Salmon Loaf or Patties

At my home of origin, Salmon came out of a can.  There was no such thing as “fresh Salmon.”  I suppose that’s true of most people that grew up before groceries were flown as a normal course of transportation.  Oops, I’m showing my age.  Well anyway, Salmon out of a can.  Salmon cakes, Salmon Loaf, Salmon for stuffing into pasties… it all came out of pink cans.  Yes it tastes different then fresh – but in this case that IS the point.  It has to be pre-cooked within an inch of it’s life to get this kind of subdued taste, texture and readily to meld and not dominate other ingredients.  Ok, probably waxing way too philosophical over food.  But really... try this recipe: as a loaf or form up into patties and pan fry.  Even my husband asks for these if I’ve not prepared them in a while.

Ingredients

1-14.75 oz can Salmon, skinned, boned, save juice

1-7.5 oz can Salmon, skinned, boned, save juice

½ - ¾ cup Green Onion, finely chopped

2 oz Parmesan or Asiago Cheese, finely grated

1 Egg

1 teaspoon fresh Lemon Juice

Olive Oil

Optional

1 Jalapeno, minced

Directions

Combine all ingredients in bowl.  Mix thoroughly and add saved Salmon Juice as needed.  Generally it should be moist enough to hold together -- not “crumbly.

Salmon Loaf: The loaf version may or may not need the “extra” Salmon juice.  Oil glass Bread Pan and place mixture in it. Bake20-30 min at 350 degrees F

Salmon Patties: The patty version needs to be a little moister, so that the patties will hold together in the pan and when flipped.  Oil Fry Pan, form into patties.  Turn when bottom is crispy.  Remove when new side is crispy.  It goes quick—like 8 minutes to a side in a hot pan.  Don’t make it too hot though or the cheese will burn and tang up the flavor.

Abstinent Measuring

4 oz = 1 protein

Okra & Mushrooms

I was not born or raised in the South.  To me Okra was cornbread battered and deep-fried with lots of salt.  I didn’t like the “slimy” texture of some cooked okra dishes…just looking at them caused me to turn up my nose.  BUT, I’ve experimented and asked the natives questions.  And I have come to appreciate and love fresh Okra…especially in the summer when it’s fresh at Farmers Market.  See Notes below for decreasing the “slimy factor.”

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh Okra, sliced into 1 ½ inch pieces

1 lbs fresh white Mushrooms, sliced

3 fresh Carrots, sliced diagonally into 14 inch ovals

1 large Red Bell Pepper

1 medium Yellow Onion

2 cloves to 2 TBLSpoon Garlic, minced, your taste

2-3 TBLspoons Olive Oil

1-28oz can diced Tomatoes or Rotel Tomatoes

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

Optional

1 TBLspoon Brown Mustard seed & 1 teaspoon Cumin seed

Or  1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash or other spice mix

3 stalks Celery, diced

1-2 Jalapeno Peppers, minced

Directions

Place Olive Oil, Carrots, Yellow Onions and Garlic in large covered pan on medium heat.  Sauté until Onions turn translucent.  Add Salt, other spices of your choice and the Okra.  Stir well and replace cover.  Stir occasionally and cook until Okra well heated and turning a little softer.  Add Mushrooms and Peppers, mix well, replace cover and cook (with occasional stirring) until Okra is just starting to turn a darker shade of green.  Add Tomatoes.  Cook another 5-10 minutes, until it’s had a chance to get bubbly hot and has melded together.  Serve Hot.

Abstinent Measuring

1 cup = 1 vegetable

Notes

1.       Spices: I think only Salt is necessary, especially if using Rotel Tomatoes.  But I’ve used either Brown Mustard/Cumin OR Mrs. Dash and the results were equally tasty

2.      Slimyness:  I’ve discovered that the smaller the Okra pieces and the more over-cooked the Okra the slimier the dish.  Also adding the Tomatoes at the end reduces the slimy-factor.  The acid in the Tomatoes does the trick… but can be defeated by prolonged cooking.

Cucumber Salad

A nice cucumber salad adds to a summer dinner when it’s just too hot to heat up the kitchen cooking.  This is German Deli style, meaning it’s vinegary as opposed to creamy. 

Ingredients

6 Pickling Cucumbers, Sliced super thin (mandolin slicer works great)

1 medium Yellow, Vidalia or Sweet East Texas Onion, sliced super thin (goal is 1 cup of sliced Onion)

¼ cup White Vinegar

¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1/8 cup Olive or Grape Seed Oil

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

¼ teaspoon dried or ½ teaspoon fresh Dill Weed (fresh is preferred)

Optional

1 Jalapeño, minced

Directions

Chop, mix and store in Glass bowl.  Best if you can let it mingle and meld for at least 2 hours.  Serve Cool.

Abstinent Measuring

1 cup = 1 vegetable

Serving Suggestions:  I like it in combination with Chopped Fresh Tomato Salad (Tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, vinegar, oil, salt.  Same recipe as above: substitute Tomatoes for Cucumbers, use less Onion and dice the Onion.  Great with anything grilled

Eggs & Tomatoes

I’ve been down to the Farmers Market every Saturday to get the freshest supplies as is my usual routine during the growing season and OMG!  Aren’t the tomatoes just divine this summer?  I’ve been having fresh tomatoes with just about everything and at every meal.  Once of my favorites is Fried Eggs and Tomatoes for breakfast.  The tangy sweetness of the tomatoes blends with the velvety texture of the eggs…yummy!

Ingredients

2 Eggs

1 Medium fresh Farmers Market Tomato, diced

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Optional

Small amounts of dices Onions and Peppers, to taste

Directions

Wet frying pan with Olive Oil at medium heat.  P diced Tomatoes on one half of the fry pan and 2 eggs on the other.  Turn together, Salt & Pepper at will and Serve Hot.

Abstinent Measuring

1 protein and 1 salsa

Notes

The tomatoes don’t get really cooked.  They just get well warmed, which brings out their flavor even more.