Tuna Salad--love it or hate it!

Tuna salad! I love it. I can tell you what restaurant has the best in town, what the least satisfactory. But the very best is made in my home kitchen.

For years I had a standard recipe: 1 can albacore, lots of lemon juice, a couple chopped scallions, and mayo, with maybe a touch of Dijon. Sometimes it ended up pretty soupy because I used to much lemon juice, but Jordan loved it that way and that’s what Jacob expects of tuna salad to this day. Once in a while we added cottage cheese to it—scrumpsh!

But I’ve made some refinements of late. For one thing I order my tuna from a cannery in Oregon. Two or three years ago I read a food book titled, Jam Today: A Diary of Cooking with What You’ve Got. As the subtitle implies, the author Tod Davies advocates looking in your cupboard instead of rushing out to the store. I know I have several dozen meals in my pantry if I’d ever sort it out. Of course, Davies had one  big advantage—a husband who is an avid organic gardener. So, many nights she simply wandered out into the garden to see what was good. Reminds me of the Central Market cooking class in which the class trails behind the chef as he decides what’s fresh and good in the market that day and then cooks a meal with his picks.

Davies mentioned that she always orders tuna from Pisces Cannery. It’s only available by the case of 24 cans, but I can usually find someone to split with me. I’ve discovered they also have outstanding salmon—but only occasionally, depending on the market. I only have two cans of salmon left and I’m hoarding them. For a brochure, write to Sally Bogardus, Box 812, Coos Bay OR 97420 or call 541-266-7336

 But back to tuna, here’s how I make classic tuna today:

1 7-oz. albacore tuna—shredded in mini processor

Juice of one lemon—I use one of those squeezers that gets every last drop

2 scallions, trimmed and sliced

Just enough mayonnaise to bind (I use whole mayo made with olive oil—I’ve learned that low fat products simply substitute carbs and other bad things—fat becomes the lesser evil)

Optional: One good squirt of anchovy paste. No, you don’t taste anchovies—but it sharpens the taste of the tuna.

 

Eat as salad or serve in tomato, avocado or sandwich, though I avoid the bread--hides the good taste of the tuna.

 

Another tuna salad:

Here’s an old recipe I hadn’t looked at in years but recently made and found it so good I made it again. It’s intended as filling for pasties, but I like it fine just as salad.

1 7 oz. can albacore, broken up with a fork

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup chopped celery

1 Tbsp. chopped parsley

1/3/ cup sour cream (yesterday I had no sour cream so I mixed plain yogurt and mayo—worked fine)

Chill and serve—I liked pickled cucumbers as an accompaniment

 If you want pasties, use

1 8 oz. package biscuits – (I used Crescent rolls)

1 Tbsp. butter melted

 If using biscuits, roll into 4 in. oval; place 1//2 cup tuna mix in each of six biscuits and top with remaining biscuit and seal. Brush with melted butter and let stand 15 minutes. Bake 15-18 minutes at 450 on ungreased cookie sheet. Do not let bottoms burn.

To use Crescent rolls, separate into rectangles, and treat like biscuits. Baking time is about the same but keep an eye on them.

Giant Stuffed Hamburger

Another hectic day of family and friends and food. This morning by 9:30 I was feeding my oldest son and youngest daughter and two six-year-old boys breakfast, though everyone had different tastes. Colin and I ate smoked salmon and cream cheese, his on a bagel, mine on rye toast. His son, Kegan, my youngest grandson, explained to Jacob, "It's sushi. I don't eat it!" Jacob: "Ewww" or something similar. Jordan had cottage cheese and half a bagel with cream cheese while the boys ate Krispie Kreme donuts. By 10:30 they were off--Colin and Kegan back to Houston, Jordan and Jacob to do errands and chores--she was proud that she fixed the leaking flapper in a toilet. And I was fixing dinner for seven.
Christian had a hard week, so even though we were celebrating the 2nd birthday of my dog, Sophie, the menu catered to Christian's tastes. Sophie had no place at the table. We had a ring sausage that Elizabeth and Christian like--I found it to dry and spicy. I fixed Christian's favorite German potato salad and the giant stuffed hamburger he'd asked for last week. He said, "We haven't used your grill in a long time. Remember that giant hamburger you used to make."
So here it is, a recipe from Aunt Amy, my sister-in-law from New York who is much loved by all my children.

