The Humble Kitchen

People seem intimidated cooking a whole fish but it really couldn’t be easier. I had this lovely wild sockeye salmon, headless, but you can’t have everything. Flipping through a Jamie Oliver book I saw a recipe for Roast Salmon with fennel, parsley and tomato. Having no fennel I substituted some thinly sliced onion.

Thinly slice lemons, onion (or fennel) and chop tomatoes.

Mix with chopped parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Season fish and rub with olive oil. Stuff with tomato mixture. Bake at 400º until just cooked, anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the fish.

Serve with roast potatoes.

And something green, like asparagus.

With the leftover salmon I made another Jamie Oliver recipe, fish cakes.

Leftover salmon, boiled potatoes, lemon, parsley, eggs, salt and lots of pepper.

Formed into fish cakes, ready to cook or freeze for later.

Delicious.

-Jennifer

Thanks to Sarah for taking the roasted salmon photos.

I ran across this recipe on the Gourmet website. The only problem with the recipe is it only makes about 22 of these luscious little dumplings. I have doubled the recipe so I can stash some in the freezer for later. My daughter and I sit in front of the TV and set up a dumpling factory. The only real challenge is keeping the cat away, Muenster is her favorite cheese.

For the dumplings:

To serve:

• sour cream
• chives

Melt butter in heavy pan, add onions and a good pinch of salt. Cover and cook over a medium flame for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once onions are softened, uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Onions should be soft and nicely browned.

Meanwhile cover the diced potatoes with water and a good amount of salt, and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly and mash. Stir in onions and grated cheese.

Place a rounded teaspoon of the filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Brush edges with water and fold in half to seal. Make sure to squeeze out any air pockets. Keep going ’till you’ve used up all your wrappers and/or filling.

To cook, heat oil in a non stick saute pan over medium/high heat. Place dumplings on their side in a single layer. Cook for a few minutes until nicely browned. Flip dumplings over, add 1/3 cup water and cover immediately. Cook about 5 minutes until water has evaporated and dumplings are warmed through. If any water is left in the pan, cook uncovered until it had evaporated and the dumplings have browned on the other side.

Serve with sour cream and some snipped chives.

To freeze remaining dumplings, lay out in a single layer on a sheet pan and freeze until hardened, then transfer to a plastic bag. You can cook them the same way you would the fresh dumplings.

-Jennifer

Our chicken Honey. Ariel takes the greatest pictures.

-Jennifer

My daughter and I spent a fabulous week in Chicago visiting my brother and sister in law. Chicago is an amazing city with so many great restaurants, this is just a taste.

A Rick Bayless restaurant is always on the agenda when in Chicago. This time we tried his new place, XOCO.

My brother, and my daughter trying the jamaica- lemonade agua fresca.

Chicken torta: Wood-roasted red chile chicken, pickled white onion, black beans, avocado, tomatillo salsa

Milanesa: Crispy chicken, black beans, artisan Jack cheese, pickled jalapenos, tomatillo-avocado salsa.

Wednesday Special - Pork Belly torta: Dark salsa negra glaze, bacon, arugula, queso anejo

Best churros ever.

Chicago is known for hot dogs, but for the hard core hot dog enthusiast, be sure to visit Hot Doug’s! The Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium.

Go on Friday or Saturday when they do duck fat fries.

There are no two finer words in the English language than “encased meats,” my friend. Except maybe Cemitas Puebla. Oh wait that’s Spanish.

The owner will greet you at the door, seat you, give you a menu, and even pose for a picture.

So many to choose from, this cemita is filled with Arabes, a sort of Mexican Shwarma.

We had a great trip to the French Market. We sampled tasty things at Saigon Sisters, Frietkoten Belgian fries & beer, and Vanille.

The Saigon Sisters Classic Bánh mi, Vietnamese pork, American ham, French paté.

The Hen House-caramelized chicken, lemongrass, ginger, mint, lime, crushed peanuts.

