Pacific Northwest Salmon Chowder and Gluten-free Muffins

I think one of the highest compliments you can give someone about their cooking is asking for their recipe. We had some friends to dinner the other night and they raved about this chowder. In this case, as with most of my cooking, I'm simply the lucky one who found this recipe. The muffins are reminiscent of cornbread and really, cornbread would be excellent with the chowder. We enjoyed the simplicity of the muffins with apricot jam. Following, by request, are recipes for both. The salmon chowder is another delicious find in The Joy of Cooking.

Pacific Northwest Salmon Chowder

1 cup heavy cream

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
2 medium leeks (white part only), cleaned thoroughly and chopped
1/4 cup dry vermouth (I used more vegetable broth; a little lemon juice or some kind of fruit juice would be a recommended substitution as well)
1 clove garlic, minced

3 cups fish stock, fish fumet, or fish broth (I used vegetable broth and added a few dashes of fish sauce)
2 red or white potatoes, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 salmon fillet (about 12 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon ground black or white pepper

small dill sprigs (optional for serving)

In a small saucepan, simmer the cream over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally, until reduced to 2/3 cup.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add leeks, dry vermouth or stock, and garlic and cook until leeks are tender but not browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
Stir in fish stock, diced potatoes, and salt.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the potatoes are cooked, 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the reduced cream along with the salmon and pepper.
Simmer just until the salmon is cooked, 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Gently break apart the fillet with a wooden spoon. Serve immediately, garnished with dill sprigs.
Serves four.
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These muffins are really easy to throw together, and can be used as a base for many kinds of muffins. We owe this one to Betty Hagman, the gluten-free gourmet herself (The Gluten-free Gourmet Revised edition)

Quick and Easy Muffins

¼ cup sugar
2 Tablespoons butter
2 eggs

1 cup rice flour, or 1/2 cup rice flour, 1/2 cup sorghum flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder

½ cup milk or nondairy liquid (juice is good)

¼ teaspoon vanilla

Grease 8 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin cups.
In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar and butter.
Beat in the eggs.
Sift together the flour, salt, xanthan gum, and baking powder and add to the egg mixture alternately with the milk. Don’t overbeat. Stir in the vanilla.
Pour into muffin cups. Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes.

Variations
Blueberry Muffins: add 1 to 1½ Tablespoons fresh or frozen blueberries
Cranberry Muffins: add 1 to 1½ Tablespoons fresh or frozen cranberries
Raspberry Muffins: add 1 to 1½ Tablespoons fresh or frozen raspberries
Lemon Poppy seed Muffins: 1 Tablespoon lemon zest and 1½ Tablespoons poppy seeds
Coconut: add 1 to 1 1/2 Tablespoons coconut

Easy Incredible Eggs

Eggs are magical. Really. They have such power and only use it for good--they bind, smooth, fluff, soften. AND they taste pretty good on their own, especially in the recipes below.
Eggs for dinner are so fast and easy--and they don't have to be part of a breakfast combo plate. Maybe I'm behind, but I didn't know that. These recipes could make you a believer too.



photo by sir chalky

Southwestern Eggs

2-16-ounce jars salsa
8 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 avocado, diced (optional but so good!)
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
1/4 cup cilantro leaves (optional)
8 ounces tortilla chips

Pour the salsa into a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cover and heat until warmed through.

Break 1 egg into a small dish and slide it gently into the salsa. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Season with the salt and pepper. Cover and cook to the desired doneness.

Divide the eggs and salsa among individual plates. Top with the avocado, sour cream, and cilantro and serve with the chips.

Makes 4 servings
recipe from Real Simple magazine; find it online here.
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Lynne Rossetto Kasper of "Splendid Table" shared this recipe by Sally Swift from their book The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show in one of her weekly newsletters. I highly recommend the newsletter--thanks Whitney! More info here.
The rest of these notes come directly from her newsletter.

