Backyard Recipe: Fresh Corn and Red Pepper Salad

I have no hostility to nature, but a child's love to it. I expand and live in the warm day like corn and melons. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fresh and tasty.

Here’s another recipe to help you enjoy your company rather than your kitchen when having a backyard gathering. Hopefully the weather will be stellar on the weekends for the majority of the summer like it was this past one. (As if that’s going to happen… we live and hope.)

Did you know there’s a reason we seem to have so many rainy weekends on the eastern seaboard of North America? We all complain about the weather, but in our case our complaints are true.

Boil corn for only 5 minutes. Photo: mafleen, Flickr ccl

The “exhaust” from all of the industry in southern and central USA and Quebec/Ontario in Canada follow two paths; in the US it comes up the coast, in Canada it comes across the continent. An entire week’s worth of pollutants meet over what area? The northeastern American States and Atlantic Canada.

We are literally the tailpipe of the continent. This is scientific fact. I have personally seen the results of studies published by the Government of Nova Scotia. I laid out the publication about 10 years ago as part of my job as a graphic designer.

What does this mean for rain? Two things. The first is that the exhausted moisture caught up in the cloud cover becomes so heavy by the end of the week it has to fall (as rain). The second is that all the pollutants in that moisture fall over us as well. One result is what is called “acid rain” that has so decimated our local rivers and lakes.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s my uncle, working for the Federal government, conducted studies on the effect of liming to potentially reduce the detrimental impacts of acid rain on our salmon populations. Currently the salmon in our rivers are significantly less than in the 1970s. We only have a small fraction of salmon from before that time when we were known as a mecca for sports fishermen. That’s how toxic our waterways have become.

But enough of my preaching. I wanted to talk about corn salad.

One of the problems about having people over for barbecues and deck parties is feeding them while enjoying their company. You really need recipes you can make ahead so you too can have a cold drink in your hand.

This is a good recipe that can be made even a few days ahead. It combines fresh (or canned) corn with red pepper and onion in a sweet vinegar marinade. This would be a perfect second dish to serve with my three bean salad (posted HERE).

Corn fresh off the cob is the best, but many of the whole kernel canned corns would be just as good. To remove the kernels from the cob all you need is a sharp knife. Run the blade down the ears between the kernels and the cob. Simplicity itself.

Of course the corn has to be cooked first. Canned corn is cooked enough as it is, but fresh needs to be boiled – 5 minutes only, in salted water. Actually corn on the cob should only be cooked or 5 minutes to swerve whole.

An option, if you don’t want to dirty a pot, is to bake with the husk still on the ears. Just preheat the oven to 350°F and pop the ears in the oven. They will be done in 20-25 minutes. That’s slower than boiling, but will give the corn a bit of a roasted taste.

So without further ado...

The leftovers, after 4 servings.

Fresh Corn and Red Pepper Salad

Yield: about 1.5 L

6 ears of corn (or 2 cans whole kernels)

1 lg red pepper, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 medium carrots, cut thin and about 1” long

2 stalks celery, diced

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 tsp cayenne

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Boil or roast (your preference) the whole corn and remove the kernels. Place in a bowl with the remaining ingredients and toss well.

Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate for at least 2 hours on the counter. A day or two in the refrigerator is even better.

.......................................

If you like this post retweet it using the link at top right, or share it using any of the links below. Questions? Comments? Derogatory remarks?

Recipe: Salmon Teriyaki (Tare) with Long Beans

Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself. Your body and mind will become clear and you will realize the unity of all things. – Dogen (Buddhist monk and philosopher, 1200-1253)

Just-cooked salmon bathed in sweet homemade teriyaki sauce.

I’m on a bit of a barbecue run here lately. This post is no exception. It’s actually for teriyaki sauce, but I certainly couldn’t just write about making the sauce. I had to use it. Hence the salmon. 

The sauce recipe is for one that is a little on the “thick” side so it stays put on the grill. That's a functional necessity in my book.

