Purple Tomatillos & Salmon

I have been wanting to blog about this meal that I cooked recently while R and I were out in the wilds traveling. I like to visit local area markets and check out new ingredients (like purple tomatillos and salmon fillets) to cook at least one meal on our trips. So we book a room that advertises 'fully equipped kitchen', (HA to this room) and a great view. Man are we spoiled in today's world of gadgets. I have never really fallen under the spell of buying unnecessary equipment when our grandmothers did it on their own, but I would have like to have had at least a small sieve on this trip!

I felt like I was training for a job on a wagon train full of pioneer foodies...



...a little lemon cucumber (first time to try) for our salads...






...pays to practice mise en place...oh, and I helped my self to salt and poivre packets from downstairs...



...R thought our balcony view of the mountains would be a nice back drop...yeah, he took this picture and forgot something...


...so I intervened...









...can you believe no oven sheets, so I had to borrow foil from a local restaurant...might have been easier to ask them to cook the food for me...yeah this project drove me to hit the hard stuff...





...not having any way to mash or strain this, with lots of unleashed anger I mash them down with the spatula, and strained the skins through the spatula...time for another shot of bushmills honey...





...add some cream, and drop in the shrimp...






...poach the Salmon in the tomatillo-cilantro lime sauce






Table is ready...






...R tries his and decides that I have succeeded once again, even in these rough cooking conditions!


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*Clink* Bon Appetite

Bourbon Napa Cabbage Rolls

If you follow my blog you read about my discussion with my sister about what to do with the pork loin and Chinese cabbage my hubby picked up for me to cook. I did not want to make the usual rice wine vinegar, or other Asian recipes like kimchi...Well I will give her credit for the spark that lead me to this dish tonight, see there lil' sister I love ya! (Vegan/Vegetarian Version- see below)


House made Chorizo as taught to me by a south American friend...


Grass feed none the less from our local market...


...marinated in my hubby's favorite 'five spice formation' recipe...oh, and a shot from one of my prized bourbon bottles...and a little shot for moi...


Napa or 'Chinese' cabbage...chop, chop, chop, chop, chop...chop!


My favorite bamboo skewers...saves more trees...


...spread out the sauted chorizo, onion, cabbage chop mixture on bottom...nudging them into the bottom to meld with sauce...giving room for heat to cook pork loin steaks...bake

NOTE:I only serve the rolls on the snow peas, because I am using the bottom mixture for the next nights meal...stir fried rice...
UPDATE: I lied, I made soup, by adding fish stock, small chop potatoes, talapia, and madras powder...


...and don't forget to spoon some of the bourbon butter gravy on top!




AFTER DINNER NEWS: Look at the perfect pink of the tenderloin bite...with a nice suttle New Zealand Shiraz

VEGETARIAN/VEGANS- I make TVP chorizo for my vegetarian clients and would just make a loaf with this recipe in mind...bake...slice, and wrap in cabbage...following the same recipe concept.

My hubby made hot chocolate today!

Since I just b****** about my sister, now I have to say that sometimes I mention my hubby cannot cook...in the kitchen...but he brings home some challenging ingredients once in a while (keeping me on my toes), and he makes me hot chocolate when I request...and that makes me happy he has fingers to press the microwave buttons...and the keyboard, since that is what supports our high falluten taste in food and wine!


His Valentine's cup I bought him years ago...

I never!- Condiment Saga

In a phone conversation with my younger sister today the subject of what to do with the pork loin and Chinese cabbage my hubby picked up, that lead to how I cannot guess, but ketchup. She suggested making stuffed cabbage rolls like our mother used to make. I said "I do not have any tomato sauce, nor would I cut up a beautiful piece of meat into small chunks", she said "do you have ketchup", I responded quite harshly "Yuck! No, we do not have any reason for that useless condiment in our house". Since I became quite the gourmet, my son moved away, and I no longer buy fish in the breaded stick form in my freezer. If I eat a hamburger it's with blue cheese, red onion, tomato and lettuce on a whole wheat bun (my own commercial), and no ketchup!

As usual we go straight into talking about how we did this and you did that as a child conversation. I knew exactly what she was about to bring up...my childhood obsession with putting ketchup on my mashed potatoes. She told me how seeing someone in a restaurant recently put ketchup on their sausage and biscuits made her think of me. I quickly let her know I would never ruin a wonderful comfort food like that with ketchup, and she told me to slow down, it was only the idea of ketchup on something that brought up the memory.

Do not get me wrong I love my little sister and she knows it, but she cannot cook! She cooks like my mom did...memory...of her volunteering to cook the lovely thick cut pork chops I had bought to put on the grill...visualize this...she takes out a hammer and pounds them to a pulp...covers them with lawry's seasoning salt (oh, this is at her house while I was visiting a few years ago), and pepper...throws them under her gas broiler and turns them into leather. I could hardly chew it, and thank god I had my own bottle of wine to save me from harming her...stove. I did tell her how ever that I appreciated her efforts to let me relax, but if I wanted to eat my old pair of shoes, I would have done so. She can put ketchup on that!

This next photo is rated adults only and was my original one for this blog, but my hubby cautioned me, so if any children are looking over your shoulder shew them away...now click to enlarge photo cartoon...