Aunt Amy's Giant Stuffed Hamburger

2 Tbsp. butter

1¼ c. herbed, seasoned stuffing mix, crushed (makes about ¾ cup)
1 egg, beaten
1 3-oz. can mushrooms, drained (I sauté about five large mushrooms)

⅓ c. beef broth

¼ c. sliced green onion
¼ c. toasted almonds (optional; I leave them out)
¼ c. snipped parsley (optional, but a nice touch)
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 lbs. ground beef
1 tsp. garlic salt, pepper and Worcestershire

Melt butter in saucepan and remove from heat. Add stuffing mix, egg, mushrooms, beef broth, onion, almonds, parsley, and lemon juice. (It’s remarkable what adding lemon or lime juice does to a variety of recipes!) Mix well and set aside.

Combine beef and seasonings to taste; divide in half. On sheets of waxed paper pat each half into an 8-inch circle. Spoon stuffing over one circle of meat to within 1 inch of edge. Top with second circle of meat and peel off waxed paper. Seal around edges and invert into a well-greased grilling basket. Grill over medium heat about 10-12 minutes per side. Cut into wedges and serve. Makes six servings.

Don’t have a grill or it’s too cold outside? Broil it in the oven—it still tastes great. Just don’t overcook it until it is dry.

 

 

A quick appetizers moms should love

This will be brief, because thoughts about Mothers Day, my mom, and my children are rattling around in my brain, and I'll post them later on Judy's Stew. But I'm having a good Mother's Day weekend--yesterday Jamie and his three girls (that includes my lovely DIL Melanie) came for an early supper between Maddie's basketball games in a tournament--she was wiped out but the rest of us had a good time. And I was, as always, delighted to see them. When the girls were little I saw more of them but now they are both so busy with activities and school and friends, there's precious little time.
Today I go to Jordan's for a gathering with Christian's family. It's pot-luck and I'll take an appetizer. His dad doesn't eat anything with onions; his sister is a vegetarian; he doesn't like mushroom or artichokes. There went some of my standard recipes.
So I made a Taco dip--taco seasoning in mayo, sour cream and buttermilk, but I made my own taco seasoning thereby avoiding the sodium in the packaged kind--and forgetting the doctor said I need sodium. It made a huge amount of dip. Then I made a ranch dip from scratch--recipe sounded good but I neglected to figure out that it would barely make 3/4 cup. Guess it will balance out.
Anyway, for my recipe of the week, here's one that I just had last week and I love. Thanks to Linda Preston who got this from her friend Judy Coats.

You'll need:
One log plain goat cheese
Wasabi paste
toasted sesame seeds
Soy sauce

Split the goat cheese horizontally and drizzle the bottom half with wasabi paste in sort of an "S" pattern, then put the other half of the log back in place. Roll in toasted sesame seeds (watch them carefully--I often have to toast them twice because I don't just stand there and watch every minute). Refrigerate. Just before serving, douse with soy.

Nice with rice thins or rice crackers.

I'm tired of tossed salads

Tonight's supper

 

I’ve noticed lately that I tend to nibble at a tossed salad, though there was a time when my ex refused to let me eat salad until I’d eaten my entree because he knew I’d fill up on it (how times have changed—now we know filling up on salad is good for you as long as the dressing isn’t too fattening). In recent years, our favorite dressing has been a blue cheese one you make in the bowl and then add the lettuce…and I still like it.

But these days I’m more inclined to assemble a platter of vegetables, as I did tonight. Let your imagination go—peas, carrots, green beans (I prefer the tiny French haricot vert), asparagus, kidney or even pinto beans, cherry tomatoes, tiny new potatoes halved, cubes of cheddar, hard-boiled eggs quartered, artichoke hearts. I often get so carried away I run out of room on the platter. Sometimes I drizzle a vinaigrette over the entire things; other times I serve it on the side—depends on my mood. Occasionally I add a couple of meat selections and that’s dinner—small pieces of grilled salmon or chicken, lamb chops if I’m feeling extravagant, sliced flank steak.

