The Holy Trinity: fast, easy, & delicious!

You've heard that old saying "With great effort comes great reward"? Well, sometimes, especially when it comes to cooking, great effort is just great effort. Who among us hasn't spent a few hours prepping and cooking what should have a stupendous eating experience, only to go "that's it?" Man, I hate that. And I'm know Mr. Great Effort guy wouldn't have been happy with this amazingly satisfying cod dish I made the other night (especially paired with the cucumber salad featured in yesterday's post). His loss.

Cod is one of those unheralded white fishes that I almost never think about. Cod is kind of like the turkey of the sea, because like turkey this mild flavored fish it's just a vehicle for whatever you happen to season and slather it with. I grabbed a little over a pound of wonderfully fresh cod fillet on sale at our local organic market (couldn't beat the sale price of $5.99/lb) and started looking through cookbooks and online for something new. Once again epicurious provided the inspiration in the form of this recipe from Bon Appetit. Got great reviews, loved the ingredient list and ease of prep, so I was in. I made the cuke salad first, and while that was melding in the fridge I did the quick work of whipping this together with a couple of adjustments. When it all came together on the table both w and I were pretty wowed. The hoisin-sambal sauce slathered on top provided this sweet-hot flavor that was countered by the impact of the ginger sauce that gets spooned around the cod. Really interesting, full, complex flavors that rocket around your mouth, and the cooling cucumber salad was the perfect side. Make sure you have some basmati rice on the table, too. This was definitely "company worthy" eating and if you're ever pressed for time but still want to impress, this should be a go-to!
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Cod with Hoisin and Ginger Sauces
adapted from epicurious/Bon Appetit

serves 4

ingredients:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 tablespoon honey
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup hoisin sauce*
2 1/4 teaspoons hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek)*
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 7-ounce cod fillets
Steamed rice

method:
Whisk first 6 ingredients in small bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring ginger sauce to room temperature before serving.)
Preheat oven to 450°F. Stir hoisin and chili paste in another small bowl. Heat oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add cod, skin side up. Cook 2 minutes, then turn cod over. Spoon hoisin mixture over fillets, dividing equally. Transfer to oven and bake until fish is just opaque in center, about 5 minutes. Place 1 fillet in each of 4 shallow soup bowls. Spoon ginger sauce around fish and serve with steamed rice.

note: it really helps when turning and removing the cod fillets to have a fish spatula, as they're a pretty delicate piece of fish.- bb

Quick Bites PDX: Miwon BBQ

When hunger hit midday on another classic spring day here in Portland....driving rain, then sun breaks, then driving rain and hail, repeat as needed....I was seriously in need of some comfort food. I had read a blurb about Miwon BBQ in the Fubonn Plaza in the Willamette Week "Cheap Eats" guide. Talk of crispy skinned duck and bbq pork, bowls of steaming noodle broth, and all at a stupidly affordable price....you know I'm in! So with a downpour chasing me through the door of Fubonn, I wandered the halls and made my way into the very brightly lit interior of Miwon BBQ. Taking a seat, given a menu and tea and immediately knew I had to have the Super Bowl "A". Okay, I was also tempted by the Triple BBQ Delicacies with steamed rice....I mean with that name how could you not be? But is was soup and noodles with generous amounts of protein that had my head. This was a really great bowl of soup. The duck was perfectly cooked, and most importantly maintained its crisp skins even sitting in the broth. And no, I don't know how they do that. There were numerous slices of bbq pork, and two ground pork dumplings with a satiny smooth wrappers that melted in your mouth. This was all on top of noodles with baby bok choy. For $8.50, there was more than I could work through. Most importantly, it makes me want to go back and try even more of their menu....soon! They have about twenty different noodle soups that run from $4-$6.50, and about the same number of Lo Mein dishes all priced at $6.75 (I'm already craving their crispy roast pork lo mein even without having it!). You can also buy whole or half roast ducks and various pork products by the pound. I am seriously smitten!!
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one year ago today @ E.D.T.: Vintage Chicken is mom-style comfort food!

And I sayeth unto you, eat and be happy!

