Wild Salmon “blue style”

This “blue” version of fish preparation goes far back couple centuries,
and comes from middle Europe. Originally made with carp or pike,
as at the finish of process, when poached fish is poured over with
heated vinegar, their skin turns into blue color, hence the name.

Let’s take it into modern kitchen, and use salmon for this recipe,
ideal candidate in my eyes. Original recipe calls for cooking
(poaching) the fish in small amount of slightly acidic water
(with vinegar) with carrots, parsley root and celery, various spices.

I’ll list ingredients below, let’s go over process. It’s quite simple.

First, peel carrots and parsley roots, and with kitchen peeler,
make thin, wide strips out of it.
Then cut about 1 inch (2.5cm) wide strips from salmon, in direction
like you’d cut fillets of it.
Flip it on side, add vegetable strips alongside and roll,
as shown in picture above.
Secure with toothpick on the end, sprinkle with salt.

Put finished fish rolls into a baking dish, and pour in white wine,
but only about 1/2 inch – 1 cm, halfway the height of fish.
No seasoning, please, we’ll use aromatic side dishes plus the way
salmon with wine tastes is best like this.

15 – 20 minutes in the oven, uncovered . . . .done
Take out of the oven, and drizzle with heated up vinegar
- careful, not to much, just a light drizzle is fine.
Cover it and let sit for 5 minutes, while you arrange peas and
potatoes on a plate. Now it’s ready to eat.

Couple ideas – remaining vegetables and liquid left after cooking fish
can be used as great base for fish soup.
All alcohol is already evaporated from the wine, but taste remains.

What you’ll need:

• salmon, fresh, enough to make 1inch/2.5 cm wide cuts, one per
person, or if it’s main dish of the event, two per person
• carrots and parsley roots (you can make about 6 to 10 strips from piece)
• white wine for cooking . . . no boxed wine, please
you get to finish the bottle anyway, so pick your favorite
• vinegar, white, 4 or 5 % acidity or dilute strong one with water
• salt

For rosemary butter peas -
melt piece of butter in heavy pan, add roughly cut rosemary leaves and
peas.  
Yep, just go ahead and use frozen from the bag, just don’t let it
sit longer than 20 minutes when finished. Ideal time is to prepare
this while the fish is in the oven.  Let it heat up nicely, stir occasionaly.
Done.

For stuffed baked potato -
(my version)
boil baking potato, cool down, cut in half.
Remove inner mass, leaving about 0.5 cm (1/4 inch) on sides and bottom.
Roughly cut and mix removed potato mass with finely chopped leeks,
one whole egg, season with salt and pepper.
Return into potatoes, bake for 15 minutes
(you can put it into oven with salmon).
Finish just before serving with spoon of sour cream,
mixed with chopped herbs of your choice and salt.
Done.

Nice, effective, very easy,
bon apetite!

Tomas

Finger food

In today culinary world, the times of cut toast bread made
finger food is over, as well devilled eggs and similar
are considered to be tapas, rather than finger food,
new star is here – crackers.

Not only a “side” to a cheese anymore, nor stomach filler for
those on diet.
Finally.
Lot of variety in the stores, it’s a joy choosing of them.
Quick for party time, I’ve recently made 8 versions, with help
of one prep person it took about 90 minutes to finish 300.
Count with 5 per person in your party.

Here is link picture with description of each one (new window)

Be creative!
I’ve picked whole grain wheat cracker and mozarella spread
on top, finished with red cherry tomato and basil leaf – simple.

And for this one, white cracker with sea salt, herb spread on top.
The spread is quite easy made from scratch, you can base it
on fromage blanc, or, in this case I’ve used Philadelphia, mixed
it with salt and peper and added finely cut fresh herbs – let the
fantasy be your quide . . .
Garnished with pretty purple leaf (which I’m sooo unsure of it’s
name right now) and yellow cherry tomato on top.

The fish trio you can see above or in that link, nice whole wheat
crackers with sesame seed, tuna spread – (Philadelphia, tuna, butter,
salt, peper, mustard and chives) and rucola salad leaf, then
I’ve used three kinds of smoke fish for them – halibut, salmon and
gravad laks, that is Scandinavian speciality – salmon marinated in
salt and dill. Voila, simple and fabulous.

Add small cubes of aged cheddar with grape wine on top
(secured with party picker) to your table, or poppy seed
crackers with spicy bell pepper spread and triangle of brie,
garnished with parsley and seasoned with paprika . . . .

enjoy your party!

Tomas

Kulajda soup and more

Being inspired with my trip to Prague last week,
brought it into my kitchen.
Interesting, somewhat ancient atmosphere old recipes create.
They have one thing in common – simple ingredients.

But they are as delicious as they sound, start for winter
feast was “Kulajda” soup, comes from very old recipe from the
mountains in SW part of Bohemia. Vegetarian friendly.

Kulajda soup
recipe for standardized
10 portions at 0.33 l (approx. 1,5 cup) each

Ingredients:

2 litres (8 cups)    vegetable stock
0.5 kg (1 pound)   potatoes (peeled, cut to 1cm/half inch cubes)
0.5 kg (1 pound)   mushrooms (cleaned and sliced)
0.25 liter (1 cup)   heavy cream
0.25 liter (1 cup)   milk
150 gr. (5 oz.)      fine flour
3                         eggs, hard boiled, sliced
handful (cca 1 cup) fresh dill, finely chopped
30ml (2 tbsp.)       white vinegar

caraway seed
salt

Bring vegetable stock to boil, add peeled and cut into small cubes
potatoes, after 10 minutes add sliced mushrooms and teaspoon of
caraway seeds, salt.
After 5 more minutes, whisk flour into milk and cream,
and thru strainer slowly, while stirring it, pour into the boiling soup.
You’ll see it thicken, stop at nice, sauce alike consistency.
On low heat boil for 5 more minutes, potatoes should be now tender.
Add more salt, chopped dill and take off the heat.
Finish the taste with vinegar for sweet, creamy, slightly acidic taste,
which is in aftertaste overpowered with dill.
Before serving, put small cube of butter on top
and slices of hard boiled egg, serve with dark bread or sesame crisps.

Couple notes – usually recipe calls for making “roux” from oil and milk
to start, then adding other ingredients, I’ve altered and tested above
process to cut down on calories and simplify recipe.

Next was Steak Tartar, made from smoked salmon.
Served with nicely aged Parmigiano, few capers and homemade pasty.
Great equivalent to traditional raw beef tenderloin tartar steak.
Little spicy, contrasty edge to the traditional menu. My fave.And because picture of dessert turned out just awful . . .

second course is last one today -
I’ve coated chicken breasts in herbs, actually in “dough”
made of milk, eggs, flour and herbs, and served with steamed
winter vegetables, touched with butter. What a hit it was!
No leftovers, it suprised even me how good it is.
Here is a pic. for your inspiration.

How was that for traditional Czech cuisine?
Light, with a modern twist . . .it doesn’t have always be
about dumplings and heavy sauces . . .I hope.
And will do my best in future for those changes, wish me luck.

There will be week of Czech cuisine in Copenhagen in March
in Radisson SAS Royal hotel . . .plannig on being there -
just to look, not work, he he (suprisingly), but I’ll have camera
with me and above soup is on the menu!

Thanks for looking,

Tomas