Chard is Good. No, Really

It’s one of those “dark, leafy greens” we’re supposed to be eating like 10 times a day. And you may have eaten it before and wondered why someone was serving you stringy weeds that taste bitter get stuck in your teeth. But I promise Swiss chard can be really tasty. Delicious in fact. The first few times I got chard in my organic box, I sighed, chopped up the chard, tossed it in a pan with some olive oil (which seems to work pretty well for most vegetables), and hoped for the best. But what I ended up with was undercooked, tree-like stalks and mushy, tasteless leaves. I decided chard was best for shredding into salads or, even better, as a garnish. Its leaves look beautiful under a wheel of goat cheese…

But the problem with that thinking is that chard is really, really good for you. Thanks to its combination of minerals, nutrients, and fiber, chard is like an anti-cancer pill. Plus, it’s an excellent source of vitamins A, K, C, E, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and iron — all things we want and probably don’t get enough of. And chard does seem to come in my box a lot. So, I did some more experimenting until I finally discovered this method of cooking chard. I guess it seems obvious, but the secret to cooking something with a tough stalk is to start cooking the stalks first, give them some time to soften up and mellow out, and then toss in the leaves.

This recipe makes a great and very quick side dish. Shallots enhance the chard’s flavor, which, in this dish at least, is nutty and savory and not at all bitter. My husband, who has always told me he “despises” chard, loved this. While I wouldn’t use the word “love,” the kids ate it happily, which is about all I can hope for when I’m serving something that slightly resembles the things poking out of the playground asphalt at their school.

Rainbow Chard with Shallots

Ingredients
1 bunch Swiss chard (doesn’t have to be the “rainbow” version, but it does look pretty)
1 small shallot
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Red chili flakes (optional)
Salt & pepper

Give the chard a bath in a sink full of cold water and rinse. You may have to do this twice to get all the dirt and grit off. Dry on towels. Using a large cutting board, cut the chard’s leaves from the stalks by running a knife down either side of each stalk. You can also do this by hand by tearing the leaves off the stalks, but I found the knife method faster. Chop the stalks into one-inch pieces. Thinly slice the shallot. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chard stalks then the shallots and saute until the stalks soften and the shallots start to caramelize, about 10 minutes.

Slice the chard leaves into ribbons and add them to the pan. It will seem like a lot of chard at this point, but the leaves really cook down (like spinach). Add a few drops of vinegar and the red chili flakes; season with salt & pepper to taste. Continue cooking until the leaves are wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately.

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Small Things Considered

I know it’s a stretch to write a food blog post and even attempt a segue from the news about the passing of Steve Jobs, but here it is: Mr. Jobs liked things small. I recently read that he once had an aha moment while pondering the appeal of Mini Coopers and realized that they’re cool for really no other reason than because they’re small. Well, mini food is cool, too — think street tacos, soup in shot glasses, cake pops. And of course sliders. Actually, I’m not sure if sliders are really cool, but they are delicious and fun to eat. I think it’s because they’re “just right” in terms of proportion of meat to bread and, yes, they’re so damn cute — like an iPod Shuffle.

I made these sliders with ground elk, which is very lean and not gamey at all. Really. But if you don’t have a hunter in the family, these would be just as good (and almost as healthy) made with ground buffalo or turkey, or even grass-fed beef. For the buns, I had some leftover hot dog buns so I cut them in thirds, lightly buttered them, and stuck them under the broiler for about 2 minutes. Ciabatta is also good (no, great). I’ve seen tiny potato rolls in the bakery before, and I bet those would be perfect. I cooked these indoors on a grill pan because it was pouring out, but if you do cook them over an open flame, I would probably put them on a piece of tinfoil first so they don’t dry out. I served the sliders with a mixture of green and waxed beans that were blanched and tossed with a little olive oil, Parmesan, and lemon. And ketchup of course. It made a simple family meal that everyone in my family, even my slightly meat-phobic daughter, loved.