Have I ever told you, from a fresh food perspective, how smug I am to live where I do? Within 2 hours of Portland, and usually much closer, we have access to incredible fresh, organic produce. Pasture raised chicken (and their attending eggs), pork, and beef. Some of the craziest pinot noirs on the planet. And over on the coast fresh Dungeness crab, the most amazing oysters you'd ever hope to slurp down, and wild caught salmon at ridiculously cheap prices. Do you really need any more reasons to move here? I thought not.

I was thinking about this the other night while I was eating this incredibly good salmon dish out of one of my food bibles, the Dean and DeLuca Cookbook. You know how those of the Christian faith lean on their Holy bibles when they need solace and inspiration? They know when they read it that they will get the guidance they need. And I am all for it. To each his own. Especially since that is exactly how I feel when I read the DandD Cookbook. Its words never fail to provide comfort, and its pages are filled with wonderment that seems as if it was handed down from on high. Or at least from author David Rosengarten's pantry shelves. So it was with this recipe, where a simple fish, the ultimate symbol of Christianity, was led to its higher purpose when mixed with the parts of a cloven hoofed pig and other bits of God's great earth, ending up on my plate and leading me to sing its praises and proselytize to you, oh keepers of the faith, who only desireth to feed your constant hunger. So venture forth to your markets and commune with the shopkeeper, enter your kitchens as you would enter a place of worship, and take hold of your utensils with the two hands God has given you, and do good for yourselves and others! Amen.
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Broiled Salmon with Bacon, Wild Mushrooms, and Oyster Sauce
from David Rosengarten/Dean and DeLuca Cookbook

ingredients:
1-pound wild salmon fillet (you ARE buying wild salmon, not farm raised, right??-bb)
5 thin slices of smoky bacon (I used applewood smoked bacon from our local Zupan's. A bit thick but so good-bb)
1 cup very firmly packed, diced fresh shiitake mushrooms
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat leaf parsley, plus whole parsley for garnish
2 tablespoons Chinese oyster sauce
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

method:
1- Pre-heat broiler. Season the salmon fillet well with salt and pepper. Wrap 3 of the bacon slices, evenly spaced, around the salmon filet. Place fillet on roasting pan, and place under broiler. Cook until just done, about 10 minutes.

2-While the salmon is broiling, prepare the sauce: Cut the remaining two slices of bacon into small squares. Place in a heavy saute pan over high heat. Cook until medium-brown, about 2 minutes. Spill out all but 1 teaspoon of the bacon fat. Lower heat to medium-high. Add the shiitake mushrooms, stir well, and sauté until mushrooms become golden-brown, about 3 minutes. Turn heat down to medium, and stir in garlic and parsley. Cook for one minute. In a bowl, combine the oyster sauce with 1/4 cup of hot water. Blend, and add to sauté pan. Cook one minute and season with the nutmeg.

3- To serve, remove the wrapped bacon from the salmon (you may discard the bacon, or use it as a garnish). Delicately slice the salmon along the natural separations, and divide among 4 plates. Top each with a quarter of the sauce, and with a flat parsley leaf for garnish.

This recipe yields 4 first-course servings.
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one year ago today @ E.D.T.: meatloaf: tough photo but delicious results!

Welcoming the Year of the Ox with some awesome baby back ribs!

