Boulevard Raspail Corn on the Cob is this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe choice.
Last week, on an intensely sunny Aspen day, I was hiking down a rocky, steep mountain trail and encountered a woman catching the shade of a spindly oak tree. She was in her late sixties, noticeably wobbly and alone. (Not good.) Like a flash, my Ranger-Self sprang into action, asking if she needed help. She responded that no, she had just stopped to rest for five minutes. “I’ve been having altitude sickness,” she said, “and, I was getting dizzy again.” (High noon + 9,000’ high + altitude sickness = bad idea)
“Do you have any water?” I inquired.
She didn’t but said her husband had water at the top. That’s when I realized the three hikers I passed earlier were with her, so to speak. (At this point, dear Readers, I am not feeling any love for her husband.) I offered her my water and suggested I hike up the last 1/3 of the trail with her. She declined both offers. We went our separate ways. Her, up. Me, down. When I passed two more hikers, I asked if they’d continue hiking behind her, keeping her in sight until she was reunited with her hiking partners and they agreed.
This is a partial response, more later, to the question I am most asked these days, “What do you DO as a volunteer Forest Ranger?”
A delicious dinner: Boulevard Raspail Corn on the Cob, Dorie’s Broth-Braised Potatoes and a Salmon Patty.
However, a question I often ask myself is “What do volunteer Forest Rangers eat?” I need a healthy, fulfilling picnic lunch every day I’m on the trail as well as an easy-to-prepare dinner when I arrive home, tired and famished. Surprisingly, our French Fridays with Dorie recipes this summer have answered my menu needs.
For example, when you’re sitting on a decaying tree log surrounded by wildflowers, Quinoa and Tuna Salad or a Swordfish Sandwich or Duck Breast Wrap, all FFWD recipe-leftovers, take on 5-Star Michelin quality fare. Whole-cherry Clafoutis eases neatly into a metal camping container and a few fudgy Raw Brownies are kept cool nestled next to my icy camelback water pouch.
Ruth Frey, Chairwoman of the Volunteer Committee, is responsible for keeping all 100 volunteer Rangers on the same page. No wonder she’s taking a well-deserved Time-Out on the popular Conundrum Creek Trail.
This week’s recipe choice, Boulevard Raspail Corn on theCob, is another treat that will keep me well-fed for several days. Dorie’s corny idea is to place unhusked corn in a 400-degree F. oven, roast 40 minutes, turning once, shuck and enjoy. Simple and delicious. I’ll cut the kernels off the uneaten corn and toss in this salad and this pizza from The Cafe Sucré Farine. With the corn, I chose Dorie’s Broth-braised Potatoes, a Make-up Recipe from FFWD, January, 2012. Add a salmon patty from Whole Foods – a quick dinner.
Now that I’m fed, let’s get back to this Ranger business.
After handing out Smokey Bear stickers and pins, Steve Chase gets ready to send these little hikers on their way. Can you tell he has a granddaughter of his own?
The White River National Forest is our country’s most heavily visited Forest. In the past 3 years, it’s funding has dropped 55%. That’s why the USFS is more than grateful to have the Forest Conservancy’s “100 pair of boots on the ground” to lend support. And, we in the FC, primarily retired professionals, executives, educators, and relocated community leaders, willingly rise to the challenge.
Some stories….. Recently three unprepared hikers, wet, cold and bedraggled, came running down the two-miles from Crater Lake into the Maroon Bells Visitor Center to escape an afternoon hailstorm. While eating lunch inside the Center, the youngest in the group ran outside and began spitting/vomiting into the nearby flower berm (which was a bit unsettling to Donna Grauer, the on-duty Ranger). He had a serious peanut allergy, had eaten the no-no and was not carrying his Epipen. (Seriously?) Luckily, following protocol, Donna could offer him spray-on Benedryl and allergy pills from her Med kit which he took before heading back to Aspen and our nearby hospital.
Team Sky and Tour de France Champ Chris Froome meet Aspen FC Rangers during a conditioning ride before the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. My colleague, Judy Schramm, (R) co-founded the Forest Conservancy in 2001.
