Grilled Salmon, Green Bean Salad and Cabbage and Fennel Slaw

Summer is the time for grilling and salads. This simple meal is healthy and easy. Prepare the salads ahead of time.

The simple dressing for the beans consists of olive oil, sliced garlic, shredded fresh basil (traditionally made with mint, but Leon does not like mint), ground black pepper, a dash of salt and a splash of white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar. (Actually the vinegar can be optional, if you like).

 Clean the green beans. Steam them briefly (al dente) and drain and run under cold water.

Cut the beans and toss in the dressing. Refrigerate.

Hand shred (slice thinly) a medium cabbage - I had green cabbage, but I think this would be great with red cabbage for contrasting colors. I soak the shredded cabbage in vinegar and water while preparing the other ingredients: shred a cup of baby carrots in a chopper or processor; clean a large bulb of fennel, cut and shred in a chopper or processor.

Drain the cabbage but do not rinse. add a pinch of salt, 1-2 teaspoons of sugar, a tablespoon or two of mayonnaise, the shredded fennel and carrots and a small handful of raisins. (I usually add horseradish to my slaw but that would overpower the delicate flavor of the fennel, so I left it out). Refrigerate.

The market had salmon on sale (silverbrite, wild caught - not considered high quality salmon) for $5.99. I bought just over a pound for the two of us. A little black pepper and some blackened seasoning and onto the grill. I find this salmon affordable and tasty.

Let it sizzle with the grill cover closed. Do not turn over. It is done (slightly under-cooked, but not sushi) when the color turns a lighter shade of salmon. 

 A little white wine and dinner's ready!

A Lower Fat Mac and Cheese

I am on a low-fat "diet"- lowering my fat intake for the doc.

I was making broiled fish tonight and thought fennel would be an excellent accompaniment because of its delicate anise/liquorice flavor. My favorite fennel recipe is the one with bechamel sauce - basically the same sauce you would use as a base for mac and cheese. And I happened to have a little cooked pasta (plain without any sauce) - about 2 cups of cooked pasta -  left from the other night.

So I came up with a nice side dish - Mac and Cheese with Fennel.

For the fennel, I first sauteed two large fennel bulbs that I cut into eighths, in a little olive oil, garlic and dry vermouth - but with only a smidgen of olive oil.

For the sauce I used about 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter or less and 2 tablespoons of flour (usually the proportion is 1:1 but this will just barely work - the roux may be a bit dry, but oh well, I am cutting down on fat.

I added 1% milk a bit at a time, letting the sauce thicken each time until the sauce achieved the proper consistency. Off the heat - you don't want the parmesan clumping -  I added about 4 oz of fat-free feta cheese and about 1/4 cup of grated parmesan (parmigiano) and a few grates of black pepper. Forgot the nutmeg, but you can add a little if you like.

I put the sauce over the pasta and fennel, dusted with bread crumbs and baked it at 350 until the top browned. The flavors all go well together, the anise vegetable and the chew of the pasta with melted cheese sauce. Scrumptious. I don't miss the taste of sharp cheddar which is my usual base along with whatever other cheese I have on hand, including sour cream. talk about FAT. This, on the other hand is very low on fat and just as tasty I think.

If you like you can  use broccoli or other vegetable in place of the fennel - I've often added broccoli to my mac and cheese but this version uses more vegetable than pasta, less fatty cheese and so it is "healthier" of course.

This makes about 4 servings - but I could easily eat half the recipe. I restrained myself however and had only one fourth of the casserole. There's always tomorrow.

Dinner's ready! Buon appetito!

Roasted Squash Soup and a BETO Sandwich

Zuppa di Zucca Arrostita

This is a hearty soup for a cold January day.  Except for the squash, the ingredients are flexible - depending on what you have on hand.  Roasting the veggies gives them a nice flavor and aroma - and makes a rather bland squash much tastier.

Many recipes add heavy cream or milk.  I find this totally unnecessary and way too heavy on the gut.

But don't be TOO creative!  Make sure the veggies and herbs you choose are compatible.  One thing I don't like is a soup made by an overly zealous cook who uses every spice on the spice rack and the philosophy that "more is better".  Too many out-of-tune instruments in the orchestra can spoil the music...

