Wedding, Honeymoon & Tuna Sandwiches

I feel like such a slacker for not posting in over a month!

But over the past year I've been so busy planning our wedding that sometimes we'd take the easy route on meals and I just wasn't trying anything new.

It was all worth it though because I had the best day of my life on July 23rd when I became Mrs. Pankake. See a few of our wedding day photos on our photographers' blog - Part 1 and Part 2. And see our cake baker's blog: We love Jasmine at the Couture Cakery! And more on our food caterer and event coordinator, C&J, in another post.

Photo by Bec

Then we went to Munich, Germany for a week. We had the most wonderful time! It was a whirlwind trip but we saw a lot and visited some friends.

Adam at the Hirschgarten

Once we got home I made a trip to the grocery store because we have now vowed that we are going to eat well, incorporating lots of fresh food into our diet.So the first meal I made for my husband was Blackened Dixie Tuna Sandwiches and they were so amazing!! It was Adam's first time trying ahi tuna steaks and he loved them. And it was the first time I used celery root and it is so delicious! It's a starch that tastes like celery. This recipe if from the August 2011 issue of Cuisine At Home.

For the remoulade:

2 Tablespoons mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons minced red bell pepper

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup peeled, matchstick-cut celery root

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 Tablespoon capers (I omitted)

1 Tablespoon chopped scallions (I omitted)




For the tuna:


2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme (I omitted)

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 ahi tuna steaks

olive oil

2 rolls (the recipe is for an open face sandwich but we used used the top and bottom of the bun for each sandwich)

Mayonnaise

Lettuce leaves


Preheat grill to medium-high. Brush grill grate with olive oil.

For the remoulade, combine mayo, bell pepper and Dijon in a bowl. Stir in celery root, parsley, capers and scallions; cover and chill until ready to use.

For the tuna, combine brown sugar, garlic powder, thyme, paprika, black pepper and cayenne in a small bowl.

Brush tuna with oil and firmly press the spice mixture on both sides of the tuna steaks.

Grill tuna, covered, 2-3 minutes per side. Brush cut side of rolls with oil, then grill, cut side down, to toast, 1-2 minutes.

To assemble, brush the bottom roll with mayo, top with a lettuce leaf and a tuna steak. Divide roumoulade evenly between sandwiches.

I have lots of other great meals planned too! Stay tuned!

Herb and Dijon Salmon

Ok this is a bad picture. It looks like chicken but I assure you it is not. It is but a delicious rosemary, thyme and dijon salmon filet. So good and so simple!! We ate it with rice and mixed vegetables.

I am into anything with whole grain mustard right now!

3 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon pepper

1 1/4 lbs salmon filets, skin removed, cut into 4 equal pieces

4 Tablespoons whole grain dijon mustard

Mix rosemary, thyme and pepper in a small bowl.

In a large frying pan, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat.

Spread 1 tablespoon mustard on the top of each salmon filet. Top with some herb mixture. Press down lightly to adhere herbs to mustard.

Place fish in hot frying pan, herb side up, and cook until done, about 15 minutes. Just keep a close eye on the filets so they don't get too crispy. You may want to cover them too while they cook. You can flip the fish for the last few minutes of cooking to cook the top as well.

This can also be done on a hot grill. Just spray the bottom of the filets with cooking spray before grilling. Grill herb side down for about 12 minutes.

From Weight Watchers Online

Salmon Stew for Two

Today I am posting a recipe from a blog that I just love! The styling of the blog puts me at complete ease and relaxation. I love the bright photos. They just make me happy. So happy. And the name is French - Cannelle & Vanille (cinnamon & vanilla). Everything sounds better in French. Just the other day at work I was on the phone and said vehicle placard and accidently pronounced "placard" as you would in French. Just sounds better and was easier to say. Oh well.

Anyway, I made a lovely salmon stew. It was scrumptous. At least I thought so. Adam did not. He loved the salmon and that was about it. We have learned he is not a fan of coconut milk and parsnips - at least not in a stew with salmon. But I was selfish and made this stew because I love every ingredient it calls for.

Here is the recipe from Canelle & Vanille - I did exactly as the recipe says except I used celery instead of fennel because I could not find any but I think it would have made it even more delicious when it's included! And added more veg stock (I changed it below to reflect what I did).

Salmon, Fennel, Parsnip and Coconut Stew

Makes enough for 2 people

2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 leek, washed and sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 fennel bulb or a stalk of celery, diced
2 parsnips, scrubbed and diced
2 cup vegetable stock
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
8 oz salmon, skin removed and cut into chunks
Microgreens as garnish (optional)

In a medium pan, heat the olive oil and cook the leek, garlic and fennel for about 5 minutes until tender. Do not let it get brown. Add the diced parsnips, vegetable broth, coconut milk, salt and pepper.