I love salmon, and I love teriyaki. Together they are an amazing twosome. There are some tricks to make teriyaki salmon and I will get into them in a moment, in the recipe below.

What exactly is teriyaki?

Well, it’s actually not the sauce… Teriyaki is a Japanese cooking technique where foods are broiled or grilled in a sweet soy marinade. Because it is a marinade it is often quite thin. The marinade itself has now become so recognized as "teriyaki" it has taken the name. The actual name for the sauce is “tare."

The word “teriyaki” comes from the combination of two Japanese words: teri, the shine given by the marinade, and yaki, the cooking technique itself. Traditionally the meat is either dipped in the sauce or brushed with it as it cooks to get the glistening coat associated with the technique.

Many different fish and meats are used in teriyaki. In Japan, mackerel, eel, tuna, salmon and trout are common. In the west you will find chicken, pork and beef on the menu as well. Teriyaki is common in bento boxes (small lunches) where it is served cold.

Teriyaki sauce is a fairly simple combination of soy sauce, rice wine, sugar or honey, ginger, and garlic. It is heated and then either boiled down or thickened. Since I wanted a little extra thickness, I resorted to cornstarch.

On the barbie or under the broiler

This sauce does have a very high sugar content so if using it under a broiler or on the barbecue be warned that it burns quite easily. As such, cook over reduced heat or a little further away from the broiling element in your oven than you normally would.

Think of the possibilities. You could serve a veritable feast of teriyaki for your next backyard gathering. With one sauce you could have fantastic teriyaki chicken, hamburgers and shrimp skewers. Yes, hamburgers. 

As a side note, Japanese McDonald’s offers a pork Shogun Burger that is a patty brushed with teriyaki sauce. Not to be outdone, Burger King has its own Whopper Teriyaki. The McD’s version is served with lettuce only; Burger King uses tomato as well.

I’m starting to want one of those... Sometime this summer I will make it.

Speaking of making, make this sauce. You will be glad you did.

Thick Teriyaki Sauce

Time: 10 min  | Yield: 250 ml (about 1 cup)

1/4 cup naturally brewed soy sauce (look for it on the label)*

3/4 cup Chinese rice wine

1-1/2 tp ground ginger

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 lb grated palm sugar (or light brown sugar)

1 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 1 tbsp water

Mix together all ingredients except for the cornstarch and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Mix the cornstarch with the water and add to the sauce. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy.

* Naturally brewed soy sauce is what it sounds like: naturally brewed and fermented. It cost very little more (if at all) than other kinds and the taste is so much better than ones manufactured quickly without natural brewing.

Teriyaki Salmon

Cook: 24 min

Salmon portions, 1” thick – one per person

Teriyaki sauce, from above

Cracked black pepper

A little sesame oil

Line a baking sheet or other oven proof pan with heavy foil. This makes clean-up far easier.

Place the salmon in the pan and sprinkle a little sesame oil around each piece. Baste the salmon portions liberally with the sauce and sprinkle with some pepper.

Set the rack about 8” away from the heating element and turn it on high. Broil for 7 minutes. Flip the filets, baste and pepper and broil the second side for a further 7 minutes. The fish will be browned from the sauce but not quite cooked through.

Turn off the broiler, turn the heat on in the oven to 350°F and bake for 10 minutes longer. 

Plate the salmon and baste with more teriyaki just before serving.

Gingered Long (or Snake) Beans

Prep: 5 min  |  Cook: 10 min  |  Serves 4

1 lb Chinese long beans

1” piece fresh ginger, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 tsp red chilli flakes

1 tbsp sesame oil

Trim the beans into 4” long pieces. Blanch in boiling, salted water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the ginger, garlic and chilli flakes. Sauté for about 2 minutes.

Add the beans and toss to coat well. Let fry for about 5 minutes, then serve.

.......................................

If you like this post retweet it using the link at top right, or share it using any of the links below. Questions? Comments? Derogatory remarks?

