Jul 27

Sweet Salmon Success

Recently I was challenged to prepare salmon for a meal that was low on sodium, not overly spicy yet still flavorful. Low sodium and not overly spicy are two requisites that quickly take me out of my comfort zone. There is no lack of recipes on the internet on how to prepare, season and cook salmon. In fact, there are so many possible combinations that trying to choose the recipe that best suits your needs is nearly impossible.

After looking at a few recipes and steering clear of those recipes that claimed to be “low sodium”, I created the following marinade for one whole salmon fillet. In a bowl, I mixed together 1/3 Cup (80 ml) of Brown Sugar, 1/3 Cup (80 ml) of Vegetable Oil, 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) of Soy Sauce and 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) of Lemon Juice. Mix all of the ingredients thoroughly together until the Brown Sugar has mostly dissolved.

Salmon Fillet Flesh Down on the Grill

Marinaded Salmon Fillet Flesh Down on the Electric Grill

Cut the salmon in half and seasoned the fillet with fresh cracked brown pepper and a liberal sprinkling of garlic powder. I patted these seasons into the flesh of the fillet and then placed them into a large Ziploc bag. Then pour the marinade mixture into the bag, seal (remove the excess air) and then flipped the bag a couple of times to ensure that the salmon fillet halves are thoroughly coated.

At a minimum, the salmon fillets should marinade in the refrigerator for an hour, but two hours allows the flavors of the marinade to do wonders to the fillet. The salmon can be baked, broiled or grilled. For this meal, I grilled the salmon on an outdoor electric grill that I purchased last year. I removed the salmon from the refrigerator about fifteen minutes prior to placing the fillets on the grill.

Salmon Fillet Skin Down on the Grill

Marinaded Salmon Fillet Skin Down on the Electric Grill

Prior to placing the salmon fillets on the grill I lightly coated the grill with vegetable oil. The salmon fillets were placed flesh down on the grill and allowed them to cook for nine minutes. The salmon fillets were then flipped and cooked for another eight minutes. Depending on your grill, the fillets should be cooked for six to nine minutes per side. The best indicator that salmon fillets are finished cooking is when you can easily flake the flesh with a fork.

The salmon fillets were perfectly cooked and the brown sugar provided the perfect balance to the buttery flavor of the salmon. The salmon was moist with just a hint of black pepper, lemon juice, soy sauce and garlic. I will admit, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the salmon that had been seasoned with less salt than I usually use in a meal. As with any meal a sign that the meal was enjoyed by all is when there are no leftovers. When I cook this meal again for myself, I will probably add a tablespoon of Sambal to the marinade to give the salmon a little kick of heat. You could also use salmon steaks in lieu of the fillet.

Perfectly Grilled Salmon on Plate

Perfectly Grilled Salmon Marinaded with Brown Sugar, Lemon Juice, Soy Sauce, Black Pepper and Garlic Powder on Plate

Jul 26

Seriously Simple Pulled Pork

Sometimes life gets in the way of cooking but I hate to settle, so I have a few favorites that I pull out for these occasions. Pulled pork is so easy and if you’ve got a crock pot, it is perfect for not heating up the kitchen in the summer.

Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Pork

Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Pork

BBQ Pulled Pork

1 Pork Roast (Boston Butt, Shoulder or Picnic) whichever you choose, make sure it will fit in your crock pot
1 Bottle Weber All Natural BBQ Sauce*
3 Medium Onions, Sliced
Cooking spray (optional)

  • If your crock pot has a rack, spray with cooking spray to help with cleanup.
  • Trim some of the fat from the roast if desired.  I like to keep some of the fat on while cooking.
  • Place sliced onions in a layer on the bottom of your crock pot.
  • Place roast, fat side up, in pan and pour half the BBQ sauce over the top.
  • Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8.
  • When done, remove roast and place on cutting board. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
  • After resting, use two forks to pull apart the meat into shreds. Yes, your arms will get tired, just pour a drink and get into it, it is worth it!
  • Place shredded pork into a large bowl.  Pour some of the drippings & onions from the crockpot over the shreds until just moist, but not soupy.
  • You can serve this on rolls with the remaining BBQ sauce as a condiment or serve over rice.

* Why Weber? This stuff is good.  I mean really good.  It is all natural, no high fructose corn syrup and sticks to the meat! It comes in several flavors from bold to sweet  to spicy.  I will rarely agree that a shelf product is as good as homemade but it is that good.

Fork Pulled Roast Pork

Two forks is all you need to tame your roast pork!

 

Jul 25

What is chorizo? And what can you do with it?