Cover the pot and let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes until parsnips are tender. Add the salmon, cover and let it simmer for another 3 minutes or so, until it turns light pink. Adjust seasoning.

Cajun Lemon Tilapia & Rosted Cauliflower

Interesting photo, I know.

But this baked tilapia and roasted cauliflower was a wonderful dinner (I should have added a side of greens though - next time!)!

This tilapia recipe was so easy and full of flavor. I created it with the inspiration from this recipe.

4 tilapia fillets

3 tablespoons lemon juice

6 tablespoons of butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon cajun seasoning

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line with foil a baking dish that will fit all the fish in one layer. Spray the foil with non stick cooking spray.

Rinse the tilapia fillets under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Place fish on a plate and sprinkle with cajun seasoning, salt and pepper on both sides of the fillets.

Place fish in prepared baking dish.

In a saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter and then add the garlic and lemon juice. Saute garlic for 1 or 2 minutes.

Pour butter mixture over the fish.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes apart with a fork. Fish cooks very quickly and you do not want to overcook the fish or it will be tough.

I have made this fish twice in the past 2 weeks!

As for the cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets and toss with oilive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 375 for about 10 minutes, flipping the cauliflower half way through.

Salmon in Parchment Packets

This is the last thing I have to share with you from the Everyday Food Jan/Feb 2010 edition!


Adam has come to be a big fan of salmon. He loved the pan fried salmon I made a few weeks ago and wanted to make it again. But I just had to try something different.

4 skinless salmon fillets, about 6 oz. each (I left the skin on because after baking it's a nice treat for the pups and Adam)
3/4 pounds green beans and/or asparagus, trimmed
lemon zest from 1 lemon
4 teaspoons capers, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper
4 teaspoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place salmon fillets in center of four 16-inch-long pieces of parchment paper. Top with green beans and/or asparagus, lemon zest and capers. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle each with 1 teaspoon oil. Fold parchment into an envelope - bring long ends of paper together and fold down 3 times to make a seam. Tuck ends underneath to secure.

Place packets on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until packets are puffed up and salmon is cooked through - about 15-20 minutes but this all depends on the thickness of the salmon.

Waiting to be wrapped up...

All enveloped up...

And done!

Salmon with Browned Butter, Almonds & Green Beans

I was looking through the March 2010 Real Simple magazine and stumbled upon a tempting salmon recipe. I was thinking about the salmon filet I had in the freezer for awhile and thought this recipe sounded like something Adam and I would both enjoy. I made it on Sunday for lunch - and it took only 20 minutes!! I will definitely be making this again and again (but not too close together because it's such a buttery rich treat!). And by pan frying the salmon, it gets nice and crunchy on the outside.

I would even make this butter/almond/caper mix to put over the green beans as a side dish for other meals.

This will serve 4:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 pounds skinless salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons capers

Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Cook until opaque throughout, 3-5 minutes per side (depending on thickness of salmon); transfer to plate.

Fill a second skillet with 1/2 inch water, bring to a boil and add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the beans, cover and steam until just tender, 4-5 minutes; drain. NOTE - I used frozen green beans and cooked them according to the package directions.

Wipe out the green bean skillet and heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the almonds and cook, stirring frequently, until the almonds and butter are golden brown (be careful - will burn easily), 2-3 minutes. Stir in the capers.

Plate the salmon and green beans on dinner plates and spoon butter over all.

Vacay Report Four

I'm wrapping up my vacation reports here with two different eating establishments. It's hard to relive last week because it's just makes me want to be back in the Sunshine State!

The Broken Egg is a popular breakfast destination in Siesta Key. My favorite breakfast treat here is Uncle Jerry's Pancake - a huge pancake with blueberries, banana slices and wheat germ. I eat mine up with tons of butter and it's such a sweet and satisfying breakfast - one I keep telling myself I need to attempt to recreate at home. The other popular breakfast is The Sampler: eggs, hashbrowns and bacon served on a huge pancake!

The Broken Egg is a favorite of sports announcer Dick Vitale and you'll often hear him speak of the Broken Egg or be seen at the restaurant enjoying a meal and sometimes penning away his autograph to fans (his books are sold at the restaurant). While I have eaten at the Broken Egg maybe four times in my life, I've yet to meet him there.