The Porky at Saigon Sisters. braised pork belly, pho flavors, hoison glaze. You can see how good it was.

Belgian fries are the best fries you'll ever have.

So many dipping sauces for the frites to try. We opted for the truffled mayo.

Pain au chocolat from Vanille.

A weekend trip to Milwaukee took us to a great old bookstore, Renaissance Books. It’s not really a culinary adventure, but it is an adventure.

The Comet Cafe is the only place I know to get a compact turkey dinner. It’s so good I have recreated it at home out of desperation, but it’s more fun to go to Milwaukee and have it made for you.

The compact turkey dinner.

Bacony meat loaf with beer gravy.

Brew City Hot Brown. Open face turkey on rye with mashed potatoes, bacon, tomato, Swiss cheese and beer gravy.

Spicy seasoned fries with fresh cucumber sauce.

On the way back to Chicago, a quick stop at Leon’s, which inspired Happy Days.

A stop at Leon's for tin roof sundaes and extra malty chocolate malts.

My daughter’s favorite, after sweet potato fries, are chipotle fries at Al’s beef.

Spicy chipotle fries.

Om nom nom.

We treated ourselves to the Chicago classic Rainbow Cone!

Orange sherbet, pistachio, vanilla with walnut & cherry, strawberry, and finally chocolate make up the rainbow cone's famous layers.

I’ve saved the best for last. My 40th birthday dinner at The Publican.

The Publican has these great booths with doors, not unlike little pig pens. Here are my brother and his wife in our little pen.

A trio of aged ham served with Nordic creamery goat butter and peasant bread

Beets with ricotta.

Broccoli with bread crumbs and garlic confit.

Smoked salmon salad.

Bollito Misto—cotechino sausage, smoked turkey & pork confit.

Waffle with honey butter & sour cherries.

A fantastic trip spent with loved ones, in a great city, full of good food and beautiful architecture.

-Jennifer

We had a great visit with family outside of Chicago, in Batavia. While looking through photographs I found this ad for our great grandfather’s butcher shop.

Great Grandfather.

-Jennifer

Last time Sarah came to visit we made this flourless chocolate cake that I’d seen Jacques Pepin prepare on the PBS show Julia and Jacques. It intrigued me because I’d never seen a cake made with ganache and egg whites, and also because the recipe requires no flour. This is the sort of cake that the French would make into a bûche de Noël, but the batter can also go into ramekins for little chocolate soufflés.

You’ll need a half sheet pan (or a 11 x 17 jelly roll pan) and the following ingredients:

For the soufflé

1 cup heavy cream

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces

7 egg whites, at room temperature

2 Tbs granulated sugar

For the filling

1 cup heavy cream, well chilled

½ tsp vanilla

1½ Tbs granulated sugar (optional)

1 Tbs cognac (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350º and line the pan with buttered parchment.

To make the soufflé, heat one cup of cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add the chocolate pieces, lower the heat and whisk to melt the chocolate thoroughly. Once smooth and well combined, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Whip the egg whites and 2 tablespoons of sugar until they have formed stiff peaks with a glossy sheen.

Scoop about a quarter of the beaten egg whites into the pan with the ganache, and whisk to combine. Now pour the lightened ganache into the egg whites and use a rubber spatula to gently fold the mixture. Do not over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer.

Place the pan in the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. When done the cake should be set and puffy. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack until room temperature.

Once the cake is cool make your whipped cream.

Lift the parchment lined cake from the pan, long side facing you. The recipe says to dust the cake with cocoa powder at this point, but honestly we forgot, and it was still good.

Lift cake, still on the parchment,  out of the pan.

Spread on whipped cream.

Start to roll.

Lift up the near edge of the cake and parchment and start to fold it away from you. Begin to peel the parchment off the cake. Roll another few inches, pressing the parchment to make a tight spiral.

Keep rolling.

Keep it snug.

