Poached Salmon Balls with Cucumber Dill Yogurt Sauce

Salmon Balls are funny to think about. Lets get it clear, these are pureed salmon made into balls, not anything weird! These taste very much like the poached salmon you know, only more light and airy. They are almost without texture and melt in your mouth. Much like a French quenelle, if you have ever eaten those. 

Delicate pink dumplings of fish are held together only by egg and just a tad of potato starch. They take only moments to cook, literally two minutes in hot water.

Some might wonder, why bother making balls when plain salmon is so good itself? Novelty, great texture, interesting party food!

If you have family members who don't enjoy fish much, fish balls may be an easy way around that. Often texture or flavor is the offending characteristic. By pureeing it, both of those change. We all have heard that fish is an important food to include in our diets. Wild salmon especially has great nutrients and Omega 3's that make it a super healthy choice.

Most children should be eating more fish that they probably do, if they are not big fans of fish filets, try these poached fish balls. Changing the presentation makes fish accessible and fun, you can even eat them with your fingers!

It would be a very sophisticated choice for a party appetizer, served warm. I really enjoy them served just above fridge temperature as a luncheon dish. or stuck with toothpicks at pot luck. Once poached, they keep in the fridge for a day or two. So it would be possible to make the salmon balls one evening, stick a platter in the fridge and bring them to the afterwork party the next day, drizzled with sauce.

Warning:

The first time you make fish balls you may feel that you are committing a crime. When you put the nice fillet into the food processor, your heart may catch in your throat and you wonder if you should just pan-fry the thing. I know the feeling. But I urge you to take a deep yoga breath and just trust in trying something new. The paste may look terrible at first, just keep calm and fish-ball on! 

The cream sauce in my book is made with sour cream. But here I would like to share my yogurt sauce recipe, which is what I gravitate to. Plain yogurt, greek yogurt, goat yogurt, and sour cream are different but would be totally interchangeable here. Though plain yogurt will result in a thinner sauce. 

They are dead easy to make, fish and other ingredients go into the food processor. Get a big pot of salted water at a rolling boil. Then, very important, turn the heat on the water down, so it is no longer boiling. A very light simmer means the water is moving but not aggressively at all. (If the water boils, your fish balls will break apart.)

I use a mini scooper, it holds near to 2 teaspoons. If you don't have one use two small spoons to fashion ball-like portions. 

As each portion of fish-paste is scooped up, deposit it into the very-lightly-simmering poaching water. Continue, working in batches, each ball will fall in the water, puff up a bit, and then rise to the surface when it is near done. I find mine require about 2 minutes total in the water to cook. 

Remove them with a slotted spoon to a plate. Much of the excess water will steam off. Repeat with all remaining fish paste.

Mix up the dill sauce, chopped dill, peeled diced cucumber, yogurt, salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon. 

Poached Salmon Balls

makes 25 fish balls

Cucumber sauce:

• 1/2 cup peeled, diced cucumber
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• squeeze of lemon as needed

Salmon balls:

• 1 pound salmon, skin and bones removed
• 1/2 cup whole milk (goat milk or non-dairy milk)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon (12g) potato starch

To make the sauce, simply mix the peeled and diced cucumber with the yogurt, dill, salt, pepper and squeeze of lemon as liked. 

Cut the salmon into chunks small enough to fit into a food processor. Puree the fish until it becomes a fine paste. Add the milk and remaining ingredients. Puree about 10 seconds or as long as necessary to make the mixture very smooth. 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil on the stove. Turn the heat down to a bare simmer. With a spoon scoop up a small bite sized portion of the salmon paste. You can form egg shapes with two spoons, or use a mini scooper. As each is formed, drop it into the poaching water.

Each salmon ball will sink before floating. Allow to cook another minute or two on the surface (total about 2 minute cooking time depending on size of the balls.)

With a slotted spoon, remove the poached salmon to a warm plate. Cover with the dill sauce and serve warm or at room temperature. If you have leftovers, they are good chilled.

Favorite Spiced Frikkadels, Meatballs of the Rainbow Nation

I have made and eaten a lot of meatballs by now. You see, I wrote a book with over 100 meatball recipes, and that requires eating hundreds of meatballs. I have many favorites, and sometimes they change, but these Picnic Favorite Spiced Frikadelles from South Africa are always in the top 10. Why are they called that, because they are loaded with fragrant spices and because of the nice crust, seem to be the type of food which would travel well. Bring them for picnics, lunches or healthy snacks. No sauces necessary.

