Asian Flavored Roast Salmon

Last Friday I hosted a luncheon board meeting for Project Native.  Eleven people were scheduled to attend, so finding something easy and quick was uppermost in my mind.  I let my thoughts wander over what might be tasty, and almost immediately an Asian-flavored salmon swam into consciousness. That demanded Annette Grant's miraculous Asian sesame noodles (see Nov 16 2010), a hostess freebie in that they're best made the night before.  So there'd be a darkish color salmon, and a darkish pasta--what would be the appropriate third dish?  Sliced Armenian cucumbers and quartered cherry tomatoes (from Maine) doused with a bit of olive oil and salt.  Perfection itself. For dessert, I hauled up three jars of honeyed peaches I preserved last autumn which went well with excellent chocolate chip cookies.  I opened several bottles of my favorite Rose--South African Muldenbosch, which complimented the various luncheon flavors.  This meal was so easy and such a smashing hit that I'm serving it again for a dinner next week, and then again when my family comes up for the July 4 weekend. Here is the recipe for the salmon.  As noted above, Annette's sesame noodles can be found in November 16, 2010.  We'll have to wait for canning season for the recipe for Jane Kasten's honeyed peaches (which are well worth the wait). Asian Salmon from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa at Home (pp 118-110) 2 1/4 lb center-cut fillet (1 1/2" thick) 1 c soy sauce 1/4 c rice vinegar 1/4 c freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons) 2 T oyster sauce 1 T fish sauce 1 T toasted (dark) sesame oil 1 1/2 t chili paste 1/2 c sliced scallions (about 2 scallions) 2 T minced garlic (8 large cloves) 2 T minced fresh ginger 1 1/2 c Panko crumbs Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Place salmon in pan. In a mixing cup, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, lemon juice, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, chili paste, scallions, garlic, and ginger. Pour one-third of the soy sauce mixture over the salmon fillet. Sprinkle panko evenly over the fillet. Pour the rest of the soy sauce mixture evenly over the panko. Be sure to soak the panko completely and if any run off, spoon them back onto the salmon. Set aside for 15 mnutes, leaving all the sauce in the pan. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 500 degrees. Roast salmon for 18-20 minutes, for about 12 minutes per inch at the thickest part of the salmon. The internal temperature should be 120 degrees on a meat thermometer when it's done. Remove from the oven, wrap tightly with foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Goodies from a pot luck dinner

The other night I hosted a gang of 12 for dinner. I made a delicious radish dip (we ate it with cubes of a sourdough baguette), and the main course--my famous pulled pork. On hearing about the pulled pork, one friend insisted that she bring an old-fashioned cole slaw, which was more delicious than I thought possible. Other contributions were a vegetable dish (green beans with edamame tossed in a lemon dressing), a cheese platter, and a rhubarb-strawberry crumble with shortbread topping.

It was a glorious meal, both because the food was excellent, and because the conversation never flagged. I hope that by sharing some of the recipes, I'll extend the pleasure of the evening.

Best Ever Shredded Pork

Sometime in the late 1990's, Cook's Illustrated highlighted a way to make the best pulled pork.  My husband and I were renting a house that summer in the Berkshires, so we had access to a grill.  We followed the recipe instructions, and were simply blown away by the flavor.  I've made it countless times since, often by beginning it on a grill, but sometimes just roasting it in the oven (like when the snow prohibits access to the grill).  It's always delicious. 

Here are the various steps in preparing the pulled pork.  Plan ahead because the pork should marinate in the rub for at least one day, and then you need to cook it.  And don't forget that like many such dishes, it tastes better the day after it cooks.

Spice rub

1 T ground black pepper

2 t cayenne
1 - 2 T chili powder
2 T ground cumin
2 T dark brown sugar
1 T ground oregano
4 T paprika
2 T salt
1 T granulated sugar
1 T ground white pepper


Mix all ingredients in small bowl.


Mid-South Carolina mustard sauce

1 c cider vinegar

6 T dijon
2 T maple syrup or honey
4 t Wor sauce
1 t hot red pepper sauce
1 c veg oil
2 t salt
ground black pepper


Mix all ingredients in medium bowl.


Pulled Pork

6-8 lb pork butt (bone in)

Mustard of your choice (mine is Dijon)
Spicy chili rub
Mid-South Carolina mustard sauce

Use 3-6 T Dijon mustard to coat pork butt. Then massage chili rub onto meat, wrap tightly in plastic wrap at least 3 hours and not more than 72 hours before cooking.