Sliders

Ingredients
1 lb. ground elk (or other lean meat)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Pinch garlic powder
Pinch dried herbs (oregano or parsley)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 large egg
salt & pepper
Sliced cheese (I used Swiss)
Rolls or bread for buns (and butter)

In a large bowl, combine meat with egg, Worcestershire sauce, spices, and bread crumbs. Mix well with your hands. To make the patties, use about 1/4 cup of the meat mixture for each one and roll into a ball, then flatten slightly. Put the patties on a sheet of tinfoil, and use your thumb to make an indentation in the center of each one to keep it from shrinking into nothingness when you cook it. Heat a grill pan (or skillet) over high heat (I used my ancient Calphalon grill pan on my hottest gas burner). When it’s hot, cook the patties for about 6 minutes until browned, then flip and cook another 4-6 minutes depending on how you like them. Add the cheese (about a 1 1/2-inch square is all you need for each burger) during the last 2 minutes of cooking and loosely cover the pan with a lid. While cheese is melting, toast the bread and get out some salad plates; you won’t be needing the big ones tonight.

This recipe makes about 12-14 mini burgers. If you’re really hungry (like my husband), you will probably eat about eight. I ate three. Okay, maybe four.

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Two Smoothies

I clearly remember my first Jamba Juice. When I tasted that massively delicious fruity — and healthy! — concoction, I felt like I’d died and went to heaven. And then I got a stomach ache. That was when Jamba Juice only offered one size: behemoth. Nowadays they have smaller and less sugary options (The hefty Caribbean Passion drink I loved so much is over 400 calories and almost 100 grams of sugar; no wonder it tasted so good.), but it still annoys me that Jamba Juice won’t divulge what’s in its “non-dairy blend.”

While Jamba Juice is a special occasion treat, homemade smoothies are a fantastic option for kids’ breakfasts or snacks, plus they’re a great way to use up overripe bananas, squishy berries, and big vats of yogurt. I realize everyone probably knows how to make a decent smoothie, but I have a couple especially delectable combinations that I’ve stumbled across, so I wanted to share. Both of these are delicious and healthy; you can probably guess which one is probably more kid friendly.

One note about blenders. If yours is 20 years old and you love it, great. Keep it and whirl away. If yours is 20 years old and it only blends the bottom inch of whatever’s in it, creates a weird burning smell, and often makes you want to scream, I suggest splurging on a new appliance. Look for a beefy, wide model with a powerful motor and all-metal drive for durability. I finally ditched my college-era Hamilton Beach for a new 6-speed Oster, which has a special ice-crusher blade. I looked at a few more-expensive blenders, but none seemed noticeably better than this $50 model. So far it’s working for me.

High-Protein Breakfast Smoothie

Ingredients (all quantities for both recipes are approximate)
1/2 cup crushed ice
5 large strawberries
1 scoop (maybe 1/2 cup) full-fat Greek yogurt, either vanilla or plain (The Oikos brand by Stonyfield is organic.)
2 tbs. organic almond butter (We use Maranatha.)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 packet organic whey protein powder (I’ve read a lot of conflicting reports about processed soy so we don’t eat that much of it, although I wouldn’t think a scoop of soy protein powder here and there could be anything but totally fine, especially if you’re lactose intolerant.)

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Taste and add more of whatever is lacking.

Mom’s Favorite Smoothie (This one is slightly reminiscent of a blended salad, but it’s very refreshing and delicious; just check your teeth for kale bits before leaving the house and smiling at anyone.)

Ingredients
Small handful kale, roughly chopped or shredded by hand (remove the thick stalks)
1/2 cup crushed ice
1/2 squeezed lemon
1 tsp. diced ginger
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/3 cup orange juice
2 capfulls flax seed oil

Put all ingredients in blender and blend well. Enjoy.

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Farro + Risotto = Farrotto

To rinse the grains, just put them in a bowl of water then pour through a fine strainer.

Since I raved about farro so much in my last post, I thought it would be a good idea to share this cleverly named recipe (for which I can take no credit; I learned how to make it at Cook Street School of Fine Cooking). It’s hard to describe how good this is. It’s very much like risotto in terms of being comforting and creamy and very satisfying, but it’s even better because the farro has such a great chewy texture and slightly more interesting taste, plus it’s more nutritious because of farro’s status as a high-protein whole grain.

If you happen to have a cheese rind lying a round, this is a great chance to use it.

