chez johnny jump up

Ridwan made an incredible nine-course meal for John's birthday. I was lucky enough to attend and help out.

Here are some shots of the finished dishes (photos by Mike Seeman):

black truffle souffle

celery remoulade, frisee, crispy duck confit

fried artichoke, capers, lemon-heirloom jam

smoked salmon, baby greens,

matchstick potatoes, creme fraiche

kabocha squash soup, bacon lardon, fried bread

roast beef, yorkshire pudding,

horseradish cream, mustard

whipped delice d'argental, caramelized fig, balsamic syrup

carrot cake

poached pear, candied walnut

Za'atar Salmon Cakes

We often buy too much salmon and have just a bit leftover. Unlike other leftovers, which last up to a week, fish should be eaten within 24-48 hours. I usually flake it in a bowl, add an egg and some breadcrumbs, chopped jalapeno and green onion. This time, I added some za'atar and a bit of feta cheese too. The result, served with a bit of leftover homemade salsa and a tomato-feta salad, was delicious.

Summery Salmon Supper

I realize I've been a bad blogger lately, but I've been doing all sorts of cool things outside of the kitchen, like attending a pig roast on the beach on Tomales Bay (photos up when we find the camera cord).

I also went to visit family, and my sister and I cooked up some dinner to battle the LA heat. The whole meal came together in about an hour, and since the salmon was served at room temperature, it could wait until we were ready to eat. I didn't have my camera with me, so the photos aren't the best.

The menu: Pomegranate Salmon with Feta Tzatziki; Cousous with Mint and Almonds; Tomato Salad. For dessert, Blue and Goat Cheese-Stuffed Figs, roasted until bubbly.

Pomegranate Salmon with Feta Tzatziki

You'll need:

salmon -- 1/3-1/2lb per person

1T pomegranate molasses

5 cloves garlic, minced

1t cayenne

small handful of dill

3 Persian cucumbers

1c lebne or Greek-style yogurt (normal yogurt is ok too)

a good-sized chunk of feta

1 eggplant

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Remove pin bones from salmon with tweezers. Rub salmon with pomegranate molasses and 1t garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Slice eggplant into thin (1/4 inch) rounds. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil and lay eggplant rounds in one layer. Sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Bake 15 minutes, until tender; flip and bake 5-7 minutes longer. The eggplant should be golden but not dark brown. Set aside.

Mince dill and chop cucumbers. Mix with lebne or yogurt. Add garlic. Add feta and mix until incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place baking dish in oven. When dish is hot, turn oven down to 275 degrees. Place salmon skin-side down on dish and return to oven for about 20 minutes, until just done-- salmon should still be pink in the middle, at its thickest part. Let cool.

Serve salmon on top of eggplant. Top with a dollop of tzatziki or serve sauce on the side.

Cousous with Mint and Almonds

You'll need:

1/3c couscous per person

slivered almonds

1 lemon

handful of mint

Make couscouse according to package directions (combine equal parts couscous and hot water; let sit, covered, for 5 minutes; then fluff with fork). Let couscous cool. Mix in slivered almonds, chopped mint, juice and zest of lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Tomato Salad

This isn't really a recipe; just combine halved cherry tomatoes (we got some really good heirloom ones at Trader Joe's, which is usually not the best place for produce), chopped avocado, red onion or scallion, olives (crush with the side of a chef's knife to remove the pit), chopped basil, salt and pepper. Dress with balsamic vinegar and olive oil right before serving.

Blue and Goat Cheese-Stuffed Figs

Preheat broiler. Halve figs and stuff with a bit of cheese -- we made some with blue cheese, some with fresh goat cheese. Broil until bubbly, about 5 minutes.

Salmon with Herbed Bread Crumbs and Roasted Brussel Sprouts

This is an easy way to dress up salmon for a weeknight dinner. It follows my standard roasted salmon recipe, with the addition of herbed bread crumbs on top. The crumbs create a tasty crust that's a nice textural complement to the silky fish.

Preheat oven to 500 with the baking dish inside it. Rub salmon with olive oil, salt and pepper; top with bread crumbs (see below). Toss the salmon into the baking dish, skin side down, and lower heat to 275. Cook about 10 minutes, until just flaky. 

To make the bread crumbs, grind up some stale bread in the food processor with whatever fresh herbs you have on hand-- I used a mix of sage, rosemary and thyme. If you end up with a lot of bread crumbs, just put the leftovers in a jar in the freezer and use them next time.

