cooksimple.com

I haven’t been cooking from recipes much these days. Instead I’ve been focusing more on cooking my old favorites and learning new techniques. Recently, I’ve become fascinated by poaching. It isn’t a technique I regularly use, however, it is fast becoming one of my favorite cooking techniques. It is fast, easy, and not very messy! Great when you have a time crunch. Anyhow, I read about this technique of poaching fish in The Art of Simple Food (coincidentally a great book for learning new cooking techniques) and adapted it a little by adding peas. I added the peas when I began cooking the salmon which was a little to early so I’ve adjusted my recipe here. If you like your peas a little more well done throw them in when you begin cooking the salmon.

Ingredients

• 1 – 5 oz. piece of salmon
• 1/4 cup frozen peas
• 2 slices of lemon
• 1 teaspoon marjoram (thyme or oregano is good, too)
• 1 splash white wine
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• water, salt & pepper

Directions

Fill a small saucepan with 1-2 inches of water. Add lemon slices, herbs, and a large splash of wine. Bring the water to a simmer. In the meantime, salt and pepper both sides of the salmon. Once water is simmering, add salmon. Be careful not to let the mixture boil.. it should remain just simmering the entire cooking time. Cook salmon approximately 3 minutes per side (assuming a 1-2″ thick piece) adding peas halfway through cooking time. Remove salmon & peas from water then turn heat to high. Add mustard and butter and boil until sauce is reduced by two-thirds. Pour reduced sauce over salmon/peas and serve.

Last night, I went to the West Roxbury Branch Library to see Michael Pollan speak on his latest book, In Defense of Food. I have a policy of not watching movies if I’ve read the book and vice versa, so I went to this talk completely ignorant of this book and his previous, The Omnivore’s Dilemma. The talk was great. If you have a chance to see him in person, do it. He’s terribly engaging and personable. He’s earnest in a way that puts people at ease about what are really important and troubling issues.

His premise: We’re suffering from nutritionism and that we should probably move away from this in order to develop a better relationship with food, the planet, and ourselves as individuals and a society. He argues to do this we can just apply some pretty simple rules.

His rules: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

What does this mean for cooksimple.com? Lots. The basic premise of this site is to show people that good meals need not be daunting. We don’t need all that prepackaged crap when we can throw together some great, fresh ingredients to make a delicious meal. Eat local. Eat vegetarian. Eat free range. Whatever you want. Just make it yourself.

And then, eat it with people you love. Eating is most certainly a very biological need, but it can also be very social. It’s a chance to share your life, your ideals, and good food and have a good time doing it.

I’ll just say it. I’m not a huge fan of pork, unless it’s in the form of bacon, sausage or ham. Because you have to thoroughly cook pork, I’ve oftentimes cooked it till it was too dry and tasteless. To help add and maintain crucial juices while complementing the flavor, this recipe uses a few tricks. Breading and frying keeps in juices. Adding the layers of flavorful items on top of the pork while it finishes in the oven keeps those juices locked in as it starts to absorb the juices (and flavors) from the other items. One of the ingredients was fennel as part of the Fennel Challenge, which lended its distinctive sweetness.

Ingredients

• 1 shallot chopped
• 1/4 fennel bulb chopped
• 2 T butter
• 1 egg, scrambled
• 1/2 C breadcrumbs
• 1 lb pork cutlets
• Oil for frying
• 1 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
• Gruyere cheese, thinly sliced

Directions

Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. When it starts to bubble, add the chopped shallots and fennel. Cook, stirring frequently, till the fennel is translucent. Set aside.

Heat about a 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet over high heat. Dip the cutlets in the egg and then dredge through the bread crumbs. When a drop of water dances on the surface, place the pork in the oil. Allow the pork to brown on both sides, then remove and drain.

To assemble, place the cutlets in a shallow baking dish. Top each with a healthy spoonful of the fennel and shallot butter. Place a few slices of apple on top to cover. Then place a slice of Gruyere on top. Put the pan under the broiler until the cheese starts to bubble and turn golden. This was served over fenneled Brussels sprouts, but could also work over rice with a side salad.

As part of the Fennel Challenge, this dish actually serves as the base for a pork dish, but could easily be a side dish all on its own. The beauty of this dish is melding very separate and distinct flavors in a surprising way. Brussels sprouts have a tendency to either be a little bitter or overcooked and flavorless. Fennel root, dried cranberries, and sweet potatoes all work to tame the bitter monster. And the Serrano pepper, well, that’s just fun.

Ingredients

• 1 small sweet potato, baked
• 1 – 2 roasted Serrano peppers based on your heat tolerance
• 2 – 4 T water
• 1 C shredded Brussels sprouts
• 1 C shredded fennel root
• 1/4 C dried cranberries
• 1 T olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Once a drop of water pops on the surface add the shredded sprouts and fennel and sprinkle with a few pinches of salt. Stir, then leave to cook uncovered.

While the veggies are cooking, mash the sweet potato in a bowl (you can do this part ahead of time and reheat the potato paste right before serving).

After about 5-10 minutes, check on the veggies. Stir them and add a few more pinches of salt.

In a blender, add the peppers, chopped up, and a few tablespoons of water. Blend. Add more water if it won’t blend. Strain the chili water into the potatoes and stir. You want to create a saucy paste, so add more water till it’s that consistency. Add salt to taste.

Check on those fenneled sprouts again. They should be getting close. They’re ready when the sprouts are a combination of bright green with little chard edges. That charring works to caramelize them a bit, bringing in a little more sweetness. When they’re starting to feel pretty done add the dried cranberries and stir.

To plate, add a few spoonfuls of the potatoes to the plate and spread in a circular motion, kind of like putting red sauce on a pizza. Then place the veggies on top. Serve as is, or with fried yumminess on top (e.g., chicken, pork, or butternut squash).