Poached Salmon, Cinnamon Rolls, and Strawberry Mojitos!

Quite the range of recipe categories, don't you think?


During this writing, I’m going to attempt to cover the span of at least three days.

I have found that my original intention of writing a page every two or three days on my blog has been difficult, to say the least, to keep up. Not enough interesting things happen to me on a daily basis to warrant this type of record-keeping. It also takes a long time to, instead of throwing dinner together, actually measure ingredients and write directions (or, if following a recipe, keep track of the inevitable changes). And, of course, now that spring is here I have the garden and the flower beds and home improvement things to take up my time. Some evenings, after dinner is over and the kitchen cleaned, I will turn on the computer fully, intending to write, and find myself staring blankly at the screen. Not much happens during those “blank times”!

This past Wednesday we went to our lake house in West Virginia for a few days. Jack bought a boat lift last fall, upon which to lift his new pontoon boat out and away from less-than-pristine water and damaging wakes. Unloading the lift pieces from the trailer into the garage was a painful experience last fall, and I absolutely did not relish the thought of assembling it in the water this spring. Friends offered to help but, as always seems to happen, none were available on the particular day that Jack just had to assemble this thing. So it was up to the two of us on Thursday. The three main pieces were 10’ x 12’ welded aluminum frames which we couldn’t carry directly to the dock since the path is rocky and narrow, so we had to carry these down the driveway to our neighbor’s boat launch, then along shore (in shallow water, thankfully), back to our dock. The other pieces were smaller, and able to be taken to the dock easily. Jack and I spent Thursday putting together the main frame. Friends came over in early evening for a brainstorming session—we needed to assemble the lift in shallow water but it had to then be moved to a deeper location. How? Sheer brute strength was suggested and agreed upon. 10am on Saturday morning.

This is Jack working on the lift, for those who have no idea what I'm talking about. When the whole thing is put together and the boat is actually on it, I will post a photo.

Meals on this Thursday were very simple ones. I’ve had a lot of comments from readers of this blog about the yummy-sounding dinners and how lucky Jack is. Well, on those particular yummy-sounding-dinner days, yes, he’s a lucky guy. Lunch on this Thursday was tuna sandwiches, dinner was spaghetti. To be honest, that was more than I thought I could do since it felt as though there was a knife stuck in my lower back. A soak in the whirlpool and a good sleep (assisted by a big ol’ ibuprofen) worked wonders and on Friday I was ready, kind of, for the next phase.

Not a bad day, really. Jack did most of the work (why doesn’t he have the rotten back? What is his secret, I wonder?). No help from the manufacturer who supplied some of the worst directions that we’ve ever had to work with. And parts that didn’t quite fit and needed adjustments. But, by the end of the day we completed all we had to for the “moving” the next morning. I wanted to make something for the guys to eat when they came to help, and since I only bring enough food to get us through our stay, I had to go to the local grocery store for eggs and (gasp!!!) butter. Every time I visit this store I am reminded of why I go to the trouble to prepare menus and lists and haul food supplies from home. But there were butter and eggs. :)

I had found a recipe in Canadian Living’s May issue for Poached Salmon with Green Peppercorn Tarragon Sauce and brought down those ingredients. I put together some biscotti and baked these before starting dinner. While I made dinner, then, I also made cinnamon-roll dough. It rose while we ate, then I rolled out the dough, made the rolls, and placed them in the refrigerator where they would stay until morning.

The salmon was excellent. Since it was poached, I didn’t have to watch it too closely and allowed it to cool to room temperature while I kneaded dough. The sauce was light sour cream, light mayo, lemon, tarragon, etc. Very good, although I may decrease the amount of sour cream next time since it lent a too-dominant flavor. Served with oven-roasted Yukon gold potatoes and steamed asparagus with lemon, it was a quick but delicious dinner.

I apologize. I had planned to copy-and-paste the recipe from the Canadian Living website, but the current month's recipes aren't available. I will type and post this soon because it's now late and I am having difficulty concentrating. ;)

I used wild salmon and I have to say that, since I’ve been using this type of salmon a lot lately, I don’t think that I will buy farmed salmon again. Aside from the health benefits of wild vs. farm-raised, the wild salmon tastes better and doesn’t leave as strong, lingering odor after cooking as the farmed seems to do.