So far, I’ve made this twice, and it’s really hard to screw up. It does take some time, but for most of that time, you’re just stirring and tasting, which is pretty enjoyable and possible to do while you’re helping with math facts or religion homework. You don’t have to stir it constantly — I actually think that’s a myth about risotto in general; in order to force the starch out of the grains, you really only need to stir “frequently.”

Think of this basic recipe as a starting point; to it you can add anything you would add to risotto — any combination of peas, asparagus, chicken, shrimp, and mushrooms would be great. But it’s also delicious just like this.

I won’t promise your kids will like it, but mine asked for seconds. And they’re as picky as your kids.

Farrotto

Ingredients
4 tbs. unsalted butter or oil
4 shallots or 2 leeks, very finely diced (should be about the same size as the farro grains)
2 cups farro (I doubled this)
2 cups dry white wine (I used chardonnay)
4-6 cups chicken broth (I used vegetable broth)
salt & pepper
grated cheese (Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, or Grana Padana or a combination)
2 oz. creme fraiche (optional, I skipped this)

In a large pot, heat 4 tbs. of the butter without browning. When it’s hot, add the shallots (or leeks) and a pinch of salt. Saute 1-2 minutes until the shallots soften. Add the farro and toss to coat. Being careful not to brown the grains, cook the farro in the butter until it begins to smell nutty (5-10 mins.). Turn the heat to high, add the wine (I used 4 cups because I doubled the farro), and cook until it evaporates completely. Reduce heat to low. Add the stock by the ladleful to cover the farro. Stirring often (every 5 minutes or so, really you’re just trying to force the starch out of the grains), allow the broth to reduce by half, replenish the liquid, and add another pinch of salt. Cook the farro slowly, replenishing the liquid as needed to the level of the grains in the pot (even though I doubled the amount of farro, I didn’t need to double the broth; I think I used about 6 cups total plus 1/2 cup of water at the end), until the grains are al dente. The grains should be chewy and distinct, not cooked to mush. The finished dish should have a small amount of saucy liquid. Check the salt and adjust if needed. Finish with grated cheese and creme fraiche (or not). Garnish with fresh ground pepper (or not if you have a pepper hater in the family like I do).

Putting the veggies on top makes this meal easy to deconstruct.

Serve with dinner, or as dinner. Or breakfast. Or lunch.

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Salmon With Sticky Rice

This is comfort food — not in the same sense as mac ‘n cheese of course, but anything sitting on top of a steaming bowl of sushi rice is comforting in my book. Sushi rice is completely satisfying and very filling. Its gluey deliciousness is worth an occasional departure from brown rice (although short-grain brown rice would also work for this dish) — especially since sushi rice is a key part of what’s referred to as the healthiest diet on earth.

This recipe is from Nigella Lawson’s book Kitchen. The only changes I made were to use chili paste instead of the finely chopped red or green chiles Nigella called for. Plus, I cooked a bunch of broccoli to serve with it. Broccoli works great with the slightly sweet and spicy Asian flavors here, and I definitely felt like the dish — and my kids — needed a veggie. Green beans would also be good, or asparagus. I like that the meal is customizable and can be deconstructed for any kids’ food issues (er, I mean tastes).

The most comforting thing about this dish was that everyone in my family loved it. Especially me.

Salmon with Sticky Rice

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups sushi rice (You can buy this in bulk at Whole Foods; I recommend making more than this because you’re going to crave it for lunch the next day.)
1 lb. slab of salmon without the skin (preferably wild salmon; remove the skin with a knife if necessary)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 tsp. red or green chiles, diced (I used Sambal Oelek red chile paste.)
2 tbs. minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 tbs. mirin or sake (Nigella called for 2 tbs. of each, but I just used the mirin. Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice wine and is usually easy to find in the Asian aisle of the supermarket; sake requires a trip to the liquor store.)
2 tbs. lime juice (about 1 lime, squeezed)

Cook the rice following the directions on the package (or bulk bin) or in a rice cooker.

