Guests Bram and Monica Meehan: Summer Grilling

Excellent Ingredient Equipment of the Week
A note from Stacy: This week, the excellent ingredient is actually a piece of equipment — your grill. Its good for so much more then just hot dogs. Monica and Bram have all kinds of creative ideas for your grill and if all else fails check out Mark Bittman's 101 Fast Recipes for Grilling.

Charcoal? Propane? Whichever suits you and your style of cooking. The important thing is to use that grill in the hot summer months by trying out all kinds of meats, seafood, vegetables, and fruits. We'll often just look around at what we've got and what's fresh and on sale and then, as Stacy noted, let Bittman tell us what to do with it.

Salmon Grilled Between Romaine Lettuce Leaves

This old standby comes from Bob Blumer, who gives us a delicious way to grill fish without having to worry about it sticking to the grate. Monica will usually make an artichoke heart-lemon-chive-olive oil tapenade that gets wrapped with the salmon, the remainder passed at the table. The other day we substituted Swiss Chard for the lettuce, and grilled up rest of the stems and leaves quickly beforehand for a wilted salad.

Ingredients
four 3-foot pieces of twine, or other non-flammable natural fiber
four 6 oz. salmon fillets or steaks — fillets are easier to eat, steaks are easier to wrap and cook
eight large outer romaine lettuce leaves
2 teaspoons olive oil
three lemons — two juiced, one sliced thinly
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Procedure
Soak twine in hot water for 5 minutes. Rinse salmon in cold water and pat dry with towel. Repeat the following for each piece of salmon: rinse two romaine leaves in water, shake off excess water. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon of oil over the inside (concave) side of leaves. Place salmon fillet in the center of one leaf (concave side up). Pour the juice of 1/2 lemon over salmon, trapping the drippings with the leaf, then season with salt and pepper. (or top with artichoke tapenade.) Place the second leaf, concave side down, over salmon. Fold the ends of the bottom leaf up to keep juices trapped, and wrap the string around the leaves to seal. Tie string in a knot.

Cook lettuce-wrapped fish on hot grill for no more than five minutes a side. For added drama, serve wrapped and have guests remove the string; the leaves are edible, and, if not too blackened, pretty good.

artichoke tapenade

Ingredients
1 can artichoke hearts
olive oil, to taste
juice and zest of 1 lemon, to taste
chives, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

Procedure
Chop everything well, and mix, tasting as you go. This recipe is not an exacting thing, obviously!

Grilled Mussels with Herb Butter

Our most recent discovery is grilled mussels — it's really absurd how easy this recipe is. A pound of mussels (around 40) are inexpensive (even in Santa Fe) and will feed two people with some grilled bread and a salad; remember to discard any mussels that stay open before they're uncooked and that stay closed after they're cooked.

Ingredients
fresh mussels, about 1/2 pound per person
1/4 cup butter (or more)
parsley and/or other fresh herbs
lemons

Procedure
In a small pot, melt 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley. Heat grill to medium-high.

Place mussels on grill in a single layer; they won't fall through the grate, but work in batches if necessary. Grill two lemon halves, cut side down.

Cook until mussels open and lemons are warmed through and browned, about five minutes. With tongs, transfer mussels to a large platter. Pour herb butter over mussels; sprinkle with coarse salt and ground pepper. Serve with lemons.

Chicken Satay Sandwich with Peanut Sauce
and Cucumber-Onion-Pepper Relish

This simple recipe from SheSimmers takes the components of a traditional Thai Satay meal and turns it into a grilled sandwich.

Ingredients
Satay marinade — recipe here
Thai peanut sauce — recipe here
cucumber relish — recipe here
boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
Ciabatta rolls
cilantro

Procedure
Marinate the chicken for a few hours. Grill chicken over medium to medium-high heat until cooked; lightly grill rolls. Allow your guests to assemble their own sandwiches, topping with the cucumber relish and peanut sauce (and maybe some kimchi).

Mini Smoked-Salmon Croque-Monsieur

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Here is a fun recipe for a great treat for the holidays.

Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
10 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese (6 ounces)
1 cup minced chives
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper
40 slices of cocktail rye bread
40 slices of cocktail pumpernickel bread
6 large eggs

Procedure
In a medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Stir in the flour until completely blended, then cook over moderately high heat, stirring constantly, until the roux is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Bring the sauce to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer, whisking often, until no floury taste remains, about 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the sauce cool, stirring, until just warm. Stir in the smoked salmon, Gruyere, chives and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper and let the sauce cool completely.