On Friday, I heard a local weather forecast for the following day. Partly sunny, chance of rain later in the day. So we woke at 7am on Saturday to the sound of a steady drumming of rain on the roof! But, as one of our helpers said “we’re going to get wet, anyway”, so the Great Boat Lift Relocation was on. I baked the cinnamon rolls, and they were quite good. When Frankie and Don arrived, I had coffee and oj, cinnamon rolls, and toasted almond biscotti (both with and without chopped dark chocolate) ready. The skies, which had actually seemed to brighten for a few minutes, suddenly darkened again and the rain poured. The fittings on the lift frame were greased, the entire thing taken via brute strength to its new location; the cable strung, pulleys and winch made operational, and it was done. More coffee was drunk, and each of our wonderful friends were sent home with extra goodies (like I needed these rolls around to constantly tempt me).

The cinnamon rolls. I tried to lighten them as much as I could, but you really do need butter for the flavor. I added yogurt to the dough to keep it moist and tender, and also some white whole wheat for a bit of nutrition (hey, if I can’t make them healthy, I could at least make them not totally unhealthy!!). They were very good—gooey and cinnamon-y with just enough, but not too much, icing. They are on the small side, about 2-1/2" in diameter, but the perfect size for serving with other treats. I also had enough to take a half-dozen to the neighbors who are so nice and allow us to borrow tools when we find that we don’t have exactly what is needed. Which, it turns out, is often.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Refrigerator Cinnamon Rolls

Recipe By:Vicci
Servings: 24


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3/4 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup skim milk
4 tablespoons butter -- melted
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 large eggs -- room temperature
2 large egg whites -- room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 1/4 cups bread flour -- approximately
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter -- melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon skim milk -- approximately
1 cup sifted powdered sugar

Mix yogurt, melted butter, and milk in a small bowl. Heat slowly in a microwave until the mixture is about 110F (if it comes to a boil the yogurt will curdle).

Dissolve yeast in yogurt mixture and allow to stand for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat the whole eggs and egg whites then mix in sugar until dissolved. Add the yogurt mixture and stir to combine.

In a medium bowl, mix the white whole wheat flour, 1 cup of the bread flour, and salt. Add to the yeast mixture and stir well. Add the additional bread flour, one half cup at a time, until the dough is kneadable. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 8 minutes until smooth and satiny. Place in an oiled bowl, oil top, and cover with plastic. Allow to rise for 1-1/2 hours, or until doubled.

Mix brown sugar and cinnamon is a small bowl Have the butter melted and ready.

Deflate dough and divide in half. Roll each half into 7" x 11" rectangle. Brush each half with the melted butter. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon-sugar mixture and sprinkle the remaining mixture on both of the dough rectangles, keeping cinnamon-sugar from about 1" of one long side furthest from you

Starting at the long side closest to you, roll each of the dough rectangles into a very tight cylinder. When you get to the opposite side, pinch the dough seam well to seal. Roll each log a bit until it's about 12" long. Keep the seam on the bottom. Use a very sharp knife and slice each log into 12 1" slices.

Line a large (11" x 17") baking sheet with parchment. Arrange the slices on the sheet in four rows of 6 rolls each. Sprinkle the tops with the 2 remaining tablespoons of cinnamon-sugar, spray the top surfaces with cooking spray, and cover with plastic. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours (up to 18). Remove from the refrigerator 1- 1 1/2 hours before baking. When ready to bake, the rolls will have risen enough to almost touch each other. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 25-28 minutes.

Remove from pan to cool on a wire rack. Mix vanilla through skim milk in a small bowl. Add the powdered sugar until mixture is "drizzlable". Pour into a small plastic sandwich bag (to keep it steady, place the bag, one bottom corner down, in a coffee mug), twist and tie the top, snip a small piece off the corner of the bag, and drizzle over the warm rolls.

