RogueChef
“It IS all about the TASTE”
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Lox Carpaccio
One of my newest and soon to be my most favorite summer appetizer recipe. It’s fresh and cool and quick to put together. The flavors are bright and really interesting. I use slices of ciabatta bread drizzled with a bit of rosemary oil and baked in the oven until crisp.
(It does help to be very evil and plank / smoke your own salmon…. Very much a rogue chef twist..)
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Planked Halibut
As spoken prior:
As I am upstate this week, cooking for the lady of Bad Wolf Manor, I’ll be posing a number of her favorites. It just so happens that today is rather mild but ware are looking for a bit of insane heat at the end of the week, plus it is father’s day shortly, and it is our 27th anniversary… So a very special grilling session is in order
Background
Halibut is a flatfish of the genus Hippoglossus from the family of the right-eye flounders (Pleuronectidae). Various other flatfish are also commonly called halibut. The name is derived from haly (holy) and butt (flat fish), for its alleged popularity on Catholic holy-days. Halibut live in both the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans and are highly regarded food fish.
The Pacific Northwest has long been famous for the technique of roasting fish and game on wood planks. Early explorers extolled the aroma and flavor of this technique.
Native Americans pioneered the art of roasting fish and game on wood planks. Early accounts praise the aroma and flavors imparted by this cookery. The early cooks utilized wood plank cooking over open flames to capture the essence of wood as a seasoning in fish and other meats. These people slow roasted their freshly caught fish and meats on wood planks above fire pits. This method of cooking infused the natural oils and moisture found in the woods into the foods producing a delicious unique flavor. This unusual method of cooking has been discovered and used worldwide to bring truly exceptional flavor to not only fish but also meats, poultry, vegetables, cheese, fruits and even pizza!
But more recently, as pre-cut boards have become widely available, chefs and home cooks around the country have been experimenting with cooking on planks. There are two methods of plank cooking; grilling (roasting) and oven (baking). Both methods offer the delicious flavor. Backyard get-togethers have become so trendy in recent years, that grill planks have become the most popular method of cooking.
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Fish Friday – Blackened Catfish
It’s Friday and I want fish. But deep frying is such a mess and can be sooo greasy. (Yes, I know I’m not doing it right, but not having a fryalator …) So I am looking at a pan fry, and while that is good, adding a extra layer of flavor with spices is always a change of routine. This Cajun style entrée was originated by Chef Paul Prudhomme and has just the right touch of spices to give your taste buds some savory flavors.
What I like most about this blackened catfish entrée, is that it’s inexpensive and easy to cook. Using ingredients you should have in your kitchen you can build this flavorful entrée in very short order. You will need a cast iron skillet or large heavy skillet.
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Food for really Wet Weather – Planked Salmon
We have had the most rain for the Month of March in recorded history. How much rain? Well as I was considering dinner last night, I had a knock on the door. On opening I was greeted by a Salmon, who asked to come in where it was warm and dry. (Seems he was tired of being cold and wet..) (Think I’m kidding, ask the old guy in the boat with all the animals, he was there as well)
I of course obliged…
While planking is usual done on a grill, my grill seems to be a bit wet so I used my vulcan oven with a pan under the plank to catch any drips…
Background
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish of the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the family are called trout, the difference is often attributed to the migratory life of the salmon as compared to the residential behavior of trout, this holds true for the Salmo genus. Salmon live in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Great Lakes.
Typically, salmon are anadromous: they are born in fresh water, migrate to the ocean, then return to fresh water to reproduce. However, there are rare species that can only survive in fresh water habitats. This is most likely due to the domestication of these certain species of Salmon. Folklore has it that the fish return to the exact spot where they were born to spawn, tracking studies have shown this to be true but the nature of how this memory works has long been debated.
The Pacific Northwest has long been famous for the technique of roasting fish and game on wood planks. Early explorers extolled the aroma and flavor of this technique.
Native Americans pioneered the art of roasting fish and game on wood planks. Early accounts praise the aroma and flavors imparted by this cookery. The early cooks utilized wood plank cooking over open flames to capture the essence of wood as a seasoning in fish and other meats. These people slow roasted their freshly caught fish and meats on wood planks above fire pits. This method of cooking infused the natural oils and moisture found in the woods into the foods producing a delicious unique flavor. This unusual method of cooking has been discovered and used worldwide to bring truly exceptional flavor to not only fish but also meats, poultry, vegetables, cheese, fruits and even pizza! For years, restaurants have kept the tradition alive by serving salmon cooked on planks.
But more recently, as pre-cut boards have become widely available, chefs and home cooks around the country have been experimenting with cooking on planks. There are two methods of plank cooking; grilling (roasting) and oven (baking). Both methods offer the delicious flavor. Backyard get-togethers have become so trendy in recent years, that grill planks have become the most popular method of cooking.
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Early Spring Soup – Basic Miso
As I am headed north today, and will be preparing dinner for the Lady of my house, I am looking for different items to produce for her pleasure. As I have stated prior, my diet needs to be changed a bit, and I will go Asian this weekend say a nice sushi / sashimi (actually sashimi is a kind of sushi), dinner menu. A soup, a salad, some fish, either raw or grilled, and a rice dish.
Let’s look at the soup, the tradition is Miso soup. A dashi broth, some miso paste, with seaweed, some tofu and scallions. Perhaps a rogue chef twist with a hint of ginger, garlic and chili’s.