Crispy Tortilla Eggs with Avocado and Lime

The recipe for this dish, at its most primal, begs for variations, so follow your heart: add shrimp, roasted chiles, olives, fresh herbs - you get the idea.

• 3 tablespoons good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed
• 4 stale corn tortillas, cut into long narrow strips
• 2 tablespoons chopped mild onion
• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup good-quality salsa
• 1/3 cup crumbled mild cheese, such as Monterey Jack or Brick*
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 lime, halved
• 1/4 cup Mexican crema, sour cream, or plain whole-milk yogurt (optional)

1. Film a large saute pan with the olive oil, and heat over medium-high heat until the oil looks wavy. Add the tortilla strips and fry until they are beginning to crisp, about 1 minute. Don't move them around too much; let them crisp on one side and then turn them.

2. Add the chopped onion and continue frying until the tortilla strips are crispy and nicely browned. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and spoon off any extra fat, reserving 1 tablespoon in the pan.

3. Return the pan to the burner, reducing the heat to medium. Move the majority of the strips to the edge of the pan, leaving about 3 inches clear in the center. Pour the eggs in the center and partially over the strips. Allow the eggs to set, and then gently pull them apart, letting the uncooked egg reach the surface of the pan. Once the eggs are firmly set, turn them in large pieces to finish cooking.

4. Serve with the salsa, cheese, slices of avocado, a squeeze of lime, and if you wish, the crema or sour cream.

Makes 4 servings.

LYNNE'S TIPS

Look for organic sprouted-corn tortillas in your supermarket freezer case. They are toothy and rustic and very delicious. We like the Food for Life brand out of Corona, California (www.foodforlife.com).

A nonstick pan works well here. If you are using a conventional pan, be generous with the oil.

*Brick is a semi-soft, cow's milk cheese that melts into a smooth, gooey wonderfulness. It's the one to pick for grilled cheese sandwiches and burgers, quesadillas, stratas, and all kinds of egg dishes.

Homemade Applesauce, Pear Sauce

My favorite part of the gluten-free diet: we can always say yes to fruits and vegetables! And keeping foods in their most basic element can be both tasty and rewarding. This is the most basic recipe for applesauce, but the results are so delicious. Sweet apples make a sweeter sauce, obviously, and the sweeter the apple the less inclined you'll feel to add any sugar. This is a great first food for baby, but be sure to make extra because other members of the family will probably want some too.

Applesauce, Pear Sauce

2 medium apples or pears (sweet, ripe)
2 Tablespoons water or unsweetened apple juice

Peel fruit and chop the apple or pear into small, even-size pieces. Put the fruit into a heavy-bottomed saucepan with the water, cover, and cook over low heat until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes for apples, 4 minutes for pears.
Blend the fruit to a smooth puree using some of the cooking liquid. This is delicious warm or cold.

Butternut Squash Soup

Image from flickr.com

Here is a classic recipe for squash soup where the vegetable is the main event. The Joy says you can make this soup with any winter squash, but of course, butternut is the classic.
Also, a word about leeks. Leeks look like giant green onions (scallions), and are "an ancient member of the onion family," but they are milder and sweeter than any of their relatives. They are in season from fall to spring, the soup season, really, and they are so lovely in soups. Look for bunches with leeks the same size, preferably small, with bright crisp leaves.
And a word about ginger. If you don't have fresh ginger, you can use powdered, but know that it is much hotter and should be added slowly. Preparing fresh ginger is a refreshing experience and I think everyone should try it at least once.

There are so many butternut squash soup--anyone else have a favorite to share?

