Salmon with Artichoke Hearts, Tomatoes and Capers in a White-Wine Butter Sauce

It’s always sad when a great restaurant goes downhill. Some may disagree, but Teller’s (which used to be one of my favorite restaurants in Lawrence, KS) is not as good as it used to be. The décor in the restaurant is unique: it’s built inside an old bank, with some of the old iron bank teller window grates used as decoration, quarters inlaid in the tile floor here and there, and the bathrooms in the old bank vaults with the original vault doors still in place. The food used to be amazing, but it seems like once they took the “Teller’s Mushrooms” (the iconic dish of sausage (or vegetarian) stuffed mushroom caps swimming in a white-wine gruyere cheese sauce, served with little toasts) off the menu, everything else seemed to fail as well. I haven’t had a pleasing dinner there since that disastrous menu change.

One thing Teller’s was always known for though, was it’s seafood. I remember one of my visits I ordered the red snapper, which I’d never had before, and it came with the most amazing sauce. I’ve created my own version of what I had that night at Teller’s, and to me it tastes just as good. Feel free to make this with any sort of fish, however I might caution that it would be a more successful dish if you use a moderately firm-fleshed saltwater fish instead of a soft, flakey freshwater variety. I’d suggest salmon, red snapper, mahi mahi, swordfish, maybe even a nice cod or Chilean sea bass.

*bonus suggestion: avoid “steak” cuts, or cross-sections of fish. They’re full of bones and a pain in the neck to cook. Go with a fillet, and try to get one that’s an even thickness all the way across so it cooks evenly.

**bonus bonus suggestion: I’ve yet to try this, but I bet this sauce would be fantastic to steam some mussels in.

Salmon with Artichoke Hearts, Tomatoes and Capers in a White-Wine Butter Sauce

2-4 fillets of salmon (depending how many you are serving)
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
1-2 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large canned artichoke hearts (not the pickled ones), squeezed of excess liquid and chopped
1 large or 2 small Roma tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped
1 Tbsp. small capers, drained
juice of 1/3 a lemon
1 c. dry white wine

Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Rinse your fish fillets, pat dry with a paper towel, and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil when the skillet is hot. Once you see the very first wisp of smoke rise from the pan, place your fish into the pan presentation-side (whatever side you want to be the top of your fish fillet) down into the pan. Cooking fish is a tricky business. I can tell you it probably won’t take more than 2 minutes per side, but it may be less. The easiest way to tell is to watch the color of the fish’s flesh on the sides of the fillet. When you see the color change from darker to a lighter pink and start to look opaque 1/3 of the way through the fillet, flip your fish. If your two fillets are different thicknesses, you may have to flip them at different times, so just watch for it. After flipping watch the side of the fillet again. When the color change reaches the 1/3 of the way through the fillet mark on the 2nd side, remove the fillet and place it on a plate, presentation side up. Remove the pan from heat for a couple minutes to allow to cool a bit, and reduce the heat to medium. Place the pan back on the heat, and without cleaning it out, add in 1tsp of olive oil and 1Tbsp. butter. (If your butter instantly begins to brown your pan is still too hot, you’ll have to dump it out, wipe it out with paper towels, and start over. Try to avoid this, as wiping out your pan will remove a lot of the flavor for the sauce) Add in the clove of minced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute. Add the chopped artichoke hearts, chopped roma tomato, and capers, and sauté for another minute. Pour in the white wine, squeeze in the lemon juice, and add 1 more Tbsp. of butter, gently whisking in with a fork until it emulsifies (mixes) into the sauce. Simmer until you have the amount of sauce you want for your fish. If you seem to have less than you want, feel free to glug in a bit more wine. Place the fish fillets back into the pan and nestle them down into the sauce. Remove from heat and serve.

I serve the fish topped with the veggie mixture and pour the sauce over the whole thing. I wouldn’t suggest serving this with rice as the flavors in my opinion are decidedly more Italian than Asian, but perhaps a nice side of pasta dressed with garlic, olive oil and parmesan would go well. I served it with some nice green veggies and a chunk of crusty bread for sopping up the remaining sauce.

Homemade Sloppy Joes and Quick and Easy Potato Wedges

Homemade Sloppy Joes and Quick and Easy Potato Wedges



I've never eaten Manwich, and I'd never heard of maid-rites before I moved to Kansas City. Growing up we always had sloppy joes made from scratch, so honestly I don't have much to compare this recipe to. Thankfully it doesn't need comparison, as it's delicious the way it is. I don't know where it came from, but I got it from my mom. The best part: it uses practically all ingredients that any well-stocked American kitchen probably already has! It's quick and easy for a weeknight, and paired with some homemade potato wedges and a scoop of store-bought coleslaw (yes we took the easy route, but seriously, who wants to make coleslaw on a weeknight?), this makes a quick and easy weeknight dinner!

