Salmon All Day Long! Part III (the final installment) - Balsamic Glazed Salmon Fillets and Pan Roasted Veggies

As any good cook knows, you need to have a side dish with any entree, or two in this case. Our choice this time around were Pan Roasted Veggies.

This is a simple dish to make. We took: asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes, and sliced them up. Feel free to use whatever veggies make you happy if you try this one. With the exception of the tomatoes, which I quartered, I cut everything on the bias. Which is a fancy way of saying I cut the veggies diagonally instead of straight. When you have to cut food anyway why not make it look nice?

Find a large or mid-sized pan and pour in just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of it, then turn up the heat to medium. I cooked the asparagus first because they need to be stirred or rolled around. Then I cooked the rest because they all needed to be flipped or turned. The only seasoning we use is kosher salt, fresh ground pepper. I placed them in a pan in the oven to keep warm until they were all done cooking. When it finally made it to the table, what we ended up with was a dish that was delicious and had a vibrant mix of colors! Remember you eat with your eyes before you eat with your mouth.

The second half of our dinner entrees were Balsamic Glazed Salmon Fillets. My wife found this recipe at allrecipes.com. The one thing I REALLY liked about this website was that it had a recipe calculator! I had two portions ready, so I reset the recipe for two servings.

Ingredients:
2 - (5 ounce) salmon fillets,
1-1/3 - cloves of garlic, minced,
1 teaspoon - white wine, we used white grape juice instead,
1 teaspoon - honey,
1 tablespoon and 2-1/4 teaspoons - balsamic vinegar (Use a good one!),
1-1/4 teaspoons - Dijon mustard,
salt and pepper to taste,
1 teaspoon - chopped fresh oregano.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (this move comes in handy when it's cleaning time), and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Coat a small saucepan with non-stick cooking spray. Over medium heat, cook and stir garlic until soft, about 3 minutes. This is where all the prep work that I did before came into play. Mix in white grape juice (or white wine), honey, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for about 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened. When done split the glaze into two separate bowls with about half in each. You will need to brush the salmon in both the raw and cooked states. You don't want to reuse anything that was used on the raw fish once it's cooked.

Arrange the salmon fillets on the foil-lined baking sheet. Brush the fillets with the balsamic glaze, and sprinkle with oregano.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 14 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Brush fillets with remaining glaze, and season with salt and pepper. Use a spatula to transfer fillets to serving platter, leaving the skin behind on the foil.

This recipe turned out great, although I did throw myself a few curve balls along the way. I forgot to cook the glaze at first, so when the salmon was brushed before it was placed in the oven it only had a light coating. On top of that I decided, at the last minute, to double the amount of salmon being cooked. Due to this move I didn't have enough glaze to coat the entire meat after it was done cooking. I also forgot to remove the skin from the salmon after it was cooked.

Luckily, none of these faux pas mattered. The salmon turned out great! You could really taste the glaze due to the rich flavors and the quality balsamic vinegar that was used.

It was now after 10pm. Our bellies were full from the large dinner. The food had been put away. The last task of the night still awaited me... the dishes. After the massive amount cooking that was done throughout the day, I decide this would be a chore best saved for the morning. I know it's bad of me, but I didn't want to interrupt the happy food coma that I was in.

Salmon All Day Long! Part II of III- Linguine and Smoked Salmon

After smoking some salmon earlier in the day it was time to use some of it in a wonderful dinner. I had decided to take on the task of making a two entree dinner.

The first was a Linguine and Smoked Salmon dish. My wife found the recipe from a follow blogger, and the original recipe can be found here. There were few tweaks that we thought the recipe needed. First, the dish as a whole needed more of the white cream sauce. Secondly, the amount of lemon needed to be reduced. The recipe below has already been adjusted for your pleasure!

8 oz. linguine,
6-8 ounces smoked salmon, sliced into 2 inch wide strips and set aside - if you want to be fancy,
2 cups heavy cream,
juice of 1 lemon,
1 cup grated parmesan cheese,
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf Italian parsley,
1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese for garnish.

Since I was preparing two different meals at the same time, I did all my prep work first. When I was done I had a counter full of ramekins and other small bowls filled with their respective ingredient. Now it was time to cook.

In a large sauté pan bring the cream to a boil over medium high heat.
While continuing to boil add the lemon juice.
Lower heat to low and add the grated parmesan cheese, stir well.
Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.
Place the drained linguine in the hot sauce and toss to coat well.

Now serve the linguine with the shaved parmesan and salmon strips. Instead of serving it with the salmon strips, we brought the smoked salmon out to the table. Then we each added our own amount of salmon. I took a hearty serving, my pregnant and morning sickness suffering wife took a smaller amount.

This was an easy pasta dish to put together, and proved to be a winner at our table! You could even substitute a different meat into it if you wished. We will be doing this one again and again!

But there was even more at our table...

Salmon All Day Long! Part I - Smoked Salmon

Last weekend I had a yearning for salmon, that turned into an obsession by the end of the day.

I started the day by smoking some salmon. Smoking is easy with a little practice. It can be done in your oven (make sure you have a ventilation fan, just in case), grill, or a smoker.

