News Bulletin / This Just In!

The pickled eggs are just fantastic. A great snack or accompainiement to a salad. If you make them let me know what you think.

Salisbury Steak

Salisbury steak is something you will never see on any hotel menu. It is a dish that is served in the cafeteria and it is always popular. Even the chef will eat it.

You also never make Salisbury steak as it is always bought pre-made in a sauce. It is an inexpensive dish that everyone loves and nobody makes. It is also a very American dish and I have never seen it anywhere else in the world. It is a great dish for home as it is easy to make and can be made in advance for those busy people. Children love it with macaroni and cheese.

You will find recipes all over the internet for it.

This one I made by sauteing a ton of onions and letting them get some color. I also adde thyme, bay leaf and chopped garlic to the onion mix. I then added a little vinegar and white wine to do away with the onion sweetness. To finish I added a little flour to the mix and then I added a little chicken stock and water and the sauce was made.

I had bought 8 oz of mincemeat ( Ground beef ) during the day and I added chopped onions , garlic, chopped parsley and made a patty. I sauteed this off then placed it in an oven proof dish. I added some chopped raw tomato and some raw mushrooms to the sauce and poured it over the steak. Then i put the whole thing in the oven and let it cook on a medium heat.

It is served here with Yukon Gold mashed potato with the addition of olive oil and chopped garlic.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salisbury_steak

Left Over Braised Brisket On Corn Jalapeno Bread.

Fried baked potatoes and Aioli.

To make fried baked pototoes simply bake a potato, let it go cold and then slice it and fry it like french fries. Be sure to slice it a little thick. Goes great with fried fish and tartar sauce.

Pickled Hard Boiled Eggs

Hard boil and peel the eggs. Put them in a sealable jar and pour this pickling liquid over them.

I added a little sugar and water to this because I thought it was too vinegary so taste yours and adjust it if you like. I also added bay leaf, jalapeno and garlic cloves.

Ingredients 12 hard-boiled eggs 4 cups of white vinegar 1 finely chopped chili pepper 10 black peppercorns 10 whole cloves 3 cinnamon sticks 2 tsp of allspice.

Method Peel the hard-boiled eggs, allow them to cool and then place them in a large clean jar. Heat the vinegar and the spices in a saucepan until the liquid begins to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to about room temperature. Pour the liquid over the eggs covering them completely. You can strain it or leave the garnish in it depending on your taste. It is also a good idea to put a small amount of oil on top of the egg. It helps seal them better. Seal the jar tightly with the lid and store in a cool and dark place for a minimum of two weeks before consuming.

Garlic Studded Brisket, Carrots And Creamed Potatoes

My favorite food.

Shrimp, Linguici And Rice Curry

Made using the same method as a Paelle but using curry powder.

Homemade Hamburger, Pickles And French Fries.

Ony Gorgeous.

Love Shrimp And Chips.

Salmon Steak Poached In Court Bouillon Gribiche Sauce

 

This is a salmon steak poached in a ' court bouillon' and served with an olive oil based sauce consisting of chopped capers, chopped gherkins, parsley, vinegar and chopped hard boiled egg. It is a very popular cold sauce in France and is often served on a hot dish like Veal Head.

The court bouillon is a very handy recipe to have and enhances fish and shrimp whether served hot or cold. This method is not used too much anymore because in general fish is boiled or poached. I recommend using this for any poached fish as it will add flavor to the fish without overpowering the delicate taste. We used this method all the time in the cold fish section in the Gresham Hotel in Dublin. It was wonderful to taste the great Irish salmon of the day poached in this preparation and served with homemade mayonnaise. We would sometimes do up to 250 pieces of fish for banquets and the like. The quality of Irish seafood at that time was extraordinary. Lobsters would come straight out of the sea and would be so strong that they would bend a fork. I don't think the quality of the product has changed there but I think the methods they use are much better.

So next time you are preparing a cold or hot salmon dish cook it in a ' court bouillon'.

Sauce Gribiche

1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon capers
2 sweet pickles - finely chopped
1 egg - hard boiled and finely chopped
Black pepper - fresh ground to taste
1 tablespoon parsley - fresh and chopped

Mix everything well in a bowl and allow to sit for an hour or so.

Court Bouillon.
1/2 small leek (white and pale green parts only)
a 3-inch piece carrot
a 3-inch piece celery rib
3 medium garlic cloves
7 cups cold water
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 fresh thyme sprig
2 bay leaves (not the stronger California variety)
1 1/2 teaspoons white peppercorns
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Court Bouillon.
1/2 small leek (white and pale green parts only)
a 3-inch piece carrot
a 3-inch piece celery rib
7 cups cold water
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 fresh thyme sprig
2 bay leaves (not the stronger California variety)
1 1/2 teaspoons white peppercorns
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

A little olive oil

Peel and slice all vegetables tastefully. Saute lightly in a little olive oil to bring out the flavors. Add the seasoning and the water and cook till vegetables are cooked to your taste.

Only then add the vinegar. If you add it sooner you will stop the cooking process.

Refrigerate and use as desired for fish ..

Pittsburgh Gazette Article.

Good Shopping And Pickling

Vine tomatoes @ 0.79 cents a pound and regular asparagus @ $1.79 a pound. This is where I do 80% of all food shopping. Just like I did in Crumlin Village when I was a boy. Mam will tell you.

In contrast, the beets in the top photo cost more that the tomatoes and the asparagus together but they are really top quality. I had to buy them in another s/m because my little cheapie place did not have what I wanted. I am going to pickle these beets over the next few days. $3.99 for six beetroots. Outrageous!

The top photos are of the beets being pickled. I used the same formula as for the vegetables but used half beetroot juice and half water.

Shrimp, Shiitake Mushroom And Saffron Rissoto

Chicken And Shrimp A La Grecque

Chicken wings and sauteed shrimp with feta cheese, olives and capers in spicy tomato sauce.

Pork Scallopini Parmigiana.

Paella

Summertime And The Livin' Is Easy.

It is Memorial Day here in the United States. I think that means the unofficial strart to Summer. In the spirit of it all I made a cold buffet of ham and cheese with different salads and some of the famous pickled vegetables that I made last week. Delish.

The salads are: Green bean salad, fresh beetroots in garlic vinegar, potato and red onion salad and hard boiled egg.

Carrot And Sweet Pea Rissoto With BBQ Shortribs

This was off the OG scale. It didn't even register.

Knives, Fish Scissors And Roasting Fork.

Some of the knives and tools that have accompanied me all over the world. They date back to the 1970's and are still going strong. Some of my knives are older than some of the employees I have had. The one toward the center on the left with the green and yellow stripes cost me a whole months salary in Germany, it is an F. Dick knife and one of the best in the world. It is as good and sharp today as it was when I bought it. Like myself.

My New Scales And 10 lb. Can Of Dijon Mustard.

This is my new scale. Normally I don't use a scale because I weigh most things by hand to the nearest 1/2 ounce. This will help me with rice and pasta and things like that and probably save a little bit of money. A great deal at $50.00 and most useful for the serious amateur cook.

Next to it is my almost 10 lb. can of Dijon mustard. It is hard to find such luxuries in a small town like Roseburg and the nearest place I can find it is Eugene which is sixty miles away. When I do find it is usually in the region of $7-$9 for a sixteen ounce jar. I got this from a hotel supplier in Seattle for $16.00. I love Dijon mustard and the dishes you can make with it. Don't you wish you were in the business?

Angel Hair Pasta With Spicy Tiger Shrimp In Tomato Sauce