What is chorizo? Depending on where you come from in the world, depends on what you think about when you hear the word ‘chorizo’. In Europe people tend to think of chorizo as a dry cured smoked sausage from Spain or other parts of the Iberian Peninsula. In North American, people tend to associate chorizo as a Mexican sausage, which is uncooked and used for breakfasts, tacos, burritos, etc. The two sausages may have the same name, but they are used in very different ways and have quite different flavours.

What is chorizo made out of?

Spanish chorizo is made from pork fat and chopped pork meat, seasoned with smoked paprika and salt. Depending on the type of paprika that is used to make the chorizo, means that it is either spicy (picante) or sweet (dulce). There are also regional variations that can contain things such as garlic or herbs. One thing to note is that before using Spanish chorizo it is best to remove the papery skin, as it can be a bit chewy.

Spanish Chorizo

Spanish Chorizo

Mexican chorizo is more like the Spanish chorizo fresco, which is an uncooked sausage, however it tends not to be stuffed into sausage casings or skins, and it uses different seasoning such as ancho chillies, ground coriander, cloves, black pepper, oregano, cumin and garlic. Most Mexican chorizo is made from pork, but beef is also a common ingredient. Before cooking, the package that the chorizo comes in, is usually opened.

Breakfast burrito with Mexican Chorizo

Breakfast burrito with Mexican Chorizo

There is a third way, but I’m not sure if it that well known or used. Bill and I made some Mexican style chorizo meat, stuffed it into natural sausage casings to make homemade Mexican chorizo style sausages to be cooked like normal sausages on the barbeque.

Grilled homemade chorizo sausages

Grilled homemade chorizo sausages

What to make with chorizo

I always have a length of Spanish chorizo in my fridge at all times. I find that it is a great ingredient to be able to rustle up last minute dishes to give them a shot of pure flavour. For instance some quickly cooked prawns, garlic and chorizo makes a great appetizer, and I have on occasion, just sliced it for a quick snack along with some pickles. Spanish chorizo is a very versatile ingredient and can be used for dishes such tapas, or even as a pasta or a risotto ingredient.

Mexican chorizo is also a very versatile ingredient and can be used for everything from tacos, burritos, frijoles charros, chiles rellenos, tostadas and the breakfast dish ‘Huevos Rancheros’, which is chorizo, eggs and salsa.

Jul 23

Sole Veronique to lift your sole

Veronique Opera Poster 1898Sole Veronique is one of the dishes that is a perfect comfort food. It is extremely easy to digest and the lovely smooth, creamy sauce with grapes could lift anyone’s spirits or help them rise from their sick bed. However it is also a great dish as a light supper or as a fish starter.

It was the great French chef, Georges Auguste Escoffier who invented Sole Véronique, while he was at the Carlton in London to celebrate the opening of the French opera Véronique. It is a simple dish of Dover sole, poached in white wine. A cream sauce is made with the poaching liquor, grapes are added and then poured over the fish. Since Dover sole is quite expensive and not always easy to come by it is sometimes substituted with other types of sole such as lemon sole, flatfish such as plaice or any other firm fleshed white fish. I used tilapia, since there were no sole to be seen.

Sole Veronique Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 fillets of Dover Sole, or other firm, white fleshed fish such as Lemon Sole or Plaice
  • 1 cup (235ml) of dry white wine or vermouth
  • 1 cup (235ml) of heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp of shallots, finely chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp of lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp of chopped parsley
  • 4 or 5 whole black peppercorns
  • 2 tbsp of butter
  • 10 to 12 white seedless grapes, halved
  • 1 tsp of fresh tarragon, chopped (optional)
  • Salt and pepper (white pepper would be preferable)
Poaching fish in white wine

Poaching fish in white wine

Method

  1. Add the sole, wine, bay leaf, shallots, lemon juice, parsley and peppercorns to a small skillet with a lid.
  2. Bring to a very low simmer for about 4 to 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can poach the fish in the oven if you wish in a buttered oven proof dish, covered with foil, for about 15 to 20 mins at 175C (350F).
  3. Remove the fish to a warm dish while you prepare the sauce.
  4. Pass the cooking liquor through a sieve and add it back to the skillet.
  5. Reduce the cooking liquor by half, then add the cream and the grapes.
  6. Cook gently for another minute or so. Add the tarragon if you wish. Check for seasoning.
  7. Plate up the fish and gently pour over the sauce. Serve with simple vegetables such as potatoes, a simple salad or braised fennel.
Sole Veronique

Fish in Veronique sauce

You can also use this sauce for making Chicken Veronique, a modern take on the original dish. The process is the same, but the chicken needs to be poached for a little longer.