Salmon Cakes

Salmon fillets can be served simply baked with a light seasoning of salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil & lemon juice. However, if you are in a mood for something elaborate, then salmon cake is the thing to try. Since it gets quite rich with all the additional condiments, I prefer this in winter time, with a side of quinoa salad or a fresh garden salad. I came across this recipe in Everyday Food a few years ago and have used it a few times. This recipe will make four salmon cakes. Calories per serving is 291 calories

Ingredients:
For Salmon Patties:
1 lb. skinless salmon fillet
Coarse salt and freshly crushed pepper
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
4 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
2 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon minced capers
1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
1 egg
Lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon

For Lemon Herb sauce:
4 tablespoon Fromage Blanc
Juice from half a lemon
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
Coarse salt to taste



Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place salmon on a greased rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 18 minutes. Move it to a plate to allow it to cool down. Meanwhile, mix scallions, parsley flakes, mustard, horseradish, capers, breadcrumbs, egg and lemon juice in a bowl.
Flake salmon with a fork and mix with the other ingredients in the bowl. Shape them into 4 patties and place them in the refrigerator for 15 minutes allowing them to firm up.
Turn the broiler on high. Place the salmon patties on aluminum foil covered rammer baking sheet. Broil for 5-8 minutes till the top is golden brown.

Prepare the Lemon Herb sauce while the patties are cooking. Mix the ingredients of the sauce together and serve on side.

Chicken Tagine

Flavorful chicken, chick peas and olives add a lot of character to the dish.
Serves 4.

Moroccan Spice rub
4 chicken thighs, rub moroccan spice and let stand for an hour or 2 in refrigerator

1 small onion, diced
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic, minced
pepper flakes to taste
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf

1/4 white wine
1 tsp tomato paste

1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1 tbsp honey
1 lemon cut into 8 wedges
Salt to taste

Chopped fresh parsley

Toasted Pita bread

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium, add chicken, skin side down. Saute until brown on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Remove chicken.
Add onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, pepper flakes, cinnamon sticks and bay leaf and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Deglaze with wine and tomato paste and simmer till liquid evaporate.
Add tomato, chicken broth, chickpeas, olives, honey, lemon & chicken. Cover & reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until chicken is cooked - 20-25 minutes.
Add salt to taste and garnish with parsley.
Serve with toasted Pita bread.

Chips "on" Fish with vegetables

Taken from Cuisine at home magazine, this is a more elaborate version of baked fish that I normally make.

Vegetables:
1 large tomato, seeded & chopped
2 leeks, white part only, thinly sliced
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, chopped

Fish:
4 red snapper fillets, boned & skinned (flounder or tilapia will work equally well)
1/2 cup coarse bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup crushed potato chips
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Lemon wedges & chopped scallion for garnish

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Combine the vegetables together, season with salt & pepper & spread on a baking tray coated with cooking spray.
Arrange fillets on top of vegetables, season with salt & pepper.
Combine crumbs, cheese, chips, paprika & pepper, toss with melted butter. Divide the mix over the fillets, pressing gently on the fish.
Bake 20 minutes or so until fillet flakes easily with a fork.
Serve topped with scallion with lemon wedge on side.

Serve with side of asparagus or snap peas.

Spicy Roasted Chicken

I took the traditional roasted chicken recipe and used by Indian spices to jazz it up.
Ingredients:
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 heaping tsp coriander-cumin powder
2 tsp paprika
Coarse salt & pepper to taste
1 whole chicken (about 4 lbs) washed inside & out, patted dry & legs tied
4 carrots, chopped into 2" pieces
2 potatoes (or medium sweet potatoes), sliced into 1/2" slices
1 cup peeled pearl onions
1 lemon (or an Orange) quartered into 8 pieces

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Rub salt and pepper all over the chicken (inside & out). Mix ginger-garlic paste with coriander-cumin powder and rub it on the chicken. Sprinkle paprika all over.
Place the chicken in a cast iron pot. Place the vegetables around and add 1/2 cup of water. Cover the lid tightly and place it in the oven (if using a roasting pan, make sure to use a smaller size where the contents fit tightly and cover it with double layer of heavy duty aluminum foil). Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the lid (or foil), use a long handled spoon to baste the chicken with liquid from the pan. Bake uncovered for another 30 minutes, basting once more half way through.
Chicken is done if juices run clear when pierced between the breast & thigh. Thermometer in the thickest part of thigh (avoiding bone) should read 170 degrees.

