Monthly Archives: August 2011
French Fridays with Dorie: Salmon and Potatoes in a Jar
I have a new favorite recipe from Around My French Table (AMFT). I know that this week’s recipe for French Fridays with Dorie, Salmon and Potatoes in a Jar, won’t be for everyone . The salmon falls somewhere between lox and sushi. However, I have no qualms about eating uncooked fish, so when I saw this on the schedule, I was excited.
Howard has made gravlax several times before, but this was the first time I was in charge of something similar. For this one, the freshest ingredients are definitely key. We picked up fresh salmon and my potatoes (which I adore) at a local Farmers Market.
The first step was to cure the salmon in a salt and sugar mixture overnight. This cure draws out liquid out of the fish. It’s interesting to me how the texture of the fish changes to something denser and a little more opaque.
Though this recipe was called Salmon and Potatoes in a Jar, the salmon and potatoes each got their own separate jar. In each jar, the main ingredient was layered with spices, sprigs of thyme, and sliced carrots and onions. Finally, each jar is filled with olive oil. The potato jar also got a dose of vinegar. Into the refrigerator go the jars for overnight.
At this point, I fell in love with this recipe on looks alone. The filled jars were GORGEOUS! The contents looked really special. In fact, crazy as it sounds, I’m now thinking that when I make visually interesting salads, I should store them in jars instead of plastic containers. My pantry is a colorful of array of food stored in jars, and I love its look. The inside of my fridge could be a work of art, too!
I brought the jars to the table accompanied by a green salad and sliced tomatoes – a very light and summery dinner. I also served a sliced baguette to soak up the oil that didn’t drain off.
You can’t judge a book by its cover, but the taste of this dish lived up to its looks. The aromatics had started to permeate the oil that clung to the fish and potatoes when they were spooned out of the jar. I especially liked the flavor of the coriander seeds.
Thoughts for next time? Howard thought the fish would have been more appealing in bite-sized chunks instead of the large pieces. I can see that. We also mused about what other kinds of fish could be prepared this way. While I liked the thyme, to me, salmon cries out for dill, so I would substitute dill sprigs the next time. I also think it would be interesting to combine the salmon and potatoes together in one jar.
Salmon and Potatoes in a Jar is definitely one of the top contenders from “My Favorite Recipe from AMFT”. This isn’t something I would make often, but it will definitely make future appearances at my house.
If you want to see what other bloggers thought about this week’s recipe, check out their links at French Fridays with Dorie. We don’t post the recipes, but you won’t be sorry if you add Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table to your cookbook shelf. Maybe you’ll even be inspired to join us yourself!
We’re on the way to the Jersey Shore to visit my in-laws. Bella (the dog) has never seen the ocean or sand before, so this will be interesting. I wonder what she’ll think of a walk on the beach.
French Fridays with Dorie: Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
This week’s recipe for French Fridays with Dorie has the most benign name: Slow-Roasted Tomatoes. Sounds innocuous, right? It’s peak tomato season, so it sounds like an excellent choice to try this week. The name, though, slow-roasted tomatoes, makes it sound like nothing special. So misleading…
Before
After
Dorie suggests these can be served as a condiment. I used mine in an orzo salad where I usually use sun-dried tomatoes. The slow-roasted tomato morsels give it a different twist – a much brighter summery flavor.
Needless to say, I loved this recipe. It’s a winner in every way. Though cherry tomato season is fleeting, I can imagine that the ever-present grape tomatoes, available year-round, will be transformed by this treatment. That means, I can slow roast tomatoes all year long!
You can find recipe for this and other delicious dishes in Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table. I make a new recipe from the book each week along with a wonderful group of intrepid bloggers from French Fridays with Dorie. You can check the LYL (Leave Your Link) post for Slow-Roasted Tomatoes on the FFwD site to see what they thought about this week’s recipe.
Here’s my recipe for orzo salad. I recommend chopping the red onion first and soaking it in cold water in the fridge while you prepare everything else. Drain right before adding to the bowl. It cuts the sharpness of the raw onion. (A little tip I learned from Dorie!)
Orzo Salad
½ lb orzo
½ cup finely chopped red onion
½ cup olives, pitted and coarsely chopped (I used Picholine, use whatever you like. I’ve also made this with Nicoise and Kalamata)
½ cup slow-roasted tomatoes
1½ Tbsp drained capers
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste
Cook the orzo according the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Combine orzo, onion, olives, tomatoes, and capers in a large bowl. Whisk together oil and vinegar. Stir dressing into pasta salad and season with salt and pepper to taste. It might not need any salt because of the olives and capers.
A Plateful of Happiness 