One reason that I'm writing this blog is to help me remember what I've cooked, and liked, so that I might have some backup ideas stashed away. There are times when I try to come up with a menu and simply draw a blank, wondering if I've ever really cooked anything good.  Surely, I have. But, what?

My approach to meal planning and preparation during the winter is very different than when the garden is in production.  When possible I chose a very spontaneous approach to our meals.  I especially like to cruise through the garden sometime late in the afternoon gathering inspiration and fresh produce as I go.  That's a little harder to do during the winter. 

The long winter days have found me with stacks of cookbooks on my counter alongside a cup of tea, a notepad and, a grocery list.  I don't always follow recipes very closely, but I do use them for inspriation.  I seem to find myself with periodic themes.  Lately I've been in the asian mode.  After gaining a spark of inspriation I head to the fish market and grocery store to see what looks good.  Yesterday I found some lovely wild Northwest Silver Salmon. I decided to pair it with a chinese style noodle cake, some stir fried vegetables and my favorite winter salad.

Menu:  Broiled Silver Salmon with Red Curry Sauce

            Noodle Cake

            Stir Fry of Snow Peas, Asparagus and Yellow Pepper

            Salad Greens with Heirloom Oranges and Almonds

For the Noodle Cake - cook some thin chinese egg noodles, drain and rinse in cool water.  Toss with 1 - 2 TBS of toasted sesame oil, 2 TBS of chopped cilantro and 1/2 - 1 tsp of red pepper flakes. Set aside.  The noodles take only about 10 minutes to finish, so I began cooking them about the time the salmon went into the oven.  To do so, heat a small amount of oil in a non-stick saute pan.  Add all of the noodles and pat into a large cake.  Cook on medium heat until nicely browned, about 5 min..  Using a plate for support, turn the noodles and cook on the other side another 5 minutes or so. I served the noodles by cutting the large cake in quarters.

Salmon in Red Curry Sauce -

  1 can of coconut milk

  4 TBS of Thai red curry paste

  juice of 1 lime
  2 -3 kaffir lime leaves, torn in small pieces

Open the can of coconut milk and skim off about 2 TBS of the cream - set aside.  In a saute pan add the rest of the heavy cream part of the coconut milk.  Mix in the curry paste and cook approx. 2 minutes.  Gradually add the rest of the coconut milk, stirring and heating as you go.  Stir in kaffir lime leaves and follow with lime juice to taste.

Grill the salmon - I used the convection/broil function of my oven and cooked the fish for about 8 minutes.

I quickly stir-fried the vegetables and seasoned them only with a little salt and pepper.

To serve, spoon sauce on the plate and top with the salmon and a wedge of noodles.  Top the salmon with a touch of the reserved coconut cream.  Add a salad and you're ready for a very tasty meal.

Rye Bread and Carrot Soup

I've been thinking of Rye Bread a lot lately.  It's been on my mind for a couple of weeks now.  Luscious, dense, flavorful rye with lots of caraway seeds.  But, good rye bread takes time, you just can't rush into it.  So, I just kept thinking about it.

Yesterday, Super Bowl Sunday, a kind of lazy day, seemed like a good place to start. The recipe I like is for Naturally Leavened Rye Bread from Peter Reinhart's, Crust and Crumb; Master Formulas for Serious Bread Bakers. It's a two or three day process, depending on whether you already have a good sourdough starter living in your fridge.   While this recipe requires time, it is not complicated and produces everything one desires in a fabulous rye bread. As you can see, I made three smallish perfect loaves.  I only wish you could smell them. . . . .

So, what goes well with fresh rye?  After combing through Deborah Madison's, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone I decided on Carrot Soup with Onion Relish.  I served the Rye with a bit of double cream brie, followed by a salad of greens with apple, currants, celery and walnuts.  I can't wait for a lunch of leftovers tomorrow.

Carrot Soup with Onion Relish

2 TBS butter

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 pound carrots, thinly sliced

1 bay leaf

2 TBS chopped parsley

3 TBS white rice

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

salt and freshly milled pepper

7 cups water

In a soup pot, melt better.  Add onion, carrots, bay leaf, parsley, and rice; cook to soften onion, stirring frequently, about 5 min.  Add the spices, 1/2 tsp salt, and some pepper and cook 5 min. longer.  Add the water and bring to a boil.  Simmer, partially covered for 25 min.  Puree the soup.

While the soup is cooking, prepare the onion relish by mixing all the ingredients together:

1/3 cup finely chopped white onion

1 serrano chile, finely chopped

2 TBS chopped cilantro

grated zest and juice of 1 lime.

Taste for salt and serve each bowl with a spoonful of relish.

This is a great soup recipe. Do be sure to try the onion relish with it, the contrast of the lime juice, onion and bit of chile is a nice counterpoint to the sweetness of the carrots.

I'd be happy to share the bread recipe upon request.

Enjoy!

Now, what kind of jam goes best with rye bread?  I'll let you know tomorrow.