she has avoided it since getting undercooked shrimp two weeks in a row at restaurants.

I decided to make Shrimp Creole, though, after finding it in John T. Edge's wonderful Southern cookbook, A Gracious Plenty. I figured I could just pull some fish out of the freezer for her, if she didn't want the shrimp, but she ended up really loving it. I served it with jasmine rice and a green salad.

The recipe originated with the Louisiana Farm Bureau women of Baton Rouge. I made the recipe almost as they gave it and would make modifications next time. I found it skimpy on garlic & shrimp.  I also couldn't believe they recommended cooking shrimp for 10 minutes. My modified recipe would look like this:

Shrimp Creole

1-2 tbsp. butter or olive oil

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

14 oz. can stewed tomatoes

Salt & pepper

2 cups peeled, deveined shrimp (I chopped it because the shrimp I had were fairly large, but i would use smaller, whole shrimp next time)

Melt the butter in a skillet. Add paprika and stir well. Cook the onion, pepper, and garlic until tender. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Add shrimp and cook another 3-4 minutes, until pinkened and cooked through. Serves 4-6. 

BBQ Shrimp, March 11, 2016

While I've enjoyed bbq shrimp in New Orleans restaurants, I had never made it until last Friday. It was amazing! I served it with cheesy grits & roasted cauliflower. I also did some pre-seasoned tilapia Jeannene had in the freezer for her, as shrimp often gives her the heebie-jeebies, ever since 2 undercooked shrimp episodes in restaurants within about 2 weeks of each other a few years ago. This bbq shrimp is rich and sumptuous and you'll want some good, crusty bread to sop up extra sauce. It's the bomb!

BBQ Shrimp

1 stick butter

3/4 c. chicken broth

1/4 c. worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. paprika

Pinch cayenne

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled & deveined

Heat everything but the shrimp in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add shrimp & cook until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Serves 4. 

Mediterranean Mahi Mahi, August 9, 2015

I have never, until the last couple of weeks, made fish cut in chunks. Just in the last couple of weeks, I have done catfish wraps with the fish cut in chunks and now this beautiful mahi mahi dish. I am kind of digging it. Sunday night, our plates were just gorgeous with colors! Along with this fish dish, I made a lovely (and yummy) primavera pasta salad and green beans in coriander sauce.

Mediterranean Mahi Mahi

1 lb. mahi mahi, cubed (or similar---grouper, red snapper, halibut, and tilapia would probably all work nicely)

3 or 4 plum tomatoes, quartered

1 Vidalia onion, chopped

1/2 c. kalamata olives, halved (unless you have someone, like Jeannene, who hates them)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bell pepper (I used a green one)

1/4 c. dry white wine

A drizzle of olive oil

1/4 c. feta, crumbled or cubed

1 lemon, cut in wedges

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss everything except feta & lemon together. Bake about 15 minutes, until fish is cooked through, in a 13x9 baking dish. Toss with feta and serve with lemon wedges. Serves 4. 

Green Beans in Coriander Sauce

1 lb. green beans

1 1/2 tsp. coriander

1/2 tsp. cumin

2 tbsp. butter

Chives, snipped over the top for garnish

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook green beans in it for about 7 minutes. Reserve about a cup of the cooking water before draining the beans. Bring cooking water to a boil with coriander & cumin. Simmer on low about 15 minutes. Stir in butter. Return green beans to pot and toss to coat them. Garnish with chives. Serves 4.

Primavera Pasta Salad

1 lb. rotini or similarly shaped pasta (I used trottole because it's what I had on hand)

A head of broccoli, cut into florets

3 slender carrots, sliced

1 bell pepper, diced (I used an orange one)

2 stalks celery, chopped

6 oz. crumbled feta cheese

8 oz. Italian dressing (I used Newman's Own light)

(or whatever veggies you like)

Cook, drain, and cool pasta. Toss with everything else. Serves 8-10. 