I'd like to think I have a pretty well rounded cooking repertoire. I've tried a ton of different things. Most successfully (the ones listed in the recipe column at left). Some, um, not so (the kitchen disasters you'll never read about, like the whole pan of lasagna I dumped into the garbage while dinner guests were at the table waiting to eat). One thing I have shockingly never made, and I'm not sure why, is baby back pork ribs. Last night though, we were invited over to our friends Monique and The Handsome One's house to celebrate Chinese New Year. It was a pot luck kind of affair, and I knew our hosts would throw down some incredible food. And they did...it just coming and coming, course after course. I was reeling from the abundance, actually in pain...and stupidly satisfied! Our contribution was w's famous New Year's cake and some baby bok choy I whipped up with garlic oil. I decided this was also the perfect time to break my pork rib virginity. It feeds a lot of people, it's easy, it transports well. Everything was in place. And I thought I had the perfect recipe in the archives, one I've had on my list for about 18 months but hadn't gotten to, not traditionally Chinese, but Asian-esque, Jaden's Baby Back Ribs with Orange-Ginger Glaze from her Steamy Kitchen blog. Jaden has a great food blog filled with, as she calls it, "modern Asian...fast, fresh, and easy". I've made a couple of her things, especially memorable was this awesome Crab and Fuji Apple Salad. Her rib recipe was everything I'd hoped for. The meat was meltingly, fall-off-the-bone tender and her glaze was maybe the best 'que sauce I've ever had, and super easy to make. This was pretty crazy porky goodness, and with your Super Bowl parties this weekend, or any other gathering where you want your guests to heap much love upon you, bring a steaming platter of these out of the kitchen!

Thanks to Jaden, too, for letting me steal the picture from her blog post since I was camera-less!
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Baby Back Ribs with Orange-Ginger Glaze
from Steamy Kitchen

ingredients:
garlic salt & pepper
Asian Orange-Ginger Glaze
1 tsp grated ginger (use a microplane rasp grater)
1 tblsp minced garlic
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 cup hoisin sauce
1 orange, peel zested with rasp grater & juiced (you should have 1/4 c of juice and about 2 T zest)
1 tblsp mirin
1 tblsp sambal (asian hot chili/garlic paste)
1 tblsp yuzu sauce (you can substitute with lemon juice)

method:
1. Preheat oven to 250. Pat the ribs dry and season both sides liberally with garlic salt and pepper. Place the ribs in a large roasting pan, overlapping is ok. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in oven. Roast 4-6 hours (I did 3 racks for a little over four hours and they were perfect!-bb). If you are feeding less than 4 people, then check the ribs after 4 hours, they should be done.

2. To make the glaze: Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 T canola oil, and when hot, add the red onion. Cook until the onion is soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and the ginger. Cook another minute. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the yuzu sauce. Lower the heat to low and cook down the sauce until it thickens and reduces about 6-8 minutes. The sauce should be sticky and thick. Remove from heat and add the yuzu sauce (or lemon juice). You can also add more freshly grated ginger if you like for the extra kick.

3. The ribs are done when they fall off the bone. Trust me, you’ll know. Try picking up a rib and see how the meat just falls off. Place the ribs in a single layer - you may have to use a baking sheet. Brush the Asian Orange-Ginger Glaze on the tops of the ribs. Broil on high until the sauce bubbles and carmelizes, about 3-5 minutes. Keep a watch on the ribs - don’t burn them!

cook's note: I figured six ribs per person with these. Adjust accordingly to your guest's appetites!

Out of the archives, onto my plate!

This is another of those recipe finds that make all that shredding and tearing up of food magazines worthwhile. In fact, I tore this one out about two years ago on one of my futile magazine recycling binges, where I swear I'm going to whittle down that pile of saved Gourmet's, Bon App's, Saveur's, etc, tear out the recipes that look good and file them away under the proper heading (dinner/dessert/soup/blah-blah-blah). Unfortunately all I end up with is another over-stuffed file folder with this mish-mash of unorganized recipes from various sources, and within a few months another pile of neglected food magazines.

But every now and then I actually do look through the folder, and find something that reminds me why I go through this exercise in seeming futility. The other night I pulled out this oldie from the September '04 Bon Appetit. w and I always love whole fish when we go out (the fried fish at Malay Satay Hut here in PDX with what is basically a Thai fruit salad on top kills!), but I rarely make it at home. Yet almost every time I do it turns out pretty freaking good and reminds me to quit being such a whole fish slacker, especially when we have ABC Seafood so close to our house. ABC is a wholesale/retail Asian market that supplies a lot of other markets (like Uwajimaya) and the savvier restaurants around town. Their prices are amazing, and it is also the best place around to get whole live Dungeness crab for home cookin'. Anyway, that's the back story. The main point is this was really delicious...spicy, savory, really complex and rich yet not heavy. I subbed whole tilapia for the red snapper (cook about 5-8 minutes longer if you go this route) since ABC was snapper-less and it worked just fine. This is one of those really fun, interesting dishes that I used to dream of making but never thought I would (or could). Now I smugly have it in my repertoire, and can't wait to show it off again!
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Red Snapper Baked in Indian-Spiced Yogurt
From Bon Appetit