Cook some broccoli (or green beans or asparagus spears or all of the above) in salted boiling water until just tender, 2-3 minutes, drain and set aside.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add a few drops of oil. Sear the salmon for 4-5 minutes on one side (if you’re using a stainless steel pan, the salmon should release fairly easily when it’s ready to be turned; don’t mess with it until then), turn it over and cook for another minute or so. The salmon should be just barely opaque and cooked in the center. Remove it from the pan and put it on a large piece of tin foil; make a loose package with the foil and seal the edges to keep the fish warm.

Mix the sauce ingredients together and put in a bowl to serve alongside the salmon and rice. You can serve this family style with the whole fish on a platter, which would make a nice presentation for guests, or divide the rice and fish (and veggies) into separate bowls according to your picky eaters’ specifications. I left the sauce off my daughter’s portion and added extra heat (I recommend trying sweet and gingery Lingham’s hot sauce; Sriracha is also tasty with this) to mine and my husband’s.

Tomorrow, leftover sushi rice with sauteed mushrooms for lunch! Mmmm.

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You’ll Just Have to Trust Me on This One

I realize I risk losing all credibility by posting this recipe for Burundian Spinach Stew. Also, I have to be up front and admit that my kids did not like it. (Words like “weird” and “huh?” were used.) But I promise it’s delicious. Really. When I first discovered this on the Operation Rice Bowl website last year, I was skeptical, too. The basic list of ingredients — spinach, peanut butter, and onions — reminded me of those strange concoctions my little sister used to make in the kitchen before my mom got home from work and then dared me to taste. But we had vowed to make as many of the African, Middle Eastern, and South American recipes from the site’s list as we reasonably could during Lent, and I happened to have most of the ingredients, so I bought about a bushel of spinach and made the stew.

And guess what? Those Burundians are amazing recipe developers. This stew is very quick and easy to make (although you will be shredding piles of spinach — a job I suggest foisting on one of your super helpful children), it’s thick and very flavorful, almost like a curry, and it’s chock full of dark green (i.e. healthy) spinach and other veggies. In addition to creating the rich consistency and flavor, the peanut butter adds protein, which we (part-time) vegetarians need; I’m pretty sure that’s what makes this stew so completely satisfying. I promise you won’t miss the meat.

As I said, my kids turned their noses up, which is not surprising since it’s brown and full of very well-cooked spinach. Plus, I made it a little on the spicy side (oops). My spouse couldn’t get enough. The kids ate bowls of the brown rice I’d made to go with the stew with some veggies and sliced eggs — everyone was happy and well fed, so it worked for me.

Of course I made a few minor tweaks and additions to the Burundians’ basic recipe, which I feel kinda bad about because I know we’re supposed to be eating in solidarity with them. But I couldn’t help myself. It might not be totally authentic, but my version was pretty darn tasty. I’ll put my changes and comments in italics so you can stick to the basic recipe if you want.

Burundian Spinach Stew
Ingredients

2 small onions, chopped
2 tbs. oil (I used olive oil.)
2 tomatoes, peeled and sliced (I didn’t peel them.)
1 green bell pepper, chopped (I used red; I don’t like green peppers and imagine if the Burundians had access to red peppers, they’d be in agreement.)
2 lbs. fresh spinach (You can buy the bagged baby spinach, but it’s a lot cheaper to buy bunches of regular organic spinach. I used 3 large bunches.)
1 tsp. salt (Don’t measure, just taste it.)
2 chili peppers, sliced (I used Thai red chili paste, probably about 2 tsp.)
4 tbs. peanut butter (I think chunky would be off-putting so used creamy. I highly recommend all-natural peanut butter, by the way; it tastes much better and doesn’t have weird, unnecessary oils and sugars added to it.)
6 cups rice, cooked (I used short grain brown rice, which is more sticky and satisfying than long grain rice.)
Plus I added:
1/2 pint sliced, sauteed mushrooms
2 tbs. soy sauce
1 tsp. fish sauce
2 tbs. banana jam (You could also use marmalade, chutney, or honey; I just thought the stew needed a little sweetness).

In a heavy skillet or Dutch oven, saute the onions in the oil until golden. Stir in tomatoes and bell peppers. Add spinach (First rinse really, really well in a large bowl or sink full of water, then tear off the stems and shred into pieces.), salt, and chili. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

Give the spinach a nice cold bath.

