Salmon Sandwich

Goodness what a WEEK I've had.  I finished up my two graduate classes but not without a 50 page project, a multiple choice test (really?  in grad school?) and one final reflection project.  I spent upwards of 20 hours typing that monster, and when I was done, I just couldn't type any more. 

But I've recovered, I'm cooking, and I'm blogging.

While I was working on Monday night, I was using dinner as my main motivator.  (10 more pages then you can cook... 5 more pages then you can cook... 1 more page...) This worked because I was both very hungry and very excited about what I was making.  I didn't have time to grocery shop this weekend because I was doing homework, so I was forced to get creative and use up leftovers and what was in my freezer.  Fortunately, leftovers included a Kaiser roll from cheeseburger night and a frozen filet of salmon in my freezer.  You can't go wrong with sandwiches.

First, I seasoned the salmon with black pepper and seasoned salt.  I seared it in a hot skillet with some olive oil seasoned-side down for about 3-4 minutes. 

Then I flipped it over and did the same to the other side.

The total cooking time was just under 10 minutes.  And can I tell you?  I didn't over cook the salmon!  For the first time in my life I made salmon that wasn't dry and overdone.  I went against my instincts and took it off the heat way before I would have otherwise, let it sit for about 5 minutes while I got the rest of the sandwhich fixins' ready, and I can say with some conviction, it was perfect. 

While the salmon was resting, I made what I thought was going to be honey mustard.  I put 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of mayonaisse, and then went to look for the honey.  And then I remembered that last time I made honey mustard dressing I used it all.  This is what happens when I deviate from my routine.  So instead I used some maple syrup, which I wasn't sure would work, but actually worked really well.  I added about 1 teaspoon of soy sauce in it too for salt, whisked it up, and served it on the sandwich.  I later realized that what I had done was take all the things I usually love on a salmon glaze, add them to mayonnaise, and made a sauce.  It was a wonderful accident.

I added the salmon topped with the mustard sauce on one side of the bun, and piled the other side with crisp romaine lettuce for crunch. 

The result was a fresh tasting sandwich that was easy and fast to make.  I really enjoyed the simple seasoning of the salmon (say that 5 times fast...) because the mustard sauce was really delicious and complex.  So yummy.

Also, I think my new favorite combination is spicy, tangy mustard with something sweet.  For instance, I just finished a sandwich with proscioutto, fig jam, and spicy mustard.  It's the perfect combination and I may be a little obsessed.

We're supposed to get a Nor'easter here this weekend, complete with inches and inches of snow, so I plan on hunkering down, cooking, and drinking wine pretty much the whole time.  Feel pity for me when you're out in your sun dresses and tank tops in your 80 degree April weather.  I'm still wearing my puffy coat....

Asian Sesame Noodles

I've made Asian inspired noodles before.  I was so proud of myself for finding a satisfying Asian-inspired meal that I didn't have to order from a take-out menu.  The pad thai-esque dish was delicious and really only required ingredients that I already had in my pantry. 

With this ease of execution in mind, I went round two with Asian inspired noodles last Tuesday when I got home from class.  I'm usually starving when I get home after a 13 hour day and don't have the energy to make something that takes longer than 15 minutes, so this was perfect.  The only thing I had to cook was the pasta, and while that was boiling, I whisked together the sauce, then tossed it all together and was happy and full within half an hour.  Perfect Tuesday night. 

Asian Sesame Noodles (Adapted from The Pioneer Woman)

1 Box Angel Hair Pasta
¼ cups Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Sugar
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Tablespoons Seasoned Rice Vinegar
3 Tablespoons Pure Sesame Oil
½ teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes
2-3 Tablespoons Canola Oil (this doesn't add flavor, just volume, so if you think you need more liquid, add more Canola oil.  You can also add hot water.  See next ingredient)
2 Tablespoons Hot Water (From the pasta water)
Cilantro