Yield:
"24 2 1/2 " rolls"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per serving: 204 Calories (kcal); 4g Total Fat; (17% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 36g Carbohydrate; 24mg Cholesterol; 47mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates

The biscotti have been posted before and are here.

We did our usual thorough cleaning of the lake house before leaving,
packed up, and drove back to the farm. It hadn’t rained a drop and the plants which I relocated last week all desperately needed to be watered. Figures-- an hour drive south and it was raining buckets!

Now this brings us to Cinco de Mayo dinner!!!

Fortunately for me, the fact that I took such an awful photo of the Beer-Marinated Chicken Tacos is good since I won’t have to take the time to post this recipe now. But I do make these frequently in the summer, so look for the post soon.

And why, you may ask, did I take such an awful photo?

Well, lots of guacamole & chips and

STRAWBERRY MOJITOS!!!

For 4 servings (or 2, depending on how much you like these)

Place 10 grams fresh mint leaves, 1/3 cup sugar, ¾ cup fresh lime juice in a small pitcher. Mash this mixture to release the mint flavor and dissolve the sugar (I use a wooden utensil that was meant to be a meat-tenderizer, but I also use the end of a one-piece rolling pin or the handle of a thick wooden spoon).

Add 6 ounces chopped strawberries and mash until berries are, well, mashed. Stir in ½ cup good-quality white rum, then add ¾ cup club soda.

Serve over ice (yes, all of the mashed stuff goes in the glass, too) with extra mint to garnish. A short straw helps to drink these easily (perhaps too easily!). Also have some spoons on hand to eat the mashed strawberry- rum mixture. Don’t want to waste it!

Remember, don’t drink and photograph!!!

That’s my update for now, let’s see if I can get back here soon. :)

Vietnamese Chicken & Vegetable Curry

No, I haven’t disappeared! And thanks to those who have e-mailed me, wondering why I haven’t posted in over a week. It’s a nice feeling to be missed!

We had a stretch of decent weather, so I spent as much time outdoors as I could. There’s a ton of stuff to do and invariably I would come in the house around 6pm, make dinner, have a glass of wine, and collapse, unable to do much more than retrieve my e-mail.

Yes, I still manage to prepare the required three meals a day, but it is during these times I wonder why I don’t just break down and buy some convenience foods. Last night Jack said “I bet you wish we had a box of Stouffer’s in the freezer to throw in the microwave for dinner.” Astute, the man is. ;) But what I came up with was quick, and delicious, and took only about 45 minutes from start-to-finish.

A very generous friend gave me an electric wok for my birthday and I have found it is perfect for using in hot weather rather than turning on the stove.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Vietnamese Chicken and Vegetable Curry

Recipe By :Vicci

Servings: 2

Preparation Time:0:45

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

10 ounces chicken breast, no skin, no bone, R-T-C -- (RTC means Ready To Cook in MasterCook lingo) cut into 1" cubes

1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (I use Penzey’s mild)

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons canola oil

2 cloves garlic -- crushed

2 ounces onion -- sliced into small wedges

1 teaspoon fresh lemongrass -- white part of bulb only, minced

1/2 cup water

1 large carrot -- halved lengthwise, then cut into 1" pieces

6 ounces red bell pepper -- chopped into 1" pieces

6 ounces asparagus -- cut into 1" pieces

1/3 cup light coconut milk

1/2 cup skim milk

2 teaspoons fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1 cup hot cooked rice

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

2 lime wedges

In a small bowl combine the curry powder through salt, add the chicken cubes, toss to coat, and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 1/2 - 2 hours.

Drizzle oil into a heated wok, toss in garlic for a few seconds, then add lemongrass and chicken cubes. Stir fry until chicken has browned a bit. Add the water and bring to a boil; add carrot, cover and turn down heat to low. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Stir; add the bell pepper, asparagus, coconut milk, skim milk, and fish sauce. Turn up heat until mixture comes to a boil again, turn down heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut extract.