Also, that day, an unthinking father left his wife and two boys during that same hailstorm at Crater Lake to run down to the Visitors Center to request a Mountain Rescue evacuation for them. Finding this was not possible, they were not injured, he rode the bus 13 miles down to the parking area to retrieve his car and return to the Bells. By the time he returned, his family had safely hiked down with others from Crater Lake, had ridden the bus back to the parking area, missing his car arrival back to the Bells by 15 minutes. Ya think Dad was in the doghouse?
On another day two men approached my colleague Ruth Frey and me to ask if we had seen “a very pissed-off woman in a purple shirt?” We had not.
An hour or so later we did see this woman, hiking alone. “Are you the very-pissed off woman in the purple shirt?” I asked.
She was furious. Readers, we’re talking very, very angry. I asked, “Is this a divorce?”
“No,” she replied. “I’m going to kill him.”
Although we weren’t on official duty, the six of us, all Rangers, stopped to help this injured black lab. Francine is not only a wildflower expert but also a veterinarian.
When six of us, all Rangers, were on a wildflower hike several miles from a trailhead last June, we met a young woman with an injured black lab dog. He had torn off his right foot pad on a sharp rock and could not walk. She was trying, unsuccessfully, to carry him. Not only did we have all kinds of bandages and salves in our backpacks, we also had a veterinarian in our midst. Francine Liebel treated/wrapped the dog’s foot so he could walk and we hiked with them the three miles down to her car.
This is what we do every day – it’s all about kindness. We’re the good guys who hope everyone has a safe and wonderful experience in our mountains. We help keep our trails pristine, dismantle fire rings and douse still-smoldering ashes. We give Smokey stickers and buttons to the kids and filter water for hikers and campers who run short. Last year our Forest Conservancy Rangers clocked almost 7,000 service hours translating to $150,000 in-kind service and untold goodwill. Admittedly, this is not a high-paying job with any career advancement opportunities. We work for free. But we’ve got one hell of an office and you can’t beat our view.
Usually the Yellow-bellied Marmots, who love to lie on the boulders to catch the rays, are the star wildlife summer attraction. This year, however, they’ve been trumped by two pair of Mama and Baby Moose who are eye-candy for the soul.
Mediterranean Swordfish with Frilly Herb Salad – French Fridays with Dorie
This week’s French Friday’s with Dorie recipe choice, a delicious Mediterranean Swordfish with Frilly Herb Salad, instantly brought to mind our family’s supper table chatter when I was a kid. Throughout these impressionable years, my parents would unwittingly and not-so-unwittingly toss out those nuggets of advice, wisdom and “I think’s”, that helped shape the adult I became. But that was then, the Midwest in the Fifties and the Sixties. This is now. To lighten my load (those nuggets get heavy), it’s time to recycle and reboot. For now, just 3. Number 1 and 2, I’m on my own. The last, it’s Dorie to the rescue.
First, my father always told me to never, never buy a new car. “You lose too much value just driving it off the Lot,” he’d often remind me. “Always buy a good used car.”
Whether that’s still true or not, I wouldn’t know. My friends, colleagues and even my son-in-law, buy those sexy, sparkly new vehicles always advertised on Superbowl Sunday. I’m almost sure if I purchased a new car, paid cash, (always), and drove it off the Lot, the heavens would open up and rock and roll in despair. (2008, Lexus RX350, 79,351 miles, Used).
The flavorful, South-of-France-spiced marinade which lets Mr. Swordfish know that Life is Good.
Two: always soar with the eagles. Again, my father. Translated, that means get up early: 5 A.M. Since I hailed from a rural Iowa farming community where many of the area’s residents soared, it seemed the norm. To this day, if it’s 5 A.M., my inner clock still insists the day must begin……or guilt rares its ugly head. That eagle-thing has plagued me my entire life. I’m currently working on a new inner-clock of my own. Haven’t I’ve earned the right (I ask myself)? Six A.M. is a win. Six-thirty A.M. is hedonistic. Sorry, Dad.