Whisk all ingredients (except noodles and cilantro) together in a bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed.  For instance, I thought it needed more soy sauce, because I love soy sauce, but that will depend entirely on your taste buds.  I also thought that 4 cloves of raw garlic was a lot, and while I did use that amount this time, next time I would cut it down to 3, probably even 2 cloves.  The raw garlic packs a punch, and I had garlic induced nightmares all night long.  When the pasta is done, drain and add the pasta to the sauce.  Toss with tongs well, until all the sauce is soaked into the noodles.  Sprinkle with chopped cilantro (again, to taste.  I used a lot because, like soy sauce, I love cilantro) and toss to combine.  The original recipe calls for green onions, which I'm sure would be delicious, but chopping onions was a little too much work for me that night.  I need simple on Tuesdays.  I can't be bothered with chopping.

By the way, can we talk about Sesame Oil for a second?  What a revelation!  It's nutty and rich and smells like peanut butter but with class.  I was blown away by the flavor it imparted.  Now that I have some, I will look for any and all recipes that include it. 

Like I said before, this was the epitome of Quick and Easy yet delicious cooking.  The sauce is simply whisked together, and because Angel Hair pasta really only needs about 5 minutes to cook, this entire meal can be prepped, cooked, and served in less than 15 minutes.  Sometimes, I want something that's involved and has many steps.  Tuesday nights are not those times.  This was the perfect Tuesday night meal.

Reverse Cheeseburger

I have a shameful addiction to watching road-food shows.  I will watch Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network for hours on end, and have been known to put on Man Vs. Food on Netflix often.  I like to see what food different cities are known for, what seemingly impossible restaurants exist in towns that I know I'll never go to, and what people will do for the sake of television.  It's entertaining, what can I say?

On one particular episode of Man Vs. Food, Adam went to Minneapolis, Minnesota to take down some bratwurst monstrosity.  The challenges are never really something I'm interested in, but the little mom-and-pop places he visits before the challenge are really interesting.  In this episode, he goes to two dueling hamburger joints who both claim to have invented the Juicy Lucy.  (Go to 1:30 to see what I'm talking about...)  From what I gathered, a Juicy Lucy is simply a reverse cheeseburger.  That is, the cheese is stuffed between two patties, instead of layered on the outside.  The cheese oozes out of the burger in what I can only assume is the temperature of lava.  Awesome, right?

What does this have to do with this recipe post?  Well I'll tell you.  I asked K what he wanted to eat this week, and he said,

"what about fancy burgers?"

and I said, "what is a fancy burger?"

and he said "like the kind with the cheese on the inside!  From that show!"

and I said "Yeah, yeah, that show! OK!" 

We're easy to please around here.  So fancy burgers it was.

I started with some carmelized onions, because I heard about yet another burger that I wanted to try from a wonderful little pub in the city that has carmelized onions on the inside.  I figured, two birds, one burger.  So I diced up two onions in what is to-date the best dice I've ever done, and sauted them on low heat for about 40 minutes. 

When they were sweet and soft, I removed them from the heat and set aside. 

While this was cooking, I preheated the oven to 425 degrees and started prepping my baked french fries.  Don't let the "baked" fool you, I'm certain they were just as sinful as regular fries, but I didn't have to actually fry anything, which my kitchen appreciates.  I washed and cut up two russet potatoes into about 1cm strips, tossed in olive oil and Seasoned Salt, and baked in the oven for about 45 minutes.  Every 15 minutes or so I would take them out and toss them around so that each side got good and crispy. 

While these were in the oven, I assembled my burgers.  I don't have any pictures of the process, due to raw-meat-hands, but I'll try to explain it as best I can. 

So, like, first I took the raw meat?  And then, like, I took a piece of cheddar cheese?... Just kidding.  I'll explain better than that.

