Week 3: Recipe Roundup

It seems I missed a week with the Eat Local Recipe Roundup, but I haven’t heard any complaints so I can only assume you don’t give a crap.  Here they are anyway, out of spite. 

Blueberry Whole Wheat Pancakes

I’m not allowed to make pancakes in our house.  They suck.  I can make a mean crepe, if that’s your bag, but if pancakes are required, Husband is your man.  These didn’t suffer a bit from our Eat Local substitutions.

4 eggs
2 cups milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
1¼ cup whole wheat flour
1¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. maple sugar
1 tsp. salt
1½ cups frozen blueberries (like Wyman’s), defrosted

Beat eggs in a large bowl until light and foamy.  Add milk, oil, and butter, and whisk to blend.  Sift dry ingredients over wet ingredients in bowl, and whisk until combined.

Heat nonstick frying pan over medium heat until hot (test by flicking some water into the pan; the water droplets should sizzle vigorously and disappear).  Pour batter into pan in the size you prefer, and sprinkle blueberries over the batter.  Let the pancakes get some color, then flip.  Repeat with remaining batter.  Apply butter and maple syrup, and you’re good to go.

Source: adapted from the New York Times.  Wish I knew who. 

Peruvian Fish Stew

This is what I made for the CBS shoot.  It’s simple and delicious.  Cameraman Paul, this one’s for you.

2 lbs. salmon (or other fish) fillet, cut into pieces about 4x4 inches
1/3 cup oil
2 medium onions, cut lengthwise, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/3 tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. salt
2 medium tomatoes, cut into chunks, approximately ½-inch thick
1 cup parsley leaves, loosely packed, no stems
½ large lemon (I substituted 2 Tbsp. local white wine vinegar)
Rice (I substituted local barley)

Get rice (or barley) cooking.  Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper.  In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion, garlic, pepper, paprika, and salt.  Toss for one minute (you want the onions slightly crunchy at serving).  Move the onions aside and place the salmon, skin side down in a single layer, in the pan.  Squeeze some lemon juice (or vinegar) over the salmon.  Place onions on top of salmon and squeeze more lemon juice on top.  Add tomatoes and parsley.  Cover and simmer over low heat until salmon is tender, about 20-25 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve over rice.

Source: Adapted from Oscar.  Hi Oscar!

Kale Braised in Tomato Sauce

I'm telling you right now, don't bother making this unless you have homemade tomato sauce.  I'm just saying.

1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small bunch kale, washed, stemmed, roughly chopped
½ cup or more homemade tomato sauce (see below)
Sea salt and black pepper

In a large pot with a cover, heat olive oil until shimmering.  Sauté garlic until fragrant, then add the kale.  Stir around, and then add tomato sauce and stir again.  Cover the pot and cook over medium-low heat until kale is wilted and tender.  Remove cover and continue to cook until remaining liquid is mostly evaporated.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tomato Sauce

This is the way I usually make tomato sauce (I often used canned San Marzanos when tomatoes are out of season).  For Nonni's recipe, go here.

6 lbs. tomatoes (or more)
6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 hot Italian sausages (like DePasquale’s), pricked
1 onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped (or more)
1 Tbsp. fresh marjoram, chopped
Salt and pepper

Bring a pot of water to a boil, as well as a bowl of ice water.  Dunk tomatoes in groups of 4 or 5 into boiling water for 20 seconds.  Remove with slotted spoon and dunk into ice water for a minutes or so.  Remove to a large bowl.  Core and peel tomatoes (the skins should slip right off).  Cut tomatoes in half along the equator, scoop horrible seeds out, and roughly chop.  Right about now, you will be cursing me and wondering whether this will take all day or all week, and why didn’t you print out the recipe from the Food Network instead of this dumb blog.  That was not smart, I’ll admit.  But, you’re halfway there at this point, so suck it up.

In a large pot more wide than tall, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the sausages and cook until brown.  Remove to a plate, then add the onions.  Cook until translucent, 3-4 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for a minute more.  Add the tomatoes, the cooked sausages, bay leaf, parsley, and marjoram.  Bring to a simmer, and then lower heat and let pot gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until yummy.  An hour would work, but two might be better.  How much time you got?  Season with salt and pepper, and, while you're in there stirring, fish out the bay leaf before you forget.

Comments

[sunny12]

i'm perplexed. How is it you can make a mean crepe but not pancakes??? I would have thought pancakes are easier

[Jim]

We all have our kitchen nemeses, sunny. I, for example, flee in terror whenever I hear the words "sauteed garlic."

[sarah]

mmmm...I can't wait to try the salmon recipe. I'll let you know how it goes!

[melch]

Ooh, I love blueberry pancakes! I'm trying to get more whole grains into my diet, so thanks for the recipe! Now I just have to work on getting over laziness enough to make pancakes that don't come from a box...

[Tammy]

Melch: It's hard to get over that laziness in the morning. Might I suggest pancakes for dinner?

Sarah: I hope you like it. I wouldn't want another brawl at the playground!

Jim: One man's friend is another man's foe. Here's another one: "Cook rice." I love my rice cooker.

Sunny12: Yes, so would I. Imagine my surprise. Husband has offered to teach me his technique many times, but why would I want to mess with a good arrangement?

[Sasha]

Is maple sugar something everyone but me knows about?

(I love your blog. Must keep up more with food blogs!)