Batter-Splattered

Nordy bars

I stumbled upon this recipe recently in the recipe swap section of Oregon Live, which I've been reading every morning because I have a trip to Portland coming up soon. I like to get a feel for a place before I go there -- and what better way than through the local paper. And then of course, I'm always drawn to a food and recipe section when I see one.

I'd never heard of these bars or seen them sold at my local Nordstrom but they were spoken of with such religious devotion, you know I had to make them. Further research showed that these were originally made and sold at the Nordstrom Café (where you can get a mighty fine salad) but are no longer offered on the menu there.

Pity, because they're really good. You melt butter and butterscotch chips in a saucepan, add some dry ingredients, then stir in chocolate chips, marshmallows, and walnuts. A little something for everyone!

I cut mine up into bite-sized morsels for a party and put them in little paper cups so guests wouldn't get all that ooey-gooey goodness all over their fingers, although I doubt anyone would have complained.

 

Nordy Bars

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 (11-ounce) package butterscotch chips
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup chopped pecans

In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; add butterscotch chips and brown sugar, stirring until they're melted.

Remove pan from heat and stir in eggs; add flour, baking powder and salt, mixing thoroughly. Stir in vanilla; set aside until cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

When cooked mixture is cool, stir in chocolate chips, marshmallows and pecans; spread in greased 9-by-13-inch pan.

Bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool, cut in bars.

Fast White Bean Stew

I needed something quick and easy to use up what was leftover from our Easter ham of greed and gluttony but all the recipes I referenced called for a hock and an hour and a half of simmering. Not exactly conducive to a quick and easy after-work dinner. Plus, the dog got the hocks. It would have been cruel to deny her the opportunity to gnaw those bones to a nub.

But then I found this recipe for Fast White-Bean Stew, described as being full of hearty cannellini beans, baby greens, and baked ham. Pretty tasty stuff.

Has anyone else had a hard time finding a good can of organic cannellini beans? Or is it just me? The first can I tried was so lacking in flavor that I haven't bought another can since, but then I bought this other kind and it contained little bean bits rather than whole beans. How do you rinse bean bits? It's gross because you get about three inches of foam on top of the beans in the colander.

As I was preparing this stew, the very first step had me in doubt. A quarter-cup of olive oil sounded like way too much to saute the garlic in, but I trusted in the recipe writer and I glug-glug-glugged all that oil into my pot.

Turns out, I should have followed my gut instinct because it was way too much oil. It ended up pooling on the surface of the stew. If there's anything worse than bean bits, it's pooling oil.

But in spite of that, this is still a really good and fast stew, as the name implies. I wouldn't hesitate to make it again as written below.

 

Fast White Bean Stew

Serves four

2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 T extra-virgin olive oil (for the stew), plus 1 t (for the toasts)
1 (14- to 15-oz) can stewed tomatoes with juice, chopped
1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 (19-oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (3 cups)
1/2 lb. baked ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (5-oz) bag baby romaine or baby arugula or baby spinach (10 cups loosely packed)
8 (3/4-inch-thick) slices baguette

Cook garlic in oil in a large heavy pot over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, broth, beans, ham, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Stir in greens and cook until wilted, 3 minutes for romaine or 1 minute for arugula.

While stew is simmering, preheat broiler. Put bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with some olive oil. Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat until golden, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.

Serve stew with toasts.

 

Cajun Fish / Cole slaw

Neatly-wrapped filets of fish

So I heard-tell from the newspaper's food section on Wednesday that 10th and M Seafood got a shipment of crawfish and it just so happened that they're located within walking distance of my office downtown so my co-worker and I trudged on over in order to fulfill our 30 minutes of daily exercise, as mandated by the Presidential Challenge.

Exercise is so much easier when the fixin's for a good dinner are involved!

But then again, I discovered that it's awfully difficult to find a crawfish recipe that isn't based on a stick of butter and a pint of cream, thereby dashing any effort I put forth for the challenge.

But I needn't have worried because when we got to 10th and M, there was no crawfish stocked on the shelf behind the crawfish sign. Just as I was about to bemoan my crawfishlessness, these two fellows who'd followed us into the store, hot on our heels, went straight to the counter and requested the two pounds of crawfish they'd called ahead for. The Fishmongette behind the counter had some bad news for them: the crawfish was still en route to the store (I love saying en route -- it's makes me feel like I'm on official police business).

She offered to call Fed Ex and find out where the crawfish-laden truck was located at that very moment.