These brussel sprouts are even easier than the salmon. They've been featured on The Purple Kitchen before, but the recipe is so simple I'll repeat it here. Just quarter the sprouts, toss with salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and roast in a 400 degree oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes. They should be crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

Ginger Miso Salmon with Roasted Kale and Mushrooms

This is a light, delicious meal that uses only one baking dish and is ready in about 15 minutes. You can skip the cilantro mint topping and drizzle soy sauce instead, but I like the freshness of the herbs and the heat of the chilies.

You'll need (serves 1):

1 filet salmon, pinbones removed with tweezer
1T white miso paste
4 leaves kale, stems removed
a handful of shiitake mushrooms
1 inch ginger, chopped
2T chopped mint
2T chopped cilantro
1 thai chili, minced

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Tear the kale into bite-sized pieces and place in baking dish. Top with mushrooms, quartered if large. Drizzle with some chicken stock or water and a bit of olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.


Roast about 5 minutes, until kale is crispy on top and mushrooms are soft.

In the meantime, combine cilantro, mint, and chili and set aside.

Stir ginger into kale and make a well in the middle; place salmon, skin side down, into well. Turn oven down to 275 degrees and return dish to oven. Cook until salmon is opaque on the outside, about 7 minutes.

Serve topped with herb-chili mixture.

Salmon with Sorrel Sauce

Sorrel is another amazing summer treat. It tastes like sourgrass when it's raw (I know I wasn't the only kid to eat fields of sourgrass in preschool...), but becomes citrusy and refreshing when cooked. Be sure to serve the sauce immediately, or the sorrel will wilt into nothingness. I think this sauce goes particularly well with salmon, but it'd be great on scallops too, or on anything that goes well with lemon butter. Any pilaf-like grain would go well here; I served this with mushroom rice.


You'll need (serves 2):

1lb salmon-- 2 center-cut filets, skin-on, pin bones removed with tweezers
1T olive oil

8-10 large sorrel leaves
1 large shallot
1/2c vermouth or dry white wine
2T butter
2T cream (optional-- I decided to make this a cream sauce but you can leave it as a butter sauce by doubling the butter and omitting the cream)

Place baking dish in oven and preheat oven to 500. When oven is hot, rub salmon with olive oil, salt and pepper. Remove baking dish and place salmon skin side down (it should sizzle). Decrease oven temp to 275 and return salmon to oven. It will need about 10 minutes to cook; in the meantime, make the sauce.

Mince shallot and place in dry pan over medium heat. Do not use a non-stick pan. Stir. When shallots turn golden, add wine or vermouth and boil until there is only 2T liquid left.

In the meantime, remove stems from sorrel and cut into a chiffonade.

Whisk butter and cream into reduced sauce. Whisk in sorrel until it wilts and turns a dull green. Serve immediately over salmon.

From Sushi Leftovers, A Salmon Omelet

This delicious combo is made of 2 beaten eggs, fresh herbed goat cheese, some chopped shiso leaf, salmon seasoned with rice wine vinegar and soy sauce, and green onion; topped with avocado and cilantro.

Sushi!

Katie and I made way too much sushi. Stay tuned for some leftovers posts.
Learn from our "mistake": if you want to make sushi,
invite some friends.

pickled mackerel nigiri
with avocado & tobiko
&
hamachi nigiri

closeup of the mackerel-- this was a delicious combo.
the avocado tempered the vinegary fish
and the tobiko added a nice crunch.

salmon nigiri with avocado on shiso leaves

shiso leaves have a strong woodsy citrus flavor
that kind of overwhelmed the delicate salmon

tuna & hamachi sashimi with a dollop of tobiko

salmon, scallop, and octopus sashimi

the octopus was cooked and sliced thin

scallop sashimi is my new favorite!

more pickled mackerel, with avocado,
tobiko, and daikon radish sprouts

tuna with avocado & tobiko,
garnished with daikon radish sprouts

sake, of course

Steelhead Trout with Tarragon Pepper Sauce

Tarragon is a fantastic herb. It tastes great and holds up to (and combines with) many other flavors. It's also delicious on its own, suspended in cream or butter. Here, I've matched it here with the bite of Szechwan pepper and tang of lemon juice. I used steelhead because it looked good in the store, but this recipe would work well with salmon too.