The Smokers:

I have two smokers. The first one, a Luhr Jensen Little Chief, was given to me by my grandpa. I can remember growing up, he and his friends would hook it up in the garage and smoke what ever the catch of the day was. I got to have some too, and it was brilliant, smoky goodness! I've owned it now for about 15 years and the only maintenance I've had to do to it was replacing the heating element.

The newest addition to my arsenal is Brinkmann Gourmet Electric Smoker, which came my way thanks to the TVW estates. This was the first time I've used it which meant I had to do a quick cleaning and check to make sure all the parts were there and working. The task of cleaning ended up taking a little longer than expected, but doesn't it always? All of the parts were there and working, I only needed some lava rocks that this model required. With lava rocks in hand the only thing left to do was to start smoking!

So, back to the salmon. The day before I placed the salmon in a liquid brine. I usually use a basic brine recipe.

1/2 cup regular sugar,

1/2 cup non-idolized salt (kosher salt, sea salt, etc.),
1 quart of warm water. Warm water, not hot! You don't want to poach the meat, you just want the sugar and salt to easily dissolve.

Place the meat in a zip lock bag and pour in the brine solution. Remove as much air as possible when you close the bag. Then put the zip lock bag in a bowl, just in case it leaks.

Leave it in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, and up to 2 days. I usually try for around 24 hours.
When you remove the meat, lightly pat it dry with some paper towel, and begin smoking.

The Woods:

This time I decided to use hickory wood. The different woods you use during smoking will give your meats different flavors. Different woods include, but aren't limited to:

Hickory - Zesty, a commercial favorite.

Mesquite - Hearty and clean.
Alder - Mild and sweet.
Apple - One of the sweetest, and mildest, it's delicate and fruity.
Cherry - Distinctive, a good one to mix with other woods for a special taste.

The only recommended action for the wood is to soak it in water about 20 minutes or so before using it in the smoker.

The Smoke:

The smoker is now plugged in and heating up. The wood is on the heat. The water pan is placed inside the smoker. I lay the salmon on the grill. Now before I can put the lid on, the smoke is already bellowing up the sides of the smoker, past the water pan and engulfing everything in it's path.

Due to the anticipation of what is to come, that first smell of smoke is one of those great smells. Like fresh, homemade bread coming out of the oven, or the first campfire of your summer vacation.

Since the smoking process usually takes at least a few hours, you will need to add new wood every 1 to 2 hours. This all depends on the wood and smoker, and the size of wood chips or chunks being used. Like I said before this was the first time using this smoker, so I was guessing this time. I knew the total smoke time would be around 3 hours, so I decided to add more wood at the half way point, an hour and a half in. Afterward I think I could have added it every hour instead. I was using small chipped wood pieces, but this smoker has room for bigger chunks, so I will be using those next time around. Another way I check to see if more wood is needed is to watch the amount of smoke exiting the smoker. When the smoke is at it's prime, it will be trying to escape from any opening or crack that it can as you can see in the picture above. When it subsides, it may be time for more wood.

Checking fish for doneness is easy and it doesn't matter if it's being smoked or cooked the test is the same. Take a fork and stick it in, trying to separate the fish. If it "flakes" off or apart, it's done. This means that the fish cleanly pulls away from itself along the grains of the fillet or steak. After 3 hours of soaking in the smoke I checked to see if the salmon was done. It was! It had a beautiful, light brown crust on the outside. The crust served as a halo above the succulent, deep pink meat underneath. I love smoked salmon, so I enjoy it in the simplest way - by itself. Another is with crackers, Ritz, or saltines are fine for me. It was delicious!

I wasn't done cooking yet though. I had plans for half of this to be used later in dinner...

Share the Buffet

A fellow blogger made a post, advising us all on how best to "enjoy" a buffet. Take some time a review it. Good stuff!

http://eatingtheroad.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/the-all-inclusive-all-you-can-eat-buffet-guide/

Pesto's - Flint

Without prior knowledge of Pesto's, you might drive by the rather unassuming building at the corner of Dye and Miller roads. It sits on the edge of the shopping district around Genesee Valley Shopping Center away from all of their chain restaurant competitors. Armed with only a small awning and a sign that list their daily specials. Don't let any of this fool you. What awaits you on the inside is worth it.

When you walk inside you enter an intimate setting with seats for probably no more than 45 people. The decor is very eclectic, with different tables and chairs, and the walls are lined with mirrors and Mardi Gras posters.

On tonight's visit we had a delicious dinner! My wife ordered a crock of Cheese Crusted French Onion Soup to start with, which was shared with our youngest son. He liked it too! I had a side salad.

That was followed by Chicken Artichoke Salad for my wife. It had arugula lettuce, grilled tomatoes, kalamata olives, topped with a garlic dressing, and a garlic stick on the side. Our son had Pizza, which we both sampled and liked. I decided on the Parmesan Crusted White Fish, with linguine noodles, tomato sauce, and it also came with a garlic stick on the side.

As usual the food and service was great!

