Recipe: Salmon in Potato Case

Jacques Pepin is the best! His technique is amazing, his recipes priceless. This one is from the great book "Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home", where each recipe is presented like a contest between Jacques and Julia Child, so having two versions.

I love this recipe because it's SO SIMPLE to do, always impresses the guests (aw, that's important) and it tastes great! The potato "case" around the salmon protect the fish for drying or burn out, so the fillet cames perfect every time. Don't be afraid: this recipe is really easy and quick. No need to prepare anything in advance.

Salmon in Potato Case

(serves 2)

2 2-inch-wide salmon fillets (about 5 onces each)
salt and pepper to taste
1 or 2 large potatoes
chopped dill
2 tbs butter
2 tbs oil
For the tomato coulis:
1/2 cup of chopped onion
2 garlic clove, crushed or sliced
2 tomatoes, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs olive oil


Preparation:

Make the coulis first. In a large skillet, sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and let cook for 10 minutes. Let stand, covered, until the salmon is done.

Peel the potato and, using a mandoline or a vegetable peeler cut very thing lenghwise slices. Lay about 5 or 6 pieces, slightly overlapping, on your work surface and set the salmon on top: you should use just enough potato slices to make a bottom covering for the fish. Heat the butter and oil in a non-stick frying pan and, when it is sizzling, pick up the potato-lined pieces of salmon and slip them into the pan. Sprinkle the dill on top and cover each piece of fish with 5 or 6 more potato slices.

If you have a long spatula, you can arrange directly on the spatula the bottom layer of potato slices, the salmon and dill, and the top layer of potatoes, and then slide everything neatly into the pan.

Cook over moderate heat for 4 to 5 minutes, then check to see if the bottom has browned. When well crusted, turn the fish over carefully and cook the other side about 4 to 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are browned.

Spoon several tablespoons of the coulis onto a serving plate; then, with the back of the spoon, clear a place to put the salmon fillets. Serve it at once!

Recipe: Brazilian "California" Salad

I'm in love with this salad! My mom gave me the recipe and she told me that it is from California. I'm really not sure of that, so I call it Brazilian "California" Salad. (We don't eat here cabbage with sweet and sour sauce, so it is kind of "exotic" for us. Maybe that's why the "California" name"...) It's good for parties, because one recipe serves 8 to 10 people, is very easy to do and stays well in the fridge for up to 4 days if you have leftovers...

Brazilian "California" Salad

Ingredients

1 medium cabbage head, sliced thin
1 cup (or lots!) of parsley and green onions, chopped
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 cup ground pecans
about 6 oz (2 packages) of instant noodle (ramen), without the flavor sachet, uncooked and crushed

For the sauce:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tsp salt

Preparation:

In a big bowl, mix together the cabbage, parsley and green onions, sesame seeds and pecans. Mix all the sauce ingredients. Pour over the salad, stirring well to combine the sauce with the dry ingredients. Then add the crushed noodles. (Don't use the flavor sachet!!) If you like the salad very crispy, serve at once. Or let stay some time in the refrigerator to blend the flavors.

Recipe: Shiitake Strudel

Ingredients:

For the dough:

4 tbs margarine (not butter for THIS recipe)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cold milk
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

For the filling:

1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced (could be made with shimeji, too!)
1 clove garlic, minced
olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup chopped parsley and green onions
3 tbs cottage cheese
3/4 cup homemade bred crumbs
black pepper, lots of it

The dough:

Put flour, margarine, salt and baking soda in a food processor. Turn on and add, little by little, the milk until a ball forms. Stop the processor, wrap the dough ball in plastic film and keep refrigerated until using.

The filling:

In a large skillet, heat the oil and stir-fry the mushrooms. Add garlic, stirring a little. Turn off the heat and add parsley and green onions, salt, lemon juice and black pepper. Transfer to a bowl, mix the cottage cheese and bread crumbs.

Assembling:

Open the dough with a roll, cut in 2 pieces, one for the botton of the pan, other for topping. Put the first piece in the pan (no need to grease it) put the filling and top with the piece of dough left. Close the borders, no need to pinch holes or brush with eggwash. Just put in the oven, 400 F for 25 minutes or until gold.

Recipe: Brazilian Black Bean Soup

I think this is the most delicious and exotic soup that I ever tasted! It reminds me of "feijoada", a typical brazilian dish of black beans with pork, served with rice and a side dish of orange cubes.

This is a vegetarian recipe, of Moosewood Cookbook, by Mollie Katzen.

Brazilian Black Bean Soup

Preliminary: soak 2 cups dry black beans in plenty of water for at last 4 hours (and preferably overnight)

2 cups dry black beans, soaked
6 cups water
1 tbs. olive oil
3 cups chopped onion
10 medium cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp. cumin
2 to 2 1/2 tsp. salt
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups orange juice
black pepper, to taste
cayenne, to taste
2 medium tomatoes, diced
parsley to serve.

1) Place the soaked beans in a kettle or Dutch oven with 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until tender (about 1 1/4 hours).

2) Heat olive oil in a medium-sized skillet. Add onion, half the garlic, cumin, salt, and carrot. Sauté over medium heat until the carrot is just tender. Add remaining garlic and the bell pepper. Sauté until everything is very tender (another 10 to 15 minutes). Add the sautéed mixture to the beans, scraping in every last morsel.

3) Stir in orange juice, black pepper, cayenne, and tomatoes. Purée some of the soup in a blender or food processor, and return to kettle. Simmer over very low heat 10 to 15 minutes more. Serve topped with parsley.