My Year in Food: Lemony Baked Fish, November 16, 2014

Since the children (our youngest and his girlfriend) moved about 10 minutes from us, instead of about 5 hours from us, we have begun to have them over for Sunday dinner each week. It's good for them, given their broke young people state, and fun for us to cook for them. Usually, Jeannene hogs the bulk of the cooking, but this week, I got to cook! I did a lot of not-really-cooking, to be honest. We asked them if they'd rather have pork chops or fish. They responded with an enthusiastic text message requesting fish, so we had lemony baked tilapia, because Jeannene requested a mild fish and the Red Snapper and Grouper were too spendy and we weren't sure if any of us would like the swai---we figure we can try that out when nobody else is dining with us. I had a wonderful Vietnamese catfish appetizer at The Winds Cafe once that I've always wanted to try to replicate at home, so I suspect that's what I'll do with the swai. We bought it simply because we've never tried it, so wish me luck on producing a good dinner when I use it!

Anyway, Sunday night, to go with the fish, I made some boxed rice pilaf (I like the Near East brand, with almonds---well, my favorite is the lentil pilaf, but Jeannene has an aversion to lentils) & served it with labneh we found at Nino Salvaggio's to top it. I added a kale salad and some leftover butternut squash casserole from Friday night. Dessert, for everyone but me, was a pumpkin pie that was on sale for $2.99. I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie, myself.

Lemony Baked Fish

4 fillets of a mild fish, like tilapia or grouper

Salt, pepper, garlic powder

3 tbsp. butter, room temp (you could also use olive oil)

3 scallions, chopped

Zest & juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place fish on a greased baking sheet (I use cooking spray). Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix everything else together and slather on the fish. Bake 10-12 minutes. Serves 4. 

Salmon Cakes & Scones

Tonight, I'd planned to make chile verde for supper, but by the time I got home, it was too late for a dish that takes 2 hours of cooking. So, it was on to salmon cakes, which are quick, easy, and scrumptious! The Rachael Ray recipe upon which I based my version calls for putting the salmon cakes on the salad, but I thought it would be better with the salad as a side. I also didn't bother buying the various pieces of the green salad base, instead picking up an organic spring mix salad. It worked nicely, cut prep time, and cost a lot less than buying 4 different kinds of greens. It's also a lot less wasteful for our 2-person household. The recommended accompaniment was rosemary & ham scones, which I made just like the recipe told me to make them, aside from switching biscuit mix brands because the store didn't have Jiffy. I am not much of an improviser when it comes to baking. They are truly stellar. I found the recipes in Rachael Ray's Around the Clock Cookbook, which has a bunch of other great dinners in it. A side of a favorite summer fruit (I am pretty mad for stone fruits & cherries) is a good dessert.

Salmon Cakes

1 can salmon (I get skeeved out by the little backbone thingie & the skin and remove it, but you don't have to)

1 egg white

A heaping 1/8th cup of Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs (the dry sort---and if you don't have seasoned ones, you can also toss in a smidge of oregano & basil, instead)

1 heaping tsp. seasoned salt (the original recipe calls for Old Bay---mine had gone rock hard)

A few drops of hot sauce

1-2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (Italian or flat-leaf is my preference here)

A good grinding of black pepper

1 tbsp. oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix everything but the oil together well. Heat oil in cast-iron skillet on medium heat. Form salmon into 2 patties and cook a minute or two on each side, to brown. Pop the skillet into the oven to bake about 8 more minutes. Serves 2.

Green Salad with Orange and Red Onion

1 bag/container spring salad mix

1 orange, peeled & chopped (if you're making the scones, zest the orange first)

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

3 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. grapefruit balsamic vinaigrette (you can leave this out---I had it on hand)

1/4 c. good quality, extra-virgin olive oil (I look for "first cold press" on the bottle)

Salt & pepper

Mix the greens with the orange and onion. Whisk the oil into the vinegar. Dress and toss salad.

Season. Serves 4-6.