You'll need (this makes enough sauce for 2 people):

1 center-cut filet of fish per person
2T chopped fresh tarragon
3T butter
1t ground Szechwan pepper
1t lemon juice (from 1/2 a lemon)

Heat a small pan. Melt 2 T butter. Add tarragon and pepper. Turn off heat.

Rub fish with olive oil, salt and pepper. Heat a pan. Place fish, skin-side down, on hot pan. Cook 3-4 minutes; turn and cook 2-3 minutes on the other side.

Make sure butter is still hot. If not, reheat, then turn heat off. Stir in lemon juice. Vigorously stir in the last tablespoon of butter until sauce is creamy. Spoon sauce over fish.

Serve with mushroom barley (above),
warm bean salad or grain pilaf.

*Mushroom barley is easy-- just chop a bunch of mushrooms (I used shittake), saute in olive oil & butter, and add spices (I used dried oregano & savory). When mushrooms begin to brown, add 1c pearl barley & 3c chicken or veggie broth. Bring to a boil; lower to a simmer, cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 40 minutes.

Salmon & Feta Bimuelos

Bimuelos are fried deliciousness. There are two types, sweet and savory: fritters, like donuts, bathed in sweet date syrup (these are everyone's favorite, but too sweet for me) and fried matza pockets stuffed with ground beef or a potato-cheese mixture. Here, I've adapted the savory type to an easy lunch meal. I always have canned wild Alaskan salmon on hand-- it makes a great low-mercury alternative to tuna, a quick dinner of salmon patties (think crab cakes), and an easy pasta sauce.

You'll need:

canned or cooked salmon
some feta cheese
1 egg
2 green onions, chopped
2T parsley, chopped
1 piece of matza
1T matza meal or crumbs made from a piece of crumbled matza (I just "chopped" the matza with a sharp knife and ended up with small crumbs)

Mix salmon, feta, green onion, egg, onion, parsley, and matza meal. This should be sticky and not too moist-- it should hold its shape in the bowl. Set aside.

Soak matza until soft but not falling apart, about 1 minute. Drain on a towel for 15 minutes. Cut in half.

Fill each piece of matza with a dollop of the salmon mixture. Fold closed like a sandwich.


Heat veggie oil in a frying pan. Fry bimuelos until golden and crispy, about 5 minutes/side. Leftover stuffing can be fried like little meatballs.


Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Eat hot!

Steelhead Trout, Roasted Broccoli, and Barley

I haven't been in a blogging mood lately, but here's a pretty picture to hold you over.

Ginger Soy Salmon with Rice & Eggplant

This is incredibly easy and uses a minimal number of ingredients. The salmon and eggplant use the same marinade, which is then reduced into a thick and flavorful sauce. Katie & I make a great cooking team.

You'll need:

2 thick, center-cut fillets of salmon
1/2c soy sauce
1/4c minced ginger
5 cloves garlic, minced
2T chili sauce or sriracha (optional)

1 eggplant
1c jasmine rice

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Mix soy sauce with ginger, garlic, and sriracha.

Remove pin-bones from salmon using tweezers. Place salmon in ginger sauce.

Slice (unpeeled) eggplant into 1/4-1/2" rounds. Spoon some sauce onto every slice and place in a baking sheet (it's ok if they overlap a little). Put in hot oven.

Put rice on to cook.

When rice is almost ready, place a baking sheet in the oven. When it's hot, take it out and place the salmon on it, skin side down. Be sure to get most of the ginger pieces off the salmon so they don't burn.

Turn the oven down to 275 degrees. Put salmon in. If the eggplant isn't done cooking, you can cover the pan with aluminum foil to help it cook faster (we had to do this).

The salmon should be ready in about 10 minutes, depending on how you like yours cooked. We think it's best rare.

Pomegranate Salmon with Walnut Pilaf and Pea Shoots

we ate this too fast-- these were the leftovers

I owe this delicious salmon recipe entirely to Paul Hamburg, Judaica librarian at UC Berkeley (and cook, and pianist). I was staunchly opposed to salmon (my parents always barbecued it, making it taste very fishy and charcoaly, which I understand is a good thing for some people) until I tasted this recipe. It's very easy to make and uses pretty basic ingredients, except the pomegranate juice (and who doesn't want an excuse to go out and buy a bottle of POM?).

