Alder Smoked Golden Trout

Dear Auntie,  

I bet you do a mighty fine fish, what's your very favorite way to do fish?

Lisa

Dear Lisa,

Ages ago, my friend, Shelley, came over for lunch. I took a golden trout, stuffed it with fennel, scallops, balsamic vinegar, then smoked it over alderwood. Nummers!

Enjoy!

Auntie

Alder Smoked Golden Trout

1 whole golden trout   
¼ cup fennel chopped fine
¼ cup shallot chopped fine
¼ cup balsamic vinegar, reduced 1 Tbsp*
1 tsp thyme   
¼ lb bay scallops   
salt & pepper to taste   

Debone fish, and butterfly. (You fishmonger can do this for you.)

Place vinegar in saucepan with the sprig of fresh thyme.  Reduce to 1 tablespoon.  Remove thyme.  Brush inside of fish with reduction. 

Mix fennel, shallot, scallops, salt and pepper.  Place in cavity of fish.  Skewer opening of fish and lace together with butcher’s twine.  Place fish in stove top smoker with alder chips.  Smoke according to manufacturer's directions until internal temperature reaches 140º. Remove from heat. Let rest 5 minutes (Carry over heat will raise the temperature to 145º.) 

Remove skewers and twine and serve.  Makes 2 -3 servings. 

Fried Catfish with Hushpuppies

Alexandra helped me make this once, while we were visiting Dad. Dad loved his catfish!!

1  teaspoon salt
1  teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt.)
2 teaspoons onion powder
Paprika pepper to taste

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups yellow cornmeal

3 eggs
1 cup milk
6 (6 to 8-ounce) catfish fillets
2 cups vegetable oil

Combine the seasonings.  Pour flour and ½ of seasoning in shallow dish (A pie plate works well.)  In a second dish, combine the cornmeal with the remaining seasoning. In a third dish or bowl, beat the eggs with the milk. Dredge the catfish 1 at a time first in the flour, then the egg wash, then the cornmeal, shaking to remove any excess.

Heat about 1 cup of the oil in a large, deep cast iron skillet. (About 350º.)

Fry the fish in batches and cook until golden brown on 1 side, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and cook until golden on the second side and completely cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Add additional oil as needed and cook the remaining fish.

Combine remaining dredging ingredients and fry by tablespoons in hot oil to make hushpuppies.

Note:  When I make this, I add ingredients ‘by sight’. You may have to adjust seasonings.

Tuna Mac & I Reveal A Secret

Over the past weeks, I've presented several super-simple recipes. Yes, these are not the stuff of gourmet celebrations and I am very capable of making more elaborate recipes. However, the whole purpose of this blog is to look at life through a culinary lens. What is the story behind the food?

Has culinary expertise become a new prejudice? Do we judge someone based on his or her culinary skills? Do we look down our noses at those who cook recipes we deem declassé?

Southern, Soul, Mexican cuisines: these were all considered low class in times past.  Remember the jokes on Beverly Hillbillies? Now, these cuisines head up menus in the finest restaurants.  Even lobster was considered poor folks' food.  Calcium Chloride, Calcium Lactate Gluconate, Sorbitol -- the ingredients shunned by food purists -- are now the love childen of molecular gastronomists.

When we look beyond our prejudices, we can see a broader vista. We can see another story these foods tell.

The story behind these simple recipes I've kept secret for quite a while. Now, I can tell it, and it is sad.

I'm getting divorced. The pain is like outer space: dark, empty and limitless.

While we were still together, I developed these simple recipes and put them together in a cookbook for my ex-husband, Joe. Joe has very little, if any, cooking skill. With these simple recipes, he could have a home cooked meal while I was out of town. Now, I'm away for life. Never again will I cook for him. Never again will he enjoy his favorite dishes.

So, Joe, if you're reading, this is for you. Eat well. Take care of yourself. Be blessed and walk with God.

TUNA MAC

1 (7.25 ounce) box of macaroni and cheese dinner
½ cup milk
1 (6 ounce) can tuna fish

In a large pot (not the stock pot) fill half way with water. Bring water to a boil.

Meanwhile, open box of macaroni. Pull out cheese packet and set aside.

When water is boiling, pour macaroni into water. Keep stove set on high. Set timer for 7 minutes. When timer goes off, pull out a noodle with a small spoon. Cool for a second and taste to see if the noodles are done. If not, boil another minute until they are done. No more than 10 minutes. Turn off stove. Remove from stove and drain off water. You may use the mesh strainer for this.

Return noodles to pan. Pour milk, seasoning packet and tuna over noodles. Turn stove on medium low and cook until mixture has thickened and tuna is heated through (about a minute or two).