Spread half the rye slices with a rounded tablespoon of the salmon mixture and close the sandwiches with a piece of black bread. Repeat till all the bread is used up or you just get too tired or drunk. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large, shallow bowl, beat the eggs thoroughly. Stack 2 or 3 large rimmed baking sheets on one side of the stove.In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over moderate heat. Dip 8 of the sandwiches in the beaten eggs to coat completely; cook the egg-dipped sandwiches over moderately high heat, turning once, until browned, about 1 minute per side. Transfer the sandwiches to one of the baking sheets, leaving a little space between each one. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches and beaten eggs, using 1 tablespoon of butter per batch. Reheat the sandwiches for about 8 minutes, until piping hot. Cut the sandwiches in half on the diagonal, skewer with small wooden forks and serve hot.

Brazilian Fish Stew (Feijoada)

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
This is a recipe which has a name only Helga Ancona can pronounce, so let's just go with Brazilian fish stew at the moment. It is traditionally made with a number of kinds of fresh, seasonally available fish but for the sake of argument, let's use salmon, which is readily available here.

Ingredients for marinade
1 1/2 pound wild salmon fillets
28 oz. can of peeled whole tomatoes, undrained
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup cilantro, chopped
2 garlic cloves, cut in half
1 Serrano chile pepper, stemmed and cut in half (use the seeds, too, if you want your stew to be pretty spicy)
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt

Procedure
Place fish in a shallow non-reactive (non-metal) bowl. Combine the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, garlic, chile pepper, lime juice, oil and salt in a food processor fitted with the metal blade (or a blender). Process until smooth and pour over fish. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Ingredients for stew
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 zucchini, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup water (or fish stock)
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup minced green onion (bottom parts only), for garnish
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Procedure
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced sweet potato and cook for 10-15 minutes, adding a little water if needed so it doesn’t burn, until softened. Add zucchini, green and red pepper and continue to cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes, again adding water to the pan, if needed. Add water or fish stock and stir in coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
Add fish and marinade and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Just before serving, stir in green onion and cilantro. Serve alone or over rice.

Kuliabaca

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Kuliabaka is a Russian dish which sounds really complex, but you can do it ahead of time. It's really special and festive.

Ingredients
1/2 cup long-grained white rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, minced
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
16 ounces skinned salmon fillet (about 1/2-inch thick), cut into 4 even pieces
2 sheets frozen puff pastry (one 17 ounce package), thawed
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Procedure
Bring 1 cup of water to a gentle boil in a medium pot. Add the rice and salt and stir. Lower the heat and simmer until the rice is cooked through. Fluff the rice with a fork and set aside.

To make the rice filling, heat a sauté pan over medium heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add 1/2 of the onions and cook, stirring frequently, about 3 to 4 minutes until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add the dill and cook for an additional 15 seconds. Add the cooked rice, salt and pepper to taste, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Stir to mix the ingredients together thoroughly. Remove from heat and set aside.

To make the mushroom filling, heat another sauté pan over medium heat. When hot, add the remaining olive oil and butter. Add the remaining onions and cook as before, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes until the mushrooms are softened. Add the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Add the cream and cook until the cream has reduced by half (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.

Sprinkle the salmon pieces lightly with salt and pepper and a little herbs de provence. Roast on a sheet pan in the 350 oven for 10 minutes ,then let cool. Grease a very large baking sheet. Roll out 1 puff pastry sheet on a floured surface to a 12 inch square. Cut into 4 equal pieces and place the squares on the baking sheet. Place 1/4 of the rice filling onto one of the squares, mounding it into an oval so as to make it as compact as possible. Place 1/4 of the mushroom filling on top of the rice and then place one piece of the salmon on top of the mushrooms, then top with chopped HB eggs and a piece of dill. Roll out the remaining pastry sheet to a size slightly larger than the first sheet (13 inches should be fine). Cut into 4 equal pieces. Lay one square on top of the salmon and filling and press lightly to seal the edges where the two squares of pastry meet. (Don't press too hard or the pastry won't rise.) Repeat these steps with the other three squares. You can chill the assembled pastries up to 8 hours ahead if you wish.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the tops of the pastries with the egg and water mixture. Bake in the oven until golden (about 30 minutes). Transfer the pastries to plates and serve. Makes 4 large servings

Roast Salmon with Fennel

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Roast salmon with fennel is a lovely recipe I found in Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. I found this book last week at the Oshara village flea market, where my husband and I have been hanging out on Sundays. It's really fun, you should come by. I try not to shop, just browse but I love this lady so I picked up her cookbook. The scone recipe later in the show is also from the Barefoot Contessa This recipe serves about 10-15 people, so have a party!