Tonight’s platter accompanied a sandwich casserole—split Hawaiian rolls, layered with gruyere and a nice ham on the bottoms, cream cheese chive/onion spread on the inside of the tops. Brush the whole thing with a mixture of butter, Worcestershire, Parmesan and dried onion. Refrigerate and then bake. It was delicious, and it’s a Kraft recipe. I’m sure you can find it on their web site.

My appetizer was a wonderful goat cheese/wasabi spread a friend brought the other night—I promise to get that recipe and share it soon.  Catastrophe was that the dog ate the biggest piece of the cheese roll. Hoping she doesn’t get sick in the night. Besides I’m disappointed that I didn’t get to serve it. Moral of the story: don’t take appetizers out to the garden table and turn your back.

I don’t often fix dessert but tonight I served a Key Lime Pie (yes, I bought it frozen—I’ve only made it from scratch once and remember it as a lot of work). But the whole meal was terrific. It was in honor of my neighbor’s birthday, and his present was a bottle of olive oil infused with Tuscan spices. I got it at the Virgin Olive Oiler, the store I wrote about last week on this blog. Jay said, “Now I guess I have to cook you supper.” Right on!

Blue cheese dressing

Here’s the dressing that’s been our standard (though we always make sure everyone likes blue cheese). Daughter Jordan and her husband Christian love this dressing and she usually makes it at my house. She tends to make enough for three salads, and sometimes it’s so stout it makes you pucker. But here goes:

Rub the inside of an unvarnished wooden salad bowl with a cut clove of garlic and then with salt (Kosher preferred) and dry mustard. Crumble blue cheese into the bowl, pour in cider vinegar to taste and mash the cheese until you have a paste. Then whisk in olive oil. Measurements? You’re on your own. Just remember the old rule of thumb—one part acid to two parts oil—and then cheat just a bit. Good with nothing but lettuce.

  

 

Olive oil and more--who knew?

I went to the most fascinating store today. It's called The Virgin Olive Oiler and, as you might suspect, it specializes in olives oils but it also has a wide selection of balsamic vinegars, sugars and salts. I was overwhelmed. The owner--and this is not a chain but a privately owned store--is knowledgeable and friendly. I didn't really browse but told him the gifts I wanted and who for and came away with an olive oil infused with herbs de Provence, another with Tuscan herbs, an 18-year-old dark balsamic traditional vinegar, and a butter infused olive oil.
I told him that the friend who lives in my garage apartment is dairy-free and although we don't often eat together occasionally I sauté vegetables in butter and then regret that I can't share. He carefully gave me a card explaining that no items in his store come from animal products--he has a large vegan trade--and the butter olive oil, while it tastes like butter, is dairy free. And aside from sautéing, you can use it almost any place you'd use real butter--over baked potatoes, in baking, over everything from popcorn to pasta, to dip bread in, and a bunch of other things. Use your imagination.
The oils fascinated me--truffle infused, mushroom, roasted almond, sesame, French walnut, chipotle, cilantro and roasted onion, green chili. Apparently a California garlic oil is his best-seller.
I'm not as big a fan of balsamic vinegars, but I suspect if I hung around there I would be. The bestseller is the 18-year-old one I bought but the dark also come in black currant, blueberry, cinnamon-pecan, and even chocolate. White balsamics have fruity flavors from pineapple and mango to coconut and peach. One of the premium vinegars is a pinot noir one.
An entire wall of salts intrigued me because I'd just bought chocolate sea salt in Hawaii--can  you imagine that on a grilled steak? Like a subtle mole sauce. The store didn't have that but did have a dark red Hawaiian sea salt. Almost all of the salts were from the sea--black truffle, chipotle, wild porcini, vanilla bean and others. And there was a bread-dipping seasoning--my kids brought some of that back from France nine years ago and we loved it.
The pure cane sugars also come in a variety of flavors. I liked the idea of espresso, lime, and lemon. Not so sure I want to try habanero.
The Virgin Olive Oiler offers shipping anywhere in the continental United States, and their website has recipes. Check it out at http://www.shop.thevirginoliveoiler.com/Sugars_c5.htm. I haven't had such a fascinating shopping trip in a long time, and now I'm ready to experiment in cooking.
 