Pomegranate Salmon

You'll need (for 4 servings):

1 2lb center-cut filet of salmon, skin, dark flesh, and bones removed (it's easy to remove the bones using tweezers)
** I use Loch Duart, which I buy at Tokyo Fish in Berkeley.

For the basting sauce:

1T dark sesame oil
1T pomegranate juice
1T soy sauce (I use reduced sodium)
1 3-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated (use a Microplane if you can)
1t Chinese 5-spice powder
1/2 cayenne (more if you want)
black pepper to taste

Also:

1T dark sesame oil
1/4c pomegranate juice
zest from 1 orange
sesame seeds (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all basting ingredients and set aside.

Rub salmon with dark sesame oil and place in a shallow bath of pomegranate juice in a jelly roll pan (a baking dish with sides, or a gratin dish). You might not need the entire 1/4 cup.

Brush the top of the salmon with the basting sauce to cover it. Sprinkle the orange zest on top and sesame seeds too, if you want (they'll look pretty).

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until just opaque in center.

Walnut Pilaf

You'll need:

1 1/2 c brown rice, or really any grain you want
3c chicken stock
1T butter
2T olive oil
1/2c walnuts, roughly chopped
5 sprigs thyme, de-stemmed
1 large shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced

Heat butter and oil; saute shallot and garlic, 5 minutes. Add walnuts; saute 2 minutes. Add rice; stir and cook until each grain is coated and translucent. Add stock. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 45 minutes, or until tender. Stir in salt, pepper, and thyme to taste. Fluff and serve.

Jesse's Pea Shoots

You'll need:

pea shoots-- a LOT. These really cook down.
2T sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced

Heat sesame oil. Add pea shoots and garlic. Cook, stirring, until wilted. Pea shoots should be tender when cooked.

Salmon Sandwich

On an Acme sweet rustic roll:

avocado; salt & pepper; watermelon radish; leftover salmon; roasted tomatoes; porcini oil

Friday Night Dinner

Mostly from recipes...

Mushroom Veloute (Jacques Pepin)

Swiss Chard Frittata: Wash 2 bunches of chard and remove stems. Choose 6-8 of the flattest, most intact leaves and lay half on an oiled 12-14" non-stick frying pan. Fill with premixed: 2 eggs, 3/4 c fresh breadcrumbs, shredded chard, 1/3 c toasted pine nuts, salt & pepper. Cover with remaining leaves, tucking the ends in. Cook over low heat, covered with a lid that pushes down on the frittata. When bottom is golden (about 15 min), flip carefully and cook until set (about 15 min more). I served wedges at room temperature, garnished with arugula, roasted tomatoes in 3 colors, marinated beets sliced into matchsticks, and thin rounds of watermelon radish.

Salmon in Crespelle (epicurious.com) with sauteed baby potatoes, tossed with parsley and tarragon.

Dessert was apple crisp with homemade vanilla ice cream.

Tuna Cornmeal Burgers

Obviously, this is similar to my Salmon Burgers from a few months ago, but this is a quick lunchtime version. I like spicy; put fewer hot ingredients if you don't.

Mix canned tuna with finely chopped green onion, diced jalapeño pepper, red pepper flakes, one beaten egg, a spoonful of mustard and a few spoons of cornmeal; mix until it chunks together (add more cornmeal if it's too wet). Form patties (probably two for a small can of tuna) and dredge them in more cornmeal. Saute on both sides over medium heat until brown and crispy. Serve on a bun or toasted bread with avocado, tomato confit, and sprouts.

Spicy Salmon Cakes with Kale and Couscous

Use 1 large or 2 small cans of salmon (about 15 oz). Drain well and remove bones and skin. Flake and mix with 1/4 c corn, 3 chopped green onions, 1 diced serrano chile, juice of 1 lemon, 2 minced cloves of garlic, hot sauce to taste, a dash of Worcestershire, dried mint and dried tarragon, cajun seasoning, salt and pepper. Gently stir in 1/2 c panko and 1 beaten egg. Form 6 flat patties; squeeze gently and roll in panko. Pan fry in olive oil until golden brown and crusty.

Transfer cooked cakes to plate. Wipe pan and add olive oil, roughly chopped kale, and salt. Saute 3-5 min until tender.

Serve a mound of couscous topped with kale and two or three patties per person.