ingredients:
2 cups (lightly packed) coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups (lightly packed) fresh mint-leaves
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
4 jalapeno chiles, seeded, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
2 cups sour cream
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 2-pound whole red snappers, scaled, gutted, or one 4-pound side of salmon

method:
1-Using on/off turns, puree cilantro, mint, lime juice, jalapenos, garlic, and ginger in processor. Transfer to large bowl. Stir in yogurt, sour cream, cumin, chili powder, sugar, and salt.

Ready to stir cilantro puree into yogurt mixture








Putting yogurt "schmear" on fish to marinate







2-Cut 3 diagonal slits (in picture at top of post) through skin down to bone on each side of both whole fish (do not cut salmon if using). Pour half of marinade into 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Place fish in dish. Pour remaining marinade over fish to cover. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

Properly marinated and ready to pop into oven





3-Preheat oven to 450 F. Transfer fish to large rimmed baking sheet (do not scrape off marinade). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake fish until flesh is just opaque in center, about 25 minutes for salmon and 30 minutes for snapper. Using 2 large metal spatulas, carefully transfer fish to large platter and serve.

Miso Satisfied!

Before I get to the reason for this post, the amazing Ginger-Miso Striped Bass I made last night, a quick sharing moment so that you might be saved my pain. Or, in other words, using my stupidity to save yourselves. I was prepping the rub for the incredible Pernil (a slow-cooked pork shoulder) this morning for friends who are coming over later today. I had yet to put in my contacts, and was buzzing around in my glasses, processing up the onion, garlic, chili powder and other flavoring agents, slathered it all over that lovely piece of pork goodness, washed my hands, and made the ill-advised decision to put in my contacts. Popped the first one into my right eye, and....HOLY FUCK!! I almost dropped to my knees as my whole eye lit up like someone had stuck a lit match in it. As tears were streaming down my face and expletives were flying fast and furious, I realized that maybe washing one's hands that had recently been in contact with acid laden spicy bits then applying those same hands to tender body parts wasn't the best idea. I washed up again before doing harm to my left eye while cursing myself for being such an idiot. To save yourself the same self inflicted pain, wash twice...at least, or better yet: latex gloves!

Now that the burning in my eye has stopped and I can see my keyboard again, I can get to the whole point of this missive, which was last night's deliciously satisfying dinner. w and I have been on a kind of meat fest lately at home, or going out way too much, so we were both in the mood for something lighter. While I was at work not working, I came across the perfect antidote to indulgence-itis in the form of this Japanese inspired recipe from epicurious. I called w and she went shopping for the few things we needed at our favorite Asian market here in PDX, ABC Seafood. They cleaned and filleted a fresh striped bass into two perfect portions, she grabbed the rest of the stuff, and we were on! Another way simple to prepare dish that tasted so fresh and clean, yet with a nice complexity from the ginger-infused miso broth. It immediately earned a place in our regular rotation, and I can't wait to share with friends!
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Ginger-Miso Striped Bass in shiitake mushroom broth
from epicurious
makes 2 servings.

ingredients:
2 cups water
4 tablespoons red miso (aka-miso), divided
4 large shiitake mushrooms (about 4 ounces), stemmed, thinly sliced
3 green onions, dark and pale green part thinly sliced, white part minced
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 6-ounce skinless striped bass fillets
1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
Chopped fresh cilantro

method:
Whisk 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons red miso in medium saucepan. Add shiitake mushrooms and simmer over medium heat until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in dark and pale green onion tops. Cover to keep warm and set aside.


The striped bass, just after going in the pan with the coated side down.






