Louise Kirk blogs about food for HometownAnnapolis.com.
She is an Annapolis resident. E-mail Louise
2008-05-05 -- 4:08 pm Anchovies anyone? Do you like anchovies? My guess is that most of you would instinctively say no, but you don’t know what you are missing!
Anchovies are small fish, caught in their thousands in the Mediterranean Sea, dried and salted and now usually packed in oil. They are more often used to give a saltiness and depth of flavor in recipes than used by themselves but in some recipes from southern European countries they are used whole, in Salad Nicoise for example, anchovies recline gracefully over hard boiled eggs as though they are sunbathing on the beach in San Tropez. In Asia their version of anchovies are dried and fermented into a sauce called nam pla which is added to many dishes for flavor and salt.
I have temporarily mislaid my recipe for roast leg of spring lamb using herbs and anchovies. I will post it once I come across it but below you will find a recipe for green sauce which can be used to dress up plain grilled fish or an egg salad, don’t tell the kids what’s in it until they have already declared that it is delicious.
Are you already converted? Try my favorite sandwich, thin slices of good whole wheat bread spread with cream cheese and anchovy fillets draped criss-cross on top.
Salsa Verde
1 clove garlic, crushed
6 anchovy fillets
3 tablespoons capers
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped mint
Juice of ½ lemon
½ cup olive oil
There are two ways to make this sauce depending on whether you want a smooth or chunky texture. The traditional way (and my preference) is to create a chunky sauce by mixing the garlic, anchovy, capers and mustard in a pestle and mortar. Crush the ingredients enough to eliminate any large pieces of garlic, add the herbs and lemon juice then dribble in the oil whilst stirring to create an emulsion.
Alternatively for those short on time but with patience for washing up, put everything in a food processor and process for a minute.
2008-04-25 -- 9:57 am Buttermilk and Herb Salad Dressing  My haul from the Farmers Market on Saturday included mixed salad greens and some fabulous green onions. I persuaded Holly to make her buttermilk salad dressing which always gets rave reviews. Buttermilk and Herb Salad Dressing 1 cup buttermilk 1/3 cup mayonnaise ¼ cup olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice or more to taste 1 clove of garlic, crushed ¾ cup chopped mixed herbs; we use chives, chervil and a little mint A grind or two of salt and pepper Combine everything and either stir, or for a smoother dressing, blend. The dressing keeps for about a week in the fridge and thickens up a little as it stands. I served the dressed salad greens with shards of duck bacon which made a great salty contrast to the creamy dressing. 2008-04-18 -- 9:11 am Pineapples  I have been asked about the way I prepare a pineapple.  Pineapples are delicious to eat and very versatile. They are refreshing as a dessert, just a thin slice with a couple of strawberries too, or maybe grilled with a scoop of ginger ice cream or used as a savory complement to some grilled pork, Hawaiian style.
First, choose the right pineapple! The best pineapple to eat will be the one that smells the best; some people prod fruit to determine ripeness, I smell it. Your nose will tell you how much sugar the fruit has. Choose a fruit that has no obvious bruises or mold and a set of good looking leaves.  Using a bread knife cut off the bottom of the fruit so that it stands upright and proceed to shave off all the skin. You will be left, as you will see from the pictures, with rows of small blemishes that form a diagonal pattern around the fruit. Hold the fruit at an angle and cut into one side of a row of blemishes at a 45 degree angle then turn the pineapple around and cut the other side so that a triangular shaped strip is removed. Continue around the fruit until all the blemishes have been removed. Tidy up the bottom leaves of the pineapple and, if necessary, cut the top leaves at an angle to remove any dead or dried parts.  After the first trail run you will not spend more than 5 or 10 minutes doing this, but it looks impressive. I plan on firing up the barbeque this weekend and will grill some pork tenderloin to go with the pineapple. Grilled Pork -serves 4 2 pork tenderloins ¼ cup salt 2 cloves garlic, crushed to a puree ¼ cup olive oil 1 pineapple, prepared  Brine the pork by dissolving the salt in a cup of boiling water then adding enough cold water and ice to cover the pork. Let the pork stand for at least 30 minutes, a couple of hours would be best. You can add herbs and crushed garlic to the brine if you want; rosemary in particular adds a faintly herby taste to the meat. Fire up your grill well in advance. Take the pork out of the brine and dry off. Coat it with a mixture of crushed garlic and oil. There is no need to season it as it has been brined. Cook the pork over a medium heat for about 10 minutes in total, turning it once. The internal temperature should be 150 degrees. Let the pork stand on a dish to rest whilst you ... ... this is an abbreviated post. Read the entire article.2008-04-15 -- 2:20 pm Rochelle's Portuguese recipe I like to collect recipes that remind me of people and places. I have an interesting lemon chutney recipe from Australia for example and I cook up Singapore