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This recipe is not posted on FoodNetwork.com, but it’s from Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives show which can be seen on the Food Network. You can watch the Youtube video if you search for “The Fly Trap in Michigan and Guy Fieri.”
All quantities are eyeballed . . .
Salmon Burgers
In a food processor put:
About 1.5# raw salmon, bones removed, cut into 1” cubes
2 Tbsp. black sesame seeds
¼ cup chopped green onion
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sambala (it’s a spicy Asian condiment—use your own judgement—easy to find, very common)
Form into patties and fry in a little olive oil until done.
Serve on toasted (and perhaps buttered) buns with Aioli Sauce (ingredients follow) and sliced cucumber, sprouts, tomato, cabbage, whatever.
Aioli Sauce: Mayo, lime juice, garlic powder, Dijon mustard. Mix together.
Put salmon chunks with into food processor.
Add green onions, soy sauce, black sesame seeds, sambala. Whir until well mixed.
Form into patties. If you occasionally wet your hands, the fish won’t stick to them as much.
Fry in a little olive oil.
Serve on a buttered, toasted bun with Aioli Sauce and favorite veges (cabbage, lettuce, tomato, cucumber). My favorite is English cucumber slices and tomato.
This recipe is based upon a stuffed manicotti recipe in Sunset Magazine’s December 1991 issue. I’ve made the stuffed manicotti many times, but it’s time consuming. I was looking for something more simple using the feta I love. This lasagna turned out surprisingly well. It’s a hit! Take note that I eyeballed every bit of this, I didn’t measure anything. Feel free to do the same. One thing that I tried to keep in mind was that I didn’t want runny lasagna, so I was careful about the amount of liquid used. Another thing to keep in mind is that the spinach cooks down so the dish is a little more compact than the thick slices of hearty lasagna I usually make.
Spinach Feta Lasagna, Eggplant au Gratin, and garlic bread.
Spinach Feta Lasagna
1/2 lb. dried lasagna noodles
24 oz. tomato pasta sauce
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion
1 bell pepper
3/4 cup (about 5 oz.) feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup (1/2 lb.) ricotta cheese
1/3 lb. chopped fresh spinach leaves
Ground pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Cook eleven lasagna noodles (about 1/2 lb.) according to the package directions for al dente. Do NOT overcook. Drain. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat 24 oz. tomato pasta sauce. Simmer for awhile so it’s somewhat thick. Use a spatter guard.
Meanwhile, saute onion and bell pepper together in olive oil until soft. Let cool.
In a large bowl, stir together feta, ricotta, spinach, pepper, and onion-bell pepper mixture. You may need to use your hands as it will be quite dry. Do not squeeze, just stir together.
In a greased 9 x 13″ pan, place 5 lasagna noodles across the bottom. Distribute all the cheese, spinach, onion mixture across the lasagna noodles. Place a layer of six noodles across the cheese mixture. You may press down a little now. Spoon pasta sauce evenly across the top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Yummy goodness!
Cook the lasagna noodles, saute the onions with bell pepper (I used yellow bell peppers), simmer the pasta sauce using a spatter guard, and chop the raw spinach leaves.
Mix feta, ricotta, and spinach.
Place a row of lasagna noodles across the bottom of a greased 13 x 9″ baking dish.
Distribute the feta, ricotta, spinach mixture across the lasagna. Place another layer of lasagna.
Spoon pasta sauce evenly across the top.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over all and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
Spinach Feta Lasagna
Granola
At my house granola has been a work in progress. The whole family really likes granola. It’s easy to make. The availability of parchment paper has made it easier still. Most of the ingredients I purchase in bulk at the natural foods section of the grocery store. I’ve spent the last couple years experimenting with various recipes. I used one recipe consistently that called for honey and had little oil. It seemed more healthy. Then last summer my friend Kate gave me a recipe that was like candy and I was cured of trying to be healthy. The granola was a little unwieldy because it stuck together in a glob. This did not detract from the taste whatsoever and no one cares how much trouble it is if they’re not the ones making it. The real problem with granola is that my family members eat it so quickly that I have to make it a couple times a week and it becomes a chore. And that’s using double batches. Sigh.