Rosemary & Ham Scones

1 package buttermilk biscuit mix (the size that makes 4 or 5 large or 7 or 8 small biscuits. I used Bisquick)

3 tbsp. finely-chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 c. heavy cream

A pinch of salt

2 oz. diced ham (I buy the pre-diced sort and use the rest of the package in eggs, quiche, or what-have-you later in the week)

Zest of 1 orange (she actually directs you to use 1 tbsp)

A little sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix everything but sugar. Make 4 large or 8 small mounds of pressed-together dough on an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar and bake 10-12 minutes for large scones or 7-8 minutes for small ones. I was tempted, by the way, to omit the sugar & wasn't at all sure how I felt about the orange zest. They really made for a lovely contrast and I highly recommend them, even if you generally don't favor sweet with meat. I am looking forward to having a second one with a piece of fruit for breakfast!

Broiled Tilapia with Garlicky Greens

As it begins to feel more like spring, lighter dishes featuring fish become more and more appealing. This simple preparation of tilapia would be delicious made with any other mild, firm-fleshed fish such as grouper or red snapper. I paired it with baked potato and sautéed kale. Any other dark leafy greens (Swiss chard, for example) are also yummy prepped this way.

Broiled Tilapia

3 lb. tilapia

1/2 c. olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

1 1/2 tsp. oregano

3 cloves garlic, minced

Season the fish with salt & pepper. Mix the lemon juice, oregano, and all but 1 tbsp. of the olive oil. Pour over fish. Broil on a greased broiler pan until cooked through & flaky, 3-4 minutes per side. Meanwhile, sauté the garlic about a minute in the oil and serve the fish topped with the garlic & oil. Serves 6. 

Garlicky Greens

2 tbsp. olive oil

7 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 lb. dark, leafy greens

Hot sauce (I like Louisiana Hot Sauce)

Lemon wedges

Salt & pepper

Rinse the greens well and de-stem. Tear into bite-size pieces. Heat oil and add garlic, cooking about 1 minute. Add greens, tossing to coat with oil. Cook, stirring, 4-5 minutes, over medium-high heat. Season with a little hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges. Serves 6. 

Annual Spring Equinox Dinner

I've been making the same first day of spring dinner since I was in my late teens or early 20s. I make salmon patties, boiled new potatoes with butter and fresh dill, and asparagus. I usually steam the asparagus, but this year, I roasted it. I make a lime or lemon butter sauce for dipping. The salmon patties, I learned from my grandmom, Janet. When I was about that age, I aspired to become as good a cook as her and as my almost-grandma, Mary. They both affirmed that I made it! Yay! If my darling liked tart sweets, we would also have lemon icebox pie, but alas, that will have to wait for company.

Salmon Patties for Spring

14 oz. can salmon, drained & flaked (I also pick out as much bone and skin as I can because they give me the heebie-jeebies, but they are perfectly edible)

25 saltine crackers, pulverized (I do this in my food processor, but you can also put them in a gallon ziploc & bash them with a rolling pin---this is especially satisfying if it's snowing 6" on the first day of spring)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Oil for frying

Tartar sauce or mayonnaise for serving, if you like (ketchup appeals to some people, as well)

Mix everything together and form into patties, using about 1/2 c. of the mixture for each. Heat the oil in a skillet on medium-high. Brown the patties on each side, then drain on paper towels before serving. Makes about 4. 

Creamy Shrimp & Fettucine

My wife has become incredibly leery of shrimp after being served undercooked shrimp in two different restaurants in the span of a week about year ago, so I was unsure whether I should make this. However, it sounded so yummy that I decided to throw caution to the wind, put it on the menu, and make damn sure the shrimp was cooked properly. It is, I admit, a thing which requires attention. Too little cooking time and you revolt your diners. Too much and you might as well serve a little log of Silly Putty. But it's really not that difficult. This turned out wonderfully and I served it with a salad of mixed greens (which I topped with pine nuts and a tarragon vinaigrette), a loaf of our favorite Pugliese bread from the grocery, and fruit salad left over from our book group gathering on Saturday. 

Creamy Shrimp & Fettuccine

10 oz. uncooked shrimp, peeled & deveined (frozen is fine, just thaw prior)

8 oz. fettuccine, cooked & hot

2 tbsp. butter or olive oil

1 small bell pepper, in thin half-strips (I like red & orange)

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (I used 98% fat-free)

A splash of milk (skim is fine)

A splash of sherry

1/2 c. frozen peas (no need to thaw)

3 heaping tbsp. grated parmesan

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp & peppers. Cook about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, 3-5 minutes. Toss with drained pasta and serve piping hot! Serves 4. 