The Sampler

Uncle Jerry's Pancake

Turtle Beach Pub is a laid back little place serving up lots of favorite local fare. Here I was introduced to a catfish-like fish called swai (pronounced sch-wa-hee). It's a white, mild fish that flaked right apart. It was excellent simply grilled with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Since I had gone to Turtle Beach right after the Daiquiri Deck, I was craving some extra carbs and decided to have my swai in sandwich form.

Swai

Vacay Report Three

During an adventure away from Siesta Key, we traveled to Longboat Key for dinner at The Dry Dock Waterfront Grill. The restaurant is right by a huge dry dock (a warehouse-like storage facility for boats), on the bay. We were there just as the sun was setting so the view was beautiful!

I tried the grilled Florida grouper, freshly caught from the gulf. It's a very meaty, sturdy fish which is ideal for grilling. It's not super easy to find here in PA, but the next time I see it, I want to get some, throw the filets in a good marinade and grill them up with veggies.

The grouper bruschetta also looked like a very tasty dish - one that I want to attempt to recreate with some fresh summer tomatoes. Grouper filets, grilled, served over rice, and topped with a generous portion of bruschetta, drizzled with a balsamic reduction... yum!

The believe the key to these very basic dishes is the fresh fish. I'm a huge fan of all fish but I'm not lucky enough to live somewhere where I have access to the freshest of the fresh so I have to savor the meals I have when I'm near the water. Then again, if I had access to as much seafood as I wanted, it wouldn't be a special treat. Not many ingredients to these dishes because they're not needed!

We sat inside, on the second level

Grouper Bruschetta

Grilled Grouper

Lemony Salmon

Throughout the weekend, my mom and I did this great little exercise called We-Are-Only-Going-To-Cook-Meals-With-The-Ingredients-We-Have-In-The-House. And besides going to get baking soda for cookies - we succeeded! I found a nice salmon filet in the freezer and was planning to grill it but had some grill trouble so I searched for an idea on how to bake it.

In the back of my mind I've been thinking about going on the South Beach Diet again so I picked up the book to look for a recipe. I once made a great poached salmon from the SDB book and I was actually after that recipe but instead I made Phase Three Lemony Fish in Foil...

* I modified the below for one big piece of salmon

4 large fish fillets
1/4 cup diced carrots
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup chopped green onion (I used red onion)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 lemons thinly, sliced
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut four 2-foot lengths of foil and fold each in half to make a 1-foot square. Place 1 fish fillet slightly below the middle of each square of foil. Sprinkle 1/4 of the carrots, celery, onion, and parsley on each fillet. *I also sprinkled generously with salt and pepper.* Top with lemon slices.

Fold the foil over the fish and crimp the edges together slightly. Place the foil-wrapped fillets on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.




This was very easy and delicious - you get the omega oils from the fish and a serving of veggies. Make sure to squeeze the baked lemons over the fish to get the most lemon flavor as possible.

You may need to add more salt and pepper to taste.


These foil packets would also be good to do on the grill.

Bacon-Wrapped Halibut with Seared Cherry Tomato Sauce and Smashed Peas

I was starving last night but had no desire to go to the grocery store so I had to come up with something using the ingredients around the house. I flipped through Rachel Ray's Express Meals and found this - you all must think I am obsessed with RR but I do have 3 of her cookbooks and I'm almost always pleased with her creations. I did a lot of substitutions with this recipe because I did not have halibut (but had tilapia), a lemon for zesting, cherry tomatoes or fresh parsley. Nevertheless, I went forward with what I had and it was a hit with my mom and sister!

4 6-ounce halibut fillets
salt and pepper
8 center-cut bacon slices
3 tablespoons EVOO
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 10-ounce boxes frozen peas
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, a generous handful (I used dried)
zest of one lemon (I used a few splashes of lemon juice)
3 tablespoons half and half or heavy cream (I used heavy cream)
1 pint cherry tomatoes (I used 14 ounces of crushed tomatoes)
1 large garlis clove, chopped
1/4 cup white wine (I used cooking white wine - not as strong but still tasty)
1/4 cup chicken stock, plus another 1/4 cup to reheat peas if necessary
1/2 cup fresh basil, about 10 leaves, chopped or torn

Season the halibut fillets with the salt and pepper, going easy on the salt. Arrange 2 bacon slices side by side, overlapping slightly. Place one end of a halibut fillet on the edge of the bacon slices. Working a spiral fashion, wrap and roll the bacon around the fish, pulling gently on the bacon to make both ends up on the same side of the fillet. (This is prevent the bacon from unraveling as it cooks.) Reserve the fish in the fridge while you get the smashed peas working.

