Two more Salt Cod recipes

Where can I Buy Salt Cod?

Why am I going on & on about cod? Well in part because one of our friends is a fisherman who fishes for -cod! His M/V will be leaving port soon and I always try to surround him, the crew and the ship with good thoughts for a safe and productive journey while they are out at sea.

Another reason is that our town was started 100 years ago this year by Norwegian fisherman so cod last a long history of importance in my area. If you would like to read about cod and how it truly shaped the history of the world Mark Kurlansky wrote a fantastic book Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World

I think this is the one I will try first. It is a Spanish recipe. Although it's not the way it was prepared on A Cook's tour, I love fish balls so I'm going to go for it!

Salt Cod Fritters
Amount to serve 4
250 g (1/2 pound) salt cod, chopped, skinned and boned
30 g (1/4 cup) flour
250 cc (1 cup) milk
1-1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 egg yolk
2 egg whites
1/2 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp minced parsley
1 liter (4 cups) olive oil for frying
Freshly ground black pepper
Soak the salt cod for 24 hours in plenty of cold water, which must be renewed every 8 hours. Drain it and bring to a boil in water to cover. Reduce the heat. When froth begins to form in the water, drain and crush the fish to a paste in a mortar.
Mix the cod with the oil and the flour in a bowl; add the egg yolk, lightly beaten, and the milk. Add the crushed garlic, the minced parsley and pepper to taste. Stir thoroughly. Beat the whites till stiff and mix with the cod paste immediately before frying the fritters.
Drip small spoonfuls of the paste in hot (smoking slightly) frying oil. Wait until the balls rise and are light golden brown.
Leave on paper towels to drain.
Recipe provided by Asoliva of Spain

Here is a You Tube link to Chef Philip Delaplane at the CIA demonstrating how to make New England Salt Cod Cakes

This is a Greek Recipe
---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.02
Title: FRIED SALT COD
Categories: Seafood
Yield: 6 servings
1 1/2 lb Dried salt cod
1 1/4 c All-purpose flour
2/3 c Cold water
1 pn Salt
1/4 ts Baking powder
Vegetable oil for frying
Cut the cod into 4-inch sections. Place in a glass or earthenware bowl, cover with cold water, and soak overnight.
The next day, drain and discard the water. Put the cod in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil,
then remove from the heat and lift out the cod with a slotted spoon. Remove the bones and the black skin. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, water, salt, and baking powder to make a thin batter. Dip the cod in batter and fry in hot oil (about 1/2 inch deep) on both sides, then lower heat and cook until tender, turning once again. Serve hot, with skordalia, which is cold or room temperature. Note: If the cod is excessively salty, change water 2 or 3 times during the soaking period. From: “The Food of Greece” by Vilma Liacouras Chantiles. Avenel Books, New York.

This is how Mario Batali prepares salt cod or baccala

Freybe wieners for lunch

I needed to make a quick lunch today and luckily I had the foresight to bring home a pack of Freybe European style wieners and some buns from the store. Five minutes in a pan of hot water, add some Idun Norwegian ketchup to the buns and I have happy campers all around!


Of course this means I have to offset the prepared food intake by having a very healthy dinner. I do have some fresh cod (wild) that I want to experiment with. For some reason I want to try making a fish curry. I love fish soups and curry is a family favorite as well. So my idea is to combine, oh- I guess I should say fuse -the flavors and see what happens.

Frybe sausages Canadian made, European tastes


Speaking of cod, I have been meaning to bring home a box of salted cod - for years really- to make bacalao.

I was reminded of my interest while watching A Cook's Tour with chef/writer Tony Bourdain when he went to Spain.



Here is one recipe by Next Iron Chef contestant Aaron Sanchez.
Ensalada De Bacalao (Salt Cod Salad)
by Chef Aaron Sanchez

Cod served with onions, scallions, cilantro,
avocado, and tomatoes in a lime juice and garlic dressing



Makes 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
2 pounds dried salted boneless salt cod (bacalao, see below)
1 cup whole milk
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
2 to 3 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
Soak the bacalao in cold water for 24 hours, changing the water three times to remove the majority of the salt. Drain and rinse under cold water and put it in a large pot.
Add the milk and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Cook uncovered over medium heat for 45 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
When cool enough to handle, shred the fish into a bowl; take care to get out all the little bones. Add the onion, scallions, cilantro, avocado, and tomatoes.
Whisk together the oil, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the dressing to the salad, toss, and serve.
Chef Aaron Sanchez notes: Different cultures use different types of fish depending on what's available, and cod is often the most popular and expensive, particularly if it's boneless. Local markets may sell dried haddock or pollack, which make modest substitutes. Cod is sold in pieces, while haddock and pollack are generally sold whole.
This dish originated in Puerto Rico — its version of a seafood appetizer or light lunch, in the same vein as ceviche or shrimp cocktail. I am a fan of preparing and serving bacalao cold as opposed to cooking it and serving hot; the flavor is fresh and vibrant. I like to cook bacalao in milk because I believe it pulls out any additional salt that has remained after soaking the fish.