Add several tablespoons warm water to the peanut butter to make a smooth paste. Add to pot (along with soy sauce, fish sauce, and jam) and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir frequently, adding small amounts of water to prevent sticking (about 1 cup). Add sauteed mushrooms. Serve over rice.

It tastes better than it looks.

Try it, you’ll like it. Next up: Nigerian Okra Paste with Cornmeal Porridge (just kidding).

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Operation Rice Bowl

For the next 40 days, I am a vegetarian. This — giving up meat for Lent — has become a tradition of mine. It started a couple years ago when my family got involved in Operation Rice Bowl through my kids’ school. Operation Rice Bowl is a program that helps people connect with people in need around the world by inviting participants to “… fast in solidarity with those who hunger; learn more about our global community and the challenges of poverty overseas; and give sacrificial contributions to those in need.” We aren’t officially participating this year, but we do have our own little family version. Every day the kids put one toy or book in a box for the poor, and the money we save by not eating meat (or candy in the kids’ case) goes to a famine-relief organization.

Okay so this long-winded and slightly preachy update on my plans for for Lent is not the point of this post. And even though there’s really no question that a mostly plant-based diet is better for you and the planet, I’m not going to urge anyone to become a vegetarian, even for 40 days. After giving up meat for five weeks last year, however, I did learn firsthand that meat is not essential to a healthy diet or even a fun, happy life. Aside from the occasional urge to snatch a piece of bacon off my son’s breakfast plate, I didn’t miss it very much. In fact, I hardly touched the lamb my mom made for Easter. The icing on the cake was that I lost five pounds without even trying. Although we did go back to eating some meat after Lent, we’ve really tried to be more mindful about it and appreciate it. I now think of meat as a side dish or flavor accent, which means the bulk of the meal is plants.

Which (finally) leads me to the point of this post.

One of the best parts of Operation Rice Bowl is that the organization’s website has a huge list of interesting yet super-simple vegetarian recipes from Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Asia, and Latin America. We cooked most of the recipes last year and, aside from a few bombs (Gambian Yam Balls were actually worse than they sound, and Nigerian Okra with Cornmeal Porridge did not go ever well with the kids.), they were fantastic.

One of the issues I’ve had in the past with going vegetarian is that so many meatless recipes seem exceedingly complicated and frankly don’t sound very good. They often use things like tempeh or other soy-based proteins, which I don’t love. So I end up eating lots of pasta and salads. The ORB dishes — such as Congolese Beans & Greens, Ghanian Ground-nut Stew, Cambodian Sour Soup, and Honduran Plantain Turnovers — are easy to make from ingredients that are readily available. And they are surprisingly satisfying, balanced, and varied.

I’m excited about making a few of my favorites, including Burundian Spinach Stew and Haitian Rice & Beans, in the next few weeks. As I do, I’ll post my versions of the recipes. If you get inspired to see what they eat in Cameroon and make something from the list, please let me know!

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Rich Vegetable Stock

Vegetable stock has always kind of stumped me (I know, I think about these things way too much). I’ve attempted it many times, and what I usually end up with is disappointingly pale and close to tasteless. So I usually use store-bought organic vegetable broth when I make soup (I randomly alternate between Imagine and Pacific and buy what’s on sale), which is totally fine but irksome because of course I love the idea of using homemade stock and making it is a great way to use up vegetables that otherwise might have to be thrown out.

The other night, the slowly wilting veggies in my fridge were taunting me to take another shot. This time, though, I got smart and consulted an expert. In his newest cookbook, The Food Matters Cookbook, Mark Bittman has a recipe for mushroom stock. Although I didn’t follow the recipe to the letter, I did discover the trick to making rich veggie stock: mushrooms.

In the past, I had always avoided making “mushroom stock” unless I was going to make mushroom soup, thinking the flavor would be too overpowering for regular vegetable soups. Well, I was wrong. The addition of mushrooms gives the stock a deep flavor and meaty dark color, but it’s still fine for basic veggie soups. I used mine for carrot soup last week, and it just made the recipe even better — and it didn’t taste like mushrooms at all. Here’s the recipe for the stock, which is a version of Bittman’s (he uses fewer veggies and adds dried mushrooms, which I think would give the broth a distinct mushroom flavor). By the way, this is a very useful thing to make, even if you’re not an avid soup maker like I am; veggie broth can be added to — and enhances the flavor of — just about anything you cook in a pan, pot, wok, or a skillet.

