Cooking – Page 10

Saturday Stuffs: A Gift from a Friend, How does our garden grow, and Cooking at Catalina Offshore

August 2, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, yoso-silly

Glico Beef Curry Lee X 20:

A few weeks ago I received an email from FOY and fellow food blogger Dennis, whom you might know from his wonderful blog – A Radiused Corner. He told me he was sending me some nice and spicy curry he brought back from his recent trip. How thoughtful! A few days later a package arrived….it was the curry.

A couple of days later, it was cool enough for me to try and eat this. I simply heated in the typical way and served it over rice. Not having any pickled ginger, I garnished with some of our piclekd onions.

I loved the "nose", you could tell there was some heat involved. Overall, I liked the heat, it was enough to get the sweat going a bit, but not in an uncomfortable way….it did slowly build, but was nicely buffered by the creaminess of the curry. This was quite nice. I'm almost tempted to chop up some ghost peppers into some curry next time!

Thanks Dennis! This was so very thoughtful!

If you'd like to read Dennis's experience with the X30 – made with Moruga Scorpion Peppers, you can read Dennis's post here.

How does our garden grow:

So here's our garden update.

So, this is usually when the chilies start really doing well. But we've been most impressed with the okra. The plants look really fragile and delicate. We've got 6 plants and I don't think they're growing right in our raised bed, we're only getting about 4-5 okra ready to be picked at a time. But man, those fruits are quite robust!

Meanwhile, the chilies are starting to give off quite a bit of fruit. This year though, the ghost peppers aren't quite as burning hot as last year….they seem to be very fragrant…much more fruity than last year. We've been using them in stir-fries. Not sure why it's not as spicy. Could it be the padrons and shishitos close by? Is there some cross-pollination that's affecting the peppers? Or has the weather been too cool overall? Who knows.

Now, I know folks have been curious about these…..

The Moruga Scorion Peppers. These are pretty straight forward spicy, mildy fruity, with a burn that lasts about 15 minutes. I have a feeling that our scorpion peppers aren't quite as spicy as they should be either. Still, there is a burn.

And it is quite a bit more spicy than the Bhut Jolokia.

So we've been playing around with peppers….mostly using them in various stir fry dishes for the Missus. The Red Habaneros are not bad, a nice buzz, not sustained very long.

Recently, after two years of asking (nagging), the Missus got Her patio set. I gotta say, I'm really enjoying it as well. Here's my favorite past time on a typical evening.

We don't have the most beautiful backyard….but there's something serene about looking over our plants as the day ends and things start cooling down.

Cooking at Catalina Offshore:

So, I'm not sure when Tommy realized that I have a food blog. I'm pretty sure he knew this for a while, but it got really funny when a food blogger had mentioned "Kirk"….who Tommy knew as "yeah, he just comes in here and buys fish every week." But the one thing that gave Tommy some leverage was being called the "grandfather of food bloggers in San Diego". I'm flattered and all (Faye), but man, you just gave Tommy a response…."Hey Mister Grumpy, what's up"…… "Not much Grandpa, what's happening with you..he, he, he…." I love you Faye, but man, did you have to go and do that…….

Anyway, Tommy had been wondering for a while what the heck I was doing buying that salmon every week. There was always better salmon available, but I always went with the Scottish….. when I described to him that I was smoking salmon every week for the Missus, he thought it was quite an effort. When I told him it only really took about 25-35 minutes to do he was intrigued.

Which led me to bringing my now 9 year old Cameron Stove Top Smoker and smoking some salmon.

No, it isn't being filmed……..so you won't find this on Catalina's Youtube Channel.

I mean really….do you want to watch smoke wafting up from a stovetop smoker for 30 minutes?

The one really interesting thing was that Tommy told me when I arrived that Sam the Cooking Guy was doing a demo at 10. No big deal since it was 8 am and I could get this done in like 40 minutes total….Tommy was not a believer.

He is now……. I put out some baquette slices, dill mustard, dill creme fraiche. Spoke to a couple of customers and got out of Dodge. I'd say Tommy is a believer….he now has his own Cameron Stovetop smoker. Sorry to say I didn't take a photo of the end product, maybe next time I will… Tommy told me that we'd (I'd) be doing this again…. Not sure when. We'll see….. Cooking with good ingredients isn't very difficult.

