FamilyFood

Gravlax: Easy and elegant appetizer

Wild coho salmon topped with salt, sugar, and dill, ready to go in the fridge.

While my mom was visiting this week, she whipped up a batch of the most delicious gravlax. Following her recipe, it's very simple to make—the hardest part is waiting the three days for it to cure. We're heading into holiday season and this would be a perfect appetizer for any holiday party. I'm definitely serving it this Christmas.

TATA'S GRAVLAX

• 1 pound best-quality wild salmon fillet, skin removed (ask the fishmonger to do it)
• 5 tablespoons sea salt
• 4 tablespoons light brown sugar (less if you don't want it sweet)
• 1 bunch of dill (stems removed), finely chopped

Combine the sea salt and brown sugar and pack firmly onto both sides of the salmon fillet. Sprinkle half the chopped dill onto a sheet of plastic wrap then place the salmon on top of it. Put the remaining dill atop the salmon. (For a spicier twist you can add a half-palmful of crushed juniper berries to the salt/sugar mixture. My mom doesn't do this, but I like it.)

Tightly wrap the salmon fillet and place in a baking dish. Put in the fridge for three days before eating. Do not disturb the salmon, but you can drain off any liquid that collects in the dish.

After three days, unwrap, scrape off the dill, slice, and enjoy!

Tata's tips:

• Fill pre-made vol-au-vents (available at Bryan's in San Francisco or any speciality/gourmet grocer) with mascarpone, a slice of gravlax, and garnish with a small slice of lemon and a sprig of fresh dill.
• Slice and serve the gravlax (with mini-toasts or crackers) accompanied by a sauce made from sour cream, chopped green onion, honey, mustard, and balsamic vinegar (the sauce a tip from my Finnish friend).
• Gravlax freezes beautifully so you can make several batches at once.

Matzo Brei

Our quick lunch today was a savory Matzo Brei.  It's the only way Bunny, my four-year-old, will eat eggs...which is fine because in this family, we all love to eat it. This recipe is probably not "traditional," but it works for us.

MATZO BREI

• 2 sheets of unsalted matzo, soaked in hot water until soft and squeezed
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• a pat of unsalted butter and a glug of olive oil
• 4 eggs, whipped (add a splash of milk or water if you like)
• salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in butter and oil over medium heat until translucent. Add squeezed matzo and fry until slightly crisp. Pour in eggs. Salt and pepper to taste. Scramble until soft but set (or cook like a frittata making a big "pancake.") I served this with sliced avocado and canteloupe balls on the side.  Serves 3-4.

PERFECT HARD-BOILED EGGS FOR EASTER

Originally posted April 11, 2006.

Since Easter is coming up, and since someone just emailed me asking for my fool-proof way to hard-boil eggs, I thought I'd share my method. Follow the instructions and you can't go wrong. (Cuz nothing is grosser than eating an egg that has been tinted an alien shade of green-blue from where the dye seeped through the cracks.)

If you have a surplus of hard boiled eggs, you can do the following:

• make deviled eggs (my friend Darlene makes the best deviled eggs. She adds baby shrimp to the mashed egg yolks before stuffing them. You can also add a little smoked salmon and chopped fresh dill. Or top with caviar if you're feeling luxe.)
• Make crostini.  There is a recipe in the Deborah Madison Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone book that is essentially toasted bread shmeared with black olive tapenade and then topped with a circle of hard-boiled egg. So simple, and so good.
• Make Salad Niçoise. Sear some tuna steaks. Arrange some boiled waxy potatoes, crisp-cooked green beans, sliced tomatoes, hard-boiled egg wedges, and salad greens on a large plate. Scatter with capers, niçoise olives, and flat-leaf parsley. Top with the tuna steaks. Pass some mustardy, tarragon vinaigrette. (Or do what I do, and toss each ingredient [except tuna] with some vinaigrette before arranging on the plate.
• Make egg salad sandwiches.  Pass eggs through an egg slicer first one way, then carefully quarter-turn and slice again. Mass chopped up egg with mayo and mustard to taste. Squish between slices of toasted white bread. Or, to be even more decadent, spread one slice with egg salad and one slice with tuna salad. I grew up eating the tuna and egg salad sandwiches on light rye from Draeger's Market in Menlo Park, Calif. Yum.