They took her up on that offer.

The truck was only a couple of miles away and headed straight for the store.

They agreed to wait.

Those were my kinda fellas.

I remembered back to my desperate search for a light and healthy crawfish and decided maybe the food gods were telling me something. Maybe I should buy something besides the crawfish, provided it ever arrived. It had to be a sign.

Instead, I got a filet each of sole and rockfish. Six bucks! Score. And as we sailed out the door, brown paper packages in hand, the Fed Ex truck sailed into the parking lot, so it's nice to know those crawfish lovin' guys were rewarded for their patience and devotion to shellfish.

It was all I could do to resist the urge to spin around and follow that Fed Ex man back into the store.

I decided to stray from my favorite recipe site and go farther afield, settling on this recipe for Cajun Sole with Remoulade Sauce, found on the Food Network but originating in Family Circle magazine. Proving once again that I am no food snob, I saw it as a bonus that the recipe called for crumbled cornflakes because, just the night before, the husband polished off a box. Now that's multi-tasking grocery-shopping.

I decided not to use the remoulade / tartar sauce with this recipe because I was also whipping up a big bowl of cole slaw from a head of cabbage that came in my CSA box. The cole slaw was for the husband because awhile back, when I tackled this recipe, I explained to him that the skillet full of delectable-looking red cabbage he was examining was a 'red cabbage confit,' and that's when he smacked his forward and asked, "Why not just make some plain old cole slaw?"

So I used this recipe, which includes a cup or two of of the tartar sauce recipe from Pearl Oyster Bar. I used the extra sauce for the fish.

It was all really good.

Cajun Fillet of Sole with Remoulade Sauce

Serves four

3/4 cup cornflake crumbs
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/ 2 teaspoon onion powder
1/ 2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 sole or flounder fillets (8 ounces each) -- I used a rockfish fillet and it turned out really well
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
Vegetable cooking spray
Parsley sprigs and lemon wedges, for garnish

Fillets: Combine cornflake crumbs, chili powder, cumin, onion powder and pepper on large sheet of waxed paper. Brush each fillet with about 1 teaspoon mayonnaise per side. Dip fillets into crumb mixture, coating both sides. Spray both sides of each fillet with vegetable cooking spray. Place on prepared baking sheet. Broil 5 inches from source of heat, without turning, about 8 to 10 minutes or until fish just begins to flake and coating is golden. Serve with remoulade sauce. Garnish with parsley sprigs and lemon wedges.

Cabbage Slaw

Serves three

2 cups julienned Savoy or green cabbage (or 2 cups red cabbage, julienned, and 2 cups green cabbage for a more colorful presentation)
3/4 cup Pearl Oyster Bar Tartar Sauce (recipe follows)
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate till  you're ready to eat.

Pearl Oyster Bar Tartar Sauce

2 heaping T chopped red onion
2 heaping T roughly chopped capers
2 heaping T chopped cornichons, plus 2 tablespoons of the juice
1.5 cups Hellmann's mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and refrigerate till you're ready to use. 

Salmon with Orange-Balsamic Glaze / Roasted White Asparagus

I've been focusing on healthy and lean and easy recipes lately and here's my latest -- white asparagus and copper river salmon. Is that fillet beautiful or what?

I used this orange-balsamic glaze for the salmon -- orange juice concentrate, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and fresh rosemary. Oh my god, did that marinade ever smell good!

I mixed the marinade ingredients all together and poured them into a plastic bag and that's when my husband walked into the kitchen and caught me with my face inside the bag, breathing deeply -- the orange! the rosemary! it was like a ziploc chockful o' summertime.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked.

I didn't bother to explain because he wouldn't understand anyway. I just loaded my salmon fillet into the bag and put it in the fridge to marinate

On the side, I roasted up some white asparagus:

The local grocery store sells white asparagus all the time but it always looks like it's seen better days -- a little limp, a little brown. But these stalks were beautiful and I couldn't resist.

I did a little reading on wikipedia to see what exactly is the difference between green and white asparagus (white is grown underground in sandy soil) and found this little nugget of info which I thought to be totally fascinating:

Marcel Proust claimed that asparagus "...transforms my chamber-pot into a flask of perfume."

Some of the constituents of asparagus are metabolized and excreted in the urine, giving it a distinctive smell. This is due to various sulfur-containing degradation products (e.g. thiols and thioesters) and ammonia. Recent studies suggest that every individual produces the odorous compounds upon eating, but that only about 40% of individuals have the genes required to smell them. The speed of onset of urine smell is rapid, and has been estimated to occur within 15-30 minutes from ingestion.