For this dish I had on hand, a butternut squash, two acorn squash, a half of a fennel (anise), an onion, some carrots, some rosemary from the sunroom and, from the garden a few sage leaves and parsley.  A bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg.  And the all natural, no msg, low fat chicken broth from Aldi's.

I was thrilled to find a few sprigs of parsley (which is a biennial and winter hardy) in the garden because I thought the critters had completely done it in by summer's end when I saw most of it disappear - eaten from underground by the roots.  Ah, the tribulations of a gardener!

Coarsely chop the veggies, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, a chopped sage leaf, a few whole sprigs of rosemary.  Toss and roast in a 375 to 400 degree oven.  (my oven is not exact, so I put it on 425) for about 45 minutes or a bit longer - until the squash is fork tender.  The onion and fennel should be nicely caramelized.

Remove the rosemary from the roasted veggies, then transfer the veggies to a pot.  Add a box of chicken stock (or veggie stock to keep it strictly vegetarian), add chopped fresh parsley and a dash of nutmeg.  Bring to a boil, then simmer over lower heat for ten to fifteen minutes or so.

I do not own a full-size food processor.  I don't have the storage space, don't have the counter space, and for the most part, prefer to "process" the food myself.  I have a small electric "chopper" and this puree thing - an immersible blender.  Just be careful not to remove it while its still spinning!

Puree the veggies.  It's OK if you miss a few chunks.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with some good bread.  Maybe a hunk of some nice cheese.  Can anyone suggest a cheese to go with this soup, other than cheddar. Maybe Gruyere or Asiago?  (Just a minute, I'll have to run to the store for that.)

Decided to go with a variation on a BLT for Dinner:  Bacon, Braised Escarole, Tomato, Onion

Fry the bacon, reserve some bacon drippings in the pan, add some chopped garlic, heat on high, add a handful of escarole leaves and braise until the escarole is wilted.  Layer the B,T,E, and O on some nice toasted bread.

 A few little slices of Gouda too.

Dinner's Ready!

Thanksgiving Dinner - Fennel With Béchamel Side Dish

Finocchi e Funghi Gratinati Con Salsa Besciamella

This recipe appeared in a now defunct magazine called "Attenzione" back in the early 1980's. We have been having this for Thanksgiving for many years now - at least in those years when I do the meal. It is good any time and Leon likes it a lot. The original recipe does not have mushrooms, that is my addition - makes the dish "stretch" a bit.

These Are The Tops of The Fennel
Sorry, I Forgot to Get A Picture of the "Bulbs"
Before Slicing Them Up

Fennel or Anise is a celery-like vegetable with a mild licorice taste.  The large bulbous bottom is the part we eat; the celery like stalks can be used to flavor a pork roast.  It is great in green salads, tuna fish salad, or braised like in this recipe.

Cut the tops and bottoms off three large fennel "bulbs" and cut the bulbs into quarters or, if very large, smaller.

Braise The Fennel

Heat a little olive oil in a skillet with 2 garlic cloves, add the fennel, 1/2 cup of dry vermouth and a little water. Allow to braise for about 10 minutes or a little longer, until the fennel is just this side of tender.  Remove to a casserole without the juices.  Braise some sliced white mushrooms in the juices until just cooked.  Transfer the mushrooms to the casserole with fennel. Leave out the juices or the dish will be too watery.

Mushrooms

Salsa Besciamella:  Melt 3 tbs. butter in a saucepan.  Add 3 tbs. of flour and whisk until blended and just cooked, not browned.  Add 2 1/2 cups of warm milk, 1/2 tsp salt.  Whisk over medium heat until the sauce thickens. Add some ground (white) pepper (I only have black) and ground nutmeg, about 1/4 tsp. or so, and a good 4 tbs. of grated parmesan cheese.

Besciamella - Béchamel

Pour the sauce over the vegetables and top with more parmesan and bread crumbs.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or so, until golden brown and bubbly.  If you prepare it ahead and have it refrigerated, adjust the time in the oven.

Before Baking

Out Of The Oven

We kept it simple: Turkey, Stuffing, Fennel, Sweet Potato, White Potato and of course Pies.  See stuffing on last post.

Stuffed Bird

Re-stuffed Sweet Potato

All American Mashed Potato

Home Made Rolls

Note: Finocchio (Fennel or Anise) is the Italian, rather derogatory, slang term for gay.