Serve over hot cooked rice. Sprinkle with cilantro, squeeze lime over.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per serving: 445 Calories (kcal); 11g Total Fat; (22% calories from fat); 40g Protein; 47g Carbohydrate; 88mg Cholesterol; 921mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 4 1/2 Lean Meat; 2 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 15 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

NOTES : Other vegetables such as green beans, broccoli, etc. can be subbed or added . Chicken can be omitted if more veggies are used.

I have to note that since I have been exploring the cuisines of Asia, I have found it difficult to keep fresh lemongrass on hand. Our local grocery store carries it only sporadically. I had a plant for 2 years which did well enough, but I didn’t use it as often as I should have and it became overgrown and crowded the pot and died. So I found, in the produce section of the grocery store, lemongrass-in-a-tube. I tried not to look at the ingredients, but did anyway. In addition to lemongrass is canola oil and dextrose, and a few other things. For as infrequently as I need lemongrass, I now forget about the added ingredients and use the tube. I keep it in the freezer, and take it out when I start to make dinner. In about 15 minutes it’s thawed enough to squeeze out a teaspoonful. Jack’s comment was “What next? Already peeled potatoes?” :)

A big plus about working outside has been the sounds emanating from our little pond. I
turn on the waterfall and, accompanying the sound of falling water, our resident toads and frogs trill and croak. Here’s one relatively friendly little one:

Just floating among the rush plant... I would have liked to join him!

Yes, my back feels like I have a knife stuck in it, my hands are dry and need constant applications of lotion, and I am so tired that I’m dragging by the end of the day, but the sounds of nature finally awakening make it all (almost) worthwhile.

I will try to keep up with this blog better than I have lately. I have lots of recipes to post, but need to type them into MasterCook first and hope that I will be able to do so in the next few days.

Peperonata Pizza

I've not written for almost a week, and I find that I missed doing this! We went away for a few days, then my birthday and other social-type things to do, then getting Jack ready for a business trip (no, there is no food in southern Virginia... so I baked all day on Sunday), all added up to little time for posting.


Sunday was, as always, Pizza Sunday.

The last time that I made pizza dough was using Beth’s recipe from the website, A Year In Bread. It was a really good crust, but I had felt that perhaps making this crust in the morning to bake later that day didn’t give the dough enough time to properly develop its flavors. So this week I put together the dough on a Thursday night and allowed it almost a full 3 days to rise in the refrigerator. That seemed to make a huge difference in the pizza crust. It was still a crisp crust with a nice texture, but the flavor was much improved.

I also cut out a step in that mixing-of-the-dough process which Beth describes. I realize that there must have been a reason that, after the initial blending of the ice water, flour, and yeast, the mixture is placed in the refrigerator for ten minutes before adding olive oil and salt. But I didn’t have the time, so I mixed the salt with the flour, and the olive oil with the water, and I used the paddle attachment of my Kitchen Aid to mix/ knead it for 2 minutes. After that, the dough was placed in the refrigerator for a total of 68 hours (about 2 ¾ days).

Still bubbly and active after almost 3 days of refrigeration.

Another addition to the recipe was taking this dough out of the fridge for an hour before I divided and shaped it. I find that almost-room temperature dough is much easier to work with than a cold dough.

Well, after those changes, this week’s pizza was incredible. Crisp crust, wonderful flavor. I topped it with reduced-fat mozzarella, peperonata, Boca Italian "Sausage", and asiago. Jack and I have different "favorite" parts of pizza. His are the toppings with the thin, crisp crust underneath. I could just eat around the perimeter of the pizza-- I love bread! That bubble o' crust in the photo below was my favorite part of the pizza. I adore the "puffy crust". :)

I made peperonata for the first time many years ago, probably 20 or so, when I had a very bountiful garden full of tomatoes and bell peppers. As I recall, I had probably canned close to a hundred quarts of tomato sauce and tried my hand at making ketchup, all to reduce the amount of tomatoes in the garden. As for the peppers, I had far less of those, but still enough to prepare and freeze an awful lot for use over the winter. I made several batches of this recipe and froze it in serving-sized portions. That was the same year my grandmother gave me her big ol’ Montgomery Ward upright freezer, which is still humming away behind me as I write this. Knock on wood—I often wish for a new freezer, this one needs to be defrosted every fall and it’s a day-long chore, but as long as it continues to do its job I will keep it.