Meanwhile, mix 2 tablespoons red miso, minced white part of green onion, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and minced fresh ginger in small bowl. Sprinkle striped bass fillets with salt and pepper. Spread ginger mixture over 1 side of bass fillets, pressing to adhere. Sprinkle panko over coated side of fillets; press to adhere.

Now flipped over, just getting done, ready to lay on top of the udon and broth.







Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fillets to skillet, coated side down, and sauté until brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn fillets over and sauté until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Divide shiitake mushroom broth and shiitake mushrooms between 2 shallow bowls.

Welcome Home!

This is as good as it gets. Coming home after another grueling 13 hour day of enabling others alcohol consumption at the wine shack, and the first thing that hits me as I walk in the door is the appetite inducing aroma of garlic sautéing in hot oil. Instantly my hunger meter redlines. I walk into the kitchen and find w putting the finishing touches on this fabulous recipe she got from one of my favorite food blogs, Steamy Kitchen, written by a Florida blogger/budding TV chef named Jaden whose goal is to show everyone how to make simple and delicious Asian food at home. Taking those seemingly complex recipes and breaking them down into easy and accessible meals. We've found her to be a great source, and tonight's shrimp were fabulous. The sweet flavor of the shrimp enhanced and amplified by the garlic and brandy. My mouth was most happy! Thanks J, for another addition to our regular repertoire!
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Garlic Brandy Prawns
from Steamy Kitchen

ingredients:
1/2 lb prawns, shelled leaving tail on
1 t cornstarch
½ t salt
1T garlic, minced
1T butter
1 stalk green onion, cut on diagonal ¼” strips
1 Tbs brandy
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

method:
1. Clean & marinate the prawns: Rinse prawns, pat completely dry and marinate in cornstarch and ½ t salt for 5 minutes.

2. Heat wok and add oil. Once oil is barely smoking, turn down heat to med-high. Add prawns. Fry until they are half-done, approximately 2 minutes. Remove from wok, leaving the oil in the wok.

3. Add the garlic, fry for 10 seconds. Add the brandy, salt, sugar, butter. Cook sauce for 1 minute so that it slightly thickens. Add the prawns and green onion. Stir fry until prawns are cooked through, about 2 minutes (depends on size of your prawns)

Give me a fish......

"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life" is an old Chinese proverb. Give me a fish from ABC Seafood out on SE Powell Boulevard here in PDX, and I'll like a king for a night, and as long as ABC keeps in touch with those who do the fishing for them, the rest of my life looks pretty sweet!

I saw the following recipe for crispy sea bass in Mark Bittman's book "How To Cook Everything". I had never attempted to crisp a fish of any kind, so in the interest of broadening my horizons while at the same time satisfying my constant hunger, I headed out to ABC, where they had a perfectly fresh specimen that they thoughtfully cleaned and scaled for me, because as much as I like to play with my food, the idea of pulling out fish entrails and having fish scales flying around my kitchen wasn't too appealing. Besides, the woman at ABC did in about two minutes what would have been for me an endeavor that would have completely demoralized me while at the same time hacking apart this beautiful piece if piscine goodness.

So here it is. A very easy, satisfying dinner with no emotional trauma involved. Just the way I like it!
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Crispy Sea Bass with Garlic-Ginger Sauce
From Mark Bittman's "How To Cook Everything"

Time: 30 minutes

ingredients
Vegetable oil as needed
2 black sea bass, each about one pound, gutted and scaled with heads and tails left on (I used one 1-1/2# fish for the two of us, which was plenty- BB)
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon peeled and minced or grated ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
Minced cilantro leaves for garnish

method
1- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the vegetable oil to a depth of 1/8", more or less.When the oil shimmers, put the fish in it. Cook, undisturbed, for about 8 minutes on the first side. Turn carefully.
2- As the fish is cooking, heat the peanut oil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until the garlic begins to color. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil and keep warm.
3- Cook the fish 6-8 minutes on the second side. It is done when the flesh offers little resistance to a knife or chopstick; if in doubt, peek next to a bone- the flesh should be opaque.
4- Remove fish to plate(s), drizzle with sauce, garnish, and serve immediately.