Vegetable Stock with Mushrooms

Ingredients (This list is what I used; feel free to toss in any veggies in your fridge; all they can do is add to the flavor.)

1 large onion, sliced
3-4 carrots, roughly chopped (you don’t have to peel these but obviously wash them well)
3-4 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 lb. mushrooms, including stems, chopped (I used regular button mushrooms, but you could try portobellos, shiitake, or a combination; just know that the flavor will probably be more wild and mushroom-y)
fresh parsley (about 10 stems with leaves)
1 tbs. whole peppercorns
pinch of dried herbs (either thyme, oregano, or sage)
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper
olive oil

Heat about 2 caps of olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, then add the carrots and celery. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and cook for another 10 minutes. Dump veggies in a bowl and reserve. Put another cap of olive oil in the same pot and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes until they begin to brown. Add the reserved cooked vegetables and a pinch of salt. Stir in 2 quarts of water along with the parsley, herbs, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes. Strain with a colander. You can refrigerate this for about a week or so, or freeze it.

By the way, contrary to what you might have heard lately (if you read fancy foodie blogs like I do), it’s totally fine to wash mushrooms by quickly rinsing them in cold water. Just don’t soak them for long, and then let them dry a little (by putting them on a towel) before using them. The fresher they are, the less water they absorb. It’s also fine to just wipe off the dirt with a paper towel or soft vegetable brush. And if they look clean, they probably are, in which case you can just use them as is (really!).

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Baked Wild Salmon

There are many good reasons why you should eat wild salmon instead of farmed salmon, and a few good reasons why you probably don’t (I’ll get to those in a minute). In case this isn’t something that keeps you up at night reading internet blogs about sustainable fish, here’s a rundown of some of the issues:

1) Wild salmon (which, by the way, is almost always from the Pacific side of the world, including Alaskan, Columbia River, Copper River, king or chinook, silver, and sockeye) are generally higher in healthy omega-3 fatty acids than farmed.

2) Wild salmon are significantly lower in contaminants (things like PCBs, heavy metals such as mercury, and dyes) than their farmed brethren. While the health benefits of eating any salmon (wild or farmed) probably outweigh the risks from contaminants, this is not necessarily the case if you’re pregnant, nursing, or a small child.

3) Eating wild Pacific salmon helps keep the market for sustainably fished salmon strong and protects fish populations. Since wild Atlantic salmon (a different species than Pacific) have been overfished to the point of becoming Endangered, almost all Atlantic salmon for sale in stores or restaurants is now farmed (this includes Norwegian salmon, Scottish, etc., although there are Atlantic salmon fish farms all over the world, including in the Pacific).

4) Wild salmon lead a truly amazing life — you know, spawning in a river then traveling to the ocean and then swimming sometimes hundreds of miles back upstream to spawn. All that swimming and living (and eating) in a variety of environments makes the fish magnificent pictures of health and robustness. Obviously not happening on a fish farm.

5) Most conventional fish farms are pretty awful in terms of overcrowding, disease, and contamination. The fish live in nets about the size of a football field and are fed a diet of pellets made from fish byproducts, grains, and of course dye to make them the pretty pink color they would naturally turn if they were eating their usual diet of crustaceans and whatnot.

5) Because the fish farms are so crowded (and I imagine lousy places to live if you’re a fish who wants to swim hundreds of miles), many fish escape into the wild, which seems okay but it’s not. These escapees disrupt the spawning habits of the wild fish and have overrun wild-salmon habitats; this competition puts even more pressure on wild fish to survive.

6) The fish farms also spread disease and parasites to the wild-salmon habitat. Ick.

Okay then, those are the reasons why wild fish are a better choice. But as I mentioned, there are perfectly reasonable reasons why we all don’t “vote with our dollars” and make unsustainable fish farming a thing of the past. Here, in a nutshell, is the rub:

Wild salmon cost about three times more than farmed, are only available fresh during the summer and fall, and definitely don’t always have that uniformly sumptuous, creamy-rich taste that farmed Atlantics are known for. I was at a dinner party a few weeks ago where the host served a behemoth salmon fillet, which was fresh (in January) so obviously farm raised. It was delicious, and she was able to feed 10 people (adults and kids) for, oh I’m guessing, probably about 20 bucks. Whereas, wild salmon would have cost easily three times that much, plus it would have been frozen, and it might have been a little dry…

So, I get why we haven’t all eaten our last bite of Atlantic salmon.