I found the original peperonata in a book called Northern Italian Cooking by Biba Caggiano and over the years have adapted it to our tastes. It is great over a thick, shaped pasta such as rigatoni as well as an accompaniment to roasted chicken and, of course, topping a pizza!

* Exported from MasterCook *

Peperonata

Recipe By: Vicci

Servings: 2

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

--------- ---------- ---------------------------------------

1 tablespoon olive oil

5 ounces bell pepper -- cut into 1/4" strips (about 1 2/3 cups)

4 ounces sweet onion -- cut into strips (about 1 1/4 cups)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

14 ounces canned diced tomatoes -- not drained (or ¾ pound diced fresh tomatoes)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Heat oil in a medium sized, covered skillet over medium/low heat. Add bell peppers and onion and cook at a nice, slow sauté until the vegetables are soft but not browned, 8-10 minutes; stir frequently. Add garlic and stir for another minute.

Stir in canned tomatoes, turn up the heat a little until the mixture begins to simmer, then cover and turn the heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.

Add the red wine vinegar (essential, do not substitute any other type), stir to combine, and simmer, uncovered, for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Yield:

"1 3/4 cups"

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Per serving: 136 Calories (kcal); 7g Total Fat; (41% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 627mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

This is enough peperonata to top one 14” pizza or about 6 ounces cooked pasta. Add crumbled dried or chopped fresh basil, if desired. Also hot pepper flakes are a good way to spice things up!

And, as an ending note, last week I was in a panic state because Spooky had to get his teeth cleaned. I won't go into ALL of the reasons, but they were valid ones (I think so, anyway) and I was incredibly relieved when it was over with no extractions, no dire results from the pre-anesthesia bloodwork. A couple of days later, I was walking past the rhododendrons when I saw a black "stick" on the ground underneath. Upon closer observation, it turned out to be a Spooky Paw. I got the camera, called his name, and woke him up:

This was one of those warm spring days where I would have loved to nestle in the cool rhododendrons and nap, but there's always so darn much for humans to do!

Cool rainy weather makes me want to turn on the oven, so instead of more baked goods (please, make them stop-- I have no willpower!) I thought I would make something for dinner that needed to be roasted. I had recently placed a recipe for Cod, Fennel, and Potato Casserole in my “to try” file and, before it sunk to the bottom never-neverland, I rescued it. For some reason, while grocery shopping, I had bought a large bulb of fennel. It probably reminded me of spring, but I really had no idea why I placed it in my basket. This recipe, posted by Jean on the Cuisine at Home bulletin board, seemed the perfect way to use the it.

I thin-sliced the potatoes and fennel with my 2mm slicing disc in the Cuisinart. These were tossed with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper and baked for a half hour. Then the cod is seasoned, placed on top of the potato-fennel mixture and baked for another 15 minutes. Very easy. My cod shrunk a bit... ;) Roasting the fennel gave it a very nutty, sweet flavor which paired well with the roasted potatoes. Now I know why to buy fennel!


To accompany, I steamed broccoli, which I squeezed fresh lemon over, and tossed halved Roma tomatoes with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, chopped garlic, and s&p and roasted these in the oven with the main dish.

Cod, Potato, & Fennel Casserole

I almost decided against this dish 'cause it just sounded too blah...but, I'm so glad I didn't bypass it - it's simple and it's just delicious!!

I made the whole recipe, but just put two smallish cod fillets on top. Now, I have this wonderful potato mixture to play with for brunch this morning. The thickness of my filets took an extra 4-5 min. to get it to 140 F. and it was just perfect!


COD, POTATO, AND FENNEL CASSEROLE


Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 hr


2 medium fennel bulbs (sometimes called anise; 1 1/2 lb total), stalks cut off and discarded, and fronds reserved for garnish if desired
1 1/2 lb large boiling potatoes
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 lb skinless cod fillet (1 inch thick), cut into 6 portions
Garnish: chopped fennel fronds or fresh flat-leaf parsley
Accompaniment: lemon wedges
Special equipment: a Japanese Benriner* or other adjustable-blade slicer; a 3-quart shallow baking dish (2 inches deep)


Preheat oven to 400°F.