I do think that these are one of my favorite meatballs my entire Global Meatballs book. They have an ideal texture, first we encounter a distinct crispy crust fragrant with spices. These spices foretel even more spices inside. The interior is tender with a perfect ratio of breadcrumbs to meat. A mixture of ground beef and pork is used. I like a 2:1 beef:pork ratio, for texture, flavor and fat. Similar to a meatloaf and stuffing but mostly they are unique. 

In writing the book we wanted a representative group of meatball from around the globe. I ended up with recipes from over 40 countries and cultures. In doing the research some were easier to nail down than others. Denmark's national dish is a sort of meatball sandwich (Frikadeller Smorrebrod), lamb meatballs from Greece or Sweedish Meatballs are all well known emblematic dishes of their countries. 

Some parts of the world have huge traditions of meatballs, where it is impossible to pick an iconic one of the many. This may be due to the tradition and popularity of the meatball as a foodstuff, but I note this tends to happen in to areas of the world where diverse cultures have coexisted (often not so peacefully) for years. 

This overlay of cultures and usually results in cooks borrowing the best things from different traditions, food fusions and blurry lines. Regions like the Middle East, the Americas, and South Africa have rich traditions of meatballs with blurry lines of where they "came from" resulting in some of the most innovative and modern recipes. 

South Africa has an fascinating history, local tribes, tribes from further lands, spice traders, displaced people from India and East Africa, the Dutch and English colonists, and more, making up the people of this southern cape. Imagine all the different types of food they liked to eat. But I swear, all of them probably had some type of meatball tradition. 

In my research I found that the people of South Africa have as many favorite meatball recipes as there are cooks. I find this Spiced Frikkadel recipe emblematic of the Rainbow Nation, the taste, ingredients and and how it is made is made, is from everywhere and nowhere in particular. Could we go so far to call it a democratic meatball? There are European, African and and Indian elements in this one delicious food.  

You will find they are flexible at the table, I like them served alongside a big green salad. Or a rice pilaf, cous cous, potatoes, or a pile of cooked vegetables would support them well. Use leftovers in a sandwich the next day. They are equally good eaten hot or at room temperature.

(Note about temperature: The jury is still out about pork, the FDA recommends cooking ground pork to 160° and that what I put in my book. A lot of cooks say 145° is good, this is a hamburger cooked at Medium. I cook mine to 145°. You can Google it and make your choice. I take no responsibility for your overcooked, undercooked, or unnecessary fears of meat.)

Holler back if you try them and tell me what you love about them! I would like that.

Favorite Spiced Frikkadels
22 large meatballs, 5 servings

• 1 cup (115g) unseasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup (115g) plain yogurt
• 1.5 (680g) ground beef and pork
• 1 egg
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 yellow onion, minced
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1.5 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 
  
• 1/2 cup chickpea flour
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2+ tablespoons safflower or canola oil

Combine the breadcrumbs and yogurt in a bowl. Allow the mixture to rest for 5 minutes. Add the meat, egg, garlic, onion, cilantro, coriander, chili powder, salt and pepper to the bread crumbs. Using your hands incorporate all together. Add the meat and incorporate into the bread mixture.

In a shallow dish, mix together the chickpea flour, turmeric, paprika, and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350° (180°C) Line a baking tray with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Heat a frying pan on medium high with the safflower oil.

Wet hands will keep the meat from sticking. Form 2.5 inch (6 cm) balls in by rolling them in between your hands. Roll each in the chickpea flour, covering the surface. Place in the hot frying pan and cook the balls in batches. Shake the pan a few times, to brown the surface all over. Cook for 5 - 7 minutes, remove to the prepared baking tray. Repeat with remaining meatballs. 

Finish cooking the meatballs in the 350° oven, 10 -14 minutes should cook them through. A meat thermometer should read 160° for well done meat. (The jury is still out about pork, the FDA recommends cooking ground pork to 160°, a lot of people say 145°. I cook mine to 145°. You can Google it and make your choice.)

Chive Blossom Vinegar

When faced with thousands of beautiful chive blossoms I think, what do we do with them? They make pretty garnishes on plates, and whimsical additions to salad when torn up.

The couple who run Maitland Mountain Farm in Salem have a lot of chives. They are sold at markets, used in flower arrangements. Chives also act as practical landscaping on the farm, maybe keeping away some insects or bunny rabbits, and most definitely serving as erosion prevention where they are planted. 

