Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes

Something savory this week, and you may have some hints for me. These patties were a bit TOO loose- I needed a spatula to move them around. I didn’t want to add too much dry breadcrumbs and make them too dry. Does anyone have suggestions on what I can do to firm these up, without drying them out? Maybe fresh breadcrumbs? Less mayo? They tasted great, either on a plate with a salad or served on a burger bun with just a touch of tartar sauce.

Salmon Cakes

Serves 2

• 6-7 oz skinless, boneless salmon- either foil pouch or canned
•  
• ¼ cup finely diced green pepper
• ¼ cup finely diced onion
• 1 egg- beaten lightly
• ½ to ¾ tsp Essence  (scroll to bottom of stew recipe)
• 1 TBSP Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup (scant) mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup dried bread crumbs (approx.)
• 1 cup Panko or additional bread crumbs (for dredging)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 3 TBSP oil for fry pan

1. Preheat large sauté pan over medium heat.
2. Flake salmon in a medium mixing bowl. Add pepper & onion and egg. Then mix in seasonings, mustard & mayo. 
3. Fold in the 1/3 cup breadcrumbs. If mixture is too loose, add up to ¼ cup more.
4. Spread Panko crumbs on a sheet of wax paper. Divide mixture into fourths, and form into balls     , drop on Panko, and flatten into patties about ½” thick. If patties are too fragile to turn over to coat other side with crumbs, dust tops with additional Panko, and lightly press to adhere coating. 
5. When oil is hot, place the patties in sauté pan, and fry until first side is golden brown. Carefully flip patties over, and brown second side until golden- about 8-10 minutes total cooking time.

As you can see, I had a “breakage” problem. But they still tasted good. Maybe I should just make them smaller?

Feel free to substitute green onions and/ or celery for the regular onions and/or green pepper.

Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes

Still not cooking too much, well…, nothing new & interesting. I was making a quick supper favorite of mine tonight and realized I may not have shared it before; I may have mentioned it, but not given step-by-step instructions. (*SNORK!!!* This “recipe” falls in the same category of difficulty as Marshmallow Treats!)

Mary’s Favorite Supper Sandwich

Get out your countertop grill (or large sauté pan). Preheat to high while you prep your ingredients. If you’re considering buying one of these, for god’s sake get the one that has the removable/interchangeable grill surface! These fixed ones are a bitch and a half to clean!

Get a green pepper and an onion- Vidalia or plain old yellow.

Get a piece of pita, and one slice of American cheese. I was going to use 2 slices, but one is really more than sufficient. Mind you, I’m making just a sandwich for me because Em doesn’t eat green or onions, and Adam doesn’t agree with green peppers; you can probably get 2 sandwiches, possibly three if your pepper & onion are extra large. Just allot one pita and one slice o’ cheese per serving.

Slice the green peppers into matchsticks, and half the onion, peel, and slice into thin half-moons. (Go to Pioneer Woman for more in-depth slicing instructions).

Put veggies into a large mixing bowl, coat with about 2 TBSP olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste- maybe a 1/2 teaspoon each? Toss to coat all the veggies, breaking up the onions into individual slivers/rings/strands.

Put on your pre-heated grill.

Close cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir the veggies around a bit, re-cover and cook an additional 5 minutes. You want the onions to start to turn brown and translucent, and get the peppers wilted. The Foreman is great because it kind of steams the veggies too. My grill has been getting a little flaky- I think one side isn’t getting to the same temp as the other. It’s close to 10 years old; believe you me- I’m replacing it with a removable plate one next!

Meanwhile, take your pita and arrange your piece of cheese as shown. If your pitas are a bit dry, soften for about 10 seconds in the microwave, then put your cheese on.

When veggies are done, top cheese with a healthy portion. The hot peppers & onions will help melt the cheese.

Fold the pita in half to keep the heat in.

Chow down! Look how cheesy it is!

Any leftover vegetables can be used in an omelet or re-heated in a sauté pan for another sandwich.

Now I have to scrub the frikkin' grill.

Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes

I came across this recipe from another food blog I occasionally visit- The Wednesday Chef, coincidentally. I never do anything with frozen corn except “Cook as Directed” and top with butter & salt at the table.

I hardly ever use fresh mint so I’m not used to its flavor; maybe I’ll try a different herb like thyme or tarragon or sage next time. The unsalted butter seems to be key- I used regular & tried to adjust the additional salt , but I think I added a wee bit too much.

This was tasty- different but quite tasty, and very pretty in a bowl. I’d even consider it for Thanksgiving next week except for the traditionalists I typically serve.

Caramelized Corn with Fresh Mint
Serves 2

• one- 10-ounce package frozen premium corn
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
• Salt

Defrost the corn in a colander, tossing occasionally, for about 30 minutes.

In a wide skillet, melt the butter over high heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring often, until golden and browned (kernels may begin to pop), about 10 minutes. Stir in the mint and sprinkle with salt. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve while hot.

Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes

Yeah.....she's not wrapped too tight, that one...........didn't take but 3 Wednesdays before I forgot to post! I even had the recipe and photos saved!

Without further ado:

Broccoli Calzone

• For Two Calzones:
• One 1-lb ball of prepared pizza dough, thawed & cut in half
• 3 cups cooked broccoli florets, either frozen or fresh
• One half (about ¾ cup) finely chopped onion
• 1-1/2 cups finely chopped mushrooms (I used white button-type)
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 3 TBSP olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 2 cups shredded cheese, sharp cheddar or Swiss- whatever you like, even a combination
• 4-5 slices provolone cheese
• Small amount of flour for rolling dough

Line a rectangular cookie sheet with foil & spray with Pam or use Release No-Stick foil (magic stuff!)and set aside. Set oven to preheat at 400 degrees.

Lightly flour a smooth surface, and roll out one half of dough to approximately 16” wide x 10” tall. If dough bounces back and won’t hold shape, set it aside to rest & roll second piece of dough then go back to first piece. Persevere-it WILL eventually roll out & stay in a rough rectangular shape.

In large sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook about 5 minutes until translucent. Add mushrooms and garlic, and continue sautéing until mushrooms barely start to turn brown. Salt & pepper to taste.

Drain cooked broccoli thoroughly; I even blot it dry on a couple of paper towels on the counter. Chop the broccoli roughly, to about 1” pieces, then combine with onion mixture, and remove pan from heat. Re-taste for seasoning; add more salt & pepper if necessary.

Set one rectangle of dough with long side parallel with counter. Sprinkle with half the shredded cheese, leaving about ½” edge of bare dough all around. Spread half the vegetable mixture over the cheese. Lay 2 slices of provolone side by side over vegetables, and add partial slice if necessary if a lot of filling is bare.

Turn up edge of dough closest to you over filling by about 1” or so. Turn in vertical sides (kind of like you are rolling a burrito) once, then continue rolling up from bottom edge as tightly as you can without making a mess.

Pinch dough together tightly, and tidy into smooth 12” or so cylinder of dough. Place seam side down on foil-lined baking pan. Repeat with remaining ingredients and place second roll about 3” away from first. Make a couple of 1” slashes thru the top layer of dough to allow steam to escape. I forgot this step, which is why why filling burst out.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 18 minutes, until bread is golden brown.

Cool slightly and serve.