Salmon Spread
What do you do with leftover salmon?
I usually mash it up and make it into salad. Most of the time there’s just enough for one person, one sandwich, so it works out perfectly for lunch.
My mother used to make salmon croquettes. She’d mash the salmon with egg and bread crumbs, shape the stuff into patties and fry them. Those were really good, especially hot, sandwiched with tomato slices and mayo on two pieces of hearty white bread (but of course I like most anything plus tomatoes and mayo on good white bread).
But yesterday I had some extra salmon and decided to make a quick hors d’oeuvre spread with it. It was de-lish, so I’ll make a batch Sunday to bring to my brother’s house to watch the Super Bowl.
Here’s the recipe in case you need a quick, easy and versatile hors d’oeuvre. You can spread this on crackers or use it for crudites. The recipe is flexible. Taste it and add some sour cream to make it fluffier or lemon juice to make it more tangy or more fresh dill if you want more of a springlike, refreshing taste.
Salmon Spread
1 to 1-1/2 cups leftover cooked salmon
4 ounces cream cheese
2 medium scallions, chopped, including green part
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl once or twice to be sure to incorporate all ingredients. Makes about 1-1/2 cups
Chicken with Hoisin Sauce and Cashew Nuts
It’s a well known fact that Jewish people have an affinity for Chinese food. In fact, Elena Kagan, our newest Supreme Court Justice, even made a joke about it during her Senate hearings (when asked what she did the prior Christmas — a reference to the Christmas Day bomb plot in New York City — she said that she probably did what other Jews do on Christmas: eat out at a Chinese restaurant).
Why this particular love affair between a people and a cuisine? People have speculated lots of reasons (for example, Chinese cuisine uses little or no dairy, making it easy to avoid mixing meat and milk products in violation of the kosher dietary laws).
But ultimately it’s about the food itself. Chinese food is so delicious and there’s such variety as well as an abundance of interesting flavors, it’s difficult not to like, whatever your ethnic background!
When it came to Chinese food, my family was no different from so many others as I was growing up. The official day to eat it with your family was Sunday. Starting with Wonton Soup and Egg Rolls, you also ordered two from Column A, two from Column B. Stuff like Chow Mein and Fried Rice. Moo Goo Gai Pan. Char Shu Ding. Cantonese specialties. Tom’s, the place we went to, was typical: maroon vinyl booths to fit a family of four.
This was before 1965, when immigration policy changed in the United States under LBJ. If you’re young you have no idea what a culinary (and demographic) revolution this caused. People from Szechuan, Hunan and other provinces of China came here and showed us Chinese food like we never had it before. We’d never known the likes of General’s Tzo’s Chicken and Kung Pao Gai Ding. We never heard of hoisin sauce.
A lifetime ago.
I still love the old and familiar foods of my childhood. A fresh, crispy egg roll. Lo Mein.
But we save that for the occasional takeout. At home, I cook the other dishes: stirfries, interesting noodle recipes; main dishes that use flavorful ingredients such as hot chili peppers, fresh ginger and sesame oil.
To commemorate the Chinese New Year of the Hare, which begins on February 3rd, may I offer you my favorite recipe for Chicken with Hoisin Sauce and Cashews? It’s quick, easy and really tasty.
Chicken with Hoisin Sauce and Cashew Nuts
4 skinless and boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or sherry
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup cut up water chestnuts
1 cup cut up fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup cut up green bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1/3 cup cashew nuts
Cut the chicken into bite size pieces into a bowl. Add the rice wine, cornstarch and soy sauce and mix the ingredients well to coat the chicken pieces evenly. Preheat a wok or stirfry pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and swirl the pan to coat the bottom and sides. Add the water chestnuts, mushrooms and bell pepper pieces and stirfry for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the salt, toss, dish out and set aside. Reheat the pan and add the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the chicken and stirfry for 2-3 minutes or until all the pieces are white and there are no traces of pink. Add the hoisin sauce and mix it in thoroughly. Return the vegetables to the pan and toss the ingredients to distribute them evenly. Add the nuts and toss the ingredients. Dish out and serve.