What I really did was combine about 1 lb of ground beef with the carmelized onions.  I mixed these together just until the onions were well incorporated, but trying my darndest not to over mix, because everyone says that an over mixed burger is a bad burger.  Then I formed 4 patties about 1/2 inch thick and about 5 inches in diameter.  Then I took 1 slice of cheddar cheese and folded into fourths, so that instead of 1 big slice, I had four small slices stacked on top of each other.  If you watch the video above, this will make more sense.  I put the cheese in the middle of one pattie, then took another pattie and stacked it on top of the cheese.  I sealed the edges and repeated for the other two patties.  I seasoned each side of the burger with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  When the burgers were assembled and seasoned, I put them in a preheated pan so that a nice sear would form and seal in the juices.  Here's a trick that I learned from Minneapolis, though.  Danger!  Poke a hole in the top of the burger or the cheese will explode!  

I cooked the burgers on each side for about 4-5 minutes.

After a while, this started happening:

And I knew, right then, that I had done a good thing. 

I served the burgers on toasted Kaiser rolls that we had picked up from the bakery that day (fancy burgers require fresh rolls).  I also put more of the carmelized onions on top of the burger, along with some lettuce.

I served the baked french fries along with the burger, and even though they were a bit of a mess to look at, they actually did get very crispy and were really, really good.  Also, I didn't have to hose my kitchen down from the layer of grease that would inevitably be on everything had I fried them.  Win, win.

Oh, but the inside.  The gooey, lava-cheese.  The star of the show!

Look at that, would you?

Here's one more, just in case.

Mmmm.  Lava-cheese.

All in all it was a delicious and filling meal, and I think Adam Richmond, the Man of Man vs. Food, would be proud.

This is a fun spin on a classic cheeseburger, and if you're feeling adventurous, I would definitely recommend it.  If you're content with your normal un-reversed cheeseburger, then go on with your bad self, although I'd still recommend the carmelized onions no matter what.  Those were gooood. 

These were fun to make and to eat, and I like fun.  Hope you guys have a good weekend!

White Bean and Tomato Stew

A while ago, I wrote about my Go-To Quick Fix, black beans, tomatoes, and rice.  I love this meal because it's quick, it's warm and filling, and it's so very easy.  I came across a similar recipe in my Florence cookbook that described Tuscan white beans (Cannelloni beans) stewed with whole Roma tomatoes and sage.  I thought to myself, why that's a lot like my beans and rice, except without rice, and with an Italian flair.  If you can't tell by reading this blog, I love Italian Flair.  I had to try it.

I started by sauteing an onion and 3 cloves of garlic in two tablespoons of Olive Oil until the garlic was fragrant and the onions were translucent, about 4 minutes (except my onions got a little brown.  But brown means flavor, baby!)  I seasoned this with salt and pepper.

Then I added 1/4 cup of chicken broth and deglazed the pan by scraping the bottom of it and bringing up any brown pieces that may have gotten stuck there (see above about the yummy brown pieces).  Then I added two cans of Cannelloni Beans and stirred to combine.  Also, more salt and pepper.

Cannelloni Beans are delicious, by the way.  I first cooked with them in my first recipe of this little experiment, and have been in love with them since.

Then I added one can of Whole San Marzano Tomatoes to the beans, breaking up the tomatoes as I stirred.

The tomatoes will cook down, but since they are whole, you'll need to break them up with your spatula.  I liked the whole tomatoes in this recipe, rather than the diced, because they made the texture of the stew chunky (I hate the word chunky, but I can't really think of another way to describe something that is chunky.  If you know any, please send them my way)

After I added the tomatoes and stirred to combine, I added a couple tablespoons of chopped fresh sage, which, by the way, is the coolest herb ever.  It's so soft, almost like velvet, and it smells divine.  I also added some crushed red pepper, because I can't cook with tomatoes without adding CRP.  I just can't.

I let the tomatoes and beans simmer for about 30 minutes so the flavors would blend, and toasted some crusty bread in the meantime.

These stewed beans and tomatoes with crusty bread were the perfect weeknight meal, especially if you just don't feel like cooking.  Which I didn't.  It was hearty, warming, and easy to make.  You can obviously adjust the amounts and make this just for one, or for a whole family.  I had leftovers and reheated this for lunch the next day, and it was just as good. 

Bottom line, I don't think you can go wrong with beans and tomatoes. 