Ingredients
1 10-pound fresh salmon
5 cups yellow onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 3 pounds)
5 cups fennel bulbs, sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 3 pounds)
1/2 cup good olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds
zest of 1 orange
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Procedure
Have your fish guy (or monger as she puts it — Ina lives in East Hampton where they have these people) cut the head and tail off the salmon and butterfly it open, removing all the bones. You can just use 2 filets. What you want to end up with is about 7 pounds of salmon. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. That’s right, she said 500 degrees. Sauté the onions and fennel in the olive oil for about 10 minutes on medium high heat. Stir as needed. Then add the fresh thyme leaves, fennel fronds, orange zest, orange juice, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes more. It’s done when the fennel and onions are tender. Adjust salt and pepper. Lay the salmon skin side down on your cutting board and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread fennel filling over half the salmon and fold or put other side on top. Tie the salmon every 2 inches with kitchen twine. Plain dental floss works as well in a pinch. (PLEASE don’t use the mint or cinnamon kind!) Place the baking sheet lined with parchment into the oven for 5 minutes to heat it up. Now carefully transfer the salmon onto the hot sheet pan. Bake for exactly 30 minutes. It's 10 minutes for each inch of fish. Ina swears by this. Allow to cool slightly then remove the strings. To serve, cut into thick slices with a sharp knife. This can be served hot or cold.

Salmon Ceviche with Fresh Corn Vinaigrette

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Ceviche, a dish in which raw fis basically is cooked by soaking it in lime juice, is one of my favorite things and good for us Weight Watchers, it's fat free. Before I moved here I had no idea there were so many variations on the theme but now I make so many different kinds of ceviche, from shrimp to scallops to tuna, etc. This is a recipe from James Cambell Carouso when he was at El Farol and it is for salmon cerviche with a surprising sweet corn vinaigrette to finish it off.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds salmon
1 cup fresh lime juice
1 white onion diced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon toasted coriander seed
1 1/2 cups fresh corn blanched
2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons Fino (a pale dry sherry)
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 Roma tomatoes diced
2 scallions chopped
Bibb lettuce

Procedure
Cut salmon into 1/2 inch cubes and toss with lime juice, onion, salt and coriander. Refrigerate 12-24 hours. Make the corn dressing in the food processor. Add 1 cup corn, Sherry vinegar, and Fino. While motor is running, add the oil in a slow steady stream. Season with salt and pepper. Remove salmon from lime juice mixture and discard. Toss salmon with corn dressing, tomatoes, scallions, and the rest of the corn. Serve in Bibb lettuce cups and serve with flat bread, pita crisps or croustades, or an assortment of fresh raw veggies!

Stacy's Spanish Style Fish Stew

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
I don’t care that I live in the desert — I love fish, and I just ignore the fact that I now buy IQF (individually quick frozen) fish, and I cook it all the time. So the other night, I had a dinner party for some of my friends who love food and I made this fish dish because these were all great parts and I figured it would work all together and it did. This stew easily serves 6.

Ingredients
2 links of real Spanish Chorizo (bought at The Spanish Table)
1 onion, cut into thin slices
1 pound of salmon cubed
1 pound of shrimp, peeled and cleaned
2 dozen mussels
2 dozen clams
5 cloves garlic crushed
1 jar Paul Newman’s Cabernet Sauvignon red sauce
1 1/2 cups red wine
4 cups bloody Mary mix (Trader Joe's) — just fancy tomato juice!
1 tablespoon Spanish smoked sweet paprika
2 shakes Tabasco
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Slice the chorizo and sauté it in a big saucepan until it gives up its beautiful red oil. Then add the onions and crushed garlic and sauté till the onions are soft and transparent. Add Paprika. Now add the red sauce and the 1/2 cup wine and simmer. Taste and adjust flavors. You can make it as spicy as you like. In a medium-size roasting pan spread a layer of the sauce. Now top with salmon cut into cubes and raw shrimp. Cover with more sauce, saving some in the pan for the mussels, then cover with foil and bake in a 350 oven for 20 minutes. In the meantime, add the remaining 1 cup red wine to the sauce, bring to the boil and add the shellfish. Cover and simmer till the shellfish steams open. Now you are ready to plate up. I made a simple Jasmine rice with some green herbs and put that on the plate first then topped it with the seafood and lots of sauce. Don’t forget the bread for dippage.