Recipes from the Blue Plate Cafe

One of the joys of writing the Blue Plate Mystery Series, for me, is a chance to talk about food and include some recipes. So there's a recipe section at the back of Murder at the Blue Plate Café. Naturally I attributed them all to the fictional Gram, who owned the café for years until her sudden death. In truth one of those below is my own version of chicken salad, but I attribute it to Kate because she added it in an attempt to lighten the café menu. The sheet cake came from my late dear friend, Reva Ogilvie. Reva and I used to argue whether it was a sheet cake or a sheath cake. I insisted it's a sheet cake because you make it in a sheet pan; she persisted in calling it a sheath cake. Either way, we'll continue the fiction and call most Gram's recipes. These would be the great basis for a lunch menu, maybe with the addition of fruit and bread.

Kate’s Chicken Salad

Kate is a purist about chicken salad. She doesn’t believe in adding pickle relish, grapes (too much like bistro food!), or nuts. This makes great sandwiches.

4 whole chicken breasts, poached and diced

Juice of 2 large lemons
8 scallions, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
Salt and pepper
Mayonnaise to bind (do not use that low-fat stuff) or equal parts of mayonnaise and sour cream

Optional: stir in some blue cheese. So good!

Flake chicken in food processor or dice, according to your preference—Kate flakes it; add diced scallions, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and mix. Add mayonnaise a bit at a time, blending thoroughly. It should hold the chicken together but not make the mixture soupy. The pure chicken flavor should dominate. Serves about 12. Can easily be reduced for home use; just start with one whole chicken breast or even a half.

 

Gram’s Sheet Cake

 

Follow the directions carefully because this goes together like no cake I've ever made.

2 sticks butter or margarine

4 Tbsp. cocoa

1 c. water.

 Bring these ingredients to a boil and add:

 2 c. sugar

2 c. flour

Mix and add:

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

½ c. buttermilk

1 tsp. baking soda

 Mix and bake in a greased rimmed cookie sheet at 400° for 20 minutes.

Separately combine in saucepan:

 1 stick butter

4 Tbsp. cocoa

6 Tbsp. milk

Bring to a boil and add:

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 c. chopped nuts

1 tsp. vanilla

Spread over hot cake.

 

 

 

Airplane food

Having just returned from first-class flights to and from Hawaii, I found this guest piece by Claire Jenkins is of great interest. Our food was not nearly what I expected from first class, nor was the wine. The pictures are from our trip.

The Airline Food Lottery - Are You Getting Your Money's Worth?

Food used to be considered one of the perks of airline travel. It was a novelty, a nice little freebie to make you feel better about the cost of the flight and break up the tedium of a long-haul journey. With air travel now more commonplace the novelty has well and truly worn off, and passenger expectations have increased in line with flight costs. What used to be reasonably reliable quality standards, however, seem to have taken a nose-dive in some quarters. In-flight food has become something of a quality lottery, with customer experiences ranging from the sublime to the inedible. Passengers can take heart though, as signs from the industry suggest that moves are afoot to address customer concerns.

Travelers are becoming more discerning and (with the help of the internet) more vociferous, and it would seem that the airlines are starting to respond to the backlash. Travel companies, keen to preserve their reputation for promoting quality service providers, are increasingly using the internet to demand feedback on passenger experiences of onboard catering. There are also the annual World Airline Awards which seek to establish a global benchmark for excellence in all things flight related. If you value good quality in-flight food and you have some choice of airlines when you are booking your flight it may be worth checking out these polls and awards to give you an idea of the type and quality of food you can expect. This is no guarantee of a pleasant experience of course but you can perhaps narrow your odds a little!