Simple Tuna Salad, Stewart and Mystery

Knowing my penchant for fine dining, my friend Stewart was shocked to see so many simple recipes on this blog lately.  Perhaps you, too, are baffled.  Remember, kind friends, the focus of this blog is not on recipes, no matter how delicious they may be. The focus is on the story these foods tell us. These simple recipes tell a story, which I will reveal at month's end....

TUNA SALAD

1 (6 ounce) can tuna fish
1 large spoonful of mayonnaise (the spoons we use to eat soup)
1 small spoonful of relish (the spoons we use to stir our tea)

Drain tuna:  Open top of can.  Keep top on.  Take can to sink.  Hold the can in both hands, your thumbs on the bottom and your fingers on top. Point the can away from you. Press gently but firmly to squeeze out liquid.  Turn can upright and remove lid.

Pour all ingredients into mixing bowl. Stir together.  You may use this to make tuna fish salad sandwiches for lunch.  Be sure to keep refrigerated.

Prize Winning Salmon Soufflé and NoJoMo

My friend and fellow blogger, Stove Lady, reminded me it's NoJoMo -- November Journaling Month. To participate, you're supposed to write something, anything on your blog every day in the month of November. The idea is to get you in the habit of journaling consistently.

Great. What a thing to see on my Facebook wall before coffee.

I admit, I've been sporadic.  I had every intention to blog regularly, but events in the ol' private life have thrown me off kilter. Ironically, I cannot divulge the details until the end of NoJoMo, but that just builds anticipation, doesn't it? I'm such a tease.

So how should I start? Well, by golly, it's high time for a recipe, and not just any recipe.  With this, I won the Grand Prize in a Victoria Magazine cooking contest! So, ladies and gents, get your soufflé on.

Salmon Soufflé with Fresh Tomato Basil Coulis

Soufflé:   
3 tablespoons butter   
½ cup onion, chopped   
1 pound salmon   
1 ¼ cups skim milk   
2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch   
1 teaspoon salt   
¼ teaspoon pepper   
5 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons lemon juice   

Sauce:   
½ cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon butter   
2 cups seeded and chopped tomato   
½ lemon, juiced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup sour cream   
¼ cup fresh basil, fresh sliced 1/8" thick

Preheat oven to 350º. Butter soufflé dish, making sure to coat all sides.  Melt butter in pan over medium heat.  Add fish.  Cook until fish just turns opaque.  Remove fish, draining well, and set aside. Add onion to same pan.   Cook on medium heart until onion is translucent.  Mix milk and cornstarch.  Add to onion, with salt and pepper.  Heat gently until mixture boils.  Add a small amount of mixture to beaten egg yolks to warm.  Add a bit more mixture to warn further.  Add yolks to onion-milk mixture.  Cook gently until it coats the back of a spoon.  Let cool.  (Up to this point, soufflé can be made in advance and refrigerated.) Whip egg whites with lemon juice.  Fold in a little of the whites into the onion-milk mixture to lighten it.   Fold whites into onion-milk mixture.   Crumble salmon and gently fold in.  Gently pour into soufflé dish and bake for thirty minutes. 

Meanwhile, make sauce.  Cook onion in 1 teaspoon butter on medium low setting, until translucent.  Place onion and next four ingredients in blender or processor. Process until smooth. (Up to this point, sauce can be made in advance.) Return sauce to pot on lowest setting just until heated.  Do not let sauce boil.  Add basil.

When soufflé is done, split open gently, using two spoons back to back.  Pour sauce in center.  Serve immediately.

A Simple Test For Readiness

Hey, home cookin',

When I cook meat (sauté a hunk of fish, for example), I can never tell when it's done. I end up having to slice it to look inside, which means that one piece gets all messed up. Of course, I serve the ugly one to my guest. Any hints?

Medium Rare
Oakland, California

Dear Monsieur Rare,

Different hunks of meat from different critters will have different cooking times. We shan’t go into a discussion on all hunks of meat at this point. After all, we are talking about the entire animal kingdom. For the moment, let’s focus on said fishy.

A simple test for readiness may be executed using a fork. Stick a fork into the thickest part of the fish, being careful not to flake the flesh. If you are met with resistance, it is not quite ready. If it yields, it is ready for your enjoyment. If it crumbles, the moment has passed and there is no hope for salvaging the situation.

This same technique may be used to test the readiness of cooked vegetables. It may also be used on women, substituting a kiss for the fork prodding.

Remember, a good host serves ugly food only to ugly guests. A perfect host has neither.