unbroken thread

I am posting this recipe because I even tho it’s simply ganked from epicurious.com, I made a few subtle changes that make it a lot easier to work with. Before I started I read the comments. A common complaint was that the patties didn’t hold together and that the recipe for the Hollandaise, which called for clarified butter (a total pain in the ass operation that’s only worth it if you’re working with Indian sauces) was pointlessly complicated.

So I decided to leave out the beets (my fiancé hates them anyway) as I figured it would reduce the moisture in the patties that might keep them from binding properly and dial down the spice by leaving out the chipotles and substituting a small amount of cayenne pepper instead.

I also found a traditional preparation for Hollandaise sauce from the Food Network and simply substituted the coriander for the cayenne and left out the salt and pepper.

Poaching eggs is a rather difficult process, I discovered. the advice about making the vortex and then cracking the eggs in the center is tough in execution. Unless you’re talented at cracking eggs with one hand, which I am not. I made the vortex and then took the spoon away to drop in and the vortex disappeared. I managed them, without much liquid yolk to speak of but only just barely. I think this will take practice. So be forewarned.

I should note that I found the oven-steamed salmon recipe quite nice and intend to use it again in other preparations. I really did make for beautifully moist and delicious salmon.

Here is the original recipe and below is the recipe with my alterations.

Red-Flannel Salmon Hash w Poached Eggs and Coriander Hollandaise

For the custard

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the hash

• 8 ounces oven-steamed salmon, or an 8-ounce fillet of raw salmon poached in 2 cups court bouillon
• 1 large russet potato, cooked until tender, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (totally microwaved it)
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs), or fresh bread crumbs
• 2-3 tablespoons butter, for sautéing

For the coriander hollandaise

4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon fresh thyme

For poached eggs

• White vinegar
• 4 large eggs

Make the custard:
In a sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the garlic in the butter until soft, about 4 minutes. Spoon garlic out of the pan and into a mixing bowl. Crack the egg into the shallots and whisk in the cream, cayenne pepper, herbs, and salt and pepper.

Make the hash:
Break up the salmon into large chunks. Fold the salmon in with the potatoes in a medium size bowl and pour the custard over the top, then toss gently with half of the panko or fresh bread crumbs. Try not to break up the salmon chunks. Form the salmon hash into 4 equal-size cakes no thicker than 1 inch, and sprinkle each cake with the remaining bread crumbs. Let the cakes rest in the fridge for 1 hour to set. (I only left them in the fridge until I was done making the hollandaise, approx 20 minutes.)

Heat the butter in a deep heavy-bottomed skillet until shimmering and sauté the salmon cakes for 4 minutes on each side, until they develop a nice brown crust and are warm inside. As they are cooked, keep them warm in a 200°F oven.

Make the coriander hollandaise:
Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler,) the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in coriander. Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.

Poach the eggs:
Use a heavy saucepan, about 10 inches in diameter with sides at least 2 inches deep. Add water to a depth of 1 inch and bring to a simmer. Add a small amount of white vinegar to the poaching water for the eggs. (White vinegar helps the whites to coagulate.) Stir the water a little bit to create a vortex and crack an egg into the center. This helps the white stay centered around the yolk. Repeat for each egg. (You can also use a commercial poaching dish.) Poach the eggs to the desired degree of doneness.

To serve, gently place a poached egg on each salmon cake. Drizzle with hollandaise and serve immediately.

Chili

3 cans white cannellini beans, slightly drained but not rinsed

2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 cup chopped white onion

1 1/2 cups sweet peppers of all colors available

3 cloves garlic

2 tsps cumin

1 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne powder

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 tbsps olive oil

Topping

4 corn tortillas cut into long, thin strips

2 tbsps olive oil

Prepare Chili

In about 2 tbsps olive oil sautee onion, peppers and garlic until onion is clear. Add broth, beans, chicken, and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for approximately 40 minutes - 1 hour.

Prepare Topping

In a large frying pan heat oil over medium-high heat. Add corn tortilla strips and fry until crunchy. Serve over top of chili.

I concocted this chili recipe from a rub recipe I used to make once upon a long time ago when I cooked red meat. I loved the rub and I wanted to find a new context for using it.

Step 1: Smoke your tomatoes (this is a modded, thieved recipe)

2 cups wood chips, divided (I buy mine at Spice House)

Cooking spray (I prefer the olive oil variety)

5 ripe, firm heirloom tomatoes, cut in half crosswise and seeded

Soak wood chips in water 30 minutes; drain well.

Prepare grill for indirect grilling, heating one side to high and leaving one side with no heat. Place 1 cup wood chips on hot coals. When chips begin to smoke, coat grill rack with cooking spray, and place on grill. Place tomato halves, cut sides down, on unheated side of grill. Cover and cook 18 minutes or just until tomatoes are tender. Add additional chips halfway through cooking time, if necessary.

Step 2: Prepare your Chocolate Ancho Chile Base

1 cup cocoa powder, dutch process

½ cup ancho chili, ground (I use Spice House’s)

½ cup sugar, organic

½ cup sea salt

¼ cup black pepper, freshly ground

¼ cup cumin, ground

In a medium size bowl, add all the ingredients and mix with a whisk, until you have a uniform mixture. Set aside, until ready to use.

Step 3: Prepare your chili base

2 tbsps olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 bell peppers (red, yellow, green), chopped

1-3 tbsps diced chipotles in adobo (you can get this at Whole Foods)

1 28-oz can fire-roasted tomatoes (as always, Muir Glen is the choice)

5 halved smoked tomatoes

1 bag frozen corn

3 cups water (you can, tho I don’t encourage it due to the salt in the rub, use vegetable broth)

1.5 cups black beans, cooked (I used the canned low-sodium variety but purists might want to go all the way and soak overnight and then cook until tender)

1.5 cups kidney beans, cooked

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp oregano (Mexican oregano if you can find it - slightly different flavor. I go to the little shop on Holton)

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 1/2 tsps coriander

1 1/2 tsps cinnamon

Over medium-high heat, heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, garlic, peppers, chipotles and sautee until onion and garlic begins to brown a bit. Add smoked and canned tomatoes, water, beans, spices, and chocolate-ancho mixture. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until it thickens, stirring when you stop to think about it.

I usually serve this over rice seasoned with clove.

*A note: I have occasionally also added somewhat high-quality white tequila to the mixture rather late in the process so that the flavor of the tequila stays while most of the alcohol cooks off. I don’t know if this actually makes much of a difference to the flavor at all as it’s a long time between one instance of creation to the next but consider it an option.