Gravlax

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Gravlax is a great do-ahead brunch item, so consider it for New Year's Day. Remember it takes 2 days to prepare, but most of that time the salmon is curing, nothing for you to do. Serve it with a sweet mustard sauce, some black bread or rye and a salad and start the party!

Ingredients
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon white pepper
1 tablespoon crushed fennel seeds
1 tablespoon crushed coriander seeds
1 side fresh salmon (3 pounds)
2 tablespoons lemon vodka
1 3/4 cup fresh fennel fronds or fresh dill

Procedure
In a small bowl, combine sugar, salt, pepper, and fennel and coriander seeds and set aside. If necessary, remove the pin bones from the salmon. Cut side in half crosswise. Put one side of salmon skin-side down in a glass baking dish (not aluminum). Drizzle on 1/2 the Vodka. Sprinkle on 1/2 the sugar mixture top with fennel fronds. Do the same to the flesh side of the other piece of salmon and then lay it on top, flesh-to-flesh. Cover with plastic wrap. Set dish on top of salmon and weight with 2 heavy cans. Refrigerate for 24 hours. After 24 hours, flip over fish, baste with juices, place weights back on top, and return to the fridge.

When ready to serve, remove weights and plastic wrap, scrape off fennel and seeds and pat dry. Serve at room temp and slice thin on the diagonal. Serve with sauce made with Dijon mustard, honey and fresh dill — sour cream will mellow it a little. Garnish with diced red onion and capers and serve with black bread, if you can find it. And what kind of salad? How about watercress, shaved fennel, grapefruit segments, and a sweet poppyseed dressing.

Molded Salmon Loaf

Seasonal Recipe of the Week

Ingredients
1 8-ounce package good, full-fat cream cheese, room temp. (Philly Brand)
1/2 cup fresh, flaked salmon
1/2 cup chopped chives or scallions
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped Dill
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Salt to taste
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Procedure
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except parsley and mix with wooden spoon till well blended. I sometimes just use my electric mixer — gently — with the paddle attachment on low speed, but that’s just me. Pack into a plastic wrap-lined mold or mound and refrigerate till firm, 2-3 hours. After unmolding onto serving platter, garnish with parsley, lemon slices, and surround with crackers. Ritz would be the classic choice. You could also do this with smoked trout if you want to be different. Smoked fish tends to be saltier, so adjust your seasonings accordingly. To add an ethnic touch you could substitute lime juice for lemon juice or Cilantro for Parsley. Be creative, go crazy!

Smoked Salmon Risotto

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Risotto is not difficult, but it is also not without labor. But after your mother labored through your birth isn’t she worth it? This is a great recipe for smoked salmon risotto. This is a recipe for 2, you and your mom.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 minced shallot
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup Arborio rice
4 1/2 –5 cups chicken stock, heated
1/4 cup 1/2 and 1/2
2 packed cups coarsely chopped watercress
1/4 cup chopped scallions
Salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces good quality smoked salmon or Gravlax, diced

Procedure
Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet. Add the shallots and sauté over low heat for 3 minutes. Stir in wine and cook 1 minute or till reduced by half. Add rice and cook, stirring 1 minute. Add 1/2 the hot chicken stock and allow to simmer, stirring till almost all the liquid is absorbed %#151; about 5-8 minutes. Repeat, adding 1/2 cup broth at a time till rice has creamy consistency and is almost tender. Stir in 1/2 and 1/2, watercress, and scallions and simmer 2 minutes or until greens are limp. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle in smoked salmon and serve immediately. Start with a fruit course like pears wrapped in prosciutto, then a beautiful salad, and the meal is complete!