Smoked Salmon on Toast Points

Gosh I'm a lazy writer.  It is terrible how long it's been since I've posted a post.  But  I want to tell you about this little snack I make and I don't feel a few quips on facebook will do the trick so I'm going to put it here where I can be a little more ... verbose. 

As I made my little snack this afternoon, it occurred to me that it very much exemplified how I like to eat.  It is just simple and kinda healthy, and it feels like a treat but is really quite effortless.

Firstly, I very much like to keep smoked salmon in the house.  It has about a month on the expiration date, so you can have it on hand for a quick lunch or a cocktail snack.   With that on hand, I use just a regular hearty wheat bread and some greek yogurt and sliced scallions.  Toast the bread on the dark side, lay the thin sliced salmon over the top (just a single layer will do,) spread on some thick, plain greek yogurt and the sliced scallions.  Voile! You have a fancy lunch that is almost champagne worthy!

A few last words (see...about the verbosity,)  You can take the bread so many places here.  Baguette toasts or brioche (oh my) or even crackers for goodness' sake.  And of course you can do sour cream instead of yogurt and sliced red onion instead of scallion.  You can add capers too.  Or crumbled hard boiled egg.

Jalapeno Salmon Burgers

From the Chicago Tribune's Best Recipes of 2008 list, these are Jalapeno Salmon Burgers (scroll way down for the recipe) from the book, Fish Without a Doubt, by Rick Moonen. Since I already owned the book, I thought I should give these a try posthaste. And we really liked the way these little burger/patties came out. They tasted great.

BUT they were a pain in the a** to make. There's salmon to be chilled, skinned (if you forget to ask the market to do it) and diced, vegetables to be finely diced, and egg whites to be whipped to soft peaks. Everything is mixed together and the egg whites are folded in. Moonen said the mixture would be loose, so I was prepared for that. But it was so loose that I couldn't shape burgers with my hands and took more of a pancake batter approach, which worked fine. Initially they held together. Then when it came time to flip them, well, the first one sort of flipped and shattered. I quickly smooshed everything back together and in the end I did get an almost complete patty. My second was a little better. (These would be a train wreck on the grill. They need a flat pan to work.)

There's a steep learning curve though. My second batch worked much better because I knew how delicately I needed to be. I ended up lifting the patty with one spatula, carefully turning over onto another spatula and sliding it back into the pan. And I suggest you do the same, unless to like salmon hash. Salmon Hash ain't bad.

Chef Moonen recommends a pita as the bread for your burger, but I think these Brownberry Sandwich Thins are a better choice. These are 100% whole wheat (they also make a multi-grain) and are little softer than a whole wheat pita, more like a burger bun. I use them for everything. Should you have a disaster and the burger break apart, just heap it all on the bun for a loose-meat sandwich - or heap it into a pita. It will still taste good.

So in the end, for a salmon burger, I was left with quite a few dirty pans. But my what a tasty, spicy burger. The burger didn't really need any toppings because it is filled with flavors, but you could add whatever you like. It occurred to me that honey-mustard would be good. I served the salmon burger with Fine Cooking's Cilantro-Lime slaw (from 96). This tangy, crunchy slaw is a great match. I will make these again despite everything. And I think things will go better the next time because I know what to expect.

Leftovers reheat well in the oven, covered loosely with foil.

http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/dec/10/food/chi-best-books-burger-recipe-10dec10

Turkey Burgers with a Twist

Here is one of my favorite new recipes from this summer. I hope it is free on Fine Cooking's website because I'm lazy and don't feeling like copying it over. There's always a bit of editing to do with the text. So here's the link for some great Middle Eastern Turkey Burgers. (If you can't get the recipe, drop me a line and I'll make sure you do.) We've made these burgers three times since issue #94 came out. The meat is generously seasoned with garlic, spices and herbs. On a pita, you'll think you're eating a gyros. And since so many of us are faced with an overabundance of cucumbers these days, you can use one to make the Tsatziki sauce (yogurt cucumber sauce) that you need to top your delicious grilled burger. I highly recommend seeking out the greek yogurt (specifically Fage) for the sauce. It makes a big difference in the thick and creamy quality. Spray some olive oil on your pita and heat it briefly on the grill before cozying up your burger in the warm, chewy bread and dolloping on some cool Tsatziki. Yum. I like these burgers with a side of tomatoes, sliced, and topped with crumbled feta. Our neighbor did a nice greek flavored Orzo salad with olives, tomatoes and feta that also went nicely with these burgers.