I’ve found a new recipe to try. It’s based on Best Ever Granola at Alexandra’s Kitchen. She makes candied nuts and adds them, with dried fruit, to the granola at the end. Oh, my. Two of my kids are coming home from college soon. They are bringing several visitors from Sweden. I need to stock up on food, like granola, so here goes. I’m going to give you the doubled recipe. I just don’t know how normal people can make four cups of granola and call it good. Go big or go home.
First, make the candied nuts.
Candied Nuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two rimmed baking sheets by covering with parchment paper. Don’t trim the paper too close, make sure to leave enough along the edges to grasp with your fingers.
Prepare the pans with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan stir together 2/3 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. cinnamon. Bring to a boil.
Make a syrup.
Stir in 3 cups raw whole cashews and 3 cups raw whole almonds. Let simmer one minute.
Stir in nuts.
Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and distribute across the prepared pans.
Resist the temptation to pour the leftover syrup onto the pans because it will burn. (I was really, really tempted. Note to self here . . . next time, after pulling out the nuts, sprinkle a little cayenne into the leftover syrup and dredge pecans through it, then bake the pecans, and use for a different purpose, like spinach salad. I think it would work and would taste amazing. I digress.)
Spread nuts on paper and place into 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir around. You’ll need to hold the parchment paper between your fingers so that it doesn’t slide off the pan onto the floor while you’re stirring. The pan is hot, of course, but the paper you should be able to grip. Put the pans back in the oven for another five minutes or so. Keep a good eye on it and remove when the nuts turn golden.
Bake until golden.
Let them cool on the pans for a little while, then transfer to a bowl. Do not throw away the paper, set it back on the pans.
Granola
In a sauce pan stir together 1 cup oil (I used canola), 1-1/3 cups honey, 2 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. salt. Warm the mixture.
Heat the liquid ingredients.
Meanwhile, in a very, very large bowl (mine is a 32-cup Tupperware) mix together 8 cups rolled oats, 14 oz. (4 cups) shredded coconut, and 4 cups sliced raw almonds.
Mix together dry ingredients.
Stir in the warmed oil and honey mixture until it is mixed through. Distribute evenly across the two parchment-prepared pans.
Spread granola across two prepared pans.
Place in the oven to bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. You’re trying to move the more browned parts away from the edges and under. Place back in oven for 5 minutes. Remove and stir. Back into the oven again. Keep repeating the process, reducing the amount of time in the oven until it has turned golden. Watch it carefully, a minute or two in the oven toward the end. Let cool. Another note: try to work quickly or you’ll find that you’ve eaten all the candied nuts by the time you’re finished toasting the granola.
Voila! Toasted granola and candied nuts.
Once cool, break up the granola a little and mix with the candied nuts. Add a couple cups of dried fruit, like cherries or cranberries. Tastes great with yogurt or milk or ice cream.
Granola
Pan-Fried Flounder and Quinoa Cake
Quinoa is all the food rage nowadays. I’ve tried it a couple times and it’s okay, not that much different from rice. The blog Portuguese Girl Cooks has an awesome recipe for quinoa cakes. Now, I am really impressed. The cakes were simple to prepare, not messy, and came out looking like they are supposed to. They are very flavorful. I could make a batch of these and put them in my son’s lunch box this summer, they make a real firm cake, easy to eat with fingers, but moist inside. Yes, yes, I’m a fan. I served these with the Pan-Fried Flounder and it was a nice combination.
I made a half a batch for two of us. It made 5 or 6 patties. There was one left over.
Quinoa Cakes
This is the recipe for two people (Portuguese Girl has the doubled recipe . . . you should visit her blog):
Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and stir in 1/2 cup quinoa. Cover. Turn heat to very low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Cool before proceeding with recipe.