Makes 4 servings
Hot Dog en Croute
Everyone I know likes franks-in-blankets, even the people who are embarrassed to admit it. The proof is that whenever I serve them not one is left over.
But sometimes franks-in-blankets can be dry and over done, so I like to make a large one. That way people can cut themselves a piece or two or more. I know it’s a bit fancy, but it does look good and when you make one large frank-in-blanket the meat stays moist and juicy.
Hebrew National makes super large frankfurters that are the perfect size for this particular dish. For a version that’s even fancier though, use a hunk of kielbasa instead of a hot dog.
A football fan friend of mine says that chili con carne and guacamole aside, no Superbowl get together is complete without franks-in-blankets. So here’s a quick and easy recipe you can use if you’ll be having a get-together for the game.
Hot Dog en Croute
piece of puff pastry 8-inches x 8-1/2-inches
1-1/2 teaspoons deli mustard
1 extra large Hebrew National hot dog (quarter-pounder)
1 egg, beaten
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Thaw the puff pastry but work with it while it is still cold. Place the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Spread the mustard down the length in the center, almost to the short edges. Place the frankfurter on top and roll it in the dough to enclose it. Cut the short edges almost completely, but leave enough to seal the short ends closed. Place the hot-dog-pastry on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Use the scraps of cut dough to make designs, if desired, and place these on top of the dough. Brush lightly with some of the egg. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown. Cut with a serrated knife. Makes one large frank-in-blanket making 3-4 servings
Scallion Cakes
If the Giants or Jets aren’t playing I’m not much interested in the Superbowl. It might have been okay if the New England Patriots were in it, since I live in New England, sort of (a lot of Yankees consider us lower Fairfield county folks New England-imposters). And maybe even if the Bears were in it because I went to college at Northwestern, in Evanston, Illinois and spent 4 years cheering on Da Bears, Cubs, White Sox, etc.
Frankly, Green Bay and Pittsburgh? Not interested so much.
But we always go to my brother and sister-in-law’s house on Superbowl Sunday. It’s been a tradition for years and years now, whether or not we watch the game or just switch TV channels occasionally to see who’s winning. They have an enormous TV that makes you feel as if you are in the stadium. Jeff makes the best fireplace fire and also the best popcorn (he uses an entire stick of butter). Eileen will surely make a turkey breast and fixins. So I guess my contribution will be hors d’oeuvre.
Instead of the usual guacamole or salsa, I’ll bring Scallion Cakes. They’re crispy wedges of fried dough filled with little bits of chopped scallions sprinkled judiciously with crunchy particles of kosher salt. Believe me, these things are like potato chips. You can never eat just one. I better make a double recipe to have in my freezer for when my kids come to visit. You don’t even have to defrost them — reheat them in a single layer in a preheated 425 degree oven for a few minutes on each side until they’re hot.
Scallion Cakes
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/3 cup cold water
- vegetable oil
- 4-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 scallions, finely chopped
Place the flour in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the boiling water and mix at medium speed until a rough dough has formed. Let cool for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the cold water and mix until the dough forms into a ball. Knead for 4-5 minutes or until smooth and elastic (you can do all this in a food processor). Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Using a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, roll one piece of dough into a 10-inch circle. Brush the dough with about 1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil. Sprinkle with about 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Sprinkle with about one tablespoon of the chopped scallion. Roll the circle jelly roll style. Form the rolled dough into a coil. Press down on the coil to flatten it slightly. Roll the coil into circles about 1/8-inch thick (don’t worry if some of the dough breaks and the scallions pop through slightly). Repeat with the remaining dough, salt and scallions. Keep the circles separated. Heat a small amount of vegetable oil in a skillet large enough to hold the circles. Cover the pan and cook each circle, one at a time, over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes per side, or until browned and crispy. Add more vegetable oil to the pan as necessary for each circle of dough. Drain the fried circles on paper towels. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Serve hot. Makes 48 pieces
Devil Dogs
A few days ago, because of the snow, it took me 50 minutes to drive from my house to the highway, a distance that usually takes about 6 minutes. This kind of ride is incredibly frustrating, especially if you actually have to be somewhere, which I did. And even though I had given myself what I thought was ample extra time, I was late anyway.