A pasta dish

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Air_Canada_AirbusA340_Kitchen.jpg

The airlines are taking this feedback on board, and appear to be busy addressing the onboard catering issue via the introduction of various initiatives targeting different passenger markets. European holiday airline Monarch offer set breakfast lunch and dinner menus, bookable in advance, for an additional cost. The emphasis is on quality, the range being called "Divine." The opportunity to Buy-on-Board, or order ahead of time is becoming more and more popular. As a part of that airlines are increasingly offering locally sourced products for sale, a response to growing global concerns over carbon footprints and the demise of the small, independent producers.  

Names of celebrity-chef big-guns are also appearing more frequently in the airline publicity blurbs bringing the X-Factor to the skies, with the likes of Michelin-starred chef Michel Roth creating menus for Air France, and James Beard Award-winning chef Michelle Bernstein working with Delta Airlines. For the lower-budget pocket, Japan Airlines is setting the scene by providing passengers with in-flight food and drink sourced from, and prepared in conjunction with, well-known coffee brands and fast food chains.

Overdone steak and faux potatoes

Estonian Airlines has been rolling out their "Restaurant in the Sky" idea over the last 12 months, showcasing a different chef from a prominent national restaurant each month to prepare meals in-flight for Premium passengers. Similarly, Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad Airways offers its Diamond First Class passengers meals made to order on from scratch on the flight itself.

As an airline traveler you are a captive audience, and in the dry atmosphere of recycled air it is usual to both want and need a drink. Increased security measures on some flights may prevent you from taking your own beverages on board, so check this out before you travel, and ensure you are in a position to buy a drink should you need one. They are generally not provided free of charge.

Freshly tapped beer has been available on All Nippon Airways since 2010, not something that seems to have taken off at a global level, but nevertheless another move in the direction of responding to passenger demand.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Air_Canada_business_meal.jpg

The quality of wines offered onboard flights can vary greatly too, and some of the larger trans-continental airlines, such as Delta and Cathay Pacific, have sought to address this, and now have trained sommeliers on board who help with both the selection and serving of the wines on offer, but usually only in First Class. This sweetener isn't designed to make money in its own right (the drinks are often complimentary) but rather to keep passengers coming back for more, thus securing the more lucrative ticket sales.

Catering isn't the only in-flight offering that you may want to consider before you book. The range of other products available free or to buy onboard seems to be ever-expanding too. Airlines clearly see these products as beneficial to their businesses, as for Premium and First Class passengers they will often offer complimentary products. Perfumes, watches and cosmetics are all favorites with airlines, as are travel accessories and skincare products.  It is important to remember that the bargains on board may not be all they seem, and a little forethought before you travel can save you a lot of money. There are some unbeatable deals on travel accessories and beauty products available online that not only protect your pocket, but allow you to choose from a far superior range of products to find one that best suits your needs. Onboard, you are limited in your selection to the very small range of products carefully selected to provide the illusion of choice. Do not be fooled by the limited choice trap - always ask yourself if this is REALLY the product you would choose or is it simply the best of the selection on offer? You may well find some products at a lower price than on the high street, but a quick scan online of in-flight magazines has just revealed no fewer than three different cosmetic products alone on offer on various trans-continental flights that are DOUBLE the price you can find them online. In-flight products are by no means always cheaper!

A really good salad

The initiatives underway are a start - as with any service-based industry it seems it will be those who can afford to pay the premium for top class catering and service who will benefit most, but  the other initiatives mentioned do indicate a good move in the right direction for all passengers.

These new initiatives should in theory address quality issues through greater control, visibility and transparency in the supply chain. If this is supplemented with improved benchmarks for standards of excellence for cabin crew and training programs to support that, then it is to be hoped that the overall airline food experience will continue to improve.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clou_TXL_aircraft_05.jpg

Pre-dinner snacks and not very good wine

 

What this all boils down to is the airlines squeezing margins where they think they can get away with it. For the passenger, choice is often limited - the airlines know this, but are still keen to keep the majority of customers happy if they can. As far as catering is concerned, if the quality of your food experience on flights is important to you, then it's wise to check out your alternative operators, how each fares in the unforgiving world of online ratings and comments, and also where they rank for catering quality within the airline industry itself. Then hopefully your in-flight intake will be sure to satisfy!