At 1 hour before cooking, remove pork from refrigerator and let stand at room temp. Fire up whatever type of grill you use, and cook pork butt from 1-3 hours. When you think the pork butt has had enough in the grill, preheat your oven to 325. Place the roast in a pan and dribble about half of the sauce over it. Wrap with foil to cover completely. Roast in the oven for about 2 hours, or until meat is fork-tender.


Put foil wrapped roast in pan into doubled grocery bag. Crimp top and let roast rest 1 hour.Pull pork and mix with 1 c sauce, reserving rest for passing at table.

Elizabeth Keen's Spring Radish Dip

Elizabeth Keen, the wonder farmer at Indian Line Farm, handed out this recipe a few years ago at the Great Barrington Farmers Market.  She had bread cubes available so one could easily sample the dip, which was so refreshing that I simply had to take the recipe.  Like so many things, I lost it and didn't make it until the other night, when the recipe miraculously turned up just in time for the dinner party.

One of my profoundest flaws is that I like to prepare things early so I don't have to worry about loose ends when guests arrive.  Mostly making things ahead doesn't cause any trouble, but I just learned the hard way that when dealing with radishes in any form (including horseradish), do not, I repeat DO NOT make the dishes too far ahead of serving.  I learned that from a Cook's Illustrated article in their most recent issue that horseradish dilutes itself.  And I guess radishes do, too.  At any rate, this delicious dip was delicious even though it had been made the day before serving, but it would have been supremely delicious if I'd made it closer to serving time.  Remember this when making it.  Please.

8 oz package cream cheese
1-2 T prepared horseradish, drained
1 t dill
1/2 t salt
1-2 bunches red radishes, diced

Mix ingredients together.  You might want to run them through a food processor to smooth them out.  Chill for 1/2 hour before serving.  This will make 2-3 cups.

Now for the surprise shocker.  Denise Flamino brought the most amazing cole slaw.  For years I've systematically ignored, indeed frowned upon, cole slaws that use mayo or cream.  Oil and vinegar has been my lodestar here.  So a major taste sensation awaited me.  Here's what she did.

3/4 c mayonnaise
3 T sugar
1 1/2 T white wine vinegar
1/3 c oil
1/8 t garlic powder
1/8 t onion powder
1/8 t dry mustard
1/8 t celery salt
1 T lemon juice
1/2 c half & half
1/4 t salt
1 head cabbage finely shredded

Whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, white wine vinegar and oil.  Blend in garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard, celery salt, lemon juice, half & half, and salt.  Toss with finely shredded cabbage.  This isn't just delicious.  It's seriously addictive.  Bobby Houston and I fought over the remains of the bowl, leaving nary a trace of the sauce.  Don't dismiss this til you've tried it.

So this is a good start on a casual but uber-tasty dinner.  Bon appetit!

Mussels in Coconut Broth

Wednesday night, when it was fiercely hot and muggy and then came a wild storm that cooled things off, I made dinner for two friends.  I'd had that irresistible yearning for mussels that comes upon me from time to time, and since this is a dish that's hard to do for one, I made the evening into a little party.  I don't know the "right" season for mussels, but it must be around about now since the ones I got were amazingly plump and juicy.  Made even more so with this fragrantly flavored sauce that's so simple that a person can come home from a hectic day 45 minutes before guests are due to arrive and do the preparations and still have a nanosecond or two to relax before they arrive.

Susan, one of my guests, brought a beautiful baguette for dipping purposes.  We warmed it up at 200 degrees for 10 minutes, which it made well nigh perfect.

I picked some beautiful lettuces from my garden for a salad to follow, but we were so sated from the mussels, their broth, and the bread that we took a breather before polishing off fresh fruit salad and slices of banana bread with chocolate chips.

I don't drink much wine these days, but I slurped down a fair amount of the South African Mulderbosch, a most delicious and refreshing Rose that's become a summer staple amongst my friends.  It was perfect with the mussels.  Which I hope you'll enjoy as much as we did.

Mussels in Ginger and Coconut broth

4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 Thai chiles, thickly sliced
One 1½-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup cilantro leaves
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Two 13½-ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk
Juice of 2 limes
Salt
One 11- to 12-ounce bottle lager
5 pounds mussels, scrubbed

In a food processor, combine the garlic, chiles, ginger, cilantro, lime zest and olive oil and process to a paste; transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in the coconut milk and lime juice and season with salt.

In a large soup pot, bring the lager to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced to ½ cup, about 7 minutes. Add the mussels, cover and cook, shaking the pot a few times, until the mussels just begin to open, about 4 minutes.

Uncover the mussels and stir in the coconut milk mixture. Cover and cook, shaking the pot a few times, until all of the mussels open, about 8 minutes. Spoon the mussels and broth into bowls and serve.

Make Ahead
The recipe can be prepared through Step 1 and refrigerated overnight.