Dill'icious Combinations

Fresh dill caught my eye at one of my favorite small mom and pop markets here in the area; along with Blanch turnips, and some multi colored carrots (purple, orange, and yellow) the rest just came to me...a dill'icious combination dinner for Friday movie night.


They were not the prettiest veggies I have seen, but locally grown and organic is fine with me. I decided to make a turnip risotto, Caribbean turnip greens, and roasted veggies!


Blanc turnips do not have a strong flavor as their yellow cousin, but similar looks to another family member, the radish. The flavor was just shy of having that radish bite, and can be eaten raw. I reserved some to garnish the plate; along with one scallion.
Note: turnips soften as they cook, so adding a few on top gives it a nice extra crunch.


I was surprised to see heirloom tomatoes still on the shelf, but that will do for an added touch to my turnip greens that scream, bite me! You can see by its color that they were pulled too soon, and with cooler weather it will not ripen to a nice red color, and tasting it confirmed my suspicions.


Turnip greens are not as bitter as other wild tops, like mustard. Just a little oil, onion, some seasonings make this a yummy southern favorite of mine.


I roast many veggies together; it gives them a sweetness that you just cannot beat, and goes well with the sweetness of the risotto and the bite of the greens.



Okay, here is one more look before we sit back, watch 'Get Smart', and eat this right up!

South African PBP Casserole

Here is my contribution to a PB (Peanut Butter)recipe challenge from Peanut Butter Boy @ http://www.peanutbutterboy.com. I told him that I was not as fond of PB like him since my children were smaller, and that finally burned my taste buds out. When your a mom, as if some of you might not relate...you eat what the kids do not eat, to teach them? that food must not go to waste...well you end up eating a whole heck of a lot of PBJ scraps.

Okay, on with the challenge...I had a wine tasting for the public about seven years ago and my first one was 'South African Wines and Foods'. A few South African girls that worked in the retirement home were I was executive chef told me they ate pumpkin as a vegetable, and cooked many dishes with it as an ingredient...like creamed pumpkin leaves...Man, would I like to try that and maybe will someday...so, I took it upon myself to ask what they used with it, and they said sometimes PB...here is my recipe, but sorry, no picture!

2-3 Cups of Pumpkin Pulp
1-2 cups vegetable stock
-fill stock just at pulp level and simmer til tender; or steam if possible

(if using can pumpkin skip this part and go straight to combining ingredients)

(1 large can pumpkin puree- if not using fresh)
1/2 jar PB
1/4 cup cream of choice
1/2 stick of butter (salted)
2 eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup (I do not cook with regular sugar at all)

-cream these ingredients together

1 clove garlic, minced finely
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon pumpkin spices

-add these ingredients and pour into casserole dish with or without crust.

Bake 375 degree oven about 45 minutes (sorry I had forgotten this part, and remember it is thicker than a pie mix, but if necessary cook longer till browns and cracks somewhat; fork to see if it is done, and will set more after cools)

Goat cheese sprinkled on top when comes out of oven;
(do not worry if you see cracks in this dish, it is only a counterpart to the original pumpkin pie cousin, and does not have all the liquid and binding of the sugars; its not meant to be pretty, but tasty!)

I served this dish upon sauted greens (or spinach) instead of a crust, and it was not sweet, but had a savory flavor combined with the greens.

Greens Recipe- Rinse and dry greens; chop up well like a salad; take one small onion, 3 or more cloves garlic and finely chop; heat about 3 tablespoons oil in frying pan on medium high; saute onions and garlic in pan; add greens and toss till tender (spinach will go quickly, other greens like mustard and beet will take up to thirty minutes, and use stalks)

The bitter contrast of the greens go well with the semi-sweet pumpkin casserole.

WINE: I would suggest a South African Shiraz from the cape region of Paarl, like this one...

Fairview Solitude Shiraz 2002 Paarl
Lovely intense meaty, spicy, smoky nose. Concentrated palate with nice weight of minerally, tarry fruit. Meaty, spicy and beguiling, that my notes showed went well with the meatiness of the dish.

Election Night Tacos

I had a hard time pulling myself off this darn computer today, and cook up some dinner. My consulting job is keeping me pretty busy these days, although I feel like I should have a degree in psychology sometimes. Last night I pulled out some fish fillets from the freezer, ready to make a curry, and realized I am out of onions. No potatoes, or anything that would make it hearty for our election night meal.

Hmmmmmmmmm, as I look into the fridge...spinach wraps, salsa I made a few days ago, cheese...okay we are having fish tacos, ole!

I am not crazy about frying anything, just shallow oil like when I cook for my Indian employer each week...but how about a new twist on the outside coating?



This one is for you gluten free eaters!



Can you just smell that...a shake of garlic, pepper, sea salt, and then dipped into the buckwheat pancake mix...and into the frying pan baby!



Just add some salad, cheese, salsa, sesame seeds and pepitos (pinon nuts) to add a crunch! All prep and cooking time cost me only thirty minutes away from the computer...take that Rachel Ray!!!

Cooking the fish in the buckwheat flour gave it a nice flavor and brown coloring on the outside; along with the added crunch and texture of it all was a thumbs up from the boss tonight!