Low and Slow in the Kitchen

With the sweltering heat that DC's been melting under, there isn't much incentive to turning on the oven, but I promise, this recipe will make it worth it!  And you can cook a whole large fillet at a time and have plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day.  Add a farro, wheat berry or similar salad as a side, top with tzatziki sauce got a light and protein-filled dinner without too much effort! Slow Roasted Salmon with Tomatoes and Herbs

  • 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 bunch dill fronds
  • 1/2 bunch thyme sprigs
  • 1 3-pound piece center-cut skin-on salmon or steelhead trout fillet, pin bones removed
  • Sea salt
  • 8 ounces small cherry tomatoes on the vine

Preheat oven to 325°. Pour 4 Tbsp. oil in a roasting pan just large enough to fit the salmon. Make a bed of herbs in bottom of pan; top with salmon, skin side down. Drizzle salmon with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil and season with salt. Top with tomatoes, if using. Bake until salmon is just cooked through in the center (a small knife will slide easily through flesh), 25–30 minutes.  Use a large spoon or fork to serve salmon, leaving skin in pan. Serve with yogurt sauce and couscous.

The original recipe, with sauce and salad can be found on Bon Appetit here.

Hot off the grill!

The lovely ladies of Haute Papier love letterpress.  We also love to eat!  And it doesn't get much better than grilling come the dog days of Summer here in D.C.  That's why we were so excited to receive these grilling reminders from Chef Scott Jenkins at Extra Virgin:

  • Foods that will be barbecued should always be marinated in the refrigerator, rather than on the counter.
  • The healthiest way to barbecue your food is to place it in the center of the grill, and put the coals off to the side. This will keep the juices from the food from dripping onto the coals.
  • Cut the vegetables to allow for maximum surface area on the grill; this allows for easy turning and flipping with minimal slip through the grill grate. You can cut the vegetable down to a smaller size if needed when removed from grill.
  • Use the smallest amount of oil when tossing vegetables with oil spices before grilling. The oil coating the vegetables is what causes flash fire and leaves a black soot residue on your grilled vegetables.
  • Try and arrange the heat (whether that’s gas or charcoal) into two separate sections of the grill providing both a direct and indirect heat source. This allows you to move your food to a cooking section and resting section.
  • Providing a rest period is a secret key that is mostly overlooked. Allow for 5-8 minutes before cutting into any meats or vegetable when they come off the grill.

We're also excited to try Chef Jenkin’s special marinade for your next barbeque!  Here goes ... 

the marinade 
1 cup merlot
1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c olive oil
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs minced garlic
1 tbs fresh rosemary
1 tbs dry oregano
 
Mix all together and submerge your favorite beef or lamb and marinade for 3 hours; unbelievable flavor and ease. Adds a lot of flavor and tenderness to BBQ cuts from the butcher.

MilkBar Breakfast!

There's only one word for these suckers... obsessed!  I am, my husband is, our friends are... The bagel bombs from Christina Tosi and the Momofuku Milk Bar are incredible.  The mother dough that is the "bagel" outside is super easy to whip up in the KitchenAid and then the filling can be whatever you want it to be, though I've yet to venture far from the original of cream cheese, bacon and scallions...  You can order the book on Amazon at the link above for this recipe and a ton of my other favorites (chocolate chocolate cookie, candy bar pie, the list goes on and on!)

Make it... for Breakfast!

In all the craziness that is the weeks leading up to the National Stationery Show, I feel like I barely get out the door in the morning, let alone grabbing a Greek yogurt (my fave!) from the fridge.  This weekend, I took a step back and prepared some food for the week... Healthy lunches, bags of vegetables for snacks and homemade granola to top that yogurt for breakfast.  Give it a go - it just might give you that boost that I find myself needing in the morning!

Homemade Maple Granola

1/4 cup vegetable oil 2/3 cup maple syrup 2 tsp almond extract 4 cups oatmeal (not the quick stuff… you want the old fashioned oats!) 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds 1/2 cup slivered almonds 1/2 cup golden raisins 1/2 cup dried cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the maple syrup, oil and almond extract. Mix well.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine. Drizzle syrup mixture over oat mixture until all syrup has been incorporated.

Spread out on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 7 minutes. Remove from oven and stir mixture around on cookie sheet. Return to oven for 8 minutes more or until golden brown.

Let cool and serve. (If stored in an air tight container, granola will keep for a couple of weeks.)

Enjoy!

Make-it Monday : Japanese-style

We had a ton of fun yesterday making one of my favorite foods... homemade sushi!  It's really not that hard and fun to do in a group - everyone fills their rolls with their favorite Japanese morsels and then you have bites of all different combos!  The key is buying fresh fish and good nori.  Here in Washington, DC, I love to get the seafood at BlackSalt and you can get fresh roasted nori at the H Mart groceries.  More photos and steps after the jump... There are some great online sources (and videos) for step by step instructions and recipes for the rice... Here are a couple I would recommend:

How to make the rice: http://www.makemysushi.com/index.php/Sushi-Preparations/sushi-rice.html

How to roll the sushi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz9EAqTBrNw&feature=relmfu

Happy Sushi Making!