I have never really considered myself to be someone who loves fish. I like to eat it from time to time, but it is not something I am always crazy about because I have had some not so great fish. I remember being about 9 years old when someone gave me some smoked fish. I had never had it before, and I can't even remember who gave it to me. I never had it again until much later on a trip to Norway. My friend bought some smoked mackerel. I loved it. A couple of years ago when I returned to visit the same friend she asked what I wanted to eat while I was there and that was one of the things that I had to have! On to salmon....I like it baked, broiled, grilled. Then I discovered cold smoked salmon....my love of smoke mixed with a different fish....and again I was in love.
Yesterday, I hosted a Christmas brunch based on my half Scandinavian part. Cold smoked salmon was one of the appetizers that I made. It is simple to assemble and the flavors are outstanding. Nothing says Scandinavia like dill and salmon.
Cold Smoked Salmon with dill on Rye Crisp Rye Crisp - I used 9 rounds broken into halves Neufchatel cheese (6-8 ounces) (You can use cream cheese if you prefer.) Fresh dill, finely chopped (reserve some sprigs for the top garnish) English cucumber, thinly sliced Cold smoked salmon (about 3.5 ounces) Put the Neufchatel cheese into a small bowl. Add the finely chopped dill. Mix until incorporated throughout. Place rye crisps onto a plate. Spread dill and neufchatel cheese mixture onto each crisp. Place finely sliced cucumber on top of the cheese. Place a piece of cold smoked salmon on top. Garnish with a little piece of dill. Keep chilled until serving. (Don't leave it too long in the refrigerator or else the cracker will not stay crisp.) Eat and enjoy.
Cucumber salads are perfect for summer. They grow easier in gardens and in pots. I have a wonderful "patio snacker" variety in a pot on my deck this year and it is producing wonderful smaller sized cucumbers. So now that the bounty is coming in the question is what to do with all those cucumbers. This recipe is very quick and yet it uses the cucumbers all the way. It is a version based on the recipe by Jaime Oliver from Meals in Minutes. Cucumber Salad 1 English cucumber (hothouse and have no wax on the outside) 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 1 teaspoon sesame oil 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 lime, juiced small bunch of cilantro, chopped (separate the leave and stalks, use stalks only and reserve leaves for another recipe) 1/2 chile (I used a serrano), finely chopped Grate the ginger onto your serving platter. (I used a low pasta/fruit bowl.) Add the soy sauce, olive oil and sesame oil. Add the lime juice and then taste for addition seasoning. Peel the cucumber into strips. Either discard the middle or cut into thin slices and add the the salad. (I like to use everything as to eliminate waste.) Add the cilantro stalks and the chile. Toss just before serving.
For anyone who has tried tzatziki and wanted to make it at home, you should know that it is very simple. There are several different variations out there, but this is the version I have been making for many years now. It was based off a recipe from Greece that a friend gave me long ago. It is great as a dressing on salad or just with warmed up pita bread. It is nice and refreshing on a hot day.
Tzatziki
greek yogurt (1-2 cups)
cucumber - seedless is preferable, but not necessary
dill
garlic
salt and pepper
This is the basic recipe I use. I did not include amounts because it depends on what you get for ingredients. The thicker the yogurt, the more cucumber I add. (The cucumber should be shredded. I use a box grater. You can use the size you like, but I like the thicker pieces in mine.) I stir until I get the consistency that I like. Dill - buy fresh and it will add such a refreshing flavor to the yogurt. I usually finely chop or press if I am being lazy 2-3 cloves of garlic, but add as much or as little as you like. Add salt and pepper to taste once everything else has been added.
Summer Farro Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Basil In the past year or so, I have come to love farro. A few years back, I was visiting a friend of mine in Maryland. We went out to breakfast and she ordered a porridge, but instead of the traditional oatmeal, it was made with farro. I am not a fan of oatmeal as it seems like a bowl of mush without any flavor to it. However, the farro was a different texture and held it's form, so therefore I was curious.