Tex-Mex Enchiladas

Is there really any other kind?  Sure, there are fancy schmancy enchiladas with goat cheese, black beans and roasted red peppers, topped with sour cream foam, and there is certainly a place for those.  There's always a place for goat cheese.  However, when we're talking about real, honest, pure, enchiladas, there's only one.  It's stuffed with cheese. It's smothered in red sauce.  It's sometimes accompanied by onions and meat.  It's good.

One can certainly buy jarred enchilada sauce, and I found lots of recipes that call for it.  I won't judge.  But I found a recipe for Chili Gravy, and couldn't pass it up.  You shouldn't either.

Chili Gravy (Adapted from The Homesick Texan)

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons Chili powder (I used the Mexican Chili Powder--it's a little darker than regular and more spicy)
2 cups chicken broth

Looks something like this:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle in the flour and whisk, whisk, whisk.  This is the roux (remember the roux?)  Then add the spices and cook for one minute.  This goes really fast.  Then add the chicken broth and whisk until combined and thickened.  Turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

I added a bit more salt and pepper at this point because I felt it needed more love.  While this is simmering, dice up 2 small yellow onions, or 1 medium to large yellow onion and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, by the way.  I say this early, because my tiny little oven takes an hour to preheat, so I have to plan ahead. 

When the sauce is finished, remove to a bowl and set aside.  Wipe the skillet out and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.  Then add 1 pound of ground beef, a little salt and pepper, and cook until brown.

When the meat is cooked through, drain the excess grease and remove from the skillet into a small bowl.  Wipe the skillet down again.  Can you tell I really hate doing dishes? 

Add 1/2 cup of vegetable oil to the skillet and heat on medium-high heat for 3 minutes.  Then take 12 corn tortillas, and one by one, submerge in the hot oil and cook for about 30 seconds on each side. 

Then drain the heated tortillas on a plate with a paper towel.

Once all the tortillas are finished, you can start assembling.  You need: a baking dish, warmed tortillas, cheddar cheese, Chili Gravy, ground beef, and diced onions.  It should look something like this, except with counter space.

Spread 1/4 of the sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.  Then, one by one, fill the warmed tortillas with cheese, ground beef, and onions, then roll it all up and place it in the baking dish seam side down.  Repeat for the remaining 11 enchiladas, making sure to leave some onion and beef for topping the enchiladas.

Don't they look cozy?  Cover these newly rolled enchiladas with the remaining sauce, making sure to get it all over, including the edges.  Any tortillas left unsauced will get hard and crunchy.  Unless you like the hard and crunchy thing, in which case, leave some edges uncovered.  These are your enchiladas, friend, you do what you want. 

Then add the remaining onions and ground beef, and top liberally with cheddar cheese.

Bake these in a 450 degree oven for 10 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melty.  Then take a moment to revel in the masterpiece you just made.  Pat yourself on the back.  You deserve it.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with rice and beans for an authentic restaurant experience.  Or be like me, and just simply eat the enchiladas, sans frills. 

Hello, old friend.

I've missed you so.

This was such a great recipe, and while it did include many, many steps, every single one of them was worth it.  I promise, if I can do this with zero counter space (see above), you can absolutely do this in your normal, big kid kitchen.  Trust me.

What's the Difference?

I went grocery shopping today, as I do most Sundays, and while I was buying chicken broth, a woman asked me if I knew what the difference between broth and stock.  

I replied with something extremely knowledgeable and eloquent, because, hello, I write a food blog.  It went something like this:

Errr, Uhhh, I think... Well...  Stock is more flavorful?  It's definitely more flavorful....

Not exactly scientific, or even an answer, really, just some sounds put together.  But I was bugged.  What is the difference?  Does one use them the same?  I seemingly have been buying stock and broth haphazardly! 

Well no more.  I came home, loved on Tyson for the obligatory first 5 minutes after walking in the door, put my groceries away, and then set to researching.  This is what I found:

Stock is a flavored water concoction that is made from reducing meat, bones and joints in water along with vegetables, herbs and spices.