Essential Recipe: Sweet ‘n Smoky Barbecue Sauce

I didn't claw my way up the food chain just to eat vegetables. – As seen on an BBQ apron

My best barbecue sauce yet.

I’ve made many barbecue sauces in my time, and two even made it to this blog: Mango Fusion and Jack Daniels® Glaze. One that didn't – and should – is my chipotle pepper. I'll have to rectify that omission in the future.

Photo: Wiki CC

Although all three are very good and very different, there’s always been a taste that I wanted to incorporate but just couldn’t seem to. That flavour? Smoke.

It’s the quintessential taste of barbecue. It’s that deep, sort of sweet flavour that permeates your barbecued goodies and makes them so delicious. To incorporate that flavour you usually have to actually use wood chips to smoulder on your coals.

There is another way, and until recently I thought it had to be a chemical cocktail. But I was wrong – it's pretty much as natural as “smoking” with wood chips. The whole process of barbecuing is sort of carcinogenic so why let a little more bother you?

The secret is “liquid smoke.” Liquid smoke…even the name sounds like something very artificial. That’s a misnomer, because it consists of only two ingredients. It is made by smoke being passed through water.

Actually this product is cited in a document released by the World Health Organization. They state “Their [liquid smokes'] use reduces contamination by carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and enables the intensity of the flavour in the final product to be accurately controlled.” http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/WHO_TRS_576.pdf, page 12. (There's more about it on page 15.)

There are many different types of liquid smoke, depending on the wood used to make it. I used hickory, the same as the picture at left, but my brand was different.

Liquid smoke certainly adds smoky flavour to whatever it is used in, without the necessity of wood chips. Now there will be purists that will say there's no substitute for the real thing, but in blind taste tests many people couldn’t tell the difference.

This what it looks like at the start of cooking.

Liquid smoke sounds like something out of a bad 1950s lab, but it actually has been in existence for over 110 years. It all started with a man called Ernest H. Wright who began bottling and selling a product called “condensed smoke” in 1895.

Condensed smoke may well be a better term for this ingredient because his inspiration of the product was water he saw condensing on the wood stove pipe in a print shop where he worked. Not a very appetizing-sounding start, but it's the genesis none the less.

His company grew to become a national USA brand, and in 1997 Wright’s Liquid Smoke was purchased by B&G Foods. They continue its manufacture to this day. Other brands in B&G’s stable include Emeril’s, Mrs. Dash, Sugar Twin and Cream of Wheat.

This barbecue is a “must have” and I say that with no puffed-up sense of pride. It’s very simple, deep tasting and delicious. I checked my recipe against several others using liquid smoke – all with very high ratings. 

To me this tastes like what I believe barbecue sauce should be. I guess I chose the best parts of the recipes that inspired me. This barbecue sauce doesn’t even need a barbecue to have that outdoor flavour. Broiling works every bit as well.

The recipe makes about 1-1/2 cups, so for your one hour investment in time you will have enough barbecue sauce to thrill a crowd, or last for a good portion of the season if you’re not a hardcore barbecuer.

This is it after 45 minutes. Very much darker and the onions
have almost completely cooked into the sauce.

Sweet ‘n Smoky Barbecue Sauce

Prep: 10 min  |  Cook 45 min  |  Yield: 1.5 cups

1 tbsp oil

3/4 cup onions, chopped

1 tbsp liquid smoke

1/2 cup honey

3/4 cup ketchup

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup vinegar

juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp dried mustard

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp salt

1 tsp cracked black pepper

Saute onion in oil until slightly browned. 

Add remaining ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil and then simmer for 45 minutes. The sauce will become very thick and darker in colour. 

Place in a jar and refrigerate. It will thicken further as it cools.

.......................................

If you like this post retweet it using the link at top right, or share it using any of the links below. Questions? Comments? Derogatory remarks?