I can relate. I am also fortunate because my husband goes to Alaska every summer and brings back an embarrassment of frozen king salmon fillets. We had to buy an second chest freezer to store it all. So we eat wild salmon once or twice a week. What I suggest for people who don’t have a freezer full of wild salmon is to treat salmon like meat. Eat it occasionally and, since it costs about $20 a pound, don’t screw it up when you cook it. (Another tip is to buy more when it’s fresh, and probably a bit cheaper, and freeze it; wrap it really well and it should keep for a few months. Canned salmon is almost always wild, by the way, but of course, it’s in a can.).

Wild salmon is less fatty and therefore slightly less moist and rich than farmed. I suggest instead of grilling it, which can dry it out quickly, bake it in the oven. I recently tried this and eureka! it was delicious, tender, and very simple to make. Here’s the recipe:

Baked Wild Salmon

Ingredients

1 salmon fillet, cut into serving-size (3-5 oz.) pieces
Lemon slices
Garlic cloves
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Butter, softened (an herb butter is especially nice and you can make it while the salmon is cooking; see recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 425. Lightly oil a shallow roasting pan or baking dish and put the fish pieces in skin side down. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put the lemon slices and garlic on and around the fish (this isn’t crucial to the recipe, but I like the way the lemon and garlic infuse the fish with their scents — and they make your house smell like them instead of fish). Bake for about 10-20 minutes until the flesh doesn’t look raw. It will be still pink and should be slightly underdone when you take it out of the oven. If some pieces are thinner than others, you can remove them as they get done. As you can see in the photo, my pieces were too large so they didn’t cook evenly; smaller ones work much better. Once it’s out of the oven, let the salmon rest under a tin foil tent for a few minutes. While the fish is resting, put a pat or dollop of butter on the fish and let it melt.

Herb Butter

In a bowl, mix with a fork:
1 stick of (organic unsalted) butter with any herbs you like (preferably chopped fresh ones, about 1/2 cup) and some chopped garlic and salt.
I’ve used parsley and chives, but tarragon would be fabulous, too.

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So Many Recipes, So Little Time

It’s that time of year again — when we all vow to be better in every way, right? Over the last few December 31sts, I have resolved to, among many other things: become more organized, stop raising my voice at my kids, be more engaged with my kids, be a more loving spouse, streamline my wardrobe and clean out my closet(s), run a marathon, start volunteering, meditate, waste less time online, keep a journal, write more query letters, get all my photo albums up to date, prepare home-cooked meals for my family 5 out of 7 nights a week, organize my son’s Legos by color and type, become a yoga instructor, read or re-read the classics, cook a wider variety of meals, find any buy local, pastured dairy products, and (of course) lose weight and get more sleep. No pressure, right?

So, this year, I am keeping it simple. I figure there’s probably a reason why a lot of the items on the above list keep coming back year after year (hello, photo albums), and it probably has something to do with the fact that I really don’t want to do that. Someday I will have the resources to pay money to have someone do it for me, so for now I’m just going to have to let it go. Same thing with the yoga instructor bit (and meditating); I’m pretty sure I don’t have the patience for that, and that’s okay. I’m glad other people do though. And many of the other items will work themselves out once the stockings are emptied of chocolates and the kids are back in school.

Other than running a marathon, which the masochist in me is seriously considering, and wasting less time online (by which I don’t mean blogging; I mean doing things like reading Wikipedia articles about the soundtrack to the latest Narnia movie and searching for the ultimate tan suede boots), my New Year’s Resolution this year is to purge my recipe file, only keeping things I actually plan on making, and then actually making them. Oh, and today is my last day of eating leftover bread pudding for breakfast.