 
The difference here is that Stock uses primarily bones and joints, which release gelatin into the liquid.  Therefore, Stock feels thicker in your mouth than Broth.  When used to deglaze a pan, Stock will bring the ingredients together better than broth will, and you'll have a richer, silkier sauce.  Stock is used in things.

Broth is also a flavored water concoction made by simmering meat and bones in water with vegetables, herbs and spices. 

Broth is typically made with more meat than bones, and thus does not have the gelatin that bones would release.  Broth, by strict definitions, is soup, and can be eaten by itself, although I wouldn't without adding something, like chicken and noodles. 

A brief study of the pictures on the boxes also shows the difference.  It seems Stock should be used in hearty dishes as a flavor enhancer, while Broth is used as the base of a soup. 

Feel better?  I do.

Well, actually, I don't.  There's one more thing I need to get off my chest. 

It's come to my attention that all this time I've been using the term "de-thaw" which is (now, obviously) redundant.  (No, you're redundant!)  I'd like to apologize, and state for the record that I know now that I simply need to say "thaw the shrimp" and can finally understand why my spell check always picks up "de-thaw."  I'm not going to go back and change every single time I've used the incorrect term, but you have my word, from here on, its THAW. 

Thaw the shrimp.

Thaw the chicken.

Thaw the frozen tomato sauce that you've portioned out for your weekly pasta dish.

Thaw, dude.

That's all.  Hope you all had a great weekend.  I've got a hankerin' for Tex Mex that I need to tend to...

Spicy Cajun Pasta

I haven't mentioned this yet, because I had Spring to talk about, but I've been fighting off a cold all week.  Working with kids every day, I've been more sick this year than I have in any other year, and all anyone can tell me is "get used to it."  I guess being sick every 50 days or so is just part of the job, and since I'm currently getting my masters in Working with Kids Everyday, I guess they're right.  I should get used to it.

I have a confession though.  I hate going to the doctors office, I am terrified of needles, and I am horrible at remembering to take medicine.  I still cry when I have to get a shot.  Thus, to save myself the humiliation and the money from unused prescriptions, when I get sick I tend to just ride it out.  For this round of 48-hour Crud, I am doing just that--riding it out. 

And in the spirit of riding it out, I decided to try a little home remedy that I absolutely made up and has no medical background or evidence.  This is a disclaimer.

I tried to burn it out...with cayenne pepper.  Lots and lots of cayenne pepper.

I started this spicy and rich pasta dish by making a basic Bechemel sauce, which is just a fancy French word for cream sauce.  You whisk together equal parts butter and flour to make a roux, then add milk and whisk until it's combined and thickened.  The trick I've found with making a roux is to be ready with the milk and never stop whisking.  I won't be as bossy as I was with Risotto, channeling Ursula and what not, but it is important because you don't want the roux to burn, and the roux really, really wants to burn. 

That's your basic Bechemel.  You can use it in lasagna, on steaks, add cheddar cheese to it and make Macaroni and Cheese--anything.  It's the blank canvas of sauce. 

To make the Cajun part of my Spicy Cajun pasta, I seasoned the sauce with lots of black pepper, salt, and copious amounts of cayenne pepper.  It was medicinal.  I had to.

I also added some Parmesan cheese and wilted in some spinach because I had it.  I would have added shrimp to this, too, if I had thought far enough ahead to de-thaw them. 

While all this was thickening and getting fiery, I had linguine boiling in a pot until al dente.  I drained the linguine, added it right into the sauce, and tossed to combine.  If the sauce is too thick, you can thin it out with some starchy pasta water.  I topped it off with a little more Parmesan cheese, naturally, and some salt and pepper.

It was indeed very spicy, but I like a little kick, so I was happy.  It did not, however, cure my cold.  I know.  I was surprised as you are. 

This is actually a very quick and easy dish to make, even if Frenchy words like Bechemel and roux sound scary.  I made the whole thing in less than 15 minutes and it was warm, spicy, and filling.  Despite all my best intentions, I'm still coughing a bit, but at least I got a great meal out of it, right?

