Salmon Leek Frittata with Duck Eggs

A simple and super tasty way to use the duck eggs that become available this time of year.  Hannah thought a bit of rosemary in the salmon would taste good and she was right.  So yummy that Hannah asked for thirds, which is quite rare at supper time.

Here's what you'll need:

3-4 duck eggs
1/4 cup cream
3-4 tablespoons of chèvre
black pepper
salt

3 tablespoons butter
1 leek

1 7.5 oz can of red salmon (the canned salmon cooks into a better texture for this dish)
2 sprigs of rosemary, de-stemmed and minced

1/4 cup grated parmesan

Preheat your oven to 425.

First, prepare the leek by cutting the roots off and most of the top.  You should have about 8 inches of leek left.  Take that cylindrical piece and cut it length wise so that you have two long halves.  Next, look inside the layers of leek to make sure it's clean of any sand that might be present.  Place the halves flat on the cutting board so that the round sides are facing up.  Now cut the halves into 1/8" sections.  This will result in you having many half-moon shaped pieces.

Place two tablespoons of butter into a nine-inch cast iron skillet that has been warmed to a low heat.  Add the leek pieces, break them apart with a fork and lightly salt.  Continue cooking at a level where they are just sizzling and stir every couple of minutes. This should caramelize them in about 15 minutes.

While those are cooking, prepare another skillet with a tablespoon of butter and the minced rosemary.  After it reaches a medium heat and the butter begins to sizzle, then add the drained salmon.  Flake the salmon into small pieces in the pan and allow to cook until it browns lightly.

In a mixing bowl, add the eggs, cream, crumbled chèvre, salt and pepper.  Whisk the mixture well.

After the leek has caramelized, remove the pan from the heat.  Mix the cooked salmon into the leeks in the cast iron skillet and stir well.  Add the egg mixture and stir gently to let the liquid evenly distribute in the pan.  Sprinkle the parmesan over the top and put into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Remove and let cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Oven Braised Brisket

Brisket, sweet potato fries and fire roasted bell peppers.

This recipe uses a 3 lb cut of fatty brisket.  It's about the biggest cut that will fit in my 12 inch saute pan that I use for oven braising.  I'm sure you could scale up the recipe quite easily if you have a more sizable roasting pan.

Start by making a dry rub:

2 tbsp of crushed mustard seed or powdered mustard

1 tbsp of chili powder
1 tbsp of paprika
1 tbsp powdered oregano

2 crushed bay leaves

1 tbsp of salt

1 tsp of black pepper

Mix all ingredients until well distributed.  Coat meat evenly with liquid smoke, then coat with dry rub.  Place into pan with the fatty side up, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning add:

1/4 cup fresh black coffee

1/4 cup red wine vinegar.

Cover with a tight lid and put into a 200 degree oven.

Cook for 8 hours.

After removing from the oven, strain a cup of the liquid into a saucepan.  Reduce it by half and add a few tablespoons of a tomato based BBQ sauce to make a mop for the sliced meat.

The meat can remain in the covered pan for up to an hour and still be plenty hot.

Just before serving, baste the brisket with a bit of sauce and place uncovered into a 300 degree oven for  25-30 minutes.  Baste once about halfway through.

Remove from the oven and place on a cutting board and let it rest for a few minutes.  Slice thinly against the grain, put it on the plate and top it with a teaspoon of sauce.

Breast of Lamb & Butternut Squash.

Breast of Lamb (lamb brisket) is one of the fattiest cuts of meat besides pork bacon.  It is, in fact, the equivalent cut.  Lamb bacon if there was such a thing!

The piece shown in the bowl above is about 1/3 of a pound of the raw cut, about 4 ribs worth.

1 lb of breast of lamb

1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs of minced rosemary
1 Tbs minced mint
        (or you can use any other pre-mixed dry rub for meat, I like Atkins Ranch Lamb Spice)

1 cup of beef or chicken broth

1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed in 1/2 inch cubes

Use the spices to create a dry rub for the lamb.  Cover all surfaces of the meat with spice and massage vigorously into the meat.  Place back into the fridge for 3-4 hours or longer if needed.

Two and a half hours before you want to serve the meal, preheat your oven to 300.

Sear both sides of the lamb until the outside is dark brown.  In a properly heated pan this should take about 3 minutes on each side.

In a casserole pan, evenly spread the cubed butternut squash.  Place the meat, bone side down, onto the bed of squash.  Pour the broth into the pan and cover the pan loosely with foil.

Place into oven and bake for 2 hours.

Roast Chicken with Herbed Butter and Roast Root Vegetables

This roast chicken is the simplest method I've found to quickly roast a tasty bird with a minimum of time and fuss.

The finished product, resting on the carving board.

1 3-4 lb whole chicken (pastured provides the tastiest skin and fat)
4 tablespoons butter
4 sprigs of rosemary
4 sprigs of thyme
3 medium carrots chopped coarsely
1 stalk of celery chopped coarsely
1/2 medium red onion chopped coarsely

Preheat the oven to 425.

Melt butter in a small sauce pan.  De-stem the herbs and chop the leaves.  Add to the butter and stir.  Remove butter from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Using a scissors, remove the back from the chicken.  ( I save the backs in the freezer until I have enough to make stock.)  Use your hands to loosen the skin of the bird gently away from the breast.  Pour/spoon the herb butter directly onto the breast, underneath the skin and rub to cover the breasts completely.  Pat the skin back over the breasts and use the remaining butter to rub into the skin over the surface of the bird.

Place your chopped veggies into a thick walled 10 inch (3 quart) saute pan.  Place the butterflied bird over the veggies.  Press the bird a bit to get it flat in the pan.  Put into the 425 oven for 20-25 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and roast another 30 minutes or until the breasts reach an internal temp of 160.  Remove from the oven and let the bird rest at least 20 minutes prior to carving.