Butternut Squash Soup

1 medium to large butternut squash (about 3-1/2 pounds), halved and seeded

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter or vegetable oil
2 large leeks (white part only), cleaned thoroughly and chopped
4 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups more chicken or vegetable stock
1-1/2 teaspoons salt

chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
croutons
toasted squash seeds (optional)*

Preheat oven to 400.
Place cut squash cut side down on an oiled baking sheet and bake until squash can be easily pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Let cool, then scoop the pulp from the squash skin and discard the skin.
Melt or heat butter or oil in a soup pot, over medium-low heat. Add leeks and ginger and cook, stirring, until tender but not browned.
Stir in the squash along with the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring and breaking up the squash with a spoon, 20 minutes.
Puree in a blender or using a stick blender (be careful, it's hot!) Return to the pot and stir in 2 additional cups stock and salt.
Heat through and serve immediately, garnishing with fresh herbs and croutons and seeds, as desired.
To toast squash seeds: rinse and dry the seeds, toss them in 1-1/2 teaspoons oil to lightly coat, and bake them along with the squash, until browned, reserve to serve with soup.

Waxing Nostalgic About What I Eat

I eat so much food now compared to five years ago. I blame my expanded palate on marrying my husband, graduating college, staying home and having time to cook, two pregnancies, and two babies. The other day I tried to remember what I ate before I married Brad and all I could think of:
chicken
all kinds of pasta, usually whole wheat
fresh parmesan
cheddar
eggs
minute rice
bananas
sandwiches
luna bars
kashi cereal
cheerios
cheese toast
smoothies
hawaii's own frozen juice concentrate
yoplait yogurt
annie macaroni and cheese
milk

If you ask me what I ate before my freshman year of college, I really can't tell you. My mom did her best, but I was so picky and we often didn't like the same things. My freshman year I started checking out health food stores and fresher options thanks to my roommates. Brad has introduced me to even more foods, which sounds counterintuitive when there are so many foods he can't eat. But the world is so much bigger than bread and noodles.
Here are some of the foods I have tried (or prepared for the first time on my own) and come to like since I got married. The ones marked with * I now buy on a regular basis.

limes*
lemons*
cream*
plain yoghurt*
cinnamon life
cilantro*
black beans*
chickpeas*
kidney beans
pinto beans*
refried beans*
bamboo shoots*
coconut milk*
pork chops*
pork loin roast*
seven-bone beef roast
ground turkey
mission chips*
dubliner cheese
goat cheese
feta
eggplant
pomegranate
rhubarb
parsnips
blueberries
sour cream
yellow squash
basil
nutella
dried beans
tangerine
munster cheese
ginger*
shallots
leeks
salmon
steak
figs
fava beans
edamame

applesauce and pear sauce from scratch
pizza from scratch
frosting from scratch
cream puffs from scratch
roasted turkey
cranberry mustard relish
omelet
homemade corn tortillas
thai curry
pesto from scratch
chicken tikka and tikka masala from scratch
butternut squash soup from scratch
tomato soup from scratch
muffins from scratch
carrot cake from scratch
pancakes from scratch
lemon pancakes from scratch
bread from scratch
crepes from scratch
brownies from scratch
cheesecake from scratch

Here's to finding even more delicious foods in the future. I'm just getting started.

Sane Menu Planning

What's for dinner? Some nights when six o'clock rolls around and I still don't know what we'll eat. Cooking dinner every night can be a real challenge, with added challenges of making something interesting/healthy/relatively simple/with leftovers for lunch/budget-friendly/gluten-free or whatever diet or taste restrictions apply. I have a love-hate relationship with cooking, and we go through cycles accordingly and to the extremes. Either nothing sounds good (I'm not motivated to cook if I'm not hungry) or everything sounds good (produce overflows the drawers in the fridge and spoils before it gets used); I can only find gourmet recipes that sound good but cannot justify buying pomegranate molasses; I get on a single-recipe kick and everything starts to taste the same (summer of 2008, aka the Summer of Curry). With a little thought and organization, I start to love cooking again, and it seems to love me. My sister-in-law Whitney inspired and reminded me of a couple great ways to organize dinner.

image from dailymail.uk.co

First, plan ahead: come up with a menu and shopping list for at least two weeks. This saves money and time. You don't have to be too rigid with specific days--sometimes Wednesday's dinner works better on Thursday--but no matter what I know I have the ingredients I need for the next few meals.

