Pan Fried Salmon Cakes

My friend Stephanie made these for me once a few years ago and I just fell in love with this recipe.  I thought it was a clever idea to use saltines as the breading so that the cakes are light, airy, and pleasantly salty.  It takes an extra step to bake the salmon in advance, but at least it's not a very labor intensive task. 

Salmon Cakes
(adapted from Giada de Laurentis)

:: 1 pound salmon fillet
:: olive oil
:: s & p
:: 1 egg
:: 25 saltines, crushed, divided into 2
:: 1/2 c corn (frozen is fine)
:: 2 tbsp dijon mustard
:: 3 tbsp mayonnaise (or to taste)
:: 1 tbsp capers*
:: 1 tbsp lemon juice
:: 1 tbsp lemon zest

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly oil, then salt and pepper the salmon filet.  Lay flat on baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork.  Allow to cool or do the day before.  Use a fork to flake the salmon into 1/2 inch pieces, and put into a bowl.

Add the eggs, 1/2 of the crushed crackers, corn, mustard, mayonnaise, capers, lemon juice & zest to the salmon flakes.  If the patties are looking really dry, you can add in some extra mayonnaise a teaspoon at a time.  Form patties with the mixture about 2-3 inches in diameter, about 3/4 in thick.  Coat the formed patties with the crushed saltines.  If you have the patience, let the breaded (er... saltined?) patties sit in the fridge for an hour.  

Otherwise, start heating 2 tablespoons of oil or butter over medium heat.  Pan fry until golden, about 6 minutes on each side.  Drizzle with some lemon juice and serve on toasted buns as a salmon burger, or over some delicious cous cous, as I have here!

Not everyone likes capers.  (Don't ask me why).  It's fine to omit them, but you may need to add some additional salt to compensate for the lack

Cheesecake

'Nuff said.  I confess, I didn't make this.  It was my Dad's birthday this weekend, so my little sister Jackie made this beautiful dessert for a late afternoon picnic.  I'll see if I can snag the recipe from her, but for now I hope you enjoy this feast for the eyes!

Salsa Verde (Roasted Tomatillo Salsa)

Hi everyone! Long time no blog, I'm sorry but will blame it on the beginning of intern year.... and also laziness.  I made it to the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning and found a vendor selling some beautiful looking tomatillos.  Here's a super simple and fresh salsa recipe that you can use on anything from enchiladas, to chips and dip or dumping on top of tacos.

Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa

(adapted from Tyler Florence)
:: 1 pound tomatillos, husks removed and halved
:: 1 onion, peeled and quartered
:: 1-2 jalapenos
:: 8 cloves garlic
:: 2 tsp cumin
:: 1 tsp salt
:: 1/2 tsp pepper
:: juice of 1/2 lime
:: 1/2 cup cilantro

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.  Put first 4 ingredients on a large sheet tray or cookie sheet and roast for about 15 minutes.

Using a food processor, combine the roasted ingredients with the remaining ones.  Blend until combined but still chunky.

That's it!

And on a completely unrelated note, here are some accidentally overexposed photos from Veritas Winery from the weekend that I nevertheless still enjoy looking at.  Virginia, you're doin' it rite.

Yogurt Sauce

This stuff is gooood.  You can eat it with naan or any other crusty bread, pita chips, meatballs, whatever you like.

Yogurt Sauce 

(makes a little over 1 cup)

:: 1 cup plain yogurt (I actually prefer regular yogurt over Greek, as the Greek kind is a little bit too thick)

:: 1 clove garlic, finely minced

:: juice of 1 lemon

:: zest of 1 lemon

:: s & p

optional (but recommended)

:: 1 tbsp chopped parsley

:: 1 tbsp chopped mint

:: 2 tbsp finely chopped cucumber

Mix it up! Eat it with everything!!

Lebanese Meatballs

My big sister is a great cook.  I love hanging out at her house because my niece is there, but also because I know she'll feed me delicious things.  Oh yeah, I also enjoy her and her husband's company ;]  The last time I went home, she whipped these babies up, and I just had to make them again a few days later.