Have fun with your Easter Eggs!

[photo credit: Stefania Pomponi Butler]

St. Patrick's Day 2007

Okay this time, I mean it. I am going to cook corned beef at least once more before next St. Patrick's Day. It's so good. Every time I eat it I say, "It's so good! and then a year goes by.

To go with the corned beef I made smashed potatoes (butter gold potatoes roughly mashed with butter, buttermilk, and regular milk) and soda bread (which I baked in my cast iron skillet).

The best part of dinner was sitting outside (outside! in March!) eating our dinner. It was a lovely evening and from our vantage point we could see all the kids (all 9 of 'em) piled on top of each other watching tv. We could sit and relax and talk and laugh while the kids watched movies and ate cookies that they thought were sneaking without us knowing about it.

Instead of the Guinness we ended up drinking many (many) bottles of wine, and the kids stayed up almost three hours past their bedtime, but it was okay. It was one of the best times we've had in a long, long time.

Corned Beef And Cabbage (Repost)

While my soda bread bakes, I'm reposting this.

Why do we only eat this once a year? It's just too damn good to be eaten once a year.

It's a meal that cooks itself all in one pot, and there ain't nothing wrong with that. Serve with soda bread on the side.  And beer. Plenty of beer.

CityMama's Corned Beef and Cabbage

When buying your brisket, plan on about 1 lb. per person (more if you want leftovers) since there usually is a fair amount of fat to account for and it shrinks quite a bit when cooking.

• 1 prepared corned beef brisket (these come already "corned" or brined and are sold prepackaged at supermarket or from the butcher at Whole Foods),
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 peppercorns
• 4 whole cloves
• peel from half an orange
• 1 savoy or regular cabbage, cut into six wedges
• 1 pound of carrots, scrubbed, ends trimmed, leave whole
• 2 turnips, peeled and quartered
• 4 parsnips, peeled, ends trimmed, leave whole (or if they are particularly large, cut in half lengthwise)
• potatoes, scrubbed (1 medium waxy potato [like white or Yukon Gold] or two new potatoes per person)
• finely chopped flat-leaf parsley to garnish

Condiments for serving: freshly grated horseradish, coarse salt, whole grain mustard

Place brisket fat side up in a dutch over or other heavy bottomed pot and cover with cold water. Add garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves, and orange peel and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer slowly according to package directions or until fork tender, 2-3 hours. Skim foamy impurities every so often.

Remove brisket to a large platter and tent with foil. Remove orange peel and discard. Raise temperature of liquid to medium, and add veggies to the pot. Simmer until root vegetable are just fork-tender, about 15 minutes.

Slice corned beef on the bias against the grain and return to platter. Arrange vegetables around the meat and sprinkle parsley over all. Serve with condiments on the side.

While my soda bread bakes, I'm reposting this.

Why do we only eat this once a year? It's just too damn good to be eaten once a year.

It's a meal that cooks itself all in one pot, and there ain't nothing wrong with that. Serve with soda bread on the side.  And beer. Plenty of beer.

CityMama's Corned Beef and Cabbage

When buying your brisket, plan on about 1 lb. per person (more if you want leftovers) since there usually is a fair amount of fat to account for and it shrinks quite a bit when cooking.

• 1 prepared corned beef brisket (these come already "corned" or brined and are sold prepackaged at supermarket or from the butcher at Whole Foods),
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 peppercorns
• 4 whole cloves
• peel from half an orange
• 1 savoy or regular cabbage, cut into six wedges
• 1 pound of carrots, scrubbed, ends trimmed, leave whole
• 2 turnips, peeled and quartered
• 4 parsnips, peeled, ends trimmed, leave whole (or if they are particularly large, cut in half lengthwise)
• potatoes, scrubbed (1 medium waxy potato [like white or Yukon Gold] or two new potatoes per person)
• finely chopped flat-leaf parsley to garnish

Condiments for serving: freshly grated horseradish, coarse salt, whole grain mustard

Place brisket fat side up in a dutch over or other heavy bottomed pot and cover with cold water. Add garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves, and orange peel and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer slowly according to package directions or until fork tender, 2-3 hours. Skim foamy impurities every so often.

