A Stack of Dishes

Something good is cooking...

gluten free

Sublime Sunday: Gravlax

by

Sunday mornings are for ease and quiet and maybe some classical music and perhaps the NY Times scattered about. If there is going to be any entertaining it needs to be low maintenance.
Fish for breakfast, according to my dear friend Anthony, is SUCH a NY thing to do. Seriously, raw fish during the tender lights of day? and not anything mild or boring, but smoked or cured, such as this gravlax that I laced with garlic chives and meyer lemon zest.
Now, Let me say that I’ve been chided by a Swiss fellow for not recanting the true history of raclette in one of my recent posts (truth be told, I never recanted ANY history) and I don’t propose to the be the master of the “must know” about gravlax- BUT I can tell you this…
It’s one of the easiest things to make and delightfully enjoyable- especially for those  watching waistlines.
I purchased a beautiful piece of wild salmon that I hand picked from the fish monger. Once home I gave it a good rinse and patted it dry. Then I took a generous amount of flaked salt, minced some garlic chives and grated the zest from a meyer lemon and then, after combining all three, covered the flesh of the fish very generously. I put the flesh side down onto a large plate with a little well in it, wrapped it tight in plastic then placed another opposing plate on top.
Into the fridge it went and I took a bottle of wine and my ever constant bottle of bubbly, and lay them on top to keep plate pressed to fish. Then just left it.
A few days later I removed my little bundle, drained the liquid that had been pulled out of the fish and it was ready to slice and serve.
The zest and garlic chive gives the Salmon a lovely mellow flavor. It’s nice enough to eat just so on some crackers or chewy bread. Typically I serve my gravlax with some honey mustard- just take 3:1 parts of mustard and honey and stir together. You can adjust this formula to your taste. More mustard more heat.
And that, my dears, is it. A beautiful and delicious dish that requires a whole lot of nothing to do. The most difficult thing to do is slice it all.  Sharpen your knife with the thinnest blade as best you can and channel your inner Zabar Salmon Slicer and have at it.
The thin folds of the salmon make little bright jewels on the plate. Keep this cold until ready to serve and store any left over as soon as possible after serving.
Enjoy my doves!

Beluga Lentil and Quinoa Salad With Meyer Lemon and Cornichon Dressing

by

Finally cooking! These past few weeks has been a whirlwind. I have been caught up in a vortex that has whisked me along and spun me around much like Dorothy and the Wizard. I can happily say that I have finally touched down and yes- it is dancy and pretty and sunshiny.  In the midst of all the scheduled mayhem I was able to attend the Cookbook Conference at the last minute. What a wonderful and fantastic time it was!

I was able to meet and connect with all sorts of incredible food people- some after my own heart and others that I would have never met otherwise. Seriously, I would never have met people like Carolina Capehart, who I am told is one of the best food historians out there. She regularly cooks foods from the 1850’s over open fires- IN BROOKLYN! Then there was Carole Murka from Heirloom Meals who interviews and records regular people about their heritage and family recipes. I made some new friends that I am sure I will carry with me long and joyfully- but I also got such a tremendous insight as to how so many of us toil separately and similarly. Maggie Battista from EatBoutique!, Winnie Abromson from Healthy Green Kitchen, Cathy Barrow-the famous Mrs Wheelbarrow, Gail Dosik from One Tough Cookie– all of these amazing women and others my kindred spirits!

And now I am finally settling down. The conference put a fire in my heart that I cannot begin to explain- and it’s all so deliciously yummy and wonderful.

So now I am finally back at my own stove. The new stove that I am making a slow and cordial relationship with thus far. I am learning it’s temperaments and enjoying the creation of a new workspace for myself. Thus far it feels wonderful and works very well.

I will be bringing lunch to a friend tomorrow and the direction I got was “try to keep it healthy” and “no capers”. Not a bad suggestion and so my mind went quickly to this recipe I developed awhile ago. It is earthy, nutritious and satisfying without being too heavy for a midday meal, and an easy flavor profile that she should enjoy.

