This could be my #1 go-to comfort food complete dinner. I have been making this complete menu for years, always with the same recipes (well, at least for two of the items). I discovered the Salmon Croquette recipe through Cooks Illustrated years ago and the Mac 'n' Cheese in "Joy of Cooking." And I have always used canned green beans (ONLY Seasonsed Italian-Style Green Beans) when making this meal (I usually do fresh in boiling, salted water, but this meal just wouldn't be the same).
I grew up in the 60's in Oklahoma where fresh fish was unheard of (unless you went out and caught it yourself). And certainly not salmon. The only salmon I was familiar with for years was canned salmon, which, I have to admit, I love for the bones! So periodically my mom would make salmon croquettes using, of course, canned salmon. Not bad, but certainly not a meal anyone ever requested for special occasions, or even when being solicited for menu ideas. So I grew up thinking that was what a salmon croquette was.
Then, some years ago in my infancy of becoming a foodie, I discovered a recipe using FRESH salmon. Holy Smokes! What a difference. And that was the dawning of my real-food cooking. Maybe that's why this meal has become my #1 Comfort Food Meal.
I do hope you'll try this, but a word of warning. It is messy to make. And it will dirty your kitchen. And it's a bit labor-intensive only because you need to rinse your hands and utensils after each and every step. It's just a tad bit time-consuming, but can easily be made early in the day and refrigerated if you'd like. Same with the Mac 'n' Cheese. If fact, I made both of these earlier this afternoon, then just popped the M&C in the oven while heating the skillet for the croquettes. It all times beautifully and comes out all at the same time. And I have never found a Mac 'n' Cheese recipe better than this one. I hope you'll try them someday when you're looking for a nice comfort meal.
COOK'S ILLUSTRATED SALMON CROQUETTES
I halved the recipe......this recipe made four croquettes, depending on the size of the patties makes 2-4 servings
3/4 lb fresh salmon, finely diced
1 Tbsp mayo
2 Tbsp finely minced onion
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
2 T fresh lemon juice
Mix together. Form four patties. Place on baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Freeze for 15-30 minutes (they will have trouble holding together well as the mayo is the only binder at this point).
Prepare three plates: one with flour, one with whipped eggs or egg beaters, one with Panko-Brand bread crumbs (DO NOT USE REGULAR BREAD CRUMBS.....Panko makes ALL the difference)
Run each patty through each plate. I find that I have to kind of re-form each patty after each step, and I usually need to rinse my hands (then dry) and also the utensil I'm using after each step. I'll place each re-formed patty back on the waxed paper until I'm ready to fry.
Have a saute pan heated then coat with canola oil. Fry the patties until brown and crispy on each side. Serve hot with lemon wedges and homemade tartar sauce.
JOY OF COOKING MACARONI AND CHEESE
This recipe came from the 75th Anniversary edition of "Joy of Cooking." Sauce on page 550, M&C recipe on page 326. I cut the recipe down to make 2-4 servings.
White Sauce (makes 1 cup)
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 thick onion slice stuck with 2 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
S&P
nutmeg
Scald milk with onion and bay leaf (I microwaved until just boiling). Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes.
In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Whisk in flour until blended smooth. Remove onion and bay leaf from milk, then whisk milk into roux until thickened. Set aside.
MACARONI AND CHEESE
1 cup white sauce
1/4 medium onion, minced
1 small bay leaf
1/4 tsp paprika (I used smoked paprika... if you've got it, use it.....it makes ALL the difference)
1 heaping cup (4.5 oz) grated extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided
S&P to taste
4 oz uncooked elbow mac, small shells, corkscrew, your favorite, cooked, drained
Into the white sauce, stir in onion, bay leaf, paprika and simmer gently, stirring often, for 10-15 minutes.
Remove from heat, discard bay leaf, and stir in 2/3 of the cheese. Reserve the rest. Season w/S&P.
Add cooked pasta into sauce. Pour half of the mixture into a small baking dish and sprinkle with half of the remaining cheese. Top with the rest of the macaroni and then remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until hot throughout (the JOC recipe calls for adding buttered bread crumbs on top).
In the meantime, have your green beans warming up. These three dishes are really easy to have come out all at the same time.
No comments:
Post a Comment