Miso halibut en papillote with kale sesame salad

We did cook and eat this summer – we were just out having too much fun to post any recipes to the blog. Granted, a lot of that nutrition was taken in during time on the bike, including a variety of Luna and Clif Bars, gels and shots, and the chalky yet convenient liquid nutrition like Hammer Perpetuem. Every time I get on the bike I swear I’m going to pack ‘real’ food, but a falafel and hummus don’t go down the pipe as easily as a fruity Clif Shot Blok.

I looked at the date of our last post – Friday, July 29th was the day after RAMROD (Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day), a grueling 150+ mile endurance ride covering 3 mountain passes and over 10,000 feet of elevation gain. We have a couple of teammates who completed this feat 5-7 times and rave about the scenery, organization, and route. I convinced Aaron to enter the lottery with me and Aaron prayed he wouldn’t fall victim to the ultimate irony of him being selected and me not getting a berth. Ultimately we both ‘won’ spots and completed the ride in what seemed like breakneck fashion; we spent 8 hours in the saddle and 10 hours on the road from point to point (including food and rest stops). I would absolutely do the ride again, if not just for the amazing spread of food at every pit stop and the ability to carb and calorie load for recovery’s sake.

Tina & Aaron at the RAMROD finish line

With the transition of road season into cyclocross, we’re finding more time to be intentional about cooking and meal planning. We also started ordering a weekly CSA box delivered to our doorstep each week which takes the guesswork out of selecting random fruits and vegetables at the grocery store that inevitably end up going limp in the back of our produce drawer. Each week I receive an email listing the box’s contents, but for Aaron the tupperware bin on the doorstep is gift waiting to be opened and savored. He’ll examine the bunch of purple carrots, carefully trim their tops, and bag them with kindred vegetables before tucking them away in the fridge.

This recipe features a few items from our most recent delivery and was adapted from the Oct/Nov 2011 issue of Fine Cooking:

Halibut en papillote ingredients:
2 1-inch thick halibut filets, seasoned with salt and pepper
3 Tbs unsalted butter
3 Tbs miso paste
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 stalks green onion, chopped
1 sliced leek (white and light green parts only)
1.5 cups long grain white rice
3 C low sodium chicken broth
Parchment paper

Directions:
Heat oven to 375^o
Heat 2-3 quart saucepan over medium high heat and melt 2 Tbs butter, add leeks and sauté until soft and barely golden brown, about 4 min
Add rice and coat with butter, cook until rice begins to crackle
Cover with chicken broth and lower heat to simmer; cook until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes
Remove from heat and set aside

Cut 2 sheets of parchment paper about 20″ long and fold each sheet in half; cut out a half heart and unfold
Rub butter on both sides of heart and spoon rice between the sheets, careful not to overfill
Mix miso paste with rice wine vinegar
Place halibut filet on rice and generously smear miso paste, sprinkle with green onions
Fold the parchment paper to create a seal, instructional video available online (skip to 1’30”)
Transfer packets to cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes

Kale sesame salad ingredients:
1 bunch of young lacinato kale
2 Tbsp sesame seed oil
1 Tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted
1 lemon wedge

Directions:
Remove fibrous stems from kale and slice crosswise, into 1/4″ slivers
Dress kale with sesame seed oil and let sit for 5-7 minutes for oil to soften the leaves
Toss with sesame seeds and and juice from lemon wedge

Variations

I made fish en papillote three times in one week because it was just so darn easy. My favorite other variation is to use Thai jasmine brown rice with halibut, red curry sauce, and broccoli florets.

Poached eggs with goat cheese and arugula on toast

Every once in awhile we’ll become slightly obsessed with an ingredient or we’ll taste something at a restaurant and go through multiple iterations to try and recreate the flavors. My latest fling is with Columbia City Bakery’s Pain de Campagne. The Walrus and the Carpenter serves it with olive oil and creamy butter topped with flecks of fleur de sel. It’s only available at one local grocery store in Ballard so I’ve had to substitute Essential Baking’s columbia loaf. Sometimes there is nothing more satisfying than a thick, warm slice of country bread topped with a few simple ingredients.