I am not a tremendous lentil fan- they can be wonderful and they have their place, but I typically don’t swoon. The Beluga Lentils however, not only look gorgeous, but they keep their shape and bite. No mush here. The quinoa and lentils are high in fiber and rich in protein, making this a power food dish.  A generous toss of minced cornichons give this salad a sprite snap while the mellow Meyer lemon softens it all out.

I am serving ours over shredded red cabbage, but this is also wonderful over lettuces such as Bibb.

Now to go think of a good dessert….

Lentil Quinoa Salad w Meyer Lemon Dressing
serves 4 nicely
 
 
.5 c beluga lentils- rinsed
.5 c tricolor quinoa
1 clove of garlic-half left whole the other half finely minced
4T minced cornichons
zest and juice from one meyer lemon
3T minced red onion
2T minced fresh tarragon
olive oil to balance out lemon juice ~.25c (taste!)
S&P
 
In one small saucepan combine lentils and 1c water. Add half of garlic and pinch of salt and simmer until tender ~20mins
 
In separate small saucepan combine quinoa and 1c water and a pinch of salt and simmer until tender ~15mins
 
While the lentils and quinoa are cooking prepare the dressing.
 
In a large bowl add the minced garlic, zest and juice of lemon, onion, cornichons and tarragon. Whisk in olive oil a bit at a time. Taste as you go. Meyer lemons are less tart and require less oil to balance.
 
When the quinoa and lentils are cooked, and still warm, toss into the dressing.
 
Continue to occasionally toss the salad until cool to get all the dressing pooled at the bottom soaked in.
 
When cool check for balance and season with S&P
 
 
 

Enjoy!

Raclette: I heart Stinky Cheese!

by

The first time I had raclette was at the home of my friends Jeff and Jodie Morgan years ago when they lived out on the North Fork of Long Island. Jeff was a musician then that was just breaking into the wine business. Jody was a homemaker and we were having children in tandem and sharing the ins and out of potty training methodology. Jeff then went on to write about wine for the Wine Spectator and moved the family out to California and was the West Coast Editor for a long time. He is now the owner of Covenant Wines making kosher wines that are sure to be superb. There was a rose too, but I’m not up to date on that.

Jeff had lived in France at some point and the influence permeated their lifestyle. Lazy Sunday afternoons we played Jacques a dit… (Simon says) on the lawn and ate sardines stuffed with herbs right off the grill. Together Jeff and Jody were great cooks and great hosts and it was always delightful spending time with them. I pretty much always came away learning something new, the least of which was how to enjoy raclette.

The name Raclette comes from the French racler-to scrape. Traditionally a large wheel of this pungent semi soft cheese is held to the wood burning fire and the melted cheese scraped onto the waiting plate. This luscious cheese is served with boiled potatoes and cornichons or other pickled vegetables. Cured meats are also often served, but I never had it that way. One is tempted to compare this to fondue, but I would not make the comparison- they are nothing alike.

I cannot begin to tell you the blissful taste of the earthy pungent cheese with the doughy potato and the snap of the pickle. It was one of those taste moments that shock the senses into a different echelon. The reason is that it doesn’t sound all that amazing, but together it is spectacular.

Being a little remiss of a wood burning fireplace in Manhattan, I melt my cheese right onto plates that I put into a warm oven. It only takes a few minutes to melt the cheese and the hot plate maintains the melty loveliness during consumption. Just take care to handle the plate and mind the table top and not burn yourself or the veneer. There are table top grills that are the modern convenience of the day, but I’ve not tried them and prefer this basic and homey method.

This is hearty Winter fare and great to serve among a small group with one large plate in the middle of the table. My preferred wine of choice with Raclette is a flowery Reisling and the one time an off dry is enjoyable, or if you’re not a Reisling fan (and you will be once you have a good one), an aromatic Viognier or Pinot Gris is also delightful.