Remove brisket to a large platter and tent with foil. Remove orange peel and discard. Raise temperature of liquid to medium, and add veggies to the pot. Simmer until root vegetable are just fork-tender, about 15 minutes.

Slice corned beef on the bias against the grain and return to platter. Arrange vegetables around the meat and sprinkle parsley over all. Serve with condiments on the side.

Lemon Bread for Valentine's Day

This is an adaptation of a recipe that's been floating around my circle of pals for a while now.  It's one of the easiest things you'll ever bake.  (I tell you this because I really don't like baking and I love to make this.)

MEYER LEMON TEA BREAD WITH RUM-LEMON GLAZE

• 1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 2 large Eggs
• ½ cup Milk
• ½ cup melted unsalted butter, vegetable oil, or a blend of vegetable and light olive oil (my fave)
• zest of one small Meyer lemon
• Rum-Lemon Glaze (see below)

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a small bowl, beat eggs, milk, butter/oil, and lemon peel until blended. Mix liquids into flour mixture until smooth.

Pour batter into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake in a 350º oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (40-50 minutes). Meanwhile, prepare Lemon Glaze. Leaving loaf in pan, use a long skewer to poke numerous holes (15-20) all the way to the bottom of the loaf. Slowly drizzle hot glaze over the top.  Don't worry if it seems like a lot of glaze, the bread will absorb it, I promise. 

Let bread cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes then run a knife carefully around the loaf and turn it out onto a rack to cool. Wrap in plastic wrap if you want to store. Serve at room temperature, preferably the next day.

Rum-Lemon Glaze

• juice of 2 medium Meyer Lemons (approx. 4 tbsps)
• a splash of dark rum (or cognac would work, too)
• a good handful of confectioner's sugar (1/2-1/3 cup)

Put all ingredients in a small saucepan.  Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and keep warm.  (You can omit booze if you like.)

[photo credit: Stefania Pomponi Butler]

Super Bowl Party Menu: Bring on the chili dogs

My idea for what to make for our Super Bowl party changed about a thousand times over the course of the week.  We knew we wanted to do something sandwichy. We thought about Togo's (too many choices).  We thought about getting a bunch of Vietnamese sandwiches (J. thought peeps might think they were too weird, but god I love them) then we thought about a build-your-own sandwich bar.  Which is what we intended to get fixin's for when we set out for Costco this morning.

But then, we had another, final change of course mid-stream and it became all about chili dogs.  So chili dogs are what we are having.

It all starts with chili, about six-gallons-worth. (6 lbs of extra lean ground beef, 6 lbs. of whole peeled tomatoes, 3 lbs of tomato puree, 3 lbs. of beans, 3 onions, half a head of garlic, 4 bay leaves, fresh oregano, secret homemade chili powder, extra-super-spicy chili powder from a friend, a bottle of beer, and lots of love.)

To go with the chili we have hot dogs (all beef and the "healthier"  *snort* chicken) with all the usual condiments, plus chopped onions and tomatoes, and shredded cheddar cheese.

Also on deck is tuna mousse (photo above).

I'm also making deconstructed deviled eggs "a la Ikea" (where I got my inspiration, photo above).  I'm halving eggs and topping them with a squiggle of salmon pate and black and red lumpfish caviar.  Some will simply be sprinkled with truffle salt.

Since I was at Ikea buying pate and caviar, we'll also be having an assortment of Sveeeeedish cheeses including one made with aquavit which I am excited to try.

I'm making guacamole since we picked up the trash-can-sized bag of chips at Costco.

And to wash it all down. Sweet, sweet beer. 

Friends are potlucking the rest of the appetizers and I can't wait to see what gets added to the mix.  Back to stirring chili.  If you have your menu planned, please share it!