Second, cook with the seasons. It's cheaper, the food is better because it's at its peak, and it builds variety into your menu. It's also a great way to discover foods that might be new to you, and if you're like me, if something like a parsnip is new to you, it becomes rather exciting. (That's right, parsnips. Really. And leeks. Mmm.)


image from curbly.com

Third, come up with a formula. Whitney sets goals for the two weeks of meals, and her formula looks something like this:
at least 1 new recipe
2 crockpot recipes
1 vegetarian entree

Sometimes I struggle with variety and budget, and some foods are good to eat but only in moderation, about once a week. So my formula for 1 week looks more like this:

1 red meat recipe
1 fish recipe
1 vegetarian recipe
1 soup recipe (especially in the winter)
1 crockpot recipe

Breaking up planning like this really helps with the planning--first I put in the formula items, then fill in the rest of the blanks with whatever (enter the chicken! and rice!)

Now I want to know--how do you plan dinner for your family? Do you have any tricks that help you put dinner on the table?

Corn Chowder

I was reading a friend's blog and she said she's been craving corn chowder. This was a couple weeks back and I don't know if corn chowder still sounds good or if she found a good recipe. No matter what, it gave me a push to post a new entry, so thanks B! And if you still need it, hope this helps.
Corn Chowder, like most soups, is very flexible. I've tried a few recipes and really have liked them all. The key ingredients for corn chowder at our house:

corn (fresh would be good but frozen is great and easy)
bacon
onions
garlic
jalapeno or green chiles (we really like spicy food, so we use either 1 fresh and chopped or a 7 oz can of diced chiles)
milk

Other bits we like to throw in the pot:

diced potato
bites of chicken
cheddar

Following are two variations on corn chowder. You can mess around with most of the ingredients, especially if you want to keep it lower (or higher) in fat. We like to use bacon for flavor and will also add chicken and potaoes to make it more hearty. The main things to remember that will make the chowder tasty:

browned meat (either chicken, bacon, or both) or sauteed onions and garlic give a nice flavor boost
milk or half and half as the liquid base for creaminess
salt or bouillon or stock to bring out the sweet flavor of the corn

Chicken Corn Chowder
about 30 minutes
1.5 lbs chicken
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 or 2 cloves garlic
3 Tablespoons butter
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup hot water
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cumin
2 cups milk or half and half (or a mix of both)
2 cups monterey jack cheese (cheddar works too)
1 can cream corn
1 can green chilies

Brown the chicken with the onion, garlic, and butter in a medium saucepan. Dissolve bouillon in hot water and add to the saucepan, along with the cumin and milk. Reduce heat and cover for five minutes. Add cheese, cream corn, and chilies. Warm until cheese is melted. Serve hot.
this recipe comes from Brad's mission in Texas.

Fresh Corn Chowder
about 45 minutes
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 medium celery stalks, diced
6 small ears of corn, about 2 to 3 cups (frozen works too)
4 1/2 cups milk
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

Place bacon in a soup pot and cook, stirring, over medium heat-low heat until it release all of its fat and is beginning to crisp (10 to 15 minutes).
Leave bacon in the pan and spoon out all but about 2 Tablespoons. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring, until tender and slightly browned (10 to 15 minutes).
Remove kernels from cobs, if using fresh; reserve kernels.
Add cobs, milk, and potatoes to the pot. Push the cobs int the milk to fully submerge them. Reduce the heat and cover, until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the cobs.
Stir in reserved corn kernels along with salt and pepper.
Simmer gently until the corn is tender, about 5 minutes. Wiht a slotted spoon, remove 1 1/2 cups solids from the soup and puree until smooth. Return to the soup and add the butter.
Let stand until the butter is melted, then stir. Ladle into warm bowls.