Let chicken rest for a bit before carving. Serve with vegetables from the side and a hearty bread to soak up the juices from the bottom of the pan.

Lamb Shawarma

I first came across Lamb Shawarma recipe in Food & Wine magazine. Chef Chris Hanna's recipe had intense, strong flavor with complex spices hitting your palate just right. Since then, I have modified the recipe and made it simpler to use. I have also started cooking it in oven instead of grill. I use a cast iron skillet, so I can transfer it from oven to the cook top to finish the roasting. You can use any roasting pan that you can transfer from oven to cook top.

This recipe cooks enough for 3 people, with some leftovers for late afternoon snack next day.

Ingredients:
2 lb boneless leg of lamb
1/2 cup plain yogurt
Juice of 1/2 a lime
Salt & ground black pepper to taste
2 tsp coriander powder (or ground coriander seeds)
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp garam masala (this Indian spice is optional - add it for spicier version)

Ingredients for roasted onion and pepper:
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
1 tsp canola oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp coriander powder (or ground coriander seeds)

Mix all the ingredients, except the lamb together to create the marinade.
Cut the lamb into thin slices. Coat it completely with the marinade. Cover it and refrigerate at least overnight, or preferably, for 1-2 days.
Heat the oven to 475F. Keep the cast iron skillet in the oven to heat. When the oven is preheated, pull the skillet out, layer the lamb in it (make sure it's a single layer - you may have to cook it in phases depending on the size of your skillet), top it with marinade, cover it with aluminum foil, and cook for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cook on the cook top till all the water is absorbed. Cook some more to brown the meat.

After keeping the lamb in the oven, mix onion, green pepper and other ingredients for roasted onion and pepper on a baking tray. Keep it in the oven on a separate shelf while the lamb is cooking. Cook for 30 minutes, turning once.

Serve Lamb Shawarma with roasted onion & green peppers, yogurt-tahini sauce and Syrian pita bread.

Tangy Pasta with low fat White Sauce

I make the Sauce Bonne Femme with the thinner version of Velouté Sauce. Add extra lemon juice to the sauce for a tangier flavor.
You'll get plenty of leftovers for lunch if you make this with the entire box of pasta.

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic chopped small
2 Shallots, chopped small
8 canned artichoke hearts, quartered (artichokes should be packed in water, not oil)
1/2 pound button mushrooms, halved (or quartered, if large)
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, sliced into small strips
1/4 cup white wine
splash of white wine vinegar
juice from a lemon
1 box bow tie pasta
Olive oil
2 cups Sauce Bonne Femme

Keep pasta to boil.

Heat olive oil in a heavy bottom pan on medium heat, add garlic and cook till it becomes fragrant. Add shallots and cook till translucent. Add mushrooms and cook till just slightly cooked. Reduce the heat, add artichokes & tomatoes, top with wine & vinegar and cook till all the liquid is absorbed. Add Sauce Bonne Femme and warm it through.

Drain the pasta, mix it with the sauce, add salt & crushed white pepper to taste & serve with warm, freah bread.

Fall Risotto

One pot meal, perfect for the Fall table. I served it with Sanford Chardonnay, which I also used in the recipe. I cooked it in my enameled cast iron pot, but any other oven-proof heavy bottomed pot would also work. This is one of the less painful recipes of Risotto, since most of the cooking happens in the oven. I adapted this from Nov, 2010 edition of Everyday Food.

1. 4-5 shallots, chopped fine
2. 3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
3. 2 tsp fresh thyme
4. 2 tsp Olive Oil
5. 1 1/2 cup Arborio rice
6. 1/2 cup white wine
7. 1 medium Butternut Squash, peeled and chopped into small squares
8. 1 firm, tart apple like Granny Smith, cored and chopped into small squares
9. 1 bunch Mustard Green, chopped into 1/2" slivers (use Kale as replacement)
10. 4 cups vegetable stock
11. Salt & ground Pepper to taste
12. 1/2 cup Dried cranberries
13. Roasted Pumpkin seeds or fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Heat olive oil in the pot on medium-high heat. Add garlic & shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes till garlic becomes fragrant. Add thyme and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the rice & cook for 4-5 minutes, till rice is opaque. Add the wine. Cook, stirring constantly till the wine is absorbed. Add the squash & apple and stir to mix. Add the vegetable stock and once it comes to boil, add the Mustard Green (or Kale), cranberries, salt & pepper. Cover and move it to oven. Bake for 20 minutes or so until rice is cooked.

Top with roasted pumpkin seeds (or freshly grated Parmesan for purists) and serve hot.