In the spring they come up with loads of spherical purple blossoms. 

We made a large batch of infused vinegar, nice to make oniony salad dressings for fresh greens. And, it's bright pink.

Chive Blossom Vinegar

Chive blossoms

White vinegar 

A wide container with a lid

A fine strainer

Nice clean jars to store the vinegar. 

Pick blossoms by spreading your fingers and running them through the chives, catching the blossoms. They will pop off the stalks to be caught in a fist. 

Wash the blossoms gently, bobbing up and down in a bowl of water. Or in my case, a huge sink. 

Strain blossoms, drip dry or spin in a lettuce spinner. 

Put the clean blossoms in a container where they fill up roughly 2/3 of the volume. Pour white vinegar in, to the top. Float a plate, or something, atop the flowers to keep them submerged, they will try to rise up and escape. Or, just put the lid on. 

Leave vinegar and chive blossoms together for 4 days to steep. It will turn bright pink and then a deeper magenta hue will develop. Keep covered well or you kitchen will smell strongly of onions. 

When the time has come to strain the entire project set up your fine strainer over a vessel to catch the strained vinegar. Use a funnel if you need to. I had to strain mine twice because the first strainer I chose filtered out the blossoms but not the tiny white seeds which float around. And the seeds look like wee insects if you didn't know what they were...so it's worth getting out a cheesecloth or a tea strainer for this case. 

Now you have plenty of jewel colored vinegar which is crystal clear. Put in pretty jars or mix up into salad dressing with olive oil. I'll put a recipe on here soon. 

The Rum Rhubarb Collins

I love rhubarb, ill say it again! For a sour vegetable stalk it is so versatile. The season is begining to ebb as we are at the solstice and these hot days favor berries over rhubarb stalks. Eat up while we can.

I seem to love pink drinks too. Rhubarb makes a refreshing drink, which could replace pink lemonade. After the rhubarb juice is made, a cocktail is the next logical step.

Rum Rhubarb Collins 

Tested by many friends this week, it evoked comments like "It's so refreshing!", "You can really taste the rhubarb-ness", "...so pretty!"And me the bartender says, "...so easy!"

You might at first wonder why add more sour citrus juice to an already tart situation. People are always trying to sweeten it up. But lemon and lime add to the flavor pop of rhubarb, when I make pie I always add some lemon to the rhubarb, it gives it more dimension. 

The amounts given in the rhubarb juice are a guide, it is impossible to predict how much sugar it will take to get your batch to taste nice. So it tastes like tart lemonade, sugary, sour, and drinkable.

Rum Rhubarb Collins

1/4 of a organic lime

1 1/2 ounces white rum

3 ounces rhubarb juice (recipe below)

1 ounce seltzer water

small rhubarb stalk, sliced narrow, for garnish

Fill a glass with ice.

Squeeze lime well, over ice. Drop lime into glass.

Pour white rum and rhubarb juice over ice. stir.

Top glass off with seltzer water.

Garnish with trimmed stick of rhubarb and trendy or metal straw.

(Making a pincher of drinks would be a great idea if having many people over.)

Making Rhubarb juice

Rhubarb Juice

2 pints rhubarb chopped into 2 inch sections

3 pints water 

1 cup organic white sugar

Wash and chop the rhubarb into 2 inch sections. Place into a soup pot. Pour water over, it should cover the rhubarb by a few inches. Turn heat on high to bring to a boil. 

Lower the heat to medium low and keep it simmering. 

After roughly 10 minutes the rhubarb will fall apart when poked with a spoon. Turn off the heat now.

Let cool, more flavor will steep out while it cools down. If you want to go away and run errands, now is the time, don't worry about it.

When cool, set a mesh strainer over another vessel large enough to hold all the liquid. And have an extra bowl nearby. Pour or ladle the pink rhubarb pulp and juice into the strainer, catching all the gorgeous pink juice. Briefly press down on the pulp to extract a bit more liquid. (It is a strange consistency.) Dump the pulp into the extra empty bowl. Repeat until all the liquid is strained.

The juice may look pretty, but it is still sour. Stir in some of the sugar, allowing time for it to dissolve. Pop the liquid back on the stove and heat it for under 5 minutes to warm it up enough for the sugar to melt well. Taste and add more sugar, creating it to your liking.

Cool, pour into jars. Will save for 2 weeks in the fridge. It freezes well in plastic containers, to be used later in the summer.