Moroccan Fish Dinner

Jeannene is a great lover of seafood and this North-African-spiced grouper really wowed her. The recipe originally came from the Southern Living Cookbook, but I have altered it. I paired it with Martha Stewart’s dilled rice pilaf, a green salad, and basil peaches for dessert, a perfect light summer meal!

Moroccan Broiled Fish

2 cloves garlic, peeled & halved

2 tbsp. chopped fresh ginger

½ c. chopped parsley or cilantro

1 small jalapeño, quartered and seeded

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. smoked Spanish paprika

½ tsp. turmeric

½ tsp. coriander

2 tsp. oil

2 lb. grouper (catfish, snapper, or flounder may be subbed)

Lime wedges for garnish

Finely chop everything but the fish & limes in a food processor. Spread it all over both sides of the fish. Chill for half an hour, then broil about 10 minutes, until cooked through. Serve with lime wedges. 

Dilled Rice Pilaf

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 small red onion, minced

2 c. jasmine rice

¼ c. capellini, broken into pieces about 1” in length

2 tsp. salt

3 c. chicken broth

2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill (sometimes, I think subbing dry is fine. Here, I wouldn’t)

In a sauce pan, sauté onion in oil until softened. Add rice & pasta. Cook until pasta is golden brown, being careful not to allow it to burn. Add salt and broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add dill and mix well. Serves 6-8.

Basil Peaches

4 peeled, quartered peaches

1 bunch basil

1 tsp. lime zest

½ c. sugar

½ c. water

Real whipped cream or crème fraîche for serving, if you like (you can also do this as a

shortcake or serve it with a crisp tea cookie, amaretti, or shortbread)

Put peaches and basil in a bowl. Bring the rest to a boil together (well, not the cream) over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat and simmer 2 minutes. Pour over the peaches. Chill a couple hours. Serves 4-6.

If you can’t find crème fraîche, you can approximate it by mixing a cup of heavy cream with ¼ c. buttermilk in a glass jar. Cover it with a paper towel held on by a rubber band. Let it stand until it thickens, up to 24 hours. Cover with a proper lid and chill before using.

Deviled Tilapia Gratin

After a month or so on the road, it felt wonderful to be able to cook in my very own kitchen Sunday night! I made a simple but delicious meal of fish gratin, a big green salad, and Italian bread.

Deviled Tilapia Gratin

12 oz. tilapia (orange roughy, flounder, grouper, or even tuna would work, too)
1 1/2 c. dry white wine
1 c. mini pasta shells (or macaroni), cooked
8 oz. Trader Joe's yogurt dip (you could sub plain yogurt or even sour cream)
1/2 c. thinly-sliced celery
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt & pepper
Cayenne pepper
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp. fine dry breadcrumbs
1 tbsp. snipped fresh chives
1 tbsp. butter, melted
Paprika (I don't recommend the smoked variety)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring the wine to a boil in a large skillet. Add fish, cover, & simmer about 5 minutes for each half-inch of thickness. Remove from pan & cut into bite-size pieces. Mix yogurt dip, celery, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, salt, pepper, & cayenne. Toss with fish & pasta. Spoon into 4 gratin dishes (or an 8x8 baking dish). Toss remaining ingredients, except paprika, together and evenly sprinkle over casserole. Sprinkle paprika on top. Bake 15 minutes (25 if using 8x8). Serves 4.

Cajun-Style Catfish

I really have been cooking, but have been a dreadful slouch about posting here! Last week, I had some catfish in the freezer, so I mixed up a batch of Cajun seasoning for it.

Cajun Seasoning:
2 tbsp. paprika
5 tsp. salt
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. oregano

Mix all these together & rub into shrimp or fish about 10 minutes before grilling or broiling. It's strong, so don't use a whole bunch!

I served the catfish with baked potatoes & green beans I tossed with a tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of water, and a little salt & pepper, then roasted on a foil-lined baking sheet for 7 or 8 minutes in a pre-heated 500 degree oven. Yes, 500. This also works beautifully with asparagus.