I'm not the biggest fan of ketchup. To be honest, I rarely eat the stuff. I'm more of a mustard or mayo girl... but there are some things the sugar content in ketchup is necessary for: nice sticky homemade bbq sauces, caramelized tomatoey topping on meatloaf, and shiny slightly sweet homemade sloppy joes. If it makes you feel better, look for a nice organic ketchup. You can try to substitute tomato sauce for the ketchup if you like... I've never tried it like that though, and it may come out tasting different. I'd probably add a touch of sugar and a tad extra salt if you do that.

I'm including a bonus recipe: Quick and Easy Homemade Potato Wedges. These are tasty alongside the sloppy joes, or as a side dish for any number of sandwiches or other entrees.

Homemade Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

1lb hamburger
1/2 c. chopped onion (I use a little more and just chop half an onion)
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. ketchup
1 tsp. prepared yellow mustard (the kind people put on hamburgers and hotdogs)
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Brown the hamburger in a skillet. Drain the grease, return to the skillet, and add the chopped onions. Continue to cook until the onions just begin to soften. Add the rest of the ingredients, and simmer until heated through and liquid has reduced to a sloppy joe consistency (this should only take a couple minutes).

Serve on soft buns.

Makes at least 8 small sloppy joes.

*tip: if you're making this for dinner, and dinner is running late: you can always let this sit on the stove over low heat and add a little water so it doesn't dry out. It will hold until you're ready for it.

Quick and Easy Potato Wedges:

Ingredients:

One large (or two small) red potatoes per person
vegetable or canola oil
Old Bay Seasoning
Jalapeno Seasoning (can omit this or substitute a little cayenne for extra kick)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash potatoes and poke each several times with a fork. Place on a microwave-safe plate and microwave, uncovered, approximately 7 minutes, or until potatoes have just barely begun to soften (Alternatively you can place the potatoes whole into a pot of boiling water and boil them for 7-10 minutes for the same effect).

Allow potatoes to cool slightly so you can handle them, then carefully cut each potato in half, and each half into wedges approximately 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick. Place wedges into a large bowl, drizzle with oil, and toss to coat. Sprinkle on a liberal amount of Old Bay seasoning, and Jalapeno Seasoning if using.

Spread potato wedges on a baking stone or a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until somewhat browned on the outside, turning each wedge over halfway through cooking for even browning.

Chocolate Banana "Mousse"

Lucky you, it's a 2 for 1 special today!

Tofu Use #2: Chocolate Banana "Mousse!"


Tofu as dessert?! Am I crazy? No! Well, maybe! Ok yes, I'll admit I'm a little crazy... but trust me it's delicious, and I've fed it to many people and nobody's ever suspected there was tofu in it. Even if you're too scared to taste it yourself, you can make it quick for your kids as an after school snack, and they'll think you're the coolest parent ever (tricking kids into eating healthy food is fun haha).

Not to mention it's the easiest, healthiest, sweet chocolate dessert you'll probably ever taste.



This dessert has 4 ingredients and takes all of 2 minutes to prepare... not counting chilling time in the fridge.

Give it a try... you've got nothing to lose. It's relatively inexpensive to make, and if you don't like it... toss it out, and used the rest of the vinegar in salad dressings and munch down on the chocolate chips!

Use whatever type of chocolate chips you prefer. If you like dark chocolate, go with dark or semi-sweet chocolate. If you're cooking for someone who doesn't like dark chocolate like I have to (hehe), use milk chocolate. If you have a few different chocolate chips leftover in the fridge, use a mixture of a few of whatever you have... it doesn't matter, it's all delicious!

In terms of bananas... the riper the sweeter, the sweeter the better. Bananas with a lot of brown on the peel are not too ripe, they're perfect, especially for baking or this recipe!

For the raspberry vinegar... make sure to get a good raspberry vinegar, not a raspberry wine vinegar. Spend a few extra dollars to get a good one, you can use it for more than just this dessert! A good raspberry vinegar with some oil and a little salt and pepper to taste makes a fantastic vinaigrette dressing or marinade!

Chocolate Banana "Mousse"

1 block firm or extra firm silken tofu (depending how firm or soft you like your "mousse")
1 ripe banana
1/2c. melted chocolate chips
a small dribble of raspberry vinegar

Rinse the block of silken tofu with water and apply a little pressure with paper towels to dry it off a little. Toss the tofu and the peeled banana (broken in half) into the blender. Dribble in a tiny bit of raspberry vinegar and blend while you microwave the chocolate chips for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each shot in the microwave, until melted and smooth.

Stop the blender and scrape down the sides with a spatula, as bits of banana and tofu tend to stick to the sides, and you don't really want a chunk of tofu in your mouth while eating dessert. Turn the blender back on, and while in motion, dribble in the melted chocolate. Let it blend another minute or two until smooth and light. Taste and add a tiny bit more raspberry vinegar if you think it needs it.

Pour into dessert glasses, custard cups, or double shot glasses. If you'd like to dress it up a bit, feel free to grate a bit of white chocolate on top, toss a few chocolate chips on top, or sprinkle on a few chopped toasted walnuts. (Personally I think just a few grains of a nice coarse sea salt might be nice right before serving!)