Thanks Tommy….and yes, even you too Faye….. I think.

In a pickle: Utopenci – The Drowned Man

July 23, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

All hail the Drowned Man……

We always return from our trips having learned a little something….about ourselves, our tastes, there's always a new wrinkle. While in the Czech Republic, we fell in love with this "hospoda" (pub/tavern) specialty; Utopenci, literally "drowned man". There's just something about these tart-sour-porky sausages that really refresh when you have it with a cold one.

Why "drowned man"…well, we heard two stories, typical of the rather dark, ironic, humor we found in the Czech Republic,….the "Czech twist" we call it. The first is that the inventor of this dish, a pub owner, got drunk one night and drowned to death, hence the "drowned man". The second story is that these pickled tubular meat items look like drowned bodies bobbing around in the jar……

We tried Utopenci wherever we saw them on the menu in the Czech Republic and even bought a couple from markets when we went shopping. The Missus could be heard exclaiming "I really am craving a drowned man…." in the airport….luckily, we were in Prague so other than the tourists, everyone else knew what She was talking about…. I think.

These are knackwursts from Tip Top Meats, smoked forcemeat type sausages. If you buy an uncooked sausage, you can heat them in the pickling liquid before bottling.

Couple of key points, it is important to make that slice two-thirds of the way through. It ensures that the sausage absorbs all of that pickling goodness. Second, as with the Pickled Onion recipe, this is a "starter" type deal. Make adjustments to your taste, this uses a 2:1 ratio of vinegar to water…add celery, chilies, garlic….smoked pork!

Main thing is that those little "men" floating around in your fridge hit the spot……

Utopenci – The Drowned Man:

3/4 Cup Water

1 1/2 Cup White Vinegar

1 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp Whole Peppercorns

1/2 tsp Whole Allspice Berries

2 Bay Leaves

1/2 Onion sliced 1

1/2 lb Smoked Sausage – kielbasa/smoked knackwurst, or whatever sausage tickles your fancy.

– Combine water, vinegar, and salt in a pan and bring to a simmer.

– Add bay leaves and simmer for 5 minutes. Add in peppercorns and allspice

– Once liquid cools slice sausage 2/3 way through – if using kielbasa cut down to size first.

– Place a slice of onion in sliced part of sausage. Place a couple of slices of onion at the bottom of a sterilized jar.

– Pack sausages in the jar

– Cover with liquid, seal jar and leave 5-7 days before eating.

There you've a set of drowned men you can call your own!

Duck Confit

July 17, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Meet our latest "staple", something the Missus says we should always have on hand……

Basically, duck legs, cured, then cooked at a very low temperature covered with fat (oil poached) for hours, which produces and amazingly flavorful, juicy, and tender product. It can then be stored in it's own fat for rather long periods of time. Most folks hear "duck confit" and think it;s something difficult to make; but at its core it's basically a preservation method, with animal fat used as a barrier to the elements. It is amazingly easy….basically prep, cure, rinse, dry, poach in oil, cool, put in the fridge.

Prepping them for a meal is also easy; the most basic method being putting in a 400-425 oven and baking until heated through and the skin is crisp. I prefer doing this on the stovetop, starting with a cold pan and under low heat. The fat renders out…which we later use for eggs or potatoes. The idea is to heat through slowly while crisping up the the skin. I usually raise the temp a bit near the end.

This one had a simple pan sauce where the duck fat is poured off into a bowl for later use, shallots are softened, since we're still not doing cooking with alcohol at home; I used veal stock to deglaze and reduce. When reduced I add a touch of Date vinegar, and creme fraiche, since it's fermented and allowed. This one is served with a version of stoemp, made a bit more creamy with the cooking liquid from the sauteed vegetables and some duck fat. It is, in a word, quite the meal.

All you really need for curing the duck is really salt….but of course, the Missus needs that little "Chinese touch", because She believes all duck should have that flavor profile, so I use Five Spice powder…..from QingDao…where you actually go to a herbalist/pharmacy to have them mix up for you. The duck legs I order from Bristol Farm, I pick them up, usually the day it is delivered….it's never frozen and quite fresh.