The cake should still be sitting on the parchment paper, and at this point you can wrap the parchment around it and either transfer it to a platter to serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Trim the edges.

Enjoy.

-Jennifer (and Sarah)

We’ve been making this for years. My mom saw Geoffrey Holder make this on a morning show, in the ’80s I think. I’m sure we’ve messed with it over the years, but it remains a quick and delicious dinner. Quantity is not so important, use as much or as little of each ingredient as you like, just don’t skimp on the lemon juice and butter, that’s what makes the luscious sauce.

Onion, sliced in thin rounds
Snapper or cod filets
Tomatoes, sliced
Green onion, cut into thin strips
Farmer’s cheese, or other mild cheese, sliced
Butter
Hot sauce, such as Frank’s or Tabasco
Lemons
Basil
Salt and Pepper

In an appropriately sized wide pan, layer the ingredients. I like to put the onions down first, then the fish, seasoning with salt and pepper as I go. Sometimes I put very thin slices of lemon on top of the fish, because I love that intense lemon flavor. Continue on with the tomatoes, green onion, sliced cheese, hot sauce, and torn basil. Place bits of butter strategically around the pan, and squeeze a lemon over the whole thing. Turn on the heat to medium high and in a few minutes it will all start simmering and melting. Once the sauce is bubbling and the fish is almost cooked through (it’s easy enough to stick a knife in here and there and have a look) place the lid on for a few minutes so the cheese melts completely. Once it’s melty sprinkle on some more basil, serve over steamed jasmine rice with something green on the side. The rice absorbs all the lemony buttery sauce. A good crusty slice of baguette does a good job of it, as well.

-Jennifer

My daughter requested Sloppy Joes for dinner last night and I was happy to oblige because it’s one of those recipes you can get some veg into without any complaint. I briefly considered the addition of mushrooms, but she can smell a mushroom a mile away, so I thought I’d better not push it. I like to use Muir Glen tomato paste and sauce, and Heinz organic ketchup. When it comes to beef, Niman Ranch is my standard, but any grass fed will do.

2 Tblsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 zucchini, diced

6 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup tomato paste

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

¾ cup ketchup

3 Tblsp apple cider vinegar

⅓ cup brown sugar

3 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce

2 lbs ground beef

8 bakery burger buns

Heat a large skillet over med-high heat, once hot add olive oil. Add chopped onion, celery and carrot and stir to combine. Cook for a few minutes, stirring a bit here and there until everything starts to soften. Add zucchini and garlic, stirring to keep garlic from burning. Now add the tomato paste, press it into the veg and mix it all in together. Pour in the tomato sauce and ketchup and stir well. Add apple cider vinegar, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Reduce heat and let simmer until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally. Twenty minutes will do but up to an hour will make it that much thicker and richer.

Meanwhile heat a large skillet over high heat. Salt and pepper the ground beef well and throw it in the hot pan. Break it up with a wooden spoon, keep stirring and breaking it up until it’s no longer pink. (If the meat gives off a lot of grease, pour it off, but this doesn’t seem to happen with grass fed beef.)

When the sauce is reduced and thickened add salt and pepper to taste. If you feel it needs more vinegar or brown sugar, add a tablespoon, stir and taste again. Once it’s to your liking, combine with the meat and cook for just a moment to make sure it’s nice and hot. Toast your buns and dig in.

I served these with a green salad with lemon juice, balsamic and olive oil dressing, and some cut up fruit. Oh, and some good crunchy potato chips, Tim’s are my favorite.

-Jennifer

I went back to the farmer’s market, back to the place where I got the brisket to make pastrami last month. This time I got a chuck roast, primarily because it was affordable. I had no idea what I was going to do with it, so once I got home I started flipping through cookbooks. After finding a few possibilities I settle on Northern Style Shredded Beef with Tomatoes from Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless. I doubled his quantities, and used Fresno chiles instead of the spicier Jalapeños or Serranos. Feel free to halve this recipe, and to use whichever chile you prefer.