Recipe: Homemade Hot Dog / Hamburger Buns

The noblest of all dogs is the hot-dog; it feeds the hand that bites it. – Lawrence J. Peter

Eight warm, delicious, perfectly-sized hot dog buns.

Have you ever made your own hot dog or hamburger buns? I hadn’t but I had wanted to for a long time. Since this is the long weekend, I thought now would be the perfect time.

Monday is a holiday in Canada, Victoria Day. If you’re planning on having a barbecue on the holiday, and you’re reading this on Sunday, why not try them? They’re so much better than what you purchase there’s really no comparison.

These buns are a bit of work, or to be clearer, take some time. There’s three raises. First overnight (so you’re sleeping), second through the day (so you’re outside enjoying yourself), and then a quick one just before popping into the oven.

So you can see, they may take time, but they’re really not a whole lot of labour.

The first overnight raise is what is called a pre-ferment or starter. This not only adds more flavour and better structure to the rolls, but also helps them stay fresh longer. It’s an old way of beginning bread and is common in artisanal breads to this day.

This was my starter. 1 tsp yeast, 1 cup each milk and white flour.

Starters you may have heard of are sourdough, biga and poolish.

All ingredients in. Very "wet" and ready to rise.

Sourdough is a pre-ferment that captures wild yeasts and can be kept alive for a very long time. One bakery in San Francisco has kept their starter alive for over 150 years! I have to admit, the process of making my own starter from airborne yeast has a certain cachet for me...

Biga is an Italian starter, using regular yeast, that has a fairly thick consistency. I have used biga starters for many Italian breads, including ciabatta and pugliese.

Poolish is a thinner version of biga, often a 1:1 ratio of flour and water. So I guess you could call my starter a poolish. But without the explanation most wouldn’t have a clue what I was talking about. I didn't until I looked it up. I always called it a "biga starter." Poolish is not a very common word…

These rolls came out really very nicely. They were soft and had a delicious home-baked aroma from the starter. During baking they increased in size by at least 400% from when they were initially shaped.

If you have the time, you should try this. It’s dangerous though. Once tasted, your family won’t settle for anything less!

Hot Dog / Hamburger Buns

Keeping the dough moist makes for tender buns.

Overnight starter:

Time: 8 hours

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

1 tsp yeast

Let rise 8 hours (overnight)

Remainder:

Raise: 6 hours

1 tsp yeast

1/2 cup warm water

2 tsp sugar

1/4 cup melted margarine

2-1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 egg

Mix the milk, flour and yeast together in a bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, place in a warm spot and let rise overnight.

The next day, proof the next tsp of yeast in the warm water and sugar. The water must be between 110° and 115°F. Any warmer will kill the yeast.

Combine the proofed yeast and water with the remaining ingredients, including all of the starter dough. Begin by using 2-1/2 cup of the flour. Only add more if absolutely necessary. The dough will be quite damp feeling, very soft and somewhat sticky.

Place in a bowl and let rise for 6 more hours.

Punch the dough down. Put the dough on a lightly floured board and divide into 8 equal pieces.

For Hamburger Buns: Shape into balls, and place on a greased baking sheet. Flatten out with your fingers so they don’t bake as round balls. Cover, let rise for 45 minutes.

These are the 8 buns before their final rise. They need to double in size.

For Hot Dog Buns: Shape each piece into a 6x4 inch rectangle. Starting with the longer side, roll up tightly, and place seam-side down in a 9x13 pan (in 2 rows of four). Let rise 45 minutes. 

The buns literally filled the pan during baking, getting twice as big as you see here.

Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and rub the tops with margarine while still warm.

.......................................

If you like this post retweet it using the link at top right, or share it using any of the links below. Questions? Comments? Derogatory remarks?

Recipe: Orange Cashew Shrimp

Crazy people don't sit around wondering if they're nuts. – Jake Gyllenhaal 

Shrimp and cashews in an orangey sauce (plus some other stuff...)