This dish is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner:
1 loaf crusty bread
2 eggs
1 tsp vinegar
Handful washed arugula
Goat cheese
High quality/artisan salt (we used Halen Mon smoked sea salt, which I bought from The Meadow)
Pepper

Cut 2 thick slices of bread & warm in the oven; bring water to a low/medium boil in a saucepan and add vinegar
Poach eggs until medium (depending on how runny you like your yolks)
Spread goat cheese on warmed bread; top with arugula
Top with poached egg, pepper, and salt

 

 

Fathers Day BBQ Sauce and Spice Rub

For Fathers Day I decided to make a gift basket of sorts, but a manly gift basket for my dad, filled with homemade goods to enjoy. A gift basket of purchased goods is decidedly unmanly, and why buy  a bunch of stuff somebody else made, if you can make it? So here are the recipes for the BBQ sauce and spice rub, which both were probably the best I’ve made to date. They weren’t presented in an actual basket, rather they were lovingly packaged in a cardboard box, which also included homemade pastrami and smoked salmon, fodder for a different post. The barbecue sauce was based on Rick Browne’s sauce as found in his book: Barbecue America.

BBQ Sauce:
.5C tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1.5C Coke or Pepsi with real sugar rather than corn syrup (if available)
1/2 stick of butter
2/3 C of blackstrap molasses
1/3 C of red wine vinegar
1/3 C of brown sugar
1.5 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs hot sauce (I used Iguana XXX Habanero)
2 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs sea salt
1 Tbs onion powder
1 Tbs garlic powder

Directions: mix all of the ingredients over heat in a heavy bottomed stock pot until bubbling. Reduce heat and let simmer until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, or to desired consistency. Let cool.

BBQ Spice Rub
3/4 C paprika
1/4 C chile powder
1/4 C + 2 Tbs brown sugar
4 Tbs celery seed
4 Tbs garlic powder
2.5 Tbs cumin
2 Tbs chipotle powder
2 Tbs ground corriander
2 Tbs mustard powder
1.5 Tbs onion powder
1.5 Tbs sea salt
1 Tbs ground ginger

Directions: Mix together well, store in airtight container. Rub on any meat, but particularly beef, venison or poultry.

Aww shucks

I only discovered the joy of oysters since moving to the Pacific Northwest 8 years ago. Since then, I’ve been the lazy beneficiary of others doing the dirty work and shucking them. When Aaron & I lived in our tiny Wallingford apartment we decided to host a small birthday party which included serving at least 7 dozen oysters. I don’t recall if Aaron had much experience shucking, but he proceeded to spend the majority of ‘our’ party in the kitchen hovering over the sink prying open oysters. This past year I resolved to conquer my fear of stabbing myself with an oyster shucker. First, you’ll need the proper tool. Www.oysters.us is a great website and provides a comprehensive overview of the tools of the trade. Our choice is the Boston Stabber or Galveston/Southern/Gull Knife.

I’ve posted 2 videos, the first is my version which I’ll call ‘safe & sane.’ This method doesn’t require you to hold the oyster in the cup of your hand. Instead, you place the oyster in a damp cloth on the counter, fold the towel over the top, and place your hand on the top of the oyster for leverage. Insert the tip of the oyster knife into the hinge and work it back and forth until you break through, The shell will literally pop open. Insert the blade into the oyster and sever the membrane.

The second method is for more experienced shuckers as it takes skill and some nerve to hold the oyster in hand, while jamming a blunt blade towards the meat of your palm. When done efficiently, it’s a beautiful thing.

The hangover skillet

Aaron spent 4 years at the University of Colorado in Boulder and had ample time to perfect this weekend breakfast cure. It takes the edge off a hard night.