El Cubano

The Cuban Pork Sandwich is held in highest regard in this household. It is one of those foods that becomes more than the sum of its parts. Pork loin (sliced from a roast,) ham, swiss cheese, pickles, and garlicky spread or mojo sauce are all smashed between a crusty loaf and toasted until crispy outside and melty inside. It makes for some fine eating. Especially with a beer, dear husband wants to add. Our favorite recipe comes from Bruce Aidells Complete Meat Cookbook. But Fine Cooking has a version in their current issue so naturally we had to give it a go. It proved to be good, but not as good as Aidells'. The Aidells recipe includes thinly sliced tomatoes and onions and I think that is why I enjoy it more. I like his mojo sauce more too.

Speaking of Cuban Pork Sandwiches, check out Hungry Magazine's review of El Cubanito, located in Logan Square (2555 N. Pulaski,) and their Cubano.

Steak Sandwiches

My husband loves to eat leftover steak, cold, sliced thin and salted. But to me this sandwich is far and away the best thing to do with leftover steak. The recipe, Philly-Style Mushroom Cheesesteak, from Fine Cooking issue #47, starts with cooking a steak intentionally to make this sandwich. But I just pick up midway and use leftover steak. You saute mushrooms, onions and garlic until soft and then toss in a few cherry tomatoes and thin-sliced cooked steak. You heat it through, divide it into two portions on opposite sides of the pan and melt some provolone over each pile of steak and vegs. After it melts, use a big flat spatula to move the whole mess to a slice of toasted french bread. This is knife and fork food at its best. However, I'm quite sure it is nothing like an authentic Philly Cheese Steak.

Sliders

When I make burgers indoors, I like to make them old-school diner-style. I form them very thin and sear them on a flat skillet. The meat on the edges of my imperfect patties gets a little crispy. And once on the bun, it hangs off the sides. With a nod to the current restaurant trend (and because I didn't have any hamburger buns,) I've fashioned these into mini-burgers. A hot dog bun divided into three served as the buns. These burgers went over well with the boys, needless to say.

The Mushroom Thing

We like The Mushroom Thing a lot. I think I make it at least once a month. I guess an open-faced mushroom sandwich would be a more accurate name. But since it has sauteed spinach on it and we eat it with a knife and fork, I don't really think of it as a sandwich. So, when Steve asks "What's for dinner?," I just say "the mushroom thing."

A Deborah Madison recipe is the original source of the recipe, but with the addition of the slow roasted tomatoes and a drizzle of sun-dried tomato vinaigrette, I think I've made it my own. A marinated and grilled portobella 'shroom is filled with garlic-sauteed spinach and a few oven-dried tomatoes and topped off with fresh mozzarella. It goes in the oven to warm and melt the cheese. The mushroom thing is served on top of toasted french bread. More tomatoes are added to the plate and vinaigrette is drizzled around. Voila!

Leftover Salmon

A simple sammie made with flaked leftover salmon, minimal mayo, celery and a squeeze of a lemon. Red onion and lettuce added crunch.

The Cuban Sandwich

It seems like you should have something really tasty on Fat Tuesday. Something a little over the top. This sandwich fits the bill. A Cubano is a classic, pressed Cuban sandwich filled with sliced pork, ham, swiss cheese, onions, pickles and tomatoes. A garlic mayonnaise serves as the spread. The recipe comes from a favorite cookbook, Bruce Aidells' Complete Meat, as a suggestion for using roast pork leftovers. The roll gets crunchy when it is pressed and toasted and everything melts together inside. This is not a mile-high sandwich. There is a thin layer of each ingredient, so that it can be flattened. But these thin layers will come together make your tastebuds very, very happy. It is a great sandwich.