I had no idea, did you? Are you one of the 40%? I'm not sure if I am -- I guess I'm no Proust because I've never focused on such things before.

Salmon with Orange-Balsamic Glaze

Serves four

1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 salmon steaks or fillets (about 6 ounces each)
Vegetable cooking spray

Place first 7 ingredients in a large sealable plastic bag. Shake well. Add salmon and refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove steaks from marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Coat grill with cooking spray and heat on high. Grill steaks, turning once halfway through, until no longer translucent in the center, about 4 minutes per side.

What donut are you?

Take the what-kind-of-donut-are-you quiz. It's fun. I am:

You Are a Powdered Devil's Food Donut

A total sweetheart on the outside, you love to fool people with your innocent image. On the inside you're a little darker, richer, and more complex. You're a hedonist who demands more than one pleasure at a time. Decadent and daring, you test the limits of human indulgence.

What Donut Are You?

Thanks to Boston Creme Kelly for the link!

Thyme-Roasted Sweet Potatoes / Pork Chops with Mango-Basil Sauce

I had this one lonely mango leftover from my first box of CSA organic fruits and vegetables. Should I eat it as a snack? Or should I do something special with it?

I hopped on the internet and found this recipe for pork chops with mango-basil sauce and knew it was meant to be. I had all the ingredients handy -- even pork chops in the freezer -- except for the basil. Had to go to three different stores looking for it! Am I the only one cursed with bad herb luck? It's almost laughable sometimes when I scour the produce sections for something like fresh marjoram and there's none to be found. The next weekend I'm right back at it looking for basil, but there's nothing but marjoram on the shelf.

It always seems to work that way for me.

Mango puree:

It gets all cooked up with garlic and jalopeno and thinly-sliced basil leaves (which I finally found). Then stir in some soy sauce, chicken broth, and brown sugar. I had high hopes for it -- it smelled divine. But when I sampled it, there was something lacking. Like one note missing from an otherwise flawless tune. I had another sample spoon. Hm. There was something missing. Maybe the culprit was my chickening out and not adding the entire diced jalapeno -- it was an extra large jalapeno and it just seemed like too much to add to a single pureed mango!

Not knowing what else to do, I threw in a couple more tablespoons of brown sugar and soy sauce and...

Perfection!

   

Next time, I'll have to make it as written and see what I think. But for now I was very pleased with the results.

I teamed the chops up with some thyme-roasted sweet potatoes. They were heavenly, tossed with olive oil, garlic, fresh thyme leaves, and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes, then roasted in the oven. They were even better when dipped into some of the aforementioned mango sauce. The pork chops and sweet potatoes were a great combination, sweet and flavorful, one soft, one chewy... the leftovers I had for lunch the next day were even better.

I think the only member of the household not happy with these recipes was the pooch...

I thought for sure the pork chops I pulled out of the freezer had bones but I grabbed the boneless ones by mistake. I must have bought those during my pre-pooch days. Now, my trips to the meat department involve me poking hunks of meat to see if there are bones inside for the dog to gnaw on after dinner. She's given me an all new perspective on the meat department.

Here's the pork chop recipe exactly as written. If you make it this way, with the whole jalopeno, you'll have to leave a comment and tell me how it turned out.

Pork Chops with Mango Basil Sauce

Serves four

1 small mango, peeled, pitted

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 jalapeño chili, seeded, minced
1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce

4 6- to 8-ounce center-cut pork chops (about 1 inch thick)

Puree mango in processor. Set aside 1/2 cup puree (reserve any remaining puree for another use).

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and jalapeño, then basil; sauté just until basil wilts, about 1 minute. Add broth, brown sugar and soy sauce. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in cup mango puree. Simmer until sauce thickens and coats spoon, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Prepare barbecue or preheat broiler. Brush pork with 2 teaspoons oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill or broil pork until just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plates.

Rewarm sauce over low heat, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over pork.   

Thyme-Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Serves 3 to 4

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch-thick rounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves, plus 6 thyme sprigs for garnish
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 450°F. In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and toss. Arrange potato slices in single layer on heavyweight rimmed baking sheet or in 13x9-inch baking dish. Place on top rack of oven and roast until tender and slightly browned, about 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with thyme sprigs.