I love meatballs because you can really change up the flavor profile.  Classic Italian meatballs are lovely, but you could even do Asian inspired, or in this case, put a Middle Eastern spin on them.  This meatball recipe incorporates tons and tons of herbs, which I love.  I used half beef / half lamb, but these are also really nice with just beef (a bit cheaper, too!).  

Serving suggestions: naan, hummus, yogurt sauce, cucumber and tomato salad

Lebanese Beef and Lamb Meatballs 

adapted from The view from Great Island Lebanese Meatballs

(serves 8; make and freeze half if only serving 4)

:: 1 pound ground beef (I used 85/15)

:: 1 pound ground lamb

:: 2 eggs, beaten

:: 1/2 cup bread crumbs
:: 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
:: 1 cup finely chopped scallions

:: 1/2 cup chopped parsley
:: 1/2 cup chopped mint
:: 2 tsp ground cumin

:: 2 tsp ground cinnamon

:: 1 tsp ground cardamom, optional (if you use cardamom, just use 1 tsp cinnamon)

:: 2 tsp ground allspice
:: s & p 

:: olive oil, for browning meatballs

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients together with as little mixing as possible (a fork is a good utensil for this).  

Form meatballs, I made mine about 1-inch in diameter.  Heat a pan over medium-high heat.

Brown the meatballs in a few batches, rotating each meatball a few times.  Transfer meatballs to a baking dish and let bake for about 10-15 minutes to finish cooking.  

Best Buttermilk Pancakes

I'm not a huge breakfast person, but a good fluffy pancake with some bacon and hot coffee can really hit the spot.  I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Since there is so much buttermilk in this recipe, it's best to go with real buttermilk, but if you're desperately short on buttermilk on a Sunday morning, you can always try this.  This recipe is very very barely sweetened, so I'd recommend you have some maple syrup or fruit topping on hand!

Buttermilk Pancakes

(makes 10-12 large pancakes)

:: 2 cups flour

:: 3 tbsp sugar

:: 2 tsp baking powder

:: 1 tsp baking soda

:: 1/3 tsp salt

:: 2 cups buttermilk

:: 2 eggs

:: 1/3 cup milk

:: 3 tbsp melted butter

Heat a non-stick pan or griddle over medium heat.  Mix all dry ingredients together.  Mix all wet ingredients together separately.  Mix wet and dry mixtures when ready to make pancakes.

This batter has butter in it so you don't really need to grease the pan.  I sprayed a bit of cooking spray anyway.  I used a 1/3 c measuring cup to scoop the batter onto the griddle, but you can pour it as well (this can sometimes get messy though). Cook on the first side until bubbles begin to form on top, about 1 minute.  Flip pancake and let the second side brown as well, about 30 seconds. 

Beatty's Chocolate Cake by the Barefoot Contessa

Happy belated birthdays to my two big sisters and my mom! Since they all fall so close together, we decided to celebrate the three together.  This is by far my sister Tina's favorite cake recipe, and she requests it every year.  It is a moist chocolate cake, but by no means the most decadent or rich one I've ever tasted.  The coffee component adds a nice touch but isn't overpowering, and the frosting? Just check out the ingredients - how could that combination not be delicious?!  

The one complaint I received was "Sunny, why were you so stingy with the frosting?!!!" Mea culpa.  I'll glop it on next time.

This was a funny picture that happened accidentally when my little sister and I 

tried to eat the cupcake with a fork.  He's not really sad; just delicious.  

 

I made cupcakes instead of a 2 layer cake just for portability, but either would work!

Breakfast Crepes

I love crepes.  Not much you can argue with - they're essentially thin pancakes with crispy edges that you can stuff full of different things both sweet or savory. 

I made 2 kinds - one smothered in Nutella, and another (pictured above) with lemon zest, juice, a sprinkling of sugar and blackberries.

Crepes, adapted from Alton Brown
(makes ~18 crepes)

:: blender
:: 8 in nonstick pan

:: 2 eggs
:: 3/4 cup milk (preferably whole)
:: 1/2 cup water
:: 1 cup flour
:: 1 tsp vanilla
:: 3 tbsp melted butter + butter for each crepe
:: 2 tbsp sugar
:: 1 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in the blender and pulse for about 15-20 seconds.  Set aside in refrigerator for ideally an hour to let bubbles subside (otherwise your crepes will be delicate and liable to tear).