The most common form of dashi is a simple broth or stock made by boiling edible seaweed and shavings of dried tuna and then straining. Fresh dashi is rare today, even in Japan. Most people now use granulated or liquid instant substitutes. Other kinds of dashi stock are made by soaking kelp, and shittake in water for many hours or by heating them in water nearly to boiling and straining.
Dashi powder is also available at stores. It’s quick to use dashi powder to make dashi stock. Usually, ~1 tsp of dashi powder is used for 3 to 5 cups of water. Follow the instructions in the packages. Dashi powder does include salt, so be forewarned and prepare to adjust the flavor of dishes as needed.
I’ll consult the packages, (salt, salt, salt) and find a prepared or instant dashi broth and then soak some shittake mushrooms in that to make my broth.
Miso is a Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting rice, barley and/or soybeans, the most typical miso being made with soy. The result is a thick paste used for sauces and spreads, pickling vegetables or meats, and mixing with dashi soup stock to serve as miso, a Japanese culinary staple. High in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals, miso played an important nutritional role in feudal Japan. Miso is still very widely used in Japan, both in traditional and modern cooking, and has been gaining world-wide interest.
Miso is typically salty, but its flavor and aroma depend on various factors in the ingredients and fermentation process. Different varieties of miso have been described as salty, sweet, earthy, fruity, and savory, and there is an extremely wide variety of miso available.
The most common flavor categories of miso are:
- Shiromiso, “white miso”
- Akamiso, “red miso”
- Awasemiso, “mixed miso”
Miso typically comes as a paste in a sealed container requiring refrigeration after opening. Natural miso (similar to yogurt) is a living food containing many beneficial microorganisms which can be killed by over-cooking. It is recommended for miso to be added to soups or other foods being prepared just before they are removed from the heat, or better use miso without any cooking.
This leads to a popular practice is to only add miso to foods that have cooled in order to preserve cultures in miso. Nonetheless miso and soy foods play a large role in the Japanese diet and many cooked miso dishes are popularly consumed.
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Leftover Gumbo…
I opened the lair’s refrigerator/freezer, looking for a inspiration for today’s’ post, and discovered the fridge was FULL!. There was roast chicken, roast pork, chuck steak, and smoked prime rib, there were veggies by the basket, beans by the bucket and stock by the gallon. (Apparently, one of the lair’s eating machines had moved out, and my meal portioning had gone awry.. Sorry I missed that one.. )
So I started to sort things out, some items had passed their consume by date and were relegated to the dumpster, others, (a lot of others), were approaching that date and were to be used or disposed of quickly. Now, what to do with ham, beef, chicken, veggies, cooked rice, chicken and beef stock…..
Only one answer STEW! oooorrrrr Maybe a gumbo, (a stew thickened with a roux)
Background
A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Vegetables ( carrots, potatoes, beans, peppers and tomatoes etc.), and meat (poultry, sausages and seafood), a liquid, (chicken stock, beef stock, beer, wine) along with seasoning and flavorings are cooked at a relatively low temperature (simmered, not boiled), to allow flavors to combine.
Stewing is suitable for the least tender cuts of meat that become tender and juicy with the slow moist heat method, which makes it popular in low-cost cooking. Cuts having a certain amount of marbling and gelatinous connective tissue give moist, juicy stews, similar to chuck steak..
Stews are thickened by reduction or thickened with flour, either by coating pieces of meat with flour before searing, or by using a roux, as in a gumbo.
Gumbo is a stew originating in Louisiana which is quite popular. It consists primarily of a strong stock, meat and/or shellfish, a thickener. called a roux and made from fat and flour, and the vegetable “holy trinity” of celery, bell peppers, and onion. The gumbo is traditionally served over rice.
The real way to do this is low and slow, and that spells crock-pot. I have one of slow cookers with a removable metal liner so I can brown / saute items on the stove top and them move the liner into the cooker for the low and slow part. The real magic of this dish is the creation of gelatin from collagen. (Do see my discussion in “A Roast for all Seasons“, I’ll not quote it here)
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Sushi Grade Tuna Salad
I do love tuna, I do HATE canned tuna. Fresh billets of tuna with wasabi and soy over a bed of rice is my way of eating fish, (other than fried catfish), but opening a can and squeezing the water out of overcooked fish is something I do for the cats, not for myself.
The issue is that I have NO TIME to cook today, and must feed myself and the other denizens of the lair, and I want a different taste, something I’ve not had for a while. So fish, sushi preferably, but barring that a tuna salad, but of course with the rogue chef twist.
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Deep Fried Catfish
I went into the grocery store looking for some beef to make chicken fried steaks, but was less than pleased with the offerings. About to walk out, I walked by the fish counter, and saw catfish fillets.
Now I am a southern boy, and I do love fried fish, but Catfish!, I was amazed to see it there, and even more amazed at the price. Needless to say 2 lb of catfish left with me, as well as corn meal and all the fixin’s. Guess it’s time to fry up a mess of catfish.
Catfish has always been a southern delight, some of my fondest memories from growing up in Texas are associated with the fish fries the family would enjoy after returning from a overnight trotline run out on either the Lampasses or Cowhouse creeks. But even when we didn’t have time to fish we could always depend on the numerous roadside cafes featuring all the catfish and hush puppies you could eat for a dollar.
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