2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes

2 tsp. kosher salt

2 medium onions

6 cloves garlic, peeled

¼ cup lard or vegetable oil

4 ripe medium sized tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped, OR one 29 oz. can tomatoes, drained and chopped

4 green onions, root ends removed and chopped in ¼ inch pieces

Fresh Fresno chiles to taste, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped

Kosher salt, about a teaspoon

Place cubed beef, one halved onion and 2 cloves of garlic in a heavy dutch oven, cover with cold water and add 2 tsp. kosher salt . Place on high heat until water starts to boil then reduce to a gentle simmer. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface.  Partially cover and simmer gently for about an hour, until meat is very tender. Ideally the meat should cool in the broth and sit overnight in the fridge. If you don’t have time, just skip that step and allow the meat to cool enough to handle. Strain and reserve the liquid, skimming off excess fat. Finely shred the meat, discarding any gristle or fat  (or feed it to your cats/dogs/chickens) and dry it on paper towels.

Dice the remaining onion and garlic. Heat a heavy skillet over medium high heat then add the lard or oil. Once hot add onions and shredded beef and stir frequently for 8 to 10 minutes, until well browned. This is a crucial step in developing intense flavors, don’t rush through it. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic, green onions, tomatoes, and chiles. Stir frequently for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes have softened. Deglaze your pan with about one cup of the reserved broth, and simmer until the liquid is evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Meltingly soft, intensely beefy, this filling is good with corn or flour tortillas. It hardly needs any accompaniment, but you could certainly add shredded lettuce, lime wedges, cilantro, a little salsa, whatever sounds good. So delicious, I can’t wait to make it again.

-Jennifer

P.S. I picked up a trick watching Jacques Pépin. When you need to peel tomatoes, or anything you’d normally have to blanch first, simply use a serrated peeler, and the skin comes off quite easily.

Also a friend of mine told me to save the root ends of green onions and stick them in the ground, and they will grow again. Sure enough it works. A constant supply of green onions at your fingertips.

I can’t help but be reminded of that wonderful and short lived tv show Pushing Daisies. It was an ideal blend of fantasy, word play and pie. I am reminded of it because I have a fridge full of cheese, just like the former synchronized swimming aunts of Chuck, who referred to the fridge as a cheese box.

So what does one do with all those oddly shaped remains of cheese? The dried up ends and fuzzy bits, the mystery cheese whose label is long gone, the warehouse store buy that seemed too good to pass up despite the fact that you have no use for a block of cheese the size of your head. Look no further. Here is your answer.

• 1 pound of various leftover cheeses
• ¼-½ cup dry white wine or vegetable broth, or a combination of both
• 1 clove garlic, or more to taste
• handful of parsley (optional)
• freshly ground black pepper

Assemble your cheese. Just about any cheese will do. Here I’ve used Fontina, Gruyere, Manchego, Monterey Jack, Chévre, and Gouda, because that is what was in my cheese box. Once you’ve trimmed all the scary bits off that cheese, you must leave it at room temperature to soften up a bit. If you’re using hard cheese it’s best to grate it, or at least cut it into a fine dice. Softer cheeses can be rough chopped. In a food processor finely mince the garlic. Place your cheese in and pulse a few times to mix. Add the torn parsley and a few grindings of pepper and pulse again.

Now pour in about ¼ cup of your wine or stock. Pulse a few times and add more if the mixture seems too dry. What you want is a chunky yet creamy mixture. Be careful not to over mix, you don’t want a paste. Taste and if it seems lacking in salt you can add a pinch, but most likely you won’t need any.



Place into the vessel of your choosing and refrigerate. It will taste better once it’s had some time to mellow. Eat it with crackers, apple slices, crusty bread. Put it on some toast under the broiler for a moment until warm and oozing. Deliciously frugal.

-Jennifer