I always seem to learn something when I write these posts. Sometimes it is extremely eye-opening. This is especially true today. I’ve been schooled about cashews, and am happy to pass on what I have learned.

Weird, huh? Photo: Wikipedia CC

Cashews are a very common nut, but where do they come from? How they grow is very interesting.

The first part is pretty ordinary. Cashews, originally from South America, grow on a tree like many other nuts. The tree is an evergreen, growing up to about 30’ tall, with a short, sometimes twisty trunk. The flowers are produced in a panicle (or branching cluster) up to 10” long. 

But how the nut grows is anything but ordinary. It’s sort of a two-for-one. Take a look  at the picture at left from Wikipedia.

The fruit of the cashew tree is an accessory fruit (sometimes called a false fruit). What appears to be the fruit is a pear-shaped structure. This false fruit is called the cashew apple, also known as a "marañón." 

The yellow to red “fruit” is edible with a sweet smell and taste. Cashew apples are very juicy, but fragile, making them difficult to transport. In Latin America, a fruit drink is made from the cashew apple pulp. It is supposed to taste like mango, green pepper and citrus.

A cashew tree. Photo: terriem, Flickr ccl

The real fruit of the cashew tree is a kidney shaped “drupe” that grows at the end of the cashew apple. Cherries, peaches, apricots and plums also have fruit called drupes. They all fall under the category of "stone fruit." The cashew drupe forms first and then the cashew apple follows as it matures. Within the actual fruit is a single seed, which we call the cashew nut. 

Botanically, the cashew isn’t a nut at all, but a seed. The seed is surrounded by a double shell containing a resin related to urushiol which causes the rash associated with poison ivy. Roasting cashews destroys the toxin, but even that is dangerous as airborne it can cause severe irritation of the lungs. 

So there’s some information I certainly didn’t know. And all I wanted to do was to make and write about orange cashew shrimp. It’s amazing what you can learn when you start looking.

By the way – just so you know – this recipe is very tasty. It’s reminiscent of many better dishes offered by good Asian take-outs, but more healthy, one would hope (no MSG).

We saw some sad-looking orange chicken at stall in a local Mall food court the other evening. I'm glad I made this before then so I knew what good orange cashew looked and tasted like.

As with most Asian dishes, the most work is in the preparation. It takes very little time to put together.

Note for vegetarians: Tofu can be substituted if you wish. Just dust cubes of tofu with cornstarch and shallow-fry to make the exterior a little firm and crispy.

For all of you who read this and it said Orange Cashew "Chicken" I apologize. It started out to BE chicken, but I opted for shrimp instead and forgot to change the title. Feel free to substitute chicken chunks for the shrimp if you wish!

Don't overcook the shrimp before adding the sauce.
Just a couple minutes will do it.

Orange Cashew Shrimp

Prep: 15-20 min  |  Cook: 10 min  |  Serves 4

1 lb shrimp

1 lg green bell pepper, in chunks

1 bunch green onions, cut diagonally

1 cup cashews, salted and roasted

2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger

1 tbsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

salt to taste

for the sauce

juice of 1 navel orange

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp oyster sauce

3-4 tsp Sriracha hot sauce

1 tbsp cornstarch (mixed with 1 tbsp water)

Peel and clean the shrimp. Set aside in a bowl.

Combine all the sauce ingredients (except for the cornstarch) in another bowl. Mix together well. For “normal” sauce, use 3 tsp of hot sauce; for “good” sauce use 4. Then add the cornstarch mixed with the water. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok and then add the ginger and cashews. Sauté until the cashews start to brown slightly, about 3 minutes. 

Add the green pepper chunks, a little salt and the pepper. Cook for a further 3 minutes. Then add the shrimp.

Let the shrimp cook until they just begin to turn pink, about 2-3 minutes. Then add the sauce and green onions.

Toss well and let the sauce thicken and the shrimp finish cooking through, about a further 2 minutes. Taste for salt. Remember the soy is salty and the cashews were already salted, so you probably won’t have to add any.