Stir in 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 2 Tbsp. parsley, 1 tsp. lemon zest, 1 clove minced garlic, dashes of salt, pepper, cayenne, 3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese.
Beat 2 eggs with 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard. Stir egg mixture into quinoa mixture.
Form into patties and fry in a little olive oil on a skillet over medium heat until cakes turn a golden brown color.
Pan-Fried Flounder and Quinoa Cakes
Okay. I must first confess. Our neighbors moved to Texas and left us a box of frozen fish. It was supposed to be only salmon, but there was a lot of white fish in the box as well. We are pretty sure that most of the white fish is flounder. We have been eating it and it’s really good. I know at this moment my fishermen friends, of which there are a great many, are trying to contain their derision. “What! Paula, you don’t know?” Sigh. Okay. Lay it on.
Is this flounder? I think so.
A fisherman friend graduated from high school (back in the day) and went to Australia. She worked in a restaurant there for awhile. In Naknek, Alaska, where we both graduated high school, flounder is considered trash fish. That’s because the goal fish is salmon, anything else is a by-product. I remember her saying she couldn’t believe she served flounder to paying customers. “Here’s your flounder,” she’d say while holding it at arm’s length. This has been my flounder impression for forty years, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover how much I liked it.
Pan-Fried Flounder (based on a recipe by Bobby Flay)
4 flounder filets
Salt and pepper
Flour
Butter
Olive Oil
Lemon juice
1 bottle capers
Salt and pepper the flounder filets. Dredge the fish in flour. Heat skillet with butter and olive oil (a couple tablespoons of each) on medium until butter is melted and stops foaming. Fry the flounder until a nice brown, turning only once. It cooks very quickly. [My fish never turns a nice brown because I try to do them all at once in too-small of a skillet.] Remove fish to plate. Add about a tablespoon of butter to the skillet and stir. Don’t worry about any bits left behind, no need to scrape them up, just stir the butter around a little. Add a splash of lemon juice and stir. You’re trying to heat it, not cook it. Add the whole bottle of capers, juice and all. Heat through and drizzle over the fish. Yessiree, this is really good! My husband says we should start putting capers on everything. I could probably go for that.
If you're cutting the filets down and removing bones, don't put a big hole in yours like I did mine. Salt and pepper the filets.
Dredge the filets through flour.
Pan fry
Turn over and fry the other side (about 3 minutes each side).
Drizzle thin caper sauce over fish.
This is based upon a recipe from Anja’s Food 4 Thought. It’s very, very simple. I’m afraid it was a little too moist for me, but the fan club living at my house raved about it, so here I am, second day in a row, making this cake. The first one didn’t last long . . . at all. Note that lingonberries (also called Alaskan low-bush cranberries) are very commonly found in Alaska and I usually have gallons of them in my freezer. If a recipe calls for cranberries I use lingons instead. They are more tart than cranberries and will sometimes require additional sweetener. This particular recipe doesn’t use many “cranberries” and tastes good without the additional sugar.
Apple Cranberry Cake
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup brown sugar (dark or light)
3/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 egg
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup grated apple (1 large), I left the peel on, why not?
1/2 cup frozen lingonberries or cranberries
Serves 4
In a large bowl, combine oats and brown sugar, stir in boiling water. Slice butter and place on top of the oat, sugar, water mixture. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, beat the egg lightly. Stir beaten egg into the oat mixture and stir until well combined and butter is fully melted. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet and mix well. Stir in the apple and lingonberries.
Pour batter into a greased 8×4″ loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan. Cut into slices to serve.
Mix together quick-oats, brown sugar, and boiling water. Place butter slices on top. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Mix in beaten egg. Stir in dry ingredients. Stir in apple and cranberries.
Finished adding ingredients.
Pour into greased 8×4″ loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until toothpick, inserted in center, comes out clean.
Here’s what’s left of yesterday’s batch and that’s nearly gone now. There’s only three of us living here!
Okay, so once in awhile I do know how to make something pretty.