Roasted Root Vegetables

While the bird is in the oven, you can make these.  You'll need:

2 medium beets
2 medium turnips
1 large fennel bulb
2 large sweet potatoes

3 tablespoons of olive oil
3 sprigs rosemary
salt

Chop all your veggies into 2 inch long pieces that are 1/2" thick.  All pieces should be around the same size.  Toss in a bowl with the oil, salt and rosemary leaves.

Spread onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Turn the veggies every 15 minutes and watch closely at the end to make sure they don't overbrown.

Salmon Croquette and Forbidden Rice Pilaf

Salmon Croquettes (aka patties) - serves 3

1 medium carrot diced
1 stalk celery diced
1/4 medium red onion diced
1 small red bell pepper diced
2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons of minced dill
Juice from 1 lemon
14 oz of canned salmon
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs

frying oil or leaf lard

Start a few hours or even the night before.  Briefly saute the carrot, celery, onion and pepper in the butter. They should be cooked, but still crispy.  Transfer them into a medium mixing bowl to allow them to cool.

Add salmon to the bowl and mix well.  Then add remaining ingredients to bowl, stir to mix evenly, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

After the mix has chilled, form into 2-3 inch diameter patties that have a thickness of 1/2 inch.  Bring oil to a medium high heat in the skillet.  Fry in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.  Cook 1-2 minutes per side until brown.  Alternatively, the patties can be baked on a well oiled sheet pan on 425.  They should cook 10-15 minutes, turning once to achieve a uniform golden brown exterior.



Forbidden Rice (aka Black Rice) Pilaf

2 sweet potatoes diced
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup Forbidden Rice
1 3/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 pound of lacinato kale
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 heirloom tomato
3 sprigs of dill
salt

Coat sweet potatoes in olive oil and spread evenly onto a sheet pan.  Cook in 350 oven for 20 minutes until soft.  Set aside to cool.

Cook rice in broth on very low heat for 30 minutes (or in rice cooker.)

Blanch kale and then chop very finely.  Saute briefly, adding wine vinegar at the end.

Mix sweet potatoes, kale and rice.  Salt to taste.  Garnish with slices of tomato and a bit of fresh dill.

Chicken Soup

I thought this would be a great way to use the leftovers from a chicken I had roasted on Thursday.  I had thighs and drumsticks left from that bird along with a bit of breast meat.  Lately, when I roast chicken, I butterfly the bird first by removing the back and neck.  That meant that I also had an uncooked bit of chicken in the freezer.

I started this process by thawing out a quart of chicken stock I had made last month.  That was the base for the broth for this soup.  Cooking the chicken back in the chicken stock to make a sort of "double strength" stock created a super rich flavor that was enhanced by the small amount of fresh ginger and garlic.

Hannah loved this meal.  She ate every bite and slurped every drop of broth.  I guess chicken soup should be on the menu more often.

What you'll need:

1 quart of chicken stock
1 uncooked chicken back/neck
3 cups of water

1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger

1 clove garlic (pressed)

2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 medium red onion (diced)
1 stalk of celery (chopped)
2 carrots (diced)
5-6 sprigs of thyme (leaves separated and diced)

3/4 pound (approximately) roast chicken, deboned and chopped into small cubes.

1 cup frozen peas

salt

5-6 Basil leaves for chiffonade garnish

Pour stock and water into a soup pot or slow cooker.  Place chicken back into liquid and cook slowly at 190 degrees for 3-4 hours.

Remove chicken bones and strain liquid through a cloth to remove visible particles.   Pour broth back into pot.

Add ginger and garlic.

In a separate pan, saute butter, onion, celery, carrots and thyme until onions just soften.  Pour into broth and add chopped roast chicken.  Stir and cook for 20 minutes on low heat.

Add frozen peas and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add salt to taste.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with basil.

Cioppino!

This is one of the best new dishes I've made in awhile.  I got inspired by the beef broth I had made earlier in the week and a distant memory of having a tomato based fish stew up on the north coast when I was 20.

The best part of this meal was having Hannah happily slurping away at the broth and then say,"Daddy, I think I found something!"  Then she pulled out a mussel and requested it to be opened.  Nice to have your kid get excited about new foods.

Here's what you'll need:

2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 of a red onion (chopped)
1 celery stalk (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (pressed)

1 28 oz can of diced stewed tomatoes (I use the Muir Glen Fire Roasted)
2-3 stalks of tarragon (leaves separated from stem and then diced)
10-15 basil leaves (chopped)
2-3 stalks of oregano (leaves separated from stem and then diced)
1 cup of red wine (I used a zinfandel)
2 cups of beef broth (homemade and thick with bone gelatin will produce the best stew)

8 oz of clam juice

1/2 pound of scallops (I used bay scallops)
1/2 pound of alaskan cod (chopped into small cubes)
10-12 Littleneck clams (whole in shell)
10-12 mussels (whole in shell)
10-12 raw shrimp (shelled)
1 lemon
1/8 cup of chopped italian parsley for garnish

In a 6 quart stock/soup pot cook the onion in olive oil over medium heat until onion is softened.  Add in garlic and celery and cook for a few more minutes.

Add in tomatoes, tarragon, basil, oregano, wine and beef broth.  Bring it to a simmer.  Taste and add salt if needed.  Cook gently and uncovered for 30-45 minutes.

Add clam juice and stir in scallops and fish.  After 5 minutes, add clams, mussels and shrimp.  Bring back to simmer, cook for 5 minutes and remove from heat.  Juice the lemon and add to the soup.

Serve in bowls and garnish with parsley.


One more thing...this is really good with a crusty baguette, brie and red wine.