Bacalao (Dried Salt Cod)Cod that has been preserved in salt, which removes the moisture, and makes the fish firm and chewy. Bacalao is very popular in Brazil, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, although the cod itself generally comes from Norway. Dried and salted cod has been consumed for over 500 years. In the 15th century, on the Spanish coast, cod began to be salted and dried on rocks to preserve it. In the times of colonial expansion, the long voyages required food-preservation techniques. The drying-and-salting method, besides guaranteeing perfect conservation, maintained all the cod's nutrients and flavor. Bacalao must be soaked for at least a day in several changes of water before using.
This segment appears in show #2903.
Recipe reprinted from La Comida del Barrio: Latin-American Cooking in the U.S.A., Clarkson Potter, 2003.© 2003 Aaron Sanchez

Chocolate Yo!

Alrighty then, time for my first review. Considering I have hundreds of chocolates to choose from, this first selection was given very little thought, but more based on what I wanted at that moment. Maybe that's an endorsement?

So I picked one of my favorite non-purist chocolates, Selskaps Sjokolade from Freia, Norway. This is considered a cooking chocolate, but since it is only 42%, it does not fall into that category for my taste.

For those of you who can read Norwegian, here is a great dessert recipe using Selskaps Sjokolade.

Now about the taste: As I stated, this really isn't a purist's chocolate due to the extra ingredients like vanillin. I have to say, it is one of my enduring favorites. Not too sweet, but sweet enough, and a very nice meaty finish. The flavor lingers more than most chocolates, and the finish is smooth and creamy.

Although slightly grainy, this bar has a really nice snap to it and a wonderful slow melt. It definitely hits my 80 plus percentile for a very enjoyable. non-pretentious bar.

Licorice, Chocolate and other foods to love featuring writer, Derek Sheppard

Navigating the world of beer is a tough job. But someones gotta do it.

Which brew will reign supreme?

Abyss? Dog Fish Head? Jolly Roger? Pripps Porter? Alaskan Smoked Porter?

I take great pride in introducing writer Derek Sheppard.

Derek will lead us on a journey discovering the perfect beer.


Derek's personal blog
Derek's professional blog, as a reporter for the North Kitsap Sun

Licorice, Chocolate and other foods to love featuring Chef John Nesby, Mor Mor Bistro

Earlier I wrote about Mor Mor Bistro and Chef Nesby's fantastic take on local fresh ingredients. I am honored to announce that he will be writing a weekly entry. Learn more about his food philosophy and style of taking simple pure ingredients and creating food masterpieces.

Chef John Nesby and his wife and co-owner Laura have run the acclaimed Mor Mor Bistro and Bar since it opened in Poulsbo in 2004. After meeting as students at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute, John and Laura spent the next decade training in some of the country's most respected kitchens, including The Four Seasons Scottsdale at Troon North, Joachim Splichal's Napa Valley restaurant Pinot Blanc, and Portland Oregon's James Beard Award Winning Paley's Place. While in the Napa Valley, John also attended the Culinary Institute of America Greystone.

Uli's famous lamb sausage and Isralie couscous soup

The other night we had Uli's Famous Lamb Sausage for dinner. We had gotten a fresh shipment from Uli and the lamb looked so good that I took a pack home. That's the major convenience of having a food store, the ability to not have to go to another store!

Anyway I decided to pan fry the sausage in a bit of olive oil.

I had gotten a big bag of Israeli couscous earlier that day so that too was on the menu. I love that stuff! Hot or cold, it makes great salads and as you'll hear in a bit it is a great leftover.

I also think it is a diet food. Why you ask? Well with all the chewing you have to do as the little darlings squish about in your mouth I think you MUST burn more calories than they contain!

The last component in the dinner was the family standard, broccoli. Eat it, love it, very simple -four minutes in the microwave.

Dinner was great. I would've been much nicer without having another 'do your homework' discussion with our son though. Ah 10, how I don't miss having 'mean' parents!

You really should try Uli's famous sausages sometime. Uli is a German Master Butcher and takes his craft very seriously you would love the flavors, the lamb is garlic & herb spiced. I also love the fact that if the FDA guidelines don't insist that a preservative be in a product he is preservative free.

If you are ever have a chance to go to Pike Place Market in Seattle he has a storefront and gives out tons of samples! You can also see the bar used in Sleepless in Seattle which is next door, AND see a show with flying fish from Pike Place Fish! You can't have to much fun at Pike Place.