Salmon (or tuna or ham) Mousse

My sister made the most delicious salmon mousse topped with ikura (salmon roe) for our New Year's Eve Party so I am doing a twist on her recipe and using oil-packed tuna for our Super Bowl Party. (Photo to come as soon as I unmold it tomorrow above). Her original idea was to do a tuna mousse for NYE,  but for some reason she changed her mind.

my sister's salmon mousse

I wish I had a more precise recipe, but this is one of those that defines my tagline: I don't have time to measure so I just eye-balled it.  I promise, there is so much gelatin in this recipe that you don't have to worry about it setting up.

TUNA MOUSSE

• 2 "regular" cans of olive oil-packed tuna, drained (or equivalent amount of salmon, smoked salmon, ham etc.)
• juice of half a large Meyer lemon (or one small one) plus a little zest
• 2 packets of Knox gelatin dissolved in 2 shots of hot water (I used an italian gelatin cube which is blended with bouillion, but that is near-impossible to find here)
• a scant cup of mayonnaise (a couple of hefty dollops)
• salt and finely-ground pepper, white pepper if possible
• 1/2 pint of heavy whipping cream, whipped until soft peaks form
• 4 green olives sliced into rings (I used anchovy-stuffed olives or capers to garnish

In a Cuisinart, whiz tuna, lemon juice, and lemon zest until very smooth (think baby food consistency). Add mayo and dissolved gelatin mixture (you don't have to use all of it).  Whiz until well-combined. Check for salt and pepper. Transfer tuna mixture into a large mixing bowl.

Fold half the whipped cream into the tuna mixture. Blend well. Incorporate the rest of the whipped cream into the tuna mixture.

Line the bottom of a ring mold with olive slices (or capers) and carefully transfer mousse into the ring mold. Refreigerate at least 4 hours or over night until set.  Unmold and serve with crackers.

Note: If you don't have a mold or don't want to fuss with that, just pour the mixture into several pretty bowls and set those around your party. Garnish when serving.

7 Layer Dip, Greek-style

Who doesn't love 7-layer "Mexican" dip? However you make it, whatever layers you choose, there's nothing else to say about it except, "Pass the Fritos."

Reading around the internet this week, I've noticed a trend in Mediterranean-inspired 7-layer dips.  I'm not making this for my SuperBowl party but if I were, this is how I would do it.

Starting from the bottom and working my way up, my layers would be as follows:

1. Homemade lemon-y hummus, kinda chunky—room temp.
2. Ground lamb sauteed with garlic, olive oil, marjoram, and mint—still warm
3. Finely chopped red onion
4. Chopped, seeded Persian or English cucumbers
5. Chopped, seeded tomatoes
6. A layer of homemade tzaziki
7. A scattering of seeded kalamata olives and a sprinkling of mint

And I would serve this with fresh-baked pita chips. Hmmmm. Maybe I will make this.  That's the problem with SuperBowl parties: too much good food from which to choose.

SuperBowl Snacks: Avocado Goodness

I blogged some of my favorite SuperBowl snacks last year when I was writing for Slashfood, and so this week, I thought I'd do the same here on FamilyFood.

There's nothing like a SuperBowl party. I'm definitely a nosher, so having a wide variety of snacks on hand is like my idea of heaven. And, Ruffles.

It has been said that more avocados are consumed during SuperBowl weekend that at any other time during the year.  Not sure if it's true, but it sounds good to me. So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite avocado recipes. 

• Avocado Paté with Parsley and Pistachios. I will definitely be making this this weekend. In fact, I'm thinking of doing a trio of molded dips/salads (Chicken Liver Pate, Tomato Aspic, and the Avocado Paté) because I have some fancy gelatin on hand that my sister brought me from Italy.
• Guacamole my way.  I admit, I am pretty proud of my guacamole. Or "rockamole" as my daughter calls it.
• Chilled Avocado Soup.  Yes, it's a cold soup and it might be freezing where you are, but it's hot in Hawaii!