Duck Confit – mmm-yoso style

Seasoning per duck leg:

3/4 Tb of coarse sea salt – we use Maldon Salt because it's pretty easy to get

several grinds of black pepper

1/4 tsp Chinese Five Spice

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

Duck fat to cover/submerge duck legs. About 6 cups or so. (you can supplement with pork fat, or other neutral oil – not too much)

– Rub seasoning into duck and place fat side down in a single layer in a pan

– Place in the fridge overnight

– Wipe cure off duck and place duck in a single layer in a pot and submerge in duck fat

– Cook at a low temperature, preferably 180-190 degrees….the lowest in our oven is 200, which I measured at 210, so I make due.

– Cook for 4-8 hours. We're usually at the low end.

– When a skewer goes easily into the duck legs remove from the heat- the tricky part is to stop before the duck start breaking down. It will keep cooking as it cool.

– Cool, and remove to a container, cover with fat and place in the fridge.

Once you've finished eating your duck, you can reuse the fat for confit a few more times before it gets too salty…..

In a pickle: Easy Pickled Onions starter recipe

July 9, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

It's a getting a bit too warm in the hallway for fermentation. Yet we've kinda caught the bug. So why not play around with pickling? I love pickled onions and I'm thinking about using those Ghost Peppers, or maybe Red Habaneros to make some spicy pickled onions.

So I thought I'd go with a starter recipe for pickled onions, like we used to make "back home". The recipe has been scaled down for a single jar and can be doubled, quadrupled, etc as desired. You can add more salt, less salt, soy sauce, etc….. My original recipe had sugar…..equal to the amount of salt. No bueno here since the Missus is on Her "diet". I added a couple of cloves of garlic and three serranos.

Anyway, here's a decent base recipe. It's a nice start; you can make adjustments as you desire….

This is good with any rich meat…or fried chicken…or fried whateva'.

Easy "Local Kine" Pickled Onions:

3/4 cup bottled water

3/4 cup white vinegar

1 1/2 medium onions quartered – but not cut all the way through

1 1/2 Tb Kosher Salt

1/4 red bell pepper cut into strips

1/2 tsp black peppercorns

A couple of chilies, garlic, etc…..

– Wash a sterilize Ball jar – Combine water, vinegar, and salt. Stir until salt dissolves – Pack Ball jar with onions, bell pepper, etc…. – Add peppercorns – Pour in pickling liquid – Cover and seal. Leave in a dark place for 1-2 days shaking occasionally – Then refrigerate for at least 5 days before eating

Prague: A little self catering and Wenceslas Square

July 5, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Cooking, Czech Republic, Markets & Grocers, Prague, Travel

We had intended on getting the the Charles Bridge from the Old Town Square but had ended up at the the Manesuv Bridge. As we headed down toward the Charles Bridge storm clouds could be seen above the Castle Quarter. Indeed, by the time we reached the very gothic Bridge Tower we could tell that it was going to start pouring. Umbrellas started opening and in a matter of a minute or two it started coming down….our little travel umbrella came in quite handy. As I started to walk toward the bridge, the Missus told me to wait, "let's go back to the apartment and save the bridge for early tomorrow morning…." So we turned around and crossed the street in front of the "Klementinum", the National Library.

We made our way down the side streets and suddenly ended up right in front of what became our major landmark and daily stop for us, the giant Tesco Department store.

After our heavy lunch, we decided to grab some head cheese, cheese, and makings for salad for dinner….and a couple of beers as well of course! The lower level of the department store houses a large supermarket with just about everything you would need.

Our apartment had a huge living and bedroom, plus a serviceable kitchen area. Our flat was on the third floor with a view of tiny Odburu Street below. We found the amount of "security" a bit over-the-top, the deadbolt on the door to the street was super heavy duty….it nearly broke your fingers to turn the key. Then, once in the building there was a security gate, which was heavy-duty, making me feel like we were headed into a super-max. The door had a knob lock, deadbolt, and alarm system. One can never be too secure I guess.

Nevertheless, the place was large, comfortable, and dealing with the folks at PVH Odburu was a joy. It was nice to be able to come back after a long day and hang out here. The location was great, not in tourist hell, but just a 15-20 minute walk from everywhere.

We've come to enjoy apartments when traveling, this one had a washer/dryer as well. Of course, we tried to take full advantage of the kitchen.

This was a nice, light, and satisfying dinner. Of course the Missus had to have Her cabbage. Later, on our return trip to Prague we found a decent specialty shop down the street with a better selection of charcuterie and cheese.