Heat pan over medium-high heat.  Melt a small amount of butter on the pan for each crepe, then pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the center of the pan.  Immediately begin swirling pan around until it covers the bottom of the pan, let cook for about 40 seconds. 

Flip over (I found a spatula to be the most useful tool for this) and cook an additional 15 seconds.  Lay flat on a plate while you cook the rest. 

Serve with whatever you'd like! This recipe works also great as a savory crepe, but I would probably omit the 2 tbsp of sugar in that case.

Asian Chicken

I used to make this all the time in college for a quick and easy dinner.  I love dark meat chicken, but you're welcome to use whatever kind you life.  You could even buy family-size packs, marinate the whole lot, and throw in just a few pieces into individual freezer bags.  Once you freeze it, you can defrost at your leisure throughout the month.

Asian Marinated Chicken

:: 2 pounds chicken (I used whole legs, whatever cut works)
:: 1/2 cup honey or sugar
:: 3/4 cup soy sauce
:: 3/4 cup water
:: 8 cloves garlic, smashed or minced
:: 3 scallions, cut into 1-in pieces
:: 1-inch chunk of ginger, cut into thin discs
:: 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
:: hot sauce to taste, or 1 jalapeno, sliced thinly
:: 1 tsp sesame oil

Mix everything together except for the chicken.  If you are using skinless chicken, marinate for about 6 hours.  If you are using skin-on chicken, marinate overnight.  In retrospect, I probably would have poked a few holes in the skin to let the marinade really penetrate.

When you're ready to eat, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lay the chicken skin-side down in a baking pan, pour marinade over chicken.  Bake for 25 minutes, turn heat up to 375, and flip chicken over.  Bake an additional 25 minutes.** 

Remove chicken from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.  If you'd like a thicker sauce at this point, pour excess marinade from roasting pan into a small saucepan over medium heat.  Meanwhile, combine 1 tbsp corn starch with 1 tbsp COLD water into a slurry.  Stream the corn starch slurry into the chicken marinade, stirring the whole time until sauce thickens.

I served this with white rice and broccoli!
** for crispier skin, bake at 350 for 25 minutes, 375 for 20 minutes, and broil on low for the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Happy Holidays!!

My gift to you this year, dear reader, is the twice annual Charlottesville Restaurant Week, taking place from January 23-29, 2012.  (I'm not paying for your dinner if that's what you thought I meant, sorry for the confusion.)

$26 dollars will get you a sumptuous 3-course meal from some of the best restaurants Charlottesville has to offer.  In years past, $1 from each meal was donated to a charity; last summer, the Restaurant Week Charity Partner was the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, but I haven't been able to find out who this January's event will benefit... will update when I figure it out.

Take a gander at the participating restaurants - my favorite is of course Fossett's at Keswick Hall.  So what if I've made 2 reservations for the same week?!

Pad Ka Pow (Spicy Basil Stir Fry)

My big sis challenged me to make this dish, and so here we are!  Pad Ka Pow is not only fun to say, it's also fragrant from a ton of basil but also satisfying from all the other vegetables and meat. 

I apologize in advance....it was late, I was hungry, and I made this but ate all of it before I could take pictures of it.  Eek! I'm sorry, but when I make it again next I'll be sure to add the pictures in!

Tips for stir fry in general:

1) Get your wok or whatever pan you're using SCREAMING hot. 
2) Have your mise en place prepared in advance and close at hand.
3) Cook in small batches (ideally 1 portion at a time)
4) Don't be afraid of using a little oil.

Chicken Pad Ka Pow
(serves 4-6)

:: vegetable oil
:: 4 cloves garlic, minced
:: 2 shallots, minced
:: 1 pound chicken, minced or ground
:: thai chiles, sliced lengthwise (to taste)
:: 1 onion, sliced
:: 1 bell pepper, sliced
:: 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
:: other vegetable ideas - bamboo shoots, baby corn, eggpplant, etc.
:: 1 cup thai basil leaves
:: ka pow sauce (directions below)

You will probably cook this quantity in 2-3 batches.

Over high heat, pour some oil into the wok, about 1 tablespoon.  Add in a portion of the garlic, shallots, and thai chiles (I use 1 chile per 1/3 pound of meat for a bit of a bite) stir fry briefly, about 15-20 seconds or until fragrant.  Add in chicken and stir fry until meat is no longer pink. Push meat to sides of wok.