Tomorrow morning I’m headed to a bridal shower and was asked to bring something to share. This seems appropriate. I clipped the recipe by Aileen Claire (Times Wire Service) from the Anchorage Times back in the 1980s and have made it many times. I was able find it online at Ocala Star Banner, July 23, 1986. I’m going to give you the recipe the way I make it.
Let dough rise until doubled. Then punch down.
Puree dried prunes with orange juice in blender, then stir in almonds and orange zest.
On floured surface, roll dough out to 18 x 12
Spread filling along upper edge of dough.
Start rolling the dough toward you.
Keep rolling.
Brush lower edge with beaten egg.
Can you see the beaten egg along the bottom edge of the dough?
Pinch edges together to seal. Pick up the dough and move it to a greased or parchment-covered baking sheet, seam side down, in a horse-shoe shape.
Make 12 cuts, about 2/3 of the way through toward center of the dough.
Yeah, so I only made eleven cuts. Do as I say, not as I do. Fan the dough out a bit.
Let dough rise until doubled.
Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cover lightly with foil if it starts to turn too brown.
Remove from the oven.
Let cool. Make a thin icing by mixing powdered sugar with orange juice and drizzle over ring. Voila!
Prune Orange Almond Ring
1 pkg. (2-1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1 Tbsp + 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. salt
3-4 cups bread flour
Prune Almond Filling (recipe below)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Powdered sugar
In a large bowl, combine yeast, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and water. Let stand 5-10 minutes until bubbly. Add milk, butter, remaining 1/2 cup sugar and salt to yeast mixture. Add 2-1/2 cups bread flour to mixer with dough hook and knead very well. Add bread flour and continue kneading until dough becomes smooth and elastic. Let rise until doubled.
Punch down and roll into an 18 x 12″ rectangle. Spoon Prune Almond Filling along top of long side and roll up as for jelly roll. Brush along lower edge with beaten egg; pinch edges to seal. Form into a horseshoe on greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, seam side down.
With scissors make 12 cuts two-thirds of the way in center of roll; fan slices out. Cover; let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Brush top with more of the beaten egg; sprinkle with almonds.
Bake in 375 degree oven 30-35 minutes, until golden brown, covering with foil as needed to prevent overbrowning. Remove to rack to cool. Drizzle with powdered sugar thinned with orange juice or water.
Prune Almond Filling
1-1/2 cups (about 9 oz.) pitted prunes
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tsp. orange zest
In a blender or food processor combine prunes with orange juice. Blend until smooth. Pour into bowl; mix in sliced almonds and orange zest.
Today I am baking Swedish Limpa. The recipe is based upon a recipe found in one of my two favorite bread cookbooks: Electric Bread by the late Suzan Nightingale. Electric Bread is a cookbook for using a bread machine. I gave away my bread machine several years ago when my daughter talked her dad into buying me a Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook attachment for Christmas. I like having more control over the process of bead making, but the variety of recipes in Electric Bread is amazing so I’ve tweaked them for use in my mixer.
One of the things I’ve learned about making yeast breads in a mixer is that the best kneading takes place before the dough gets stiff, before adding that last cup or two of flour. That’s when you let the machine go for five minutes or so. Then add the final flour to make a stiff dough that’s not too sticky.
Swedish Limpa
3 tsp. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup warm milk
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. molasses
2 Tbsp. soft butter
1 Tbsp. orange zest
1/2 tsp. anise seed
1/2 tsp. cardamom
3/4 cup flat dark beer (stir an open beer until the bubbles disperse)
1/2 cup rye flour
1-1/2 tsp. salt
2-1/2 cups bread flour (approximate)
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add all ingredients except bread flour, start with 1-1/2 cups. Mix and knead very well. Gradually add bread flour until the dough is stiff and not sticky. Cover and let rise until double. Punch down and form into a loaf. Place in greased 9×5″ loaf pan. Cover and let rise until double. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Let cool on rack.
This makes a great ham sandwich or toast in the morning for breakfast. I’ll bet a grilled cheese sandwich would be memorable as well.