Having just been in Brussels, the beer in Prague had been a bit too "light" for our tastes. Though I bought this as sort of a novelty…..

I saw this and knowing the history just had to check it out. No, it's not who you think it is. You may think that Budweiser is an "All-American" beer, but there's been a fight over then name for 108 years. Anyway, České Budějovice (aka Budweis) is actually a city in the Czech Republic. You can imagine what an ugly trademark war has been taking place. I'm not sure you even know that Anheuser-Busch is actually owned by a Belgian Company, InBev. Well, whatever, this "Premier Select" was actually pretty good….it was in fact, the best beer we had in Prague our first time around. Light, but not "lightweight", mildly hoppy, with a sweet finish.

Dinner done, but with a good stretch of daylight still in front of us the Missus decided that She wanted to walk around a bit. The skies had cleared up a bit, so we headed out.

The Missus wanted to go back to Wenceslas Square, which is more like a boulevard that stretches from the National Museum to Na Prikope which basically borders the New Town and the Old Town.

It's a lively place, full of tourists and locals alike.

We loved the varying architecture, each building was unique, like snowflakes. Like the Art Nouveau Hotel Europa.

With all this historic architecture, it's easy to forget that "Czechoslovakia" was a Communist, single party government until 1989. From November to December of 1989, the event called the Velvet Revolution took place, with demonstrations and strikes leading to a transition from single party rule to a parliamentary republic. According to what I read, crowds of hundreds of thousands gathered here when it seemed that a new age was at hand.

It was on the balcony of Number 36 that Václav Havel and Alexander Dubček made their appearance signaling an end to single party rule.

We soon realized there's so much history here, that if/when we're back in the future, we'd look into getting a private guide and do this right.

There's a statue of Saint Wenceslas….yes it's Wenceslas I, aka "Good King Wenceslas". Which stands across the street from the National Museum, which was closed for renovation during our stay.

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Darkness started to fall as we headed back down the square. We paused to listen to the really talented guy playing what I believe is a Cimbalom. This dude was really good; he was jamming to the standard "Autumn Leaves" and doing some pretty good improvisation. The Missus thought it funny that I could recognize the music being played by street musicians and small bands.

There was one more place the Missus wanted to check out before heading back….yep, Old Town Square.

Though the crowds had thinned, there were still a good number of people milling about.

We then headed back and settled in for a nice night.

The place had great wifi, so I went ahead and did a post, and opened up the two beers I had gotten earlier at Tesco.

I really didn't care for either. Did you notice the "degree" values on the beer? No, it doesn't mean percentage of alcohol, rather, it's a percentage on the Balling Scale measuring the sugars in the wort before fermentation. There is an indirect correlation to alcohol content; a 12 degree beer will be stronger than a 10 degree beer, but the alcohol content of a 10 degree is about 3.5%.

We'd had a pretty busy day which led to a wonderful night of sleep. Which was good since the Missus had a busy day aplnned for us!

Thanks for reading!

Why duck fat rules…..

June 26, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Way back in November when I posted on our Thanksgiving Duck two people emailed me asking about rendering duck fat. So……the Missus has been craving duck and asked me to make duck confit this past weekend. We didn't have much duck fat leftover from Thanksgiving….duck fat lasts forever….even with what I had from our previous confit. So it was a perfect time to order a duck….I get a duck from Bristol Farm. I order it from the poultry guy since I don't want one of the frozen ones. He places his orders to Mary's on Fridays and Wednesdays…..I do the Wednesday order thing, it arrives on Friday, I pick up early Saturday morning, along with two extra legs. Why? Well, unless you see any four legged ducks out there…..

The process is simple…..you take Ducky….pat the poor fellow dry.

The Missus was amazed that I could break this baby down in less than 10 minutes. Actually, you know that's a lie….She would never be impressed because "it's just a duck, it's already dead, there are no feathers……..2 minutes max!"

I then trim the fat from the carcass, I follow-up by trimming the portioned legs and breast. I then cleaned up the skin and fat by taking off excess bits of meat and other "stuffs".

We are then ready to go. I slice the fat into thin strips and put into a heavy bottomed pan. I turn the heat to medium and add a half-cup of bottled or filtered water.

You may ask "water???" But yes, water. It helps to keep the skin and fat from burning during the rendering process…really!

