Sunday

Cape Cleare Salmon

Lindsay's Cape Cleare Salmon Salad ~



serves 2 as melts or 4 as appetizer
whisk together the following in a bowl:
2-3 tbls evoo
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tbls pure maple syrup
1 tbls stone ground mustard
add to the marinade:
5 - 6 scallions, minced, white and light green parts only
2 small celery ribs, diced
2 hard boiled eggs - diced
1 - 2 tbls minced sweet pickles
2 -3 tbls minced fresh dill weed
roughly 1/2 a pound of Cape Cleare Salmon, cooked and torn into pieces
sea salt to taste
mix all together, chill and either serve with crustini's or as a salmon melt on a fresh panini with sharp cheddar cheese, avocado & stone ground mustard!

Friday

drink & ambiance





















Listen:
Nebraska is the Springsteen album most embraced by hipsters and most neglected by the Boss’s cult, and hearing it makes it easy to understand why: the record abandons virtually all of Springsteen’s trademarks, both musical and thematic, opting for something much less warm and immediate. For instance, Bruce’s optimism is notably absent: a remorseless serial killer begs a judge for execution; a young child, embittered beyond his years by a life of poverty, yearns for escape from a dead-end existence; a man watches the taillights of his fugitive brother disappear into the night, knowing he will never see him again. The music is hushed, usually just Springsteen’s voice accompanied by his acoustic guitar and harmonica. There are no anthems or arena-friendly fist-pumpers here --- in Nebraska, being glad you’re alive isn’t a sin, it's an impossibility.
Drink:
bridgeport ipa ~

Po' Boys Panini's


























Po' Boy's ~ serves two

roughly a dozen fresh oysters, scrubbed & shucked
oil for frying - vegetable or safflower 2 - 4 cups
cast iron pot
thinly sliced green cabbage
freshly baked panini buns

in a bowl combine ~
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp - 1 tsp freshly milled black pepper

heat oil until a cube of bread dropped in floats right to the top and browns within 1 minute.
roll oysters in flour then fry until brown about 2 minutes. keep on a plate in low oven while frying the remainder.

two hours prior make potatoes -

bring 8 cups of water, 1 tbls coarse salt and 1 1/2 pounds of red pots to a boil, remain boiling for about 15 minutes. drain water and set aside.
in a bowl whisk the following:
3 tbls olive oil
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbls fresh minced rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper

slice potatoes into 1/4 inch slices and gently toss with marinade, let sit at room temp for 2 hours.

for the Po' Boy Aioli ~
in a mini prep combine various amounts of the following:
fresh dill weed
lime juice
garlic
stone ground mustard
buttermilk & mayo
sweet pickles

lightly toast panini, spread with butter.
toss cabbage with some aioli and put on bun with oysters
drizzle more sloppy aioli on the top!!!!


Sunday

daphne's coconut cupcakes



okay, okay....so this is truly a recipe for Ina Garten's Coconut Cupcakes...but after i so stupidly placed my mini cupcake miracles on a platter for my empty coffee table to enjoy, did Daphne do the unthinkable.
CHOMP ~ CHOMP ~ CHOMP ~
after inducing vomitting & 24 mini cupcakes later, we had to "re-name" the sweets and wonder how all those paper wrappers were going to make their way back out?

cupcake recipe !!!!

cream cheese frosting recipe !!!!

Friday

Vegan Pad Thai w/ homemade Seitan



















12 ounces fresh or dried rice noodles
2 tbls plus 1 tsp peanut oil
8 ounces Seitan, sliced
2 tbls tamari
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
4 scallions, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium size tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 tbls firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbls rice vinegar
1/2 cup fresh bean sprouts
1/4 cup chopped unsalted dry roasted peanuts

1) prepare the rice noodles as directed by packaging, rinse until cold water and set aside, tossed with 1 tsp peanut oil & covered.
2) heat the remaining peanut oi in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. add bell peppers, scallions, and garlic adn stir fry until softened, about 5 minutes. add tomato, brown sugar, vinegar and remaining tamari. cook 3 minutes. add rice noodles and toss gently adding in Seitan, ckko for 5 minutes until hot.
3) divide among 4 plates and garnish with bean sprouts and peanuts

homemade Seitan ~ steps 1 - 5






for the gluten :
2 pounds unbleached flour
2 pounds whole wheat flour
4 - 5 cups cold water, or enough
to form a firm dough

1) to make the gluten, in a large bowl combine flours and the water and form into a firm ball, adding water if needed.
transfer to counter and knead for 15 minutes, until elastic and springs back when pulled.
2) put the dough in a mixing bowl and cover with warm water. let rest for 30 minutes so that the gluten can relax. if it is not allowed, the gluten will not seperate from the starch, bran & germ.

for the stock:
2 1/2 pounds carrots, halved
1 pound onion, quartered
2 celery ribs, leaves, halved
1 1/2 cups tamari
4 garlic cloves, halved
about 8 inches of ginger, cut into 1 inch rounds
12 whole peppercorns\2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

3) in a huge stock pot over high heat, combine 4 quarts of water & stock ingredients...bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer as you prepare the seitan

4) meanwhile, place the dough in a large colander inside a mixing bowl or sink that is plugged & fill with cold water. wash the dough in the water for 5 minutes, squishing, pulling and squeezing with your hands. then wash it in warm water for another 5 minutes, doing the same thing. as you drain the water you will see all the bran left in the bottom ~ see Daphne enjoying wheat bran!

seitan ~ steps 6 - 10







repeat the cold-water, then warm water, rinsings and end with a 2 minute cold water wash for a total of 5 rinsings. with each washing, the water will become clearer & clearer, and the gluten will be more and more developed. at first it will feel like there is an amazing amount of starch coming off: then the gluten starts to break away and the dough feels and looks like a wet, ragged mass. then it will become spongy with alot of loose strands. the strands should start to get tighter, and finally it will become a smooth round ball. what remains is the glutinous part of the wheat, the protein. all of the starch and 90 percent of the bran have been washed away.

pinch off golf-ball size peices of the gluten and simmer in the stock for an hour. the peices of gluten will expand as they absorb the stock.

strain the stock and reserve it for soup or sauces. use the seitan in a recipe or store submerged in the stock, refrigerated, up to a week !

refined pesto salad



3/4 cup pine nuts - toasted
2 medium garlic cloves, unpeeled
sea salt
1 pound fusilli, gemelli or farfalle
1/4 cup plus 1 tbls evoo
3 cups packed fresh basil leaves - 4 ounces
1 cup packed baby spinach - 1 ounce
fresh ground pepper
juice from 1 lemon
3/4 cup grated fresh parmesan
6 tbls mayonnaise
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
bring water to a boil for pasta.
when boiling, toss in the garlic for 1 minute, then set aside.
cook pasta until al dente, reserve 1/4 cup pasta water, drain, rinse and toss with 1 tbls olive oil, set aside.
peel garlic.
place 1/4 cup of the pine nuts, lemon juice, garlic, basil, spinach, pepper, salt & 1/4 cup evoo in a blender or mini prep. process until smooth. add cheese & mayo and process until combined.
stir into pasta, adding 1 tbls of pasta water as needed to cover pasta evenly with pesto. stir in tomatoes & rest of pine nuts, serve at room temperature.