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until dinner is done and it's nice and cool.

Marinated Tofu Sandwiches

A day late, but as promised... Tofu Use #1: Marinated Tofu Sandwiches.



First of all: don't be scared. Tofu isn't all that strange, and it can be delicious when flavored well. If you really are apprehensive about tofu, go to a good Asian restaurant and order it there first, to experience it cooked well, and see if you like it. Trust me... you will! Tofu is an excellent and very healthy source of protein, and is extremely underrated!

Marinated Tofu Sandwiches:

1 block tofu (not silken, just normal, regular tofu that comes in a tub with a peel-off plastic top, usually located in your produce section near the bagged salad mixes)
1/2 c. soy sauce (use low sodium if you like)
1/4 to 1/2 Tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (depending how much spice you can take)
1/2 Tsp. garlic powder
1/2 Tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. ginger powder
1 Tbsp. oil
8 slices whole-grain bread, toasted
1 ripe red tomato
4 leaves green-leaf lettuce
alfalfa sprouts
garlic mayo
4 slices provolone cheese



Tofu has a lot of water in it, so slice the tofu lengthwise into 4 sandwich-sized slices, and stack each between two layers of paper towels on a plate. Place another plate on top and weigh it down with something (I used the doggie cookie jar). Let the paper towels absorb water from the tofu for at least 30 minutes, then remove from the paper towels and discard the towels.



In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, and ginger powder. Carefully place the tofu slices into a shallow dish and pour the marinade over the slices. Turn the slices over, and allow to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Turn the slices over again, and again allow to sit for 10 minutes.



Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the tofu slices from the marinade and place on paper towels briefly to absorb excess marinade from each side. Place the slices of tofu into the skillet and sear until browned on each side. Be sure you turn the tofu gently, as it is fairly fragile.



I like to make these sandwiches with two slices of toasted whole-grain bread, a little garlic mayo, 1 slice of ripe tomato, 1 leaf of green leaf lettuce, a small handful of alfalfa sprouts and a slice of provolone cheese, but feel free to experiment with whatever you think would taste good!

My Top Chef Rant

I originally posted this as a comment on www.pleasepackyourknivesandgo.com, but I'm gonna post it here as well.

First of all, last night's episode:

I'll start off by saying Anthony Bourdain is awesome, and he seemed like the only real, down-to-earth, non-pretentious judge on last night's show. He also was honest, and wasn't trying to impress anyone like "My friend, The Ripper." (He also wins bonus points for calling himself a "slut for fish sauce.")

I nearly choked when Kevin said he was going to braise a pork belly in 1 hour. I've never even MADE pork belly, and even *I* know that you can't braise one in an hour. What was he thinking?!

I'm personally a little disappointed that Top Chef doesn't actually make the cheftestants do the full challenge anymore. Their dish was supposed to be able to be freeze-dried for consumption in space. Not only did nobody have to freeze-dry their food for the challenge, which I think they should have, but nobody had to prepare the food in a way that would work in one of the foil pouches. Who can stick a big cube of shortrib or a lamb chop on the bone into a foil pouch and suck it through a hole?

Before you say this is unreasonable, think of some of the challenges of past seasons. What about the Bertolli frozen pasta dinner challenge... where they had to not only create a pasta dish, but IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) it, package it, and then cook it in a pan on a hotplate in the grocery store and serve it/sell it to shoppers? Or even in Masters where they had to create a meal, box it up, and then reheat it in microwaves? I see no reason they shouldn't have had to freeze-dry their food, if not personally, then bring in people to freeze dry it for them to see how well it reconstitutes. I'd like to see Tiffany pull off freeze dried halibut, heh.

Oh, and Tom sassing an astronaut? ("I think if NASA can put a man on the moon, they can figure out how to freeze-dry this." [in response to an astronaut saying it would be difficult to freeze-dry the amount of liquid in one of the dishes]) Why bring on experts like astronauts if you're just going to give them the middle finger when they give their expert opinion? You may be Mr. Sandwich, but you don't work for NASA. Zip it.

I'm thoroughly disgusted at this season of Top Chef, and not just because I really liked Tiffany. She deserved to go last night, her food wasn't her best. But that's what's so frustrating... there's no way to know what anyone's best IS, because nobody's been consistent.

You know... I love Top Chef, but this season so far has been a disappointment. I've not been surprised with any of the people they've sent home so far, and it's entirely because not one single chef on this season is talented enough to be consistent. Look at the 5 in this week's episode... I believe every one of them has been in the bottom on past challenges, and been up for elimination. It's impossible to guess who might win or be sent home each episode when one week a chef pulls off a stunningly perfect dish, and the next week they overcook their protein, make doughy gnocchi, use store-bought frozen puff pastry, or oversalt their dish. Basic mistakes.

Any one of the final 6 cheftestants of Top Chef Season 6 could have crushed any one of season 7's cheftestants without even trying.