Polenta is a good idea when you’re tired of the usual starchy dishes. It is basically corn meal mush allowed to firm up. It is then sliced and used as a base for sauce and/or cheese.
Polenta
4 cups water
1 cup polenta
Dash of salt
Bring water to a rolling boil and very slowly sprinkle polenta into the water while stirring all the while. Reduce the heat once it comes back to a boil. Continue stirring while the polenta simmers. As it thickens it begins to splatter. Once it’s fairly thick, it’s okay to leave it for a couple minutes at a time, so stir frequently instead of constantly. A spatter guard is a huge help. The process of simmering and stirring takes about 25 minutes. The polenta should be quite thick. Coat a 8×8″ square pan with olive oil and pour the polenta into it. Smooth out the top with a spatula as best you can. Once it’s cooled a little, place it into the refrigerator for an hour or longer.
Polenta is a much larger and rougher grind than corn meal. Here is one cup of polenta.
Stir constantly at first until the polenta absorbs the water evenly.
Once it starts to thicken you will want a spatter guard on it. You should stir frequently, instead of constantly.
Looks thick enough now. 25 minutes has elapsed.
Voila! Polenta.
I have to confess that I’ve never had polenta outside of what I’ve made myself in my own kitchen. I’m assuming I’ve done it right because it tastes good. I’ve seen prepared polenta in plastic tubes at the grocery. It looks like you would slice the tube into rounds and then assemble the dish that way. Someday I may try that.
Polenta Parmesan
Prepared polenta
Mozzarella
Favorite marinara-type sauce
Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
Cut the 8×8″ pan of polenta into 9 squares. Lift out each square, turn it so you see the short side, and slice in half. Now you have eighteen slices, roughly the same size. Lay nine of the squares out on a baking dish (a 9×13″ will work, but another size might work better-see below) which has been coated with olive oil. Top each polenta square with a piece mozzarella, then sauce. Then top the sauce with another slice of polenta, cheese, and sauce. Sprinkle the whole thing with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.
Cut polenta into squares and lift out of the pan.
Here are the slices.
My sauce has BIG chunks of Italian sausage in it, so my little polenta stacks look a bit topsy-turvy. TASTES great. Doesn't present very well, though. Sigh. See what you can do. My nine polentas wouldn't fit in the pan so I split one in half, it's on the right side of the picture.
Just before it goes into the oven.
Finished.
Serve! Goes well with Eggplant au Gratin.
This is a dish I make frequently. It is so simple.
You will need olive oil, one eggplant, bread crumbs, and seasoning. That’s it!
Slice an eggplant crosswise into 1″ slices. Drizzle olive oil into a 9X13″ pan. I start with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Dip each eggplant slice into olive oil so that each side of the slice is coated. You will need to add more olive oil as you go through the slices. As you’re done coating a slice, just slide it to one edge of the pan. When finished, both your pan and your eggplant should be coated with olive oil. Lay the eggplant out in a single layer (I have done this by offset stacking and it works, too, just not as pretty). Now, sprinkle the top of each slice with bread crumbs. Sprinkle the bread crumbs with seasoned salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and parsley (whatever floats your boat). Drizzle a little more olive oil over the top, not much. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes. You can stick a fork in one slice and it should feel quite tender.
These are meant to be eaten at room temperature so can be baked ahead of time, but they taste okay while hot. They tend to lose quite a bit of firmness in the refrigerator, but still taste okay. Usually, we don’t have any left to put in the refrigerator. My favorite way to eat these is to snatch them from the pan with my fingers about half hour after baking and pop them into my mouth. I can go through quite a few of them that way. I dislike sharing, I guess. Last thing: sometimes you can buy really small eggplant and I have prepared them the same way as this, only slicing in half lengthwise and sprinkling bread crumbs, etc. on each half.
This is the dish just before the last drizzle of olive oil
Here's how it should look right before you place it into the oven.
Out of the oven
Finished product
Foods Passion 