Ingredients:
2 russet potatoes
2 eggs
4 strips peppered bacon
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 jalapeño, chopped
Canola oil
Sour cream
Pea vines or sprouts
Cheddar cheese
Salt & pepper
1 tsp Cajun spice (salt, cayenne, & chili powder)

Directions

1. Pierce the potatoes with a knife or fork and microwave for 2 min until they are partially cooked
2. Fry bacon, and chop and set aside; reserve bacon grease
3. Cube the potato and fry over medium high heat in 2 tbsp oil until golden in color and crispy
4. Add onion and jalapeño pepper, season with spices + 1/2 tsp salt
5. Fry eggs over easy in reserved bacon grease
6. Serve potatoes with shredded cheddar cheese and the fried egg on top, garnish with sour cream and greens

 

 

Pre race pancakes

Cycling is hard work. A 30 mile bike ride at a sustained tempo pace will burn upwards of a thousand calories so fuel is critical. A couple of teammates swear by pancakes (sometimes smothered with peanut or almond butter) and I’ve spent the last month experimenting with whole wheat pancake recipes. The results have varied from eating fried black sand to dense, chewy pieces of dough depending on the various quantities of whole wheat flour, buckwheat flour, and ground farro I use. I’m still working on perfecting the recipe, but this a solid pre-race or workout meal.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
< 1/4 cup buckwheat flour or ground flax
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp of sugar (optional)
2 eggs
1 cup almond milk (most recipes call for 1% buttermilk, but I rarely have that on hand)
1/4 cup sour cream
2-3 tbsp melted butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
<1 cup quick cooking oats*

Directions:
Stir all dry ingredients together
Mix wet ingredients and slowly add flour mixture
Add sliced bananas or fresh berries for a sweeter and slightly less doughy texture
Cook in a hot skillet with melted butter on medium high heat; flip when edges start to bubble and turn the heat down to medium
*I usually make this recipe the night before; the oats will absorb moisture overnight and swell up. You may need to add a little more milk before cooking.

Special Edition White Pepper Crusted Bacon

Being food lovers, we often get food related gifts from the travels of our friends and relatives- a great way to bring true international flavor into our own home. One such recent gift was some whole white peppercorns from Ben and Ashley’s honeymoon to Turkey. It took me awhile to come up with something that would feature the flavor of the pepper, without burying it in some complexly flavored dish. What I came up with was White Pepper Bacon. Most people don’t realize how easy, or how rewarding it is to cook bacon at home. It’s one of those things that has been cooked for time immemorial, and you really get the sense that you’re immersing yourself in food history every time. Plus, it tastes way better than store bacon, especially when it’s got your fingerprints on it.

For the record, historically, bacon is cooked at low temperature, then cooled before it’s sliced. So it’s already cooked before you throw it in they frying pan, more like the bacon you get at the Whole Foods Deli Counter, not like the raw bacon you typically get in the package. It’s a difference of texture. Real bacon is firmer, more flavorful, keeps longer, and is what you’ll end up with if you use this recipe.

The pork:
A 3 lb slab of pork belly, skin on

The Brine:
3 Tbs Kosher salt (good rule of thumb, one Tbs per pound of meat), or if you don’t have a smoker, substitute smoked salt and cook in the oven
1 Tbs Rosemary
1 Tbs Sage
1 Tbs black peppercorns
1 Tbs garlic powder

The Rub:
3 Tbs ground white peppercorns

The Directions:
1. Mix all of the dry spice ingredients and salt for the brine in a bowl.
2. Put the belly slab in a ziploc bag, and cover it evenly with the dry spices and salt, put in the refrigerator for a week, switching sides every day or two
3. After it’s been brining for a week (doesn’t have to be exact, but within a couple of days either way), the belly should feel firm to the touch. Remove from the bag, and wash all spices off thoroughly, then pat dry with paper towels.
4. Grind the white peppercorns with a grinder, and rub all sides except the skin side of the meat generously with the ground pepper
5. Cook by
a. cook it in your oven at 200 degrees for about 2.5 hours, until internal temperature reaches 150.
b. put it in a smoker for about 6-8 hours until internal temperature reaches 150
c. putting it in a smoker for as long as you can, then finish it in the oven (this is what I did. Still get some smoke flavor, but didn’t have the 6-8 hours to hang out)
6. Remove the skin with a sharp knife, leaving some of the fat. Let cool, then slice to your desired thickness, fry, and enjoy.

I usually slice, then wrap by the pound in butcher paper, put each in a ziploc bag, and put one in the fridge and the other two in the freezer. It will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks, and in the freezer as long as you need. A slicer is very handy here, but you can do it with a sharp chef’s knife too.