To avoid total anxiety and angry thoughts during the drive I decided not to tune in to talk radio, which I sometimes do just to see what the crazies are saying. And I didn’t turn on my music CDs because I’ve heard them a little too often lately and keep forgetting to change them.
I started to play those mind games you play when you’re bored. Like “if you could only take 10 books/films/music, etc. to a desert island, which would you choose?” Or, “who was the most influential person of the 20th century?”
Only I wasn’t feeling that I could handle an intellectual challenge so my thoughts turned to this: if Americans are so in love with chocolate, with practically everyone I know saying they are “chocaholics” then how come Twinkies were always more popular than Devil Dogs?
Personally I preferred Devil Dogs as a kid, even though I have always been more a vanilla loving person than a chocolate one. But I also have to say that the last Devil Dog I bought was when I was about 9 and when I opened the package and ants started crawling out I threw it away and have not eaten once since.
I’m not sure why Devil Dogs were called that. As I recall they don’t look like Devil’s food cake, which is like chocolate cake, but redder in color for a variety of reasons (usually made with cocoa instead of melted chocolate, more baking soda, and so on). But it got me thinking about making a devil’s food cake. I don’t have a great recipe of my own, so I’m going to try a few from other people and see what turns up. If I wind up with a recipe I like maybe I’ll even make my own homemade Devil Dogs.
My first try will be this one from Smitten Kitchen:
F is for Friday...
That’s when we share our reads!
(This post inspired by Cookie Monster.)
Reblog and add a line about what you’re reading this week. Ten lucky participants will win free copies of The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown.
Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman #fridayreads
I’m actually not sick of the snow, but I know it can be confining to people who don’t normally work from home like I do.
But I am clean out of everything, even the basics, like butter and coffee.
Coffee! I can’t be without coffee for too long and Fairway has a great coffee bean selection. I like the Hawaiian estate (not the Kona, which is way way too expensive) mixed with Brazilian estate.
So, this seems like such a nice, inviting invitation. I am headed down later — as soon as I get plowed! To stock up and have some comforting nibbles to soothe me while I shop.
kitchen tips from across the pond
thanks to the guardian, you’ll never store your potatoes next to the onions again. and you’ll have a new use for all your shower caps.
see the guardian’s best kitchen tips here.
These are terrific kitchen tips.
I have never used a hotel shower cap. Didn’t realize they were for my kitchen! Bowl covers indeed. Now I’m thinking about starting a collection.
One Bowl Chocolate Cake with Fudge Frosting
Today is National Chocolate Cake Day. And also a snow day for a lot of us (we got at least another 14-inch dump of snow over the night and into the morning). I have to say, I resent a nighttime snow fall because I like watching the flakes come down. It’s so soft and quiet and makes me feel cozy and safe inside. When I woke up this morning it was all over, but for the plowing.
But I digress. It is National Chocolate Cake Day. A good day all around to make a dark, luscious, tender cake to enjoy while also maybe taking a snow day. It’s a good dessert for Valentine’s Day too. Or anytime really.
Here’s a cake I’ve been making ever since I was 12 years old, when I baked this for my own Bat Mitzvah celebration. I’ve tried dozens of different chocolate cake recipes over the years and haven’t found one I like better. And it’s easy to make too.
So, until I find a better cake, here’s my recipe for:
One Bowl Chocolate Cake with Fudge Frosting
2 cups cake flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 9-inch cake pans. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt together into the bowl of an electric mixer (or large bowl for use with a hand mixer). Add the buttermilk and shortening and beat the ingredients at medium speed for about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat the ingredients for another 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake layers cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cake rack to cool completely. Frost the layer and outside of the cake with the fudge frosting. Refrigerate leftovers.
Makes one 9-inch cake
Fudge Frosting
12 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup dairy sour cream
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt the chocolate in the top part of a double boiler set over barely simmering water. When the chocolate has melted, remove the top pan from the bottom part of the double boiler. Add the sour cream, salt and vanilla extract to the chocolate and beat the ingredients vigorously with a whisk to blend them completely into a smooth frosting. Let cool for a few minutes, until it has a spreading consistency. Use between layers and for outside of the cake.