So today I decided to bring in my leftovers and make a little bit of soup in my trusty crock pot. I decided to bring this baby in from home since we are here more than there and we haven't been getting our fair share of soup since we weren't home to make it. Whew! Ok enough explaining about my love of crockery!

The recipe was simple:
I began by draining a tetra quart of organic chicken broth into the crock pot and putting in on high with the lid on.
I chopped up the leftover sausage into bits, I got about a cup of loosely packed bits.
I put this into the crock pot, I think I'll just start calling him Fred.
Then I chopped up about four carrots, half a leek and 2 stalks of celery.
I nuked the carrots for 5 minutes, until soft.
Then I did the celery and leeks together for four minutes.

When the broth was warm I added the leftover couscous and the meat. As the veggies were precooked I added them straight into Fred as well. Once it was heated through I tested it, yum. But it wasn't quite the flavor I wanted and the volume was low compared to the amount of veg involved. I added a package of Maggie Oxtail soup mix and another quart of water.

By this point we were all starving so we had some before the soup mix had a chance to boil & thicken but is was still fantastic! Just what I was looking for the flavor of roasted lamb and carrots. The only thing that would have made it better would've been parsnips.

Katjes Euro Licorice

One of my favorite licorice is the Katjes Euro Lakritz. Visually it is a deep deep brown so deep in fact it almost looks black until light hits it just right. It is a one inch disc that is about a quarter inch high. The flavor is reflected in the ingredients: brown sugar syrup rounds out the flavor of the 7% licorice and the slight bit of ammonium chloride. It's texture is soft yet chewy due to the agar agar used for the gelling. There is a very thick 'skin' with an almost pasty gel center. The addition of herbs which are not listed but I have a suspicion could include the European bergamot which is what flavors earl gray tea. It doesn't taste as strong as the tea but I have that same nice feeling and aftertaste when I eat this that I do after a nice cup of earl gray. Katjes is a great German confectionary company that uses no artificial colourings or flavorings in its products.

This licorice has it's place in The Licorice Shrine

Something different today- music by the dirty pearls

This rock band is by default our family favorite. My brother in law is the lead guitar player- tes cool eh! They play sold out shows in NYC and LA- and has a full time job writing about guitar related stuff for major magazines. I don't want to totally pimp him out but Rich did write the liner noted for the AC/DC live CD If you want Blood You've Got It . He also wrote the liner notes for Poison : The best of Poison

Hm, writing poison twice like that was weird it made me think of Pouisson which is a small French chicken.

Anyway Rock of Love and Rock of Love 2 is my secret tv show that I love to watch. SHHH! don't tell anyone!

Poulsbo Peeps Winner!

My good friends at The Nordic Maid are in the gallery of peeps! Take a look at their really CUTE Peep Viking Ship

I am so glad that someone from Poulsbo who entered got kudos for it~ Yea Poulsbo!

Here are the single shots of the Peeps

A shriner, spreading the fluffy love of licorice to yet another lost soul.

The cured vampire, what a doll! It began life in a Kinder egg from Poland, which is somehow oddly appropriate I think.

This is the keeper of the black licorice. A kind and gentle face if every there was one.

This is the Universal sign for the all important message -Stop Red Licorice before it stops you!

This is My Messed up Blake. He is so far gone that his body parts are changing colors! He is smoking and drinking which is not so good for Peeps as you can see.

This little guy has been annointed (see salmiak pastille of head) to do good works. He is here to offer a restorative bite to the poor, dowfallen peeps. This guy is a bad influence. You know how the saying goes that men think with their little heads? Well this guy has red licorice there and that is all he is thinking about. Bad. very bad news for all.

This is Amy. Isn't her hair looking swell? There is a little glue from the glue gun visible but I think it adds to the look. I think Amy looks boobalicious with her tiny guitar and big red gummy binky! Her eyeshadow was made with little bits of licorice.

Peeps for my peeps!

So this is my peeps entry.
On the bench is Amy Winehouse and at the 8 o'clock position is "My Blake". Behind Blake at 11 o'clock is a hanger on. Sadly, the red licorice has led these three down a dubious path.
You can see that they are the only Peeps adorned with red licorice; however the ill's they suffer can be cured if they shun the red and go for the pure goodness of black.

The other Peeps who go for the real, black licorice are offering them black licorice from the "Licorice Shrine" to heal them of their maladies.
You can see the vampire on the bottom right tried black licorice and now that is all he wants to eat or drink- if a vampire can be cured then who are we mere mortals to argue!

The sign at the top says "We don't want no Red Licorice, I said NO, NO, NO!"

I will add close ups later so you can see the details.