Add another tablespoon of oil to center of wok if necessary.  Add vegetables except for basil and stir fry for another minute.  Add a big handful of basil and about a tablespoon of sauce.  If it starts to look too dry, you can add in tablespoon or so of water, but too much sauce will make the stir fry too salty.

Serve with rice.
 

Ka Pow Sauce

:: 1 tbsp oyster sauce
:: 2 tbsp fish sauce
:: 1 tsp sugar
:: 1 tbsp (or to taste) sambal chili paste or chili garlic sauce


Stir to combine. 

Crispy Apple Chips

Has it really been almost a month since I last posted?  I guess that's what happens when I eat out every. single. day. and don't actually cook anything.  At least I can be pretty confident that if food supplies suddenly become scarce, that I'll be able to survive solely off of my winter fat stores.

In the spirit of the holiday season, a wonderful fall fruit (apples!!), and a light snack, I gave these apple chips a try.  Apple chips have long been a favorite snack of mine.  Growing up, we never had potato chips or other 'junk foods' in the house, but I was at least able to convince my parents of the apparent health benefits of apple chips to buy them.  If you've never tried them and want to sample it before making your own, I highly recommend these!  

You've probably had dehydrated apples before, but I promise that these are nothing like the chewy-and-tastes-too-healthy-to-hit-the-dessert-spot wholesomeness of dehydrated apples.  These are crispy, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and when made with an already delicious fresh apple, simply awesome.  T was initially skeptical of my apple experiment, but now he eats them so fast that I don't even get to them sometimes. 

I suppose that's a compliment.

Chicken Chili

I'm not sure if everyone else is having this experience, but it has been very, very cold.  And when I am cold I become very, very hungry.  I've been making an effort to cut down on my red meat intake (besides burgers for dinner last night.  And strip steaks on Friday night.) but chili is such a great way to eat a lot of food, warm up, and not feel bad about it.

This chili is seriously yummy without the guilt - serve it with some corn bread, or sour cream and cheddar cheese! 

Roasted Garlic

My parents came to visit recently, and whenever they do, they always bring massive quantities of random things, like garlic.  They. Brought. A. Lot. Of. Garlic.  So obviously I have had to eat a lot of the stuff over the last weeks.

It's no secret that I love garlic.  We all know what raw garlic is like - nose-prickling sharp and aromatic.  When you roast garlic though, magic happens and it turns into a sweet, creamy, almost buttery thing.  It breaks down so much during the slow roasting process that you can spread over anything with a butter knife.  This is great for garlic bread, or for adding to any recipe where you would normally add garlic.  I use it in pasta frequently, smeared over good crusty bread, soups, stews, you name it.

BONUS:  Since Halloween is only 3 days away, if you eat this before then, you'll be warding off vampires.  Or will you? 

Actually, the more likely scenario is that you'll be warding off romance with your dragon breath, so maybe save eating this one by itself for a meal with friends and family :)

Carrot and Daikon Pickle (Do chua)

Ever since I worked at Lemongrass in college, I've had a love affair with this stuff.  Zesty, cool, refreshing, sweet and tangy, it goes wonderfully with a lot of things (including vermicelli noodle bowls, salads, banh mi... I'd even eat it on the side with some pho or pad thai).  It doesn't require any cooking and keeps in the fridge for probably even longer than a month, so you might as well make a big ol' batch of it.

Carrot and Daikon Pickle

adapted from Andrea Nguyen's Into the Vietnamese Kitchen

:: 3 small carrots

:: 1 pound daikon radish

:: 1 tsp salt

:: 2 tbsp sugar

brine

:: 1/2 cup sugar

:: 1 1/4 cup white vinegar

:: 1 cup water

Mix the carrots and radish with salt and 2 tbsp sugar.  This will draw some of the water out of the vegetables.  Stir, or get down and dirty using your hands to knead the vegetables!!  In 10-15 minutes, or after the vegetables have lost about 1/4 of their water, rinse in cold water and squeeze excess water off of the vegetables.

Meanwhile, make the brine by mixing the 3 ingredients together and letting the sugar dissolve.