Serve over hot, steamed jasmine rice.

.......................................

If you like this post retweet it using the link at top right, or share it using any of the links below. Questions? Comments? Derogatory remarks?

Comfort Food: Serbian Paprika Chicken

Cure sometimes, treat often, comfort always. – Hippocrates

One pot comfort food.

Here’s a recipe that I found when I was looking for “comfort food.” I still have this dastardly cold and certain foods can be comforting when you’re not feeling well.

Much Balkan cuisine calls for paprika. This
recipe is no exception. Photo: stromnessdundee,
Flickr ccl

One of my prerequisites (especially when I’m feeling ill) is simplicity – no complex preparation, no complex technique. A bonus is if I only have to dirty one pot as well.

Another prerequisite is that my food should be at least passingly interesting. I’m sick, after all, not dead…This recipe hits the mark on all counts.

Sometimes I feel like I should have a world map attached to a dart board. Every country has comfort food. The trick is to  1) choose a country, and  2) find what those dishes are. A dartboard would possibly make my selections a little easier – if more random. If that’s possible…

When looking, picture what you would be served in someone’s grandmother’s kitchen. Those are the kind of recipes you want to find to truly experience the cuisine of foreign nations. The heart of a country is found in its kitchen.

This one’s from Serbia. Serbian cuisine shares a lot of characteristics with the rest of the Balkans, Mediterranean, Turkish and Hungarian food. This is most certainly due to its central position as a way-station for invading armies from both the east and west over the centures.

Under Ottoman rule influences from Oriental cuisine were absorbed. Then for the years of Austro-Hungarian rule western influences dominated. This influence permeated all areas of their food, but most notably desserts. Other “guests” in the country left their marks as well.

Much of Serbian cuisine is rich and meat-heavy with a lot of animal fats. Can you *scream* “comfort food”? Besides this gem of a recipe, some other standard dishes are cabbage rolls, roast with sauerkraut, and moussaka. You can start to see different cultural influences...

Desserts range from the Mediterranean influenced baklava to rich tortes and pastries associated with Austria. What better melting pot of cuisine to choose for a one pot meal?

I have modified the recipe from the original I found. My differences? The original called for 1/2 cup of lard. That was WAY too much, unless you like greased food, and a few of the other ingredients needed adjusting to suit my personal taste.

This really did hit the spot, and because of using just one pot clean-up was quick and easy. Gotta love that.

Just before covering the pot.

Serbian Paprika Chicken

Prep: 5 min  |  Cook: 1 hour  |  Serves 4-6

1/4 cup lard (yes it’s necessary)

6-8 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in

2 medium onions, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1-1/2 cups of arborio rice, rinsed

1 tbsp + 1 tsp paprika

2 tsp salt

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1 banana pepper, seeded and chopped

2 dried bay leaves

1-1/2 cups water

28 fl.oz. (796 ml) can of whole tomatoes

Melt the lard in a Dutch oven.

Season the chicken with a little of the salt and pepper. Fry the chicken on both sides until browned. Remove and set aside.

After 45 minutes all the liquid is absorbed. No peeking
while it's cooking, unless you smell burning. If so, your
temperature is set a little too high.

Add the onions and sauté until softened. They will almost deep-fry. 

Add the garlic and rice and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Frying the rice hardens the outer coating and allows for the slow release of starch over a longer cooking time (much like risotto).

Sprinkle the rice with the paprika and the remaining salt and pepper. Add the bay leaves, water and tomatoes. Break the whole tomatoes up slightly.

Bring to a boil and nestle the chicken down into the rice and liquid.

Reduce the heat to simmer, cover the pot and let the mixture cook for 45 minutes.

At the end of the time all the liquid will be absorbed and you will have a delicious, homey dinner.

.......................................

If you like this post retweet it using the link at top right, or share it using any of the links below. Questions? Comments? Derogatory remarks?