When things start getting kind of exciting….lot's of bubbling, I turn the heat down a smidge…..

After about 35 minutes to 45 minutes you start getting something that looks like this going on.

A few minutes later you're ready to strain the whole thing. And you end up with this.

Yep, duck cracklins. I dropped a small packet off for our good friend "YY" and the rest we used as salad toppings. And heck, I just read that duck fat might be a healthy alternative to butter. Anyway, a little goes a long way…..folks have used duck fat to preserve food…as in duck confit. I used what I had in the fridge and about 2/3 of a cup of the recently rendered fat, leaving me with a cup for other stuffs.

I mean really, this duck and parts ain't cheap, like over $40…however, 2 meals from breasts, bones for soup, 4 legs confit…duck fat and cracklins…..priceless.

Trying to figure out how to do the duck breasts within the limits of the Whole 30 was interesting……

We settled on slowly searing the breasts, crisping the skin while rendering the fat, draining periodically. While the duck finished in the oven. I used some of the rendered fat to saute vegetables, some of which, like the padron peppers came from our garden, flavoring with a natural Date Vinegar with no added sugar we bought in Ghent. I then took the rest of the rendered fat from the breasts and made a sauce of sorts with the vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Oh, and you can't forget that these had been seasoned with five-spice from QingDao….after all, according to the Missus, duck is not duck without that flavor profile.

Trying to take the “die” out of diet – Cilantro Sauce

June 25, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

As we were heading on to the tail end of our trip, the Missus told me She was going to do something called the Whole 30 Program. I didn't think much of it until I read about the foods She would need to avoid for 30 days….you might recall, I do almost all the cooking in our household and would have to adhere to these rules when cooking. Basically, no sugars of any kind – real or artificial (that would include honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, coconut sugar), no alcohol even for cooking (forget about the Shaoxing in the stir fry or mirin for that matter), no legumes or beans (No soy sauce – why don't you just stab me in the heart and get it over with, no peanuts, peanut butter, all forms of soy – you need to check for lecithin), no grains of any kind (including quinoa, no starches for thickening, nothing battered, no breads, no bogus gluten free stuff), no dairy (forget the cheese, except for clarified butter and ghee), no MSG or sulfites (gotta read those labels), basically, NO FUN.

I promised the Missus I'd do a "Whole 7" in support….I'd already lost 17 pounds on my trip. I always lose weight on vacation, I even joked with Kirbie during our dinner that Villa Manila, calling our upcoming trip my annual visit to the fat farm….I can eat anything, drink anything, and I will lose weight. So if you've wondered why my posts were kind of sparse for a while that's it….along with the fact that even though I waited a whole 7 days before popping open that beer, we're still doing the Whole 30 when we eat at home….in case you've been wondering why the Missus has been absent in my restaurant posts….first thing I had…noodles….oodles of noodles.

Basically, food looks like this everyday. You know, the thought of having steak every night might sound like fun…..but I need variety….

I've been grilling a couple of nights a week….I've gotten pretty good at Weeknight grilling over the years, but man, not being able to use soy sauce, any sweeteners, and the like makes things tough and I'm having to rely on doing basic rubs. Salads are basically vinaigrettes, I guess vinegar (so long it has no sugar – you end up reading labels like crazy, and oh, malt vinegar has gluten so no bueno) is ok. This itself can get pretty old, think about sauces…..you can't really use anything you don't make yourself.

So here's one the Missus really enjoys – very simple……oh, and one of Her latest things is Avocado Oil. Sauces like this makes this diet survivable.

I've made this a couple of times and She enjoys it. Though it doesn't totally take the "die" out of diet. I'll post some other stuff I've been making at home later on.

Cilantro Sauce:

2 bunches cilantro – stems removed

1/2 cup Avocado Oil – plus more in necessary

5 cloves garlic

1/4 small onion choppped or 2-3 shallots chopped

2-3 Serrano Peppers chopped

3 Tb pepetas – toasted and crushed

juice from 2 limes

Chipotle Powder, Salt, and Pepper to taste

Water as needed

– Tear up cilantro and place in food processor, along with the garlic, serranos, onion/shallots

– Add 1/4 cup of the avocado oil and lime juice

– Turn on food processor and slowly add the rest of the avocado oil.

