Eating Dirt

Salmon Cakes

 
I've been struggling with pan frying cakes and patties of all varieties for a long time now.  They never turn out right - sometimes they stick, sometimes they fall apart, sometimes they burn to a crisp. But tonight I asked my husband for advice, knowing that he has a tendency to remember everything he reads (but nothing I say) and that he read Russ Parson's How to Read a French Fry a thousand years ago when it first came out.  Parson's book is all about kitchen science, and  I seem to remember it deals with sticky patties.

"Protein molecules will stick to the pan until they have been cooked long enough to denature the protein," he told me. So this time I strictly followed the frying time recommended by my recipe, and actually set a timer to really get it right. And low and behold, it worked. The patties didn't stick, they didn't burn (once I turned the heat down low enough) and they didn't fall apart. 

And as an extra bonus,  both my children gobbled them up and asked for more. As usual, my daughter ate her salad and my son did not. "No," he told me, " salad has vegetables in it. I don't like vegetables".  I did manage to get him to swallow two bites after bribing him with strawberries, though.

But whatever, we managed to polish off nearly an entire bag of produce box lettuce, along with some cilantro and mint. I've found that sometimes the key to a really good salad is tossing in a couple small handfuls of whatever fresh herbs I happen to have around. They add just enough to push lettuce past the edge of humdrum and boring to unusual, exciting and delicious. So far I have yet to find an herb combo that falls flat, though really strong flavored ones (like sage) must be used in moderation.

As for the chives, grow a pot of them outside your kitchen door. Otherwise they molder in the bottom of the fridge and get slimy. Yuck!

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Salmon Cakes with Greens (adapted from Epicurious)

 1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped shallots

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, divided

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 pound salmon fillet, skin removed, finely chopped

2 egg whites

5 tablespoons drained capers

1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoon olive oil, twice

4-8 cups lettuce or mixed salad, depending on who will be eating

2 small handfuls of herbs

Mix together the mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon shallots, 1 teaspoon mustard, buttermilk and juice in a bowl, then set aside. This is the dressing for your salad.

Chop and wash your salad greens and herbs, dry them, wrap them in a towel, place in a plastic bag and put in the fridge. You can even do this a few days in advance.

In a larger bowl, combine salmon, egg whites, the remaining 1/4 cup shallots, capers, breadcrumbs, remaining 1 tsp mustard, salt and pepper. Mix well and shape into eight 3-inch-round patties. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook four salmon cakes until their bottoms are golden, about 6 minutes. The cakes will not be easy to remove from the pan until they are fully cooked, so resist the urge to scrape at them if they don't come up in one piece, and make sure to turn down the heat if your pan starts to smoke. When your time is up, flip and cook until golden, 5 minutes more. Toss greens with half the buttermilk mixture; divide salad among 4 plates; top each with 2 salmon cakes. Garnish with a dollop of crème fraîche or mayo and a sprinkle of chives. Serve with remaining dressing on the side.

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Tomato Tart and a Little Gem Salad

The week we left San Francisco for Tucson, this summer's volume of Canal House Cooking arrived with the mail. You may already know this, but Canal House is my new favorite thing. Besides Nigel Slater, of course. I love its irreverence toward normal day to day life - for those at the Canal House, everything revolves around food. I also love its quick vignettes: trout from a friend of a friend fishing outside the window, a whole essay on why their pal likes to get a buzz on and a few words about Patricia Curtan (illustrator of Chez Panisse Vegetables) and her apricot jam.

The photos are beautiful, in an edgy foodie sort of way. Similar to the style I was first smitten by in Saveur Magazine (the two women behind Canal House both spent time there, one as a founder), there is calculated imperfection, telling me that this food is the real deal and what's for dinner, not just props prettied up for a photo shoot. I love that. And in this latest issue, the "Gone Fishin'" title page is just so spectacular. Two fish laying on a print ad for a vacation spa, wrapped in a bloody bag. It sounds gross, but really, its perfect. I want to hang it up on my wall. I'm so glad Elizabeth David made it OK to write and talk about food as something much more meaningful than simple calories. Without her, I'd be branded a moron for wanting to frame my cookbook.

But before I forget - the recipes. They are, for the most part, quick and easy, always seasonal and always stylish (I'm willing to bet kippers will be the next big thing this summer). I've found that the key to this particular one is which puff pastry to use. Pepperidge Farm was really tough to unfold last week, but this time Dufour Kitchen's pastry did me right. So use that one, if you can. I bought it at Rainbow Grocery.

The best place to get your lettuces is Star Route Farms, check their website to see if they come to a farmer's market near you. 

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Tomato Tart (adapted from Canal House Cooking Volume 4):

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted (follow the instructions on the box)

2-3 tomatoes, cored and sliced

2-3 branches fresh thyme

extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Line a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375°. Lay the puff pastry sheet on top of the parchment paper, and score the outline of the pastry, about 1/2 inch from the edge all the way around. Stab the middle section of the pastry with your knife tip many times, to prevent it from puffing up like the outer edge will. Lay the tomato slices on the pastry in a single layer, and sprinkle thyme leaves on top. Drizzle some olive oil, grate some pepper and sprinkle some salt on top. Bake until the edges of the pastry are browned, about 30-40 minutes.

Little Gem Salad:

Slice the bottom off each baby lettuce head, then cut them into chunks, roughly one inch by once inch. Wash and dry them in a salad spinner, then wrap them in a towel to finish drying. Let them sit while you mix up the dressing below, then put the lettuce in a big bowl, grate a carrot over them (if you have one around) and toss them with the dressing. Be careful not to use too much dressing, this makes enough for more than one medium sized salad.

For the dressing (adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone):

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup whole milk yogurt (or sour cream)

2 garlic cloves, minced or put through the press

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

fresh lemon juice or white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt (or so)

For starters, pour the yogurt into a sieve (thats a fine mesh strainer) over a bowl to drain some of the water and thicken up the yogurt. After a while, combine it with the buttermilk in a bowl Whisk in the garlic and salt, then add the parsley and lemon juice. Stir it up and taste, adding salt if it needs more.

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