Mediterranean Lamb Salad

This dish was unexpectedly delicious and came together perfectly even though we didn’t really know what we were making. I fancied lamb tagine spiced with cinnamon and Aaron wanted something closer to avgolemono so we compromised. It ended up being part salad, part shawarma on a whole wheat flatbread. The tender lamb combined with tahini and a tomato-cucumber salad was just the right combination of flavors.

The Lamb:
2 lamb shanks
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp ground white pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp each- cinnamon, nutmeg, corriander, cumin
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups dry white wine
1 medium onion, sliced
1 shallot
1 lemon
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
4 cloves garlic
Whole wheat flatbreads
Tahini

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 310 degrees
1. Rub the lamb shanks with the white pepper and other spices, then brown on all sides with 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot. After the meat is browned, remove and set aside.
2. Add the third tablespoon of olive oil and the onions, shallots and garlic stir until soft.
3. Place the lamb shanks back in the pot, and add the white wine, chicken broth, white wine vinegar and juice from one lemon (just go ahead and throw the peels in after you’ve squeezed them).
4. Bring to a simmer and place in the oven for 2 hours.

While the lamb is stewing in the oven, make the Mediterranean salad (inspired from a recipe in the Chunky Cookbook salad series):
1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
1/2 cup pre-soaked or canned lentils
1/4 red onion, chopped
2 Persian cucumbers, peeled, quartered, and chopped
Feta cheese

For the dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Combine all ingredients and toss. Let salad absorb flavors for at least 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

Once the lamb is removed from the oven, separate the meat from the bone and pull into large hunks. Keep some of the juice handy.
To serve:
1. Spread tanini generously on an oiled and grilled flatbread or a pita
2. Spoon a helping of Mediterranean salad on top
3. Add some mixed spring greens
4. Add lamb on top, then drizzle some of the reserved sauce and serve.

We found it best to eat with a knife and fork to avoid undue mess, but in theory this could be eaten as a pita sandwich too.

Meatie for your sweetie

Valentine’s Day is actually a special occasion for us, but not in the sickeningly sweet Hallmark sense of the ‘holiday.’ We were engaged on Valentine’s Day in 2004 at Whistler, BC on a part of the ski hill called Harmony Ridge. Aaron’s Grandpa Mel proposed to his wife on Valentine’s Day many decades ago, and Aaron figured if it was good enough for his grandpa, it was good enough for him.

We’re cooking in for this occasion (mainly because I couldn’t get a reservation anywhere, even 2 weeks ago) and we stopped at Bill the Butcher’s on Sand Point Way to pick up some lamb shanks. They have very competitive pricing on their pork belly ($4.50/lb) so we splurged and bought an 11 lbs that was freshly cut from the side of a Berkshire hog. The cut included the section of the neck used in making coppa and a piece we’ll use to make  crispy roast pork with crackling (courtesy of Saveur).

Whole wheat pasta with sardines

Our friend Liam came into town tonight; he’s part owner and winemaker for Lost River Winery in Winthrop, WA and one of the best chefs we know. He has a Viking commercial range + hood fan and it’s not uncommon for a red wine reduction to be simmering on his stovetop for 6+ hours. Liam introduced me to hunting and I shot my first bird (quail) in the hills behind his house. Whenever he comes over for dinner, we try to up the ante.

This recipe is quick and requires relatively little prep, yet it’s hearty enough for a winter meal. We buy tinned sardines from Big John’s PFI in the SODO district. They’re not inexpensive; a tin will run $6.00 but it will go a long way especially when mixed in with some pasta.

Ingredients:
Whole wheat pasta
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tins sardines in lemon and olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 shallot, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 lemon wedge
2 tbsp pine nuts
Salt & pepper to taste
Pecorino romano cheese, finely grated
Flat leaf parsely, chopped

Paired with Lost River wine

Directions:
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in pan over medium high heat. Add onions, shallots, garlic and saute (reduce heat) until golden brown. Add pine nuts.

Boil water and pasta according to directions.

Add tinned sardines (including oil or water they’re packed in) and cook over medium heat; breaking up fish into smaller chunks.

Add reserved olive oil, grated pecorino romano, some chopped parsley, and lemon juice. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Drain cooked pasta (al dente) and add to sardines mixture with some reserved pasta water. Garnish with additional parsley and percorino romano.