Now I must confess we have ate here before and it is one of our favorite stops. Our only complaint seems to continue to be that they have a mushroom fetish, and they offer the fungi in too many dishes. On a previous visit we were talking to one of the waitresses, and learned that everything there is homemade. From the lunches and dinners to the desserts. The House Specialty is Chicken Pot Pie. It comes with garden vegetables, chunks of white and dark chicken meat in a rich gravy, flowing out of a phyllo shell. I've had this many times and it's and excellent choice.

Oh the desserts! I love a great dessert as much as the next person, but here, they are something special. I don't usually "save room for dessert", but here I do. The glass dessert case, yes "desserts under glass", is in the back next to the kitchen. Which is next to the waitress station. Which is next to the cashier... remember I told you this place was small. We ordered an Eclair - my favorite, and a slice of Chocolate Cheese Cake. Both were a perfect ending to the night!

Our Tip:

Pesto's is one of the best kept secrets of Flint, Michigan. The meals are fantastic. I think my wife said it all when at the end of our dinner she said, "I love this place!"

The Lost Symbol of our youth

Country Boy is for sale!!!

Anyone who grew up in Goodrich or Davison in the last 20 years is sure to remember Country Boy, or Country Son as it was called in the later years. It was a 24 hour diner just off of I-69 and M-15 in Davison.

For my friends and I, it was a place to go and get a great omelet, good sandwich, or a tasty burger. Only for us it was a trip that usually took place after 2am. It was the place to go after the house party was disbanded by someones parents, or the field party was broken up by the police. It was the next to final stop of the night after the bartender yelled out "Last Call! You don't have to go home but you can't stay here!"

We had our regular area to sit in - in the door and to the left. We'd find a booth and pour ourselves into it. We even had a regular waitress - Laura. She was the waitress who was always way too happy to be working at that time of the night. She knew most of us by name, and could guess our order on occasion. She always knew how to work us for a good tip.

The food there was top shelf greasy spoon. As I mentioned earlier the omelets were great, as well as the biscuits and gravy, which I believe was my normal order. The burgers were very good and the sandwiches were too.

Come with me on my walk down memory lane...
One friend who always made sure the staff knew that he wanted mustard on his burger, but no mayo!
Sitting down after we had ordered our food, got up to go to the bathroom. Then coming back to someone passed out face down in their fries.
My friends younger brother going to the bathroom... girls bathroom that is.
Having an extra dollar or two to put into the jukebox, then hoping it would work.
And of corse the conversations about people, jobs, school, politics, and religion. Oh please, not religion!

The only constant in life is change. With that we all eventually lose pieces of our past. Perhaps someone will buy it and help a new generation form some lasting memories.


Good bye to our old greasy spoon!

Lucky's Steak House

We had the pleasure of celebrating my sister's birthday recently, and she chose Lucky's Steak House in Davison, Michigan as our meeting place. Lucky's is a small chain of steak houses here in southeast Michigan. They have a faithful following among their local customers. Should you be going there for dinner, be forewarned, unless you are in a big group (10 or more), they don't take reservations on the weekend. This usually means be prepared to wait for a little bit, or try to enjoy a drink at the bar while a table opens up.

We only had a short wait before we were seated. Our waitress came over quickly and took our drink order. After she was done and started to turn away I had to stop her because she forgot our youngest son. This seemed odd due to the fact that he is still teething and didn't want to sit still. She returned with the drinks and took our food order, but again forgot our son. I had to remind her that he to was going to eat. Our waitress obviously had somewhere else more important to be.

One of the things you get with dinner are "Garlic Bread Sticks" with herb butter, and they are fabulous! We found that the butter was one of the things that kept our son happy here. So much so that he was dipping his fingers in and sucking his fingers, and licking the butter from the bowl. Thankfully there was more than one butter dish. Honestly if it wasn't my kid I would've been totally grossed out by the whole thing. Sorry fellow diners.My wife started off with a salad. I had a cup of "Chicken Pot Pie" soup. Our son has become somewhat of a soup connoisseur lately. When it came he demanded that he get to eat it. Long story short, he stole my soup. When I did get a chance to steal back a spoonful, I realized that it was an excellent beginning to the meal.

For dinner I ordered the "Grilled Florida Mahi Mahi", with mussels, sea scallops in a tomato sauce, with "Potato Au Gratin" on the side. My wife had the "Pecan Crusted Grouper", with broccoli and asparagus, topped with roasted pecan honey butter sauce. Everything was perfect!Our son ordered the "Chicken Fingers with Fries". Although due to his temper that night, he didn't want to touch his meal until the next day.

The only complaint that came from our table in regards to the food was from my mom. She said "this steak is too big". This has never been, nor will it ever be a complaint from us.On previous visits to this location we have ordered the "Aged Prime Rib" more than once. Each time we have been sorely disappointed. Being that this is a steak house one could assume that this would be a great option, but it has proven to be one of the worst versions of the dish we have ever sank our teeth into. On the other hand we have also enjoyed steaks and ribs here before as well.

Our Tip: Go! Enjoy! Lucky's cooks up some excellent dishes. Just stay away from the prime rib. Despite this most recent visit, the wait staff here has never given us a reason not to tip.