Cut fennel bulbs crosswise into 1/16-inch-thick slices with slicer. Peel potatoes and cut crosswise into 1/16-inch-thick slices with slicer.


Transfer fennel and potatoes to baking dish and toss with garlic, salt, pepper, and 4 tablespoons oil. Spread vegetables evenly in dish and bake, covered with foil, in middle of oven until just tender, 25 to 30 minutes.


Season fish with salt and pepper and arrange on top of vegetables. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and bake, uncovered, until fish is just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.


Make 6 servings.

Gourmet
December 2002

Southwestern Vegetable Soup

It was a crisp, blustery fall day today. Uh, I mean spring day! We were teased with a week of early-summer two weeks ago, slammed with winter for the past week, and now-- cool temps, rain, wind, and the threat of snow tomorrow. Yippee.

I just couldn't get warm today and decided to remedy that with a hot soup for lunch. I originally wanted to make an Italian-style soup but had no canned cannellini beans. Surprisingly, I only had one can of beans in the pantry, pinto. So a southwestern-style soup for lunch was concocted.

This was a mildly-spicy broth with chewy brown rice and vegetables finished with a swirl of sour cream, shredded cheddar, and a sprinkling of cilantro.

Because Jack prefers thick soups I use a "slurry", a water and flour mixture, to thicken the broth. If your taste is for the thinner broth, simply leave out step 2. Also, I puree the beans both to thicken the soup and to avoid the "you're putting beans in our food again?!?!" comment. ;) They can be added to the soup, whole, during the last 10 minutes of cooking, if desired.




* Exported from MasterCook *


Southwestern Vegetable Soup

Recipe By: Vicci
Servings: 6


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 1/2 ounces chopped onion -- 1 medium onion
2 large garlic clove -- minced
6 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
9 ounces pinto beans, cooked -- one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano -- crumbled
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili powder -- optional
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup brown rice -- uncooked
14 ounces canned diced tomatoes, undrained
5 ounces carrot -- about 1 cup; 1/4" dice
3 ounces bell pepper -- colored peppers preferred; about 1/2 cup; 1/4" dice
4 ounces zucchini -- about 1 cup; 1/4" dice
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels -- thawed
1/4 cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons skim milk
1/2 cup shredded lowfat cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro


1. In a 4-quart dutch oven over medium-low heat, saute the onion in the oil until softened, stirring often. Do not allow to brown. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Add 3 cups of the broth, turn the heat to medium, and bring to a boil.


2. In a small bowl, stir flour into 1/2 cup cool water until there are no lumps. Slowly add to the boiling broth, stirring with a whisk to keep mixture smooth. Turn down the heat a bit and boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.


3. In a blender, puree the beans with 3/4 cup of the broth until smooth. Add the bean puree to the soup and stir. Add the next 7 ingredients (cumin through canned tomatoes) and the remaining broth, and stir. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook this mixture for 30 minutes, stirring often, partially covered. Add salt and pepper as needed.


4. Add carrot and bell pepper and cook for 10 more minutes. Add zucchini and corn and cook for 5 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Stir often to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.


5. In a small bowl, mix sour cream and milk until smooth.


6. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with drizzles of sour cream, shredded cheese, and cilantro.


Yield:
"approximately 9 cups "

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per serving: 234 Calories (kcal); 3g Total Fat; (12% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 43g Carbohydrate; 2mg Cholesterol; 517mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 4 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates


NOTES : Serve with baked tortilla chips or warmed corn tortillas
Diced avocado and fresh diced tomato are nice garnishes, too.

Also, if you refrigerate this soup, the rice absorbs a good deal of the broth so you will need to add anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 cup additional broth while reheating.

Dry-Rubbed Salmon Tacos with Tomatillo-Avocado Slaw

A few years ago, I heard mention of fish tacos and was thoroughly unimpressed. Ick. Fish tacos? Bleh.

