Category Archives: Entrée

Smoked Salmon Cakes – Traeger Style

Posted on by

2

Salmon Cakes

 

For Christmas my Father surprise us with a Traeger smoker for our new home and we couldn’t have been more excited. We immediately set it up and started smoking – tri tip, steaks, veggies, you name it. Recently, I had some beautiful salmon fillets left over and decided to throw it on the smoker for about 25 minutes for these easy-to-make smoked salmon cakes.

  • 2 small salmon fillets
  • 1 cup panko plus extra for coating
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley (or any other herbs you prefer)
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil

If you’re using a Traeger, start the Traeger on Smoke with the lid open until the fire is established (4 to 5 minutes). Set the temperature to 325 degrees F and preheat, lid closed, for 10-15 minutes. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Place the salmon directly on the grill grate and cook for 25 minutes. Remove fish from the grill and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes. (alternatively, you can grill, bake or pan fry the salmon).

Once the salmon has slightly cooled, lightly pull the salmon into chunks. In a bowl, beat the eggs then mix together the salmon, panko, onions, herbs, cheese, lemon salt and pepper. Divide the mixture and shape into medium sized patties.

Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Dip the patties into the extra bowl of panko and evenly coat both sides. Cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel lined plate and serve warm with a lemon aioli (mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt and pepper).

Bucatini Carbonara with Brussels Sprouts & Bacon

Posted on by

1

Aprons Bacon Brussels

While planning my friend’s Bridal “Meet and Greet” on Pinterest, I came across this easy-to-make pasta recipe from How Sweet It Is Blog, the perfect dish for a rainy night in.

Traditional pasta carbonara is made by coating pasta in a rich and creamy sauce of whole eggs, Parmesan cheese and pork. We elevated this traditional dish, by adding one of my favorite vegetables – Brussels sprouts! The sprouts added a nice rich, sweet and nutty flavor to the pasta.

Aprons Pasta Prep

  • 1/2 pound Bucatini (I love the thick noodles, but you can also use spaghetti)
  • 6 slices thick Applewood smoked bacon, chopped
  • 2 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed and roughly chopped*
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 whole eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese

aprons_pasta

Fry the bacon in a large skillet over gentle heat until crisp. While bacon is cooking, begin boiling the water for the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Once bacon is crisp, transfer pieces with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Remove half of the bacon grease with a large spoon and set aside in a bowl.

Add Brussels sprouts to the same skillet and cook on medium heat for 6-8 minutes. (You want the Brussels sprouts to caramelize a bit, so cook without stirring for at least 4 minutes. Stir and continue cooking for 2-4 minutes). Add the minced garlic to the sprouts and cook for one more minute. Remove sprouts and set aside in bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole eggs and gradually add the cheese. Add a small dash of salt and pepper (you can add more later to the cooked pasta).

When the bucatini is cooked, drain pasta (reserve some pasta water, just in case **), add the reserved bacon grease to pot and heat on low. Add cooked pasta back into pot and coat with grease. Remove pot from heat*** and add the egg/cheese mixture, tossing several times until fully coated. Quickly add the bacon, Brussels sprouts and additional pepper / salt if needed. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately.

*In the spring, try replacing Brussels sprouts with peas
**If needed, add a few splashes of reserved pasta water to help loosen the sauce.
***It’s important that the pot has been removed from the heat otherwise the egg/cheese mixture will curdle. The heat from the pasta is sufficient to cook the egg mixture.
Thanks to Jessica Merchant from How Sweet It Is Blog for the beautiful recipe. Yield 4 servings.

Sweet Curry Roast Chicken

Posted on by

1

IMG_8216

My dear friend Celest and I would often visit our neighborhood spice shop, Savory Spice Shop, in Sonoma County for freshly ground and handcrafted spices and seasonings. This quaint shop offers an array of specialty salts to the best spice blends for any recipes. On our last visit, Celest picked up this beautiful Vietnamese Sweet Lemon Curry spice blend but never got around to using it. A few weeks ago, we said our goodbyes to each other as she was moving back home to Australia. As she was packing up, she passed along heaps (HEAPS!) of delicious goodies from her kitchen, including this beautiful spice blend and recipe.

This easy to make curry roast chicken is packed with flavor but still light and refreshing! Serve over coconut rice or rice noodles along with a crisp, bright white wine.

IMG_8207

Chicken

  • 4 organic chicken leg quarters
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons Savory Spice Vietnamese Sweet Lemon Curry*
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 medium yellow onion, sliced

Mix together the oil, curry, cumin, fish sauce and soy sauce together to make paste. Rub chicken pieces with paste and place in zip lock to marinate in refrigerator for 6 to 12 hours. When chicken is ready, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lay sliced onion across bottom of baking dish. Place chicken pieces on top of onions and roast in oven until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, about 1¼ hours. When chicken is done, start the sauce.

Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 cup broccoli crowns, sliced
  • 1 cup bok choy, sliced
  • 1 cup carrots, sliced ( I used rainbow carrots in this dish)
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup light coconut milk
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • Fresh cilantro for garnish

Heat oil over medium-high heat in saucepan. Add vegetables and cook for a few minutes until they just start to soften. Add roasting juices from cooked chicken dish, chicken broth, coconut milk and fish sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce is reduced by about half.

Pour sauce over chicken pieces when ready to serve and garnish with cilantro.

* this ingredient is from a local spice shop in Sonoma County. To make your own, combine white sugar, turmeric, lemongrass, cumin,black pepper, paprika, salt, coriander, garlic, cardamom, cayenne and curry leaves.

Cheers, Crystal

Adapted from a recipe by Andy Klein, One Ten Thai chef/owner.