Rum Rhubarb Collins

Italian spring soup

New potatoes, chives and olive oil

I am happy that springtime seems to be giving way to summer, the days of fresh fruit are ahead of us. The farmers market opened yesterday, the slow start as we try to catch up to the rest of the country's growing season. Soon there will be peaches, tomatoes, beans, its going to be good. And the outdoor concerts, beach traffic, lackluster craft fairs and hot car seats that burn the backs of your legs... summer is the best.

New potatoes chives and garlic

Spring has been so enjoyable this year, with loads of tender vegetables, shoots and flowers. And am not quite ready to let it go. So I plan to fit a few more spring themed posts into the next week. Since its not really summer yet as far as the vegetables know.

I made this soup for my book club, all who are foodies, and everyone was surprised by the broth, as it is so simple it seems different and exotic. We probably all smelled of garlic afterwards! 

New potatoes and chives steamed for 8 minutes in olive oil.

My Italian Spring Soup was inspired by Marcella Hazan's Spring Vegetable Soup in The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. I don't claim to know better than her, but I made some changes, like adding asparagus and green onion, which is a good touch. And making it easier with frozen artichoke hearts. I did retain the simpleness of the broth, simply water with lemon juice added as the last thing. So bright, and full of clean flavors, surprisingly different.

Soup making with colorful potatoes

Easy prep for springtime soup

New potatoes have less starch than their larger cousins and hold together well in soup. They come in many shapes and colors. I found a charming mix of tiny blue, red and yellow potatoes. The color variation makes for a beautiful dish. 

Use what you can find, the red skinned ones are pretty, but the yellow have the most creamy texture.

A word to the wise. All the veggies begin as nice bright colors, once cooked they loose some of the vibrance. If served right away, all is colorful. The longer the soup sits in the pot waiting for your friends to arrive, the greens fade and fade. It is still delicious, and will recieve ohhs and ahhhs. 

Next time I make this for a party, I will add the final vegetables in a right-beofre-we-eat sort of way. To keep the asparagus and green peas more green.

Have more lemons on hand to finish the broth, mostly 1 lemon will be enough, I made a double recipe of soup and needed two whole lemons. If you taste the soup before you add the lemon juice, and then taste it after, it will become obvious if you want more lemon juice at that point. Or not. It comes across as bright tasting, not sour.

Everything gets more green

There are some either-or's in this recipe for easy spring conversions. green garlic, and spring onions if you have it. If you have garlic scapes some of them would be right at home here too.

Spring Italian Soup

servings for 4

Garlic, 2 tablespoons minced. or 1 head green garlic, chopped fine

4 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound new potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 spring onion, white and green parts sliced fine. Or 4 scallions, sliced.

4 cups water
rind from parmesan cheese (optional)

1 handful frozen artichoke hearts.

1 bunch asparagus, about 8 ounces, 1 inch lengths sliced on the diagonal

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup peas (thawed if using frozen)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Good quality Parmmigiano-Reggiano grated

Slice the potatoes and place into the soup pot. Add sliced onion, minced garlic and olive oil. Put the pot over high heat, for about 40 seconds, stirring often.

When the garlic is fragrant add the sliced potatoes begin to stick, cover the pot with a lid and turn down the heat to low.

Cook covered for about 8 minutes, lift the lid a few times to stir the potatoes, they may begin to stick on the bottom, check that they don't brown.

After 8 minutes, or if the vegetables stick too much to the pan, cover with water and scrape the bottom. First bring liquid just to a boil, then turn to a low simmer. 

Add the cheese rind, asparagus, artichokes, and salt. Keep the heat low to retain the tender flavor of the spring vegetables. After about 15 minutes at a low simmer, when the potatoes are fork tender, add the peas. Take off the heat, the peas will warm through with the residual heat. Add lemon juice to taste.

Serve in soup bowls with large amounts of grated Parmmigiano-Reggiano cheese and slices of good crusty bread. 

Serve with crunchy bread and lots of grated parm

French Rhubarb Cake for teatime

French Rhubarb Cake

A dear friend of mine had me over for tea and cake the other day. I arrived as she was testing the cake with a toothpick, her toddlers trying to get a  look at the goings on in the oven. It was tricky to tell when this cake is cooked because the rhubarb inside makes the toothpick never come out right, I'll tell you to judge by the firmness of the top of the cake and the toothpick will look like it has jam on it, not cake batter. In the debate no one was burnt. All smelled divine, patiently we waited for the cake to cool enough to turn out of its pan.