I grew up in a small town where the most exotic food was… embarrassingly… Italian. Seriously. I never tasted Chinese food until I was in college (again, small town) and this was some sort of chow mein which my roommates heated from a can; the real Chinese food finally came after I graduated from college, working in NYC. A Mexican restaurant did open during my last year of college and that was a fun discovery. My other must-eat cuisines, Indian, Thai, Greek, & Caribbean, weren’t discovered until years later. How deprived I was!!! :)

Tacos. They were supposed to be made of ground beef (or, in recent years, ground turkey) in soft corn tortillas, smothered in taco sauce, piled with shredded cheddar, chopped tomatoes, shredded iceberg lettuce, and sour cream. My idea of comfort food! But fish? Uh-huh. Until a couple of years ago when I belonged to a cooking group and our Cinco de Mayo menu included fish tacos. Tilapia fillets were dredged in a flour, salt, and ground cumin mixture then sautéed. A fillet was then placed in a warm corn tortilla, covered with a piquant roasted tomatillo salsa, sprinkled with finely chopped sweet onion and chopped avocado, then rolled. Heaven! I went home that night and told Jack that I just had to make him that fish taco recipe. He wrinkled his nose. No thanks, he said. Well, in our house I cook and Jack eats. He doesn’t really have a say in what I make. I have to admit that he is a relatively adventurous eater, much more so than some of my friend’s husbands, and there have only been a half-dozen times in the past 24 years where he admitted that he would really appreciate it if I could refrain from making _________ in the future.

So I made the fish tacos anyway. And it was good. So good that this became one of our rare “repeater” recipes, prepared a couple of times a month during warmer weather.

I was flipping through April’s Food & Wine one recent afternoon and found a recipe for Salmon Tacos. This recipe didn’t appeal to me immediately since I think of salmon as having such a strong flavor that it wouldn’t work well with other traditional taco ingredients. But I was wrong. I just happened to have almost every ingredient on hand, and it was a warm spring day which meant that I wanted to grill dinner. Then “Dry-Rubbed Salmon Tacos with Tomatillo-Avocado Slaw”, it was!

This slightly out-of-focus photo does not do these tacos justice. I could have sat in my chair and happily eaten them all night long. The salmon was tender and sweet with a spicy crust, the slaw crunchy and tangy; there couldn’t be a more sublime pairing. I served the tacos with grilled roma tomatoes (sprinkled with the same spice mixture that was rubbed on the salmon and a little olive oil and chopped garlic) and a crisp Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Excellent, excellent, excellent dinner! I didn't have red cabbage for the slaw, so I used all Savoy, but other than adding some color, it's not really necessary.

Hot Cross Buns for Good Friday

I couldn't believe it. Winter arrived on Thursday morning. My bleeding hearts are bowed over, as are the clematis and peonies. The hyacinth leaves are darkened and shriveled to the ground. Isn't it supposed to be spring? At least I have the masses of flowers I picked on Wednesday to keep me happy...


And baking! Baking makes me happy, especially holiday baking. Hot Cross Buns for Good Friday, lemon ricotta pie and pizelles for Easter. My holidays all seem to revolve around food!


Again referring to A Year In Bread, the recipe for Kevin's Hot Cross Buns called to me. I make these every Good Friday and was interested in Kevin's recipe because it was a slow-refrigerator-rising recipe. I was able to make them on Thursday afternoon, pop the formed dough in the fridge until the next morning, take them out and set the pan on the table to warm up for a few hours, then bake them as a mid-morning treat. The changes I made were to reduce the allspice to 1/4 teaspoon, add 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, sub chopped dried cranberries for the currants, and I added some toasted sliced almonds as well. These were quite delicious! I inadvertently left them in the oven for about 4 minutes too long (I ran outside fill the birdfeeder and it took longer than I anticipated. Multitasking rarely works for me...) but a little bit of dryness to the bread was the only negative (and that was entirely my fault). The buns had a good crumb and the spices combined with the almonds and cranberries were yummy.

Well, we have had a guest for the past day and now he and Jack are at a hockey game, giving me a few hours to get ready for tomorrow. Go Pens!
and, to everyone,

HAPPY EASTER !!!