This might seem like the world’s lamest resolution, but this file is really weighing on me (and I’m a big fan of attainable goals). I’m one of those people who is constantly tearing recipes out of magazines, maybe to justify the subscriptions? And I keep them all in a marginally organized expanding file that is bulging and overflowing with sheets of paper that have not seen the light of day since I tore them out of Food & Wine in 1997. Over the years, my tastes have changed, I’ve had a family, and I’ve become passionate about clean food and unprocessed ingredients. I think it’s time to get rid of the stuff that no longer fits so that I can actually find and use the recipes that do.

If you're going to have clutter in your kitchen, it should be olive oil and salt cellars, not stacks of untried recipes.

When you clean out your closet, organizing gurus tell you to apply a set of criteria for each item of clothing. The item should fit you properly, it should represent your current style and image, and it should fit in with your lifestyle. In other words, if those acid wash jeans are still too tight, say buh-bye. Today I am going through my exploding recipe holder (I’m guessing there are over 1,000 recipes in there.) using similar criteria of my own: Is this recipe for something my family or friends would enjoy? Do I have another recipe for a similar item that I already know is good? Does the ingredients list represent my food values and likes (i.e. the recipe does NOT call for things like Cool Whip and Cream of Mushroom soup)? Do I actually foresee an occasion within the next six month when I might make this recipe? If I can honestly say yes to ALL OF THE criteria, I’ll keep it and make a plan to make it. If not, say hello to the recycling bin.

Okay, here goes.

• Amber Ale Cheddar Cheese Spread? Not sure why I tore that out of the Oprah mag. Toss.

• Lemon Tartlets with Coconut Crusts? Sounds delicious but also looks fussy and requires equipment (mini tart pans) that I do not possess. Toss.

• Oh, but wait, here’s Coconut-Crusted Key Lime Pie. That I will make for David’s birthday. Keep.

• Low-Maintenance Risotto? A keeper, although I will add veggies like asparagus or maybe broccoli.

• Peppers Stuffed with Feta? They looked so beautiful on the cover of Saveur, but my family doesn’t love Feta and it’s hard for me to imagine a time when I would make them. Toss.

• Sweet Potato and Bacon Pasta? I might have tossed this but just noticed that my organic box this week will have yams in it. I assume I can sub yams so might make this. Keep. (Or I might try Ravioli with Sweet Potatoes and Thyme, which I just came across, too.)

• Chicken Milanese Rughetta? I randomly tore this out of House Beautiful, and it still sounds like the kind of recipe I would enjoy making and eating. I seem to gravitate toward recipes utilizing things like Parmesan cheese, olive oil, arugula, and chicken, don’t I? Oh well, so much for “cooking a wider variety of foods.” Keep.

• Rotini with Chicken, Asparagus, and Tomatoes? Do I really need a recipe for that? I make things like that all the time with no instructions. Toss.

• Surprise Brownies? These call for boxed brownie mix and Nilla wafers, which seems to defeat the purpose of making something homemade. Toss.

• On the other end of the spectrum, here’s a recipe for Beet-Walnut Brownies, which could be good but stand a fairly large chance of being gross. I don’t take too many risks when I bake. Toss.

• Big Easy Barbecue Shrimp. A good friend of mine, who’s from Louisiana, recommended this. It’s not my normal thing, but I am going to make it. Heck, I think I’ll make it this week!

• Basic Sauteed Kale? I’ve been looking for this! It’s hugely helpful when Kale comes in the box. Keep (and post on blog).

Usually but not always, it’s very apparent why I tore a certain recipe out of a magazine. Sometimes (as in the case of Asparagus and Soft Eggs on Toast), I have to admit it’s because of the mouth-watering photo that accompanies it. For others, I think I must have been either pregnant or hungover (Stove-Top Turkey Casserole with Cream of Chicken soup.). But most actually seem like things I would want to make — if I had nothing but time and a few sous chefs.

This exercise is inspiring and a little overwhelming — there are so many amazing-sounding recipes out there. My only hope is to pull out a few of the keepers and get busy cooking. Thankfully, we’re heading into January, when we’re home most nights. Now, if only I had a system for organizing the (far fewer than 1,000 but still plentiful) recipes I did keep. Any organization gurus out there with some brilliantly simple solution for me?

Dare I ask, do you have a food-related resolution? Happy new year by the way!

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