Pour the brine over the carrot and radish.  Let brine for at least 1 hour.  Pickle will be good for up to 4 weeks.

Roasted Asparagus

It's in the name.  Simple, quick, healthy, with an extra bonus for those of us lucky enough to be born with a certain special autosomal recessive gene.

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

(serves 4)

:: 1 bunch asparagus, fibrous ends removed**

:: 2 tbsp olive oil

:: 2 tsp salt

:: pepper to taste

optional ingredients...

:: 2 cloves garlic, minced

:: juice of 1/2 lemon or shredded cheese (I used parmesan)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Place the asparagus down on a baking sheet in a single layer.  Drizzle over with olive oil.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over the asparagus (and garlic, if using), roll asparagus around until coated with a thin layer of oil. 

Bake for 12-18 minutes; 12 minutes will yield a more firm, crunchy texture and 18 minutes will be much softer.

Sprinkle with cheese or lemon (if using) right before serving.

**to remove the tough woody ends of asparagus, bend the cut end of the spear towards the middle.  It will naturally snap at the spot where the spear becomes tender.

On Buttermilk

The first time I tasted buttermilk, I felt cheated.  It tasted neither like milk, nor like butter, and was really just sour and pretty gross.

These days, I like to use it a lot in cooking and baking.  It adds moisture and tanginess to whatever you're making.  I still hate to buy it though, because if I have any leftover from a recipe, chances are that I end up throwing the rest away because I don't use it every day for cooking.

Recently, I was making a recipe that called for buttermilk but had forgotten to buy it at the store.  I was really dreading to have to brave 5pm Charlottesville traffic JUST to buy 6 measly ounces of buttermilk, so I did some research.

I may never buy buttermilk again!  Well, I probably will because this doesn't exactly taste like the real thing...but it's close enough in a pinch.

Buttermilk

:: 1 cup milk
:: 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice

Mix the two ingredients together and let the milk sit for 5 minutes.  Now it's ready to use.  You can obviously make less or more and just maintain the rough ratio of the two liquids.

To get the right texture, some milk fat is preferred, but I've definitely used skim milk before.  I would really stick to lemon juice or white vinegar for this application - you don't want your pancakes tasting like red wine vinegar, or your buttermilk biscuits to taste like apple cider vinegar, probably!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

It's October!  Which means it's practically fall.  Which means everything I eat must involve apples, pumpkin, or anything else red/orange/brown.  I made these little guys for an annual broccoli pot luck (Broktoberfest!!) and while it doesn't technically involve broccoli, I didn't have the heart to make a broccoli dessert.. because that's gross.

Cream cheese frosting is a no brainer for pumpkin desserts.... So good!  The cake is light and fluffy, with a very delicate crumb.  I love holiday spices, so I go a little heavy when adding them.

I ended up with a little more icing than I anticipated, so I ended up stuffing these cupcakes as well instead of just icing them.**

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
(makes ~24 cupcakes)

Jerk Chicken

I'm so excited to make this recipe!  It's spicy!  And savory!  And involves citrus! 

"Jerk" is a traditional Jamaican blend of spices that is usually used as a dry rub or wet marinade on most commonly pork and chicken, but also other proteins.  It does involve a lot of ingredients, but most of them you probably have in a well-stocked pantry (and are all definitely available at your local grocery).  It's the unusual combination of these relatively plain-jane ingredients that really tingles the tastebuds.  I toned down the habaneros since it was the first time I made this recipe, but feel free to go crazy like these guys if you love spicy food.  As written, it was not nearly as spicy as the marinade originally led me to believe.  I hope you try this and love it as much as I do!

Good things happening in the blender...

Chocolate Pie

The Ronald McDonald House in Charlottesville provides low cost housing (a "home away from home") to families whose children are seeking medical treatment at the UVA Hospital.  I had the opportunity to cook for these families while they try to make it through a very difficult time, and decided to make a dessert.  

Cooking for people you've never met before is kind of difficult, because you never know what they're going to like, or not like.  I settled for chocolate because with the exception of a few really really confused people, most everyone likes it.

You could make this pie with a whipped cream topping, but I thought meringue was a lighter alternative.  It's not the prettiest thing I've ever made, but I needed the foil pie tin for easy transportation :)