To a medium saucepan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of the EVOO, once around the pan, then 1 tablespoon of the butter and the onions. Saute the onions for 2 minutes, then add the frozen peas, and raise the heat a bit. Stir the peas to heat them through and allow the liquid to evaporate. When the peas are heated through, add half of the parsley, the lemon zest, half and half or cream, salt, and pepper to the pan and smash all together using a potato masher or fork. Turn the heat off and cover the peas with a lid or some foil to keep them warm.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of the EVOO. Add the bacon-wrapped halibut to the hot skilelt, bacon-end side down first, and cook them for 2 or 3 minutes on each of the 4 sides. Don't turn the fillets until the bacon is crispy looking on each side.

While the halibut cooks, start the seared cherry tomato sauce. Preheat a small skillet over high heat with the remaining tablespoon of EVOO; once it is screaming hot add the cherry tomatoes, season them with the salt and pepper, and sear them for 1 minute without moving them.

Turn the heat down to medium and shake the pan, add the garlic, and continue to cook for 1 minute. Next, add the white wine and cook until it has almost completely evaporated, then add 1/4 cup chicken stock. Bring the sauce to a bubble and remove it from the heat. Add the basil and the remaining tablespoon of butter and stir them to combine and melt the butter.

If the smashed peas need to be reheated, put the pot over medium heat, add 1/4 cup of chicken stock, and stir until the peas are steaming.

To serve, spoon a portion of the smashed peas in the center of a dinner place, arrange a bacon-wrapped halibut fillet on top of the peas, and top it with some of the seared cherry tomato sauce and the remaining parsley.

I must say, this picture isn't too impressive, but it was delicious!

Like I said before, I used tilapia fillets. They varied in size so the larger ones I used 2 pieces of bacon and the smaller, just one. I found that the fish cooked quicker than the bacon so at the end of the cook time, I had to jack up the heat to get the bacon crispy. And the fish was falling apart too!

I had trouble smashing the peas. I couldn't find a potato masher and a fork wasn't working well so I left most of them whole, which worked out fine too. When it came time to serve the peas, they were still very hot but I added some chicken stock just to add more flavor.

Since I didn't have cherry tomatoes, I used about 14 ounces of crushed tomatoes so it turned out to be more of a puree than a chunky sauce like RR intended. But with the stock, butter and basil, it tasted very yummy!

Many flavors come together well in this meal. It hit the spot! Sometime, I will try the recipe again when I have halibut and cherry tomatoes.

From now on, I think I'll prepare peas like this - I love the finely chopped onions, s&p, cream and chicken stock!

Couscous... So nice, they named it twice!

Adam tells me this line is from Pineapple Express. When he said it to me today, I cracked up.

Mary gave me her copy of The Best 30-Minute Recipe from the editors of Cooks Illustrated (2006). I was reading it the other day and marked a few dishes. Tonight I decided to make the Salmon and Couscous Skillet Supper.

4 salmon fillets, 1 1/4 inches thick (we try to buy fillets with skin on so Chester can eat the skin - one of his favorite treats!)

Salt and ground black pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 shallot, minced

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

3 cups water

1/4 cup minced chives

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup frozen peas (I used a full cup)

1. Preheat Oven: Adjust oven rack to middle position, place oven dish on oven rack, and heat oven to 200 degrees (I set it closer to 250).

2. Brown fish on one side: Pat fish dry, with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Gently place fish on skillet (flesh side down if fillets are skin-on) and brown well on first side, about 5 minutes.

3. Transfer fish to oven: Gently transfer fish (skin-side down if fillets are skin-on) to baking dish in oven and continue to cook until fish has turned from translucent to opaque, about 15 minutes.

4. Saute couscous and aromatics: While fish bakes, wipe out skillet with paper towels, add 1 more tablespoon of oil to skillet, and return to medium-high heat. Add couscous and toast until light golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, shallots and lemon zest and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

5. Simmer couscous: Stir in water and cook over high heat until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender, about 12 minutes (took mine over 20 minutes).

6. Make drizzling oil: Meanwhile, whisk together remaining 2 tablespoons oil along with 2 tablespoons of chives and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice; set aside.

7. Finish couscous: Off heat, sprinkle peas over couscous, cover, and let warm through, about 2 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons chives and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle chive oil over salmon and couscous before serving.

I must say, this meal was pretty perfect as is. It requires a lot of salt and pepper once on the plate - the couscous was bland. I like the Israeli couscous because it's larger and more substantial.