– If too thick you can add more oil and water as necessary

– Taste and add the pepitas, Chipotle Powder, Salt, and Pepper – pulse several times and taste again

This tastes great with grilled chicken (skin on please – since fat seems to be a virtue), burgers, and even some fish.

Porto: A visit to Vila Nova De Gaia and Croft Port Win Lodge

June 14, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Porto, Portugal, Travel

It would not have been right to spend time in Porto and not cross the Douro River and visit at least one Port Wine lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia. Port wine grapes are grown upstream in the Douro valley and come to Vila Nova de Gaia to age in the various lodges in the area. You'll see very familiar names, Sandeman, Taylor, and Kopke as you cross on over.

To get there, we walked back up to the Sé do Porto – the Cathedral and crossed over on the top level of the Dom Luis Bridge. You could just as easily walk over on the lower level, but crossing over on the "Metro level", you'll get the benefit of a very nice view.

I also enjoyed watching the metro zoom by…….

Crossing over, we got kind of turned around and a bit lost in the winding streets of Vila Nove de Gaia. When we finally made it to Taylor, they were closed for a private event. The Missus was starting to get a bit frustrated when we finally found Croft.

The rustic interior and large barrels really gave this place the "right" atmosphere.

We were going to take the tour and even bought tickets when this large noisy group of young people came in and basically took over the place. The Missus and I decided to pass on the tour, which I heard is pretty good and just had our tastings…..

I supplemented with a tasting of the 10 year old Tawny Port, which was more to my taste, not overly sweet, slightly smokey, caramelized fruitiness……

We then headed back down to the waterfromt, which was much more relaxed than Porto, though I've got say, Porto is fairly relaxed as a whole.

On a bright sunny day like this one; you got some postcard worthy views…..

We decided to head back to the apartment. We took the lower level of the bridge…..

And within minutes were back at the apartment. It had been a pretty long day; starting with checking out Avenida dos Aliados, Imperial McDonald's and breakfast. Moving on to Mercaod do Bolhao, Clérigos Church and Tower and lunch at Antunes. Ending with our visit to Vila Nova de Gaia. We decided on staying in for dinner…..

I'd really taken to the dense, dark, bread called Broa de Avintes and we had found some at a local bakery.

Meal complete, we took our usual after dinner stroll……

Walking along the Ribeira (riverfront), I saw a place selling a variety of Francesinha…..there's just something wrong about having a veggie or tofu version of this calorie bomb of a sandwich, don't you think?

I was mentally trying to determine if I had enough room in my belly for one of these, when the Missus read my mind and said, "there's no way I'm going to let you have another one of those sandwiches". Which was probably a correct decision…….still, I was sorely tempted.

White (Ivory) King Salmon

June 12, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes, Seafood

It's been good getting back into the old routine here after our trip. That of course, would mean my weekly trip to Catalina Offshore…..and of course, running into Tommy Gomes. This time around, Tommy asked me if I'd ever cooked White King Salmon…..heck, wasn't that really expensive stuff; like what Alain Ducasse and Daniel Boulud are serving at pretty hefty prices? And I have a chance at it? A nice center cut piece to be exact…. Tommy, did you miss me??? I'd never cooked this product before and I asked Tommy what the difference was between this and regular wild king salmon. His response, "it's different, kind of hard to put a finger on it, the mouthfeel is definitely different, give it a try…." Which is precisely what I did.

I'm sure you're wondering what this looked like, right?

Ever see salmon that looked like this?

Yes, this is King Salmon, the same species as your run of the mill Onchorhynchus tshawytscha, also known as Chinook Salmon. What causes the lack of pigmentation? Apparently a genetic mutation that causes an inability to metabolize astaxanthin. According to the Alsakan Department of Fish and Game, "research has shown the white kings and the red-fleshed kings are identical in composition of lipids, moisture, protein and omega -3 fatty acids". Different sources state that this mutation occurs in anywhere from 1% to 5% of the population. White King Salmon used to be destined for canning or the smokehouse; but perhaps, like Patagonian Toothfish, aka Chilean Sea Bass a name change from White King Salmon to Ivory King Salmon brought about a larger demand?

Bottom line, does the taste and texture any different from regular wild King Salmon? Some say yes, but the described differences are all over the board and contradicting. Some say no.