chili crab if I want to be reminded of growing up in Asia. I met my friend Rochelle when she was a neighbor of mine in London. Every summer she would quit her job and go traveling, I was deeply envious as I spent my London decades working too many hours building my career and she was swanning off like a hippy, coming back with recipes and cool clothes. In fact I have never figured out which of us had the right formula for life. Pork and Clams -serves 4  1 ½ lbs boneless pork, cubed 2 onions, finely chopped 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips 2 large tomatoes, cut in half, the seeds squeezed out and chopped 1 chili, seeded and chopped 2 cups dry white wine 1 tablespoon paprika 2 cloves garlic 1 bay leaf 4 dozen clams, the smaller the better ¼ cup chopped cilantro Fry the pork until browned all over in a slick of oil. Add the onions, red pepper, garlic, tomatoes, and chili and turn to color before adding the wine, paprika, bay leaf and a grind or two of black pepper. Do not add any salt at this stage as the clams will add saltiness later. Let the pork simmer on low until it is tender, about 45 minutes. When the pork is cooked, place the clams in a large sauce pan set over high heat. Pour over the clams the wine mixture that the pork was cooked in and cook until the clams have opened. Add the pork and clams together and serve in soup or pasta bowls with cilantro sprinkled over. Notes The pairing of pork and seafood may seem strange, but it is no different really to our recipe for clam chowder which contains salt pork and clams, that recipe too may have Portuguese origins from the cod fisheries off the coast of New England. Paella from Spain similarly has a combination of meats and seafoods. When I cook this dish I cook double the recipe of the pork stew and freeze half so that it can become a quick weeknight dinner. 2008-04-11 -- 9:03 am Fish Cookery I have had enough cake for a month or so.
All the sugar I have eaten recently left me craving for a savory taste so I decided to visit Annapolis Seafood. There is a terrific selection of both fish and shellfish there and I was reminded of a seafood cookery class that Holly and I took last year at L’Academie de Cuisine. We spent a Saturday learning how to identify the freshest fish and what to do with it once it was in the kitchen.
The class was a practical workshop so we really got our hands dirty. We cooked up mussels four ways, oysters, halibut, salmon, sole and of course Chesapeake Bay rockfish. Our favorite recipe from the session was rockfish with a beurre blanc sauce. The recipe appears below but first, do your best to find the freshest possible fish because it will make a real difference to the cooked dish. Fish starts to deteriorate more quickly and at a lower temperature than other food stuffs, the process of decomposition results in the production of ammonia, -what we think of as a ‘fishy’ smell., hence the addition of lemon juice in many fish preparations; the acid of the juice counteracts the ammonia. Fresh fish does not smell fishy! It is most easy to detect signs of decomposition in whole fish, if you see sunken, dried out eyes and a flat looking skin the fish is old or has not been stored well. Typically when a whole fish reaches this point the fishmonger will usually fillet the fish and put the fillets out on display. –So a whole fish is likely to be a better purchase than fillets.
Rockfish with beurre blanc sauce -serves 4
Make the sauce first
½ cup white wine
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon very finely diced shallot
1 bay leaf
1 few peppercorns
1 stick cold butter, cubed (yes you read that right)
Salt and pepper
Bring the wine, vinegar, shallots, bay leaf and peppercorns to a boil in a small pot and cook until it is almost dry. This needs watching like a hawk. Whisk in the butter one cube at a time, over a very low heat.
Season the sauce and set aside. It is possible to make this sauce using less butter, I have given the classic French proportions, use as much butter as your conscience will allow.
4 rockfish fillets, about 6oz each
Heat a splash of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Season the fish with salt and pepper and sauté them, skin side down to start for 3 or 4 minutes on each side. The fish is cooked when it is opaque.
Place a fillet on each plate and slather with the butter sauce.
If your cooking style leans more to the ‘shove in the oven’ variety the following recipe may be for you.
Baked herbed fish -serves 4
4 white fish fillets, about 6oz each
½ cup mayonnaise
1 small clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons capers
1 dill pickle diced small
¼ cup or more to taste chopped cilantro
Grated zest of ½ lime
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
Set the oven to 400 degrees.
Mix the mayonnaise with the following 6 ingredients. This can be kept in the fridge for a week or so and is good with chicken, fish and sandwiches.
Lay the fish in an oven proof dish. Try to get the fillets the same thickness by folding any tail end under. Anoint the fillets with the herb mayonnaise, season and sprinkle with the cheese and bread crumbs.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the fish is cooked through, it may be only 15 minutes for thin fillets.
Serve either fish dish with steamed green vegetables.
Bon Appetit!
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