A few years later, I came across a simple bean stew which served the beans over cooked farro. This was the first time I cooked it. (That recipe is also on this blog....here.) The white beans and farro complimented each other well. The beans soft and the farro gave it some chew for better texture. So recently when I came across farro as a cold salad, I thought I have got to try it. This recipe is based off of one from The Kitchn's blog. Summer Farro Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Basil 1 medium vidalia onion, chopped olive oil (I used a Greek extra-virgin from bikos.org) 1 cup farro 2 cups chicken stock 1/8 red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 pint cherub cherry tomatoes (or other sweet cherry tomato), quartered 1/3 English hothouse cucumber, chopped into similar sized pieces to the cherry tomatoes hand full of basil, chopped salt and pepper to taste Heat olive oil and add the chopped onion. Cook for a couple of minutes. Do not brown. Add farro and cook for a minute; coat each grain. Add chicken stock and stir. Bring to a boil and cook until farro is chewy. (Mine took about 15 minutes.) Let the farro cool. Add the red wine vinegar and olive oil. Add the tomatoes, cucumber and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Serves about 4
Sometimes I just buy a cookbook because someone told me it was a good one to buy. Sometimes I get them from the library to be sure I would like to cook from it before I actually buy it. I don't think I would regret buying one even if I never cooked from it, but in the past few months I have been trying to cook my way through the books I have not cooked from, which is why you have seen more of a variety of different recipes. I like to read cookbooks for fun, but some like Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty makes me feel like I am eating my way through the cookbook. This recipe for Soba Noodles is based on his in Plenty, but oh how I would love to eat in his restaurant to taste the food from this marvelous cook.
This dish is refreshing to eat when it is hot outside as the cucumber just adds that coolness to the food that doesn't make you feel too full when you eat it. Besides, it just looks great to eat!
Soba
Noodles
2 large cucumbers
2 teaspoons salt
300 g soba noodles
70 grams toasted sesame
seeds
30 g coriander leaves,
chopped
25 grams mint leaves,
chopped
50 g sprouts
Sauce
2 tablespoons rice
vinegar
Zest of a lime
60 mL lime juice
1 tablespoon grated
ginger root
2 green chilies, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons toasted
sesame oil
1 tablespoon sweet chili
sauce
1 garlic clove, pressed
¾ teaspoon salt
Shred the cucumber with
a grater, then add them to a collander.
Sprinkle with the salt and stir well.
Let them drain for about 30 minutes.
Put the noodles in a pot of boiling water and cook as directions
say. Drain and rinse in cold water to
stop the cooking. Let them sit aside and
dry.
Add the cucumbers to the
soba noodles. Whisk all of the sauce
ingredients together and add to the noodles and cucumbers. Stir gently.
Add the sesame seeds, coriander, mint and sprouts. Stir and taste. Add more salt, vinegar or sugar if needed to
get a sweet tart flavor. Serve in bowls
and garnish with sprouts.
After a month of random friends and family staying, eating and socializing, I am back to my blog. First up really should be the most wonderful recent salad that I threw together this weekend when I was craving fresh vegetables. I really can't wait until summer comes with all the great fresh ingredients. In the meantime, I looked to see what I could find that would satisfy such a salad craving. When I questioned my boyfriend if he wanted to join me in salad eating, he informed me that it wasn't a salad if it didn't have lettuce in it. While I disagree with him, I explained what I was making and he whole-heartedly ate it with me. This is a twist on the classic caprese salad since I wanted to balance the colors with the fresh veggies in my refrigerator.
Twisted Caprese Salad
Since I didn't have large slices of tomatoes, I cut everything into the same sized pieces. So I chopped the tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese and cucumber into bit-sized pieces. I chopped fresh basil for the top and added a touch of salt and pepper. Then a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil later, this salad was ready for the eating.