So here's the drill; I first went with a simple pan saute, with a quick dill infused olive oil to finish and some stir-fried vegetables.

Wow, this was good, to us it was quite different from the usual King Salmon we get. It's not quite oilier, but somehow richer, reminding us of King Clip in the way it flaked. The flavor was quite a bit milder and the typical salmon flavor was a bit more faint, it also seemed to have a slightly sweeter finish. This was outstanding fish…….

So, the Missus decided that I should figure out a way to crust this, adding pepitos to the whole thing. Easy to say from where She sits when I gotta make this stuff! Anyway, toasted and coarsely ground the pumpkin seeds. Panned seared the simply seasoned salmon; added a smear of dill mustard as "glue" to hold the pepito crust, finish in a hot oven………holy smokes……

This was my favorite preparation; it had it all, great texture (man that skin had gotten a texture like chicharron), the combination of nuttiness, dill, and mustard did really well, not interfering with the flavor of the salmon. In fact, it just seemed to add the correct instruments to the band.

Of course I had to come up with a different version for our next meal. The Missus wanted something really tender and steamed. I had to grill off some other items for Her, so I went with a version of en Papillote on the grill. My usual M.O. for this would be to add some wine for moisture and flavor….unfortunately, the current diet the Missus is on allows no alcohol of any kind, to drink or cook. So I went with a few slices of lemon on top, a healthy squeeze of lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of Grieben Schmalz.

After 20 minutes, the Missus had Her favorite preparation. This was nice, everybody brought something to the party; the schmalz laced with caramelized onions added some nice sweetness along with the thin sliced zucchini, the tomatoes and lemon juice a nice contrasting acid, the onions a mild sweet pungency….the schmalz and juices from the fish had rendered over the vegetables.

Simpler is often better, as is the case when using salmon belly. I saved that cut to have with a nice salad, salt, pepper, and the Big Kahuna raging.

Melt in your mouth salmon belly…..a nice final dish.

So, if you skipped to the end here and want to know what we think; I'd say buy it if it's fresh…..if I don't get to it first!

Midweek Meanderings: Don Diego’s becoming Balboa Taphouse, how does our garden grow, and other “hot” stuff

June 4, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking

It's great to be home, though I'm still kinda "fuzzy"…..when I was younger there was no such thing as jet lag…but now…..

Anyway, here's a couple of things for hump day.

Don Diego's becoming Balboa Taphouse:

The day after returning from our trip, I headed off to Sprout's to restock some veggies and other stuff. The Missus has got me on this "diet" thing….more on that later. Anyway, I noticed the sign on what used to be Don Diego's was gone, so I walked up and took a look. Seems like this pseudo, gringo taco shop is going to be something called Balboa Taphouse. It probably a better fit for the folks who have the lease on this spot; they also own Jimbo's Liquor next door.

4421 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

So how does our garden grow?:

The Missus deemed last year's garden a success, so we went kind of full bore this year, planting earlier, and in greater quantity and variety. Da' Boyz favorite uncle took good care of them and the plants when we were gone….

It seems that I might not have a black thumb after all. Of course, it's all about peppers for me. This year, in addition to Ghost Peppers , shishitos, and serranos, I've got a ton of Padrons, some red habanero, and…..a couple of Moruga Scorpion plants as well.

In addition to the usual cucumber, squash, zucchini, kale, and chard, the Missus wanted okra and corn….corn!

Never would I ever have thought we'd be growing corn in the back yard…….

Our current favorite seasoning – The Spice Lab Ghost Pepper Infused Salt:

Speaking of Ghost Peppers…….my good buddy Candice gave me this as a gift a couple of weeks ago.

So how do we like it? If you check out the bottle, you'll notice that it's almost gone…… It's a wonderful seasoning for grilled meats. It's mildly spicy, no big deal really, and goes really well with any seasoning containing cumin, chili, garlic, or smokey flavors……

The beef flap here is seasoned with the ghost pepper salt, sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, cumin, Mexican Oregano, granulated garlic, ground coriander, and ground chipotle. The grilled wings; ghost pepper salt, Himalyan pink salt, fresh ground black pepper, paprika, cumin, Mexican oregano, granulated garlic, ground ancho chili, and ground chipotle.

I gotta restock on this stuff soon……

Thanks Candice!

I hope you're having a great week!