Mushroom and Goatcheese Pizza with Fig Jam

Hey, guess what?  I got you something to celebrate the first sunny, beautiful, birds-chirping-outside-my-window, 68 degree day in Boston.

No, those little darlings I got for me.  To celebrate the sun.  After six months, trust me, it's worth celebrating.

This is for you. 

That is better than flowers.  That is goat cheese.  And caramelized onions.  And mushrooms.  And goat cheese.  You're welcome.

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that this gift was a labor of love.  Because of the glorious time change, and because I was absorbed with looking for new food blogs and updating my Google Reader for, like, 6 hours (instead of drinking green beer and eating corned beef and cabbage... Happy St. Patrick's Day, by the by) I lost track of time. While I'm not complaining--I'll never, ever again complain about blue sky and sunlight--the homemade pizza dough recipe didn't get started until 8:30.  And it needed a lot of time to rise.  So lofty goals of homemade pizza night for K and I turned into Bruschetta pepperoni bites.  Blog post coming shortly.

I didn't give up, though. 

Caramelized Onion, Mushroom and Goat Cheese Pizza with Fig Spread

I'm not going to include the pizza dough recipe because frankly, it was a little disappointing.  I think it was a combination of a cold apartment, no kneading space, and a weird recipe.  It's not the point, anyway.  The point is, put these ingredients on an old flip flop and you'll swoon.  Great pizza dough is just a bonus.

Start by sauteing sliced onions in some butter and olive oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes.  They will get that lovely, brown, caramelized onion look.  Then turn down the heat to low and cook for about 10-15 more minutes, which will bring out the sugar and make them soft and sweet.  Season these with salt and pepper.

Then remove the onions, add a little more olive oil, and saute some roughly chopped baby portobella mushrooms (Or any mushrooms you like.  I'm not the mushroom police).  Let these cook, stirring occasionally, on medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Don't add salt and pepper until the end because the salt will draw out the moisture in the mushrooms, taking the flavor with it. 

While the mushrooms are doing their thing, microwave about 3 tablespoons of Fig spread, or fig jam, or fig jelly, whatever dude.  This is what I used:

Microwave the spread for 30 seconds, just to loosen it up so it's more spreadable.  Then thinly spread it onto the pizza dough. 

Then add 3/4 of the mushrooms, onions, and top it off with a thin (or not so thin layer) of mozzarella cheese.

Then add the rest of the onions and mushrooms, and dot the top with goat cheese.

Bake this according to your dough instructions, as really you only need to melt the cheeses.  You might want to do so on tin foil, because the fig spread melted onto my pan, and the sugar in it caused it to burn.  Not looking forward to washing that.

I know this is a little bit involved and doesn't use things that you'd typically have in your pantry, but it's so worth it.  It's sweet from the figs and the onions, earthy from the mushrooms, and tangy from the goat cheese.  It's delicious

I'm really so grateful that Spring indeed comes every year, even if Winter does last well into March.  I hope you are all as sunny and blue-skied as we are.  Go celebrate.  It's Spring!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Monster

I don't think there is anything better in this wide world than chocolate chip cookies.  I'm sure I've made grand statements like this before, but I mean it this time.  Chocolate Chip Cookies are divine.  They're amazing.  They're perfect. 

I was craving these little dollops of heaven so I found this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, named Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, and obviously had to do something about this.  Immediately. 

I mixed the bowl of wet ingredients and another bowl of dry ingredients, then slowly added the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

Then I added the chocolate chips, putting the extra chips in the freezer.  I may or may not have bought the family-size package for this very reason.  I can neither confirm nor deny.

Then I put the dough in the refridgerator for about thirty minutes while the oven was preheating.  After the dough was done chilling out, I scooped out the dough in 1 inch balls and arranged on a greased baking sheet.  I baked for 10 minutes and the most adorable, perfect, silver-dollar sized cookies came out. 

And one more because they're so lovely.

Lovely. 

I only made twelve, then I pre-formed the rest of the dough and put it in a ziplock bag and froze them. 

Now I can have fresh baked cookies any time I want for as long as this dough will last.  I'm predicting it doesn't last long.