Ten, fifteen, forty minutes go by we forgot about cake and then when we thought about cake again it was ready. I fear we didn't leave her with many leftovers. We all had seconds. Before dinner!

I'll direct you to the recipe which she found here at MyKitchenInTheRockes. Its a good cake, I'll be making this sometime soon. If you have a chance to put some rhubarb in the freezer you could make this any time of year, and remember the taste oh the suns rays in June. 

French Rhubarb Cake

Raw Asparagus Parmesan Salad

The freshest asparagus is upon us in the northeast. Roasted broiled and grilled it is sublime. I was urged to it thinly shaved and raw by my friend, an urban farmer and chef. The asparagus was so tender without any tough part at the bottom, crunchy and juicy. 

Bold flavors would go well with the raw asparagus. Lemon is my favorite with asparagus and parmesan, would add richness.

This salad is easy, it uses one tool: a vegetable peeler and 3 ingredients, 4 if you count the olive oil.

To shave it is easy, use a veggie peeler. Lay the asparagus on a cutting board. Run the peeler along the length of the asparagus, from bottom to tip. This makes lovely long thin ribbons.

Collect the asparagus ribbons in a salad bowl. Now it just takes some salt and the juice squeezed from half a lemon to wake it up. 

Drizzle generously with olive oil and toss around to coat it all.

Take the same veggie peeler and set it to work on a good hunk of parmesan cheese. Peel off large shavings of cheese, these pop with cheesy umami flavor when eaten in a bite with the lemony raw veg. 

Importantly, fresh ground pepper goes all over the top. 

That is the only recipe im giving; no measurements. Its a salad! I will say 8 asparagus spears served two with some leftovers. So about 3 servings. The leftovers were nice for lunch after marinating in the fridge. I loved the change of pace of keeping the asparagus raw and pure, I will do it again!

Skillet Fiddlehead Ferns and Mushrooms

Fiddlehead ferns

Springtime, when shoots and flower buds are picked and eaten in their most tender moments. Fiddleheads have their moment in late May, the same time as asparagus in New England. Left to grow on the plant, each fiddlehead would unfurl into a single frond. At which point they turn tough and inedible.

A pile of fiddlehead ferns

If you find them at a good grocery store the cut edge often has turned a little brown, like cut flowers. Fresh fiddleheads should be tightly wound and feel firm not limp. Once you get them home, first wash them to dislodge the papery brown fern casing which sticks to them in places. And slice off any brown on the cut edges.

Shallot and fiddleheads

I see fiddleheads when I take walks in the Spring, but I have never picked them myself. Next year perhaps I will do some reading on how to identify the Ostrich fern which produces the edible dinner worthy sprouts. For now, I rely on others to pick them.

Cooked on high heat fiddleheads require about seven to ten minutes of cooking time. First they sear and then soften a little bit. They are best when crisp-tender. The flavor is vegetal and very mild. 

Mushrooms are a natural woodland pairing. If you have invited dancing nymphs and satyrs to dinner I would serve this. If you had morels that would be decadent. They pair nicely with onions, ramps, cream sauces, eggs and lemon. Anything which would go with asparagus is usually at home with a fiddlehead. It was beautiful with salmon and a bottle of rosé.

I made a nice side dish with ubiquitous lazy pre-sliced baby bella mushrooms, lots of olive oil and a large shallot. 

Skillet mushrooms

Skillet Fiddlehead Ferns and Mushrooms 

(about 3 servings)

2 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms

2 cups fiddlehead ferns

1 large shallot, diced

olive oil

salt and pepper

Heat a cast iron skillet on high heat. Sear the mushrooms with some olive oil and a pinch of salt, leaving them to brown before stirring them around much. 

Rinse the fiddleheads clean. Cut off any browned ends. 

When the mushrooms have some color and begin to release their juice and soften, add the fiddleheads into the pan. 

 

Saute the mixture, the mushrooms will finish their cooking and the fiddleheads will soften up along with them. Add a pinch of salt and a drizzle more olive oil.











When the fiddle heads are bright and halfway to tender add the shallot into the mix. Added before there is risk of burning the shallot on the high heat. Added now it will have enough time to cook while the other ingredients finish up. Stir in and saute, stirring often until the fiddleheads are crisp tender.

Serve while hot. The fiddleheads retain their curl when cooked and make for a really cool looking dinner. Happy spring!