Third, my mom gets the credit here. If you look out your window and don’t see water, don’t buy, order or eat fish. No ifs, ands, fins or buts. Growing up in Iowa, we ate well but never anything that swam. Those were different times, before fish was shipped properly, safely and maintained its taste. You could, of course, buy frozen fish fillets-in-a-box. As I said, we never ate fish. My husband, Michael, was a midwestern boy and obviously his mother had served him fillets-in-a-box. The result? As an adult, if it was spelled f-i-s-h, he flat-out refused to eat it.
Swordfish Steaks
I like fish but am a newbie at cooking it. Although I look out my window here, see only mountains, no water, there is fresh fish to be caught. Since moving back to Aspen, my good friend, Judy Boyd, a talented caterer, has introduced me to her favorite purveyors and helped me source food products. That’s how I met Jose, the fishmonger at our local market two blocks away. He supplies me with sweet-smellin’ fish. This week’s swordfish was no exception.
For this recipe and because we’re going to cook it in a skillet, Dorie suggests 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick steaks, about 5 ounces each. (Jose was doubtful about this. A grimace. A frown.) The marinade, a combo of rosemary, lemons, capers, chiles and olive oil, provides it with the fragrance and flavor of the Côte d’Azur.
“It does double duty,” Dorie explains. “It moistens and boldly flavors the swordfish, then it turns it into a sauce, so that every last drop of goodness is captured.”
To marinate the swordfish steaks, use a plastic bag, combine all the ingredients and refrigerate for an hour (or, four).
After marinating it for an hour (I did four), remove from the marinade to cook it in a skillet warmed with olive oil. You want it to be opaque in the middle – not rare – so cook at least three minutes on each side.To serve, heat the marinade and pour it carefully over the four servings of fish. Top each piece of fish with herb salad tossed in lemon juice and olive oil. Any veggie will work but green beans are my choice. This is a fabulous entrée to serve to your family or guests. So simple. So elegant. So you see, I am learning from the best. Dorie “does” fish very well.
I’m driving to California this week-end to help my granddaughter, Emma, celebrate her twelfth birthday. And, yes, I just checked, wearing clean underwear! (Thanks, Mom.)
To see how my colleagues swam this week, go here. To make this wonderful swordfish entrée, here’s the recipe.
When I was growing up, every time I would go to my mother with a problem or angst, she would always say, after hearing my complaint, “If that’s the worst thing that ever happens to you, you’ll be lucky.”
Undoubtedly she was correct but since the difficulty at hand was rocking my world, it’s not what I needed to hear. However, her words recently landed squarely in my sink full of dirty bowls, pots and utensils, the tangible results of my failed attempt at this week’s FFWD recipe.
Cod and Spinach Roulades. Dorie describes this dish as ‘a light, elegant fish mousse filled with lemony spinach, rolled into a chubby sausage shape and steamed.‘
My effort? Not even close.
Photo, www.bbc.co.uk
To be honest, at first I was terribly disappointed, stressed and, yes, even embarrassed. That’s when I thought of my dear mother. In a week of untold tragedy coupled with the inability to pass watered-down gun safety legislation, this failure wasn’t worth a whine or a wallow.
It was, I decided, an opportune time for me to pull Mark Kurlansky’s award-winning book, “Cod: The Fish that Changed the World” off my shelf. If I couldn’t cook cod properly, I could at least learn more about it. Having won a 1999 James Beard Book Award as well as a glowing recommendation by book reviewer Molly Benjamin**, this fish tale deserved my attention.
The Library Journal writes, “In this engaging history of a “1000-year fishing spree”, Kurlansky traces the relationship of cod fishery to such historical eras and events as medieval Christianity and Christian observances; international conflicts between England and Germany over Icelandic cod; slavery, the molasses trade, and the dismantling of the British Empire; and, the evolution of a sophisticated fishing industry in New England.”
Admittedly I am just beginning this 306-page book but I gotta tell you, it’s a gee-whiz-I-didn’t-know-that page turner. That the Atlantic cod has been fished almost to extinction is alarming. But already there are two things I know for sure:
1) In its 1,000 years of history as related in this book, Cod has never won. I’m no longer upset that this humble little creature laid me low.
2) I’ll never eat fish-and-chips again. Just wouldn’t seem right.
With apologies. Not the Cod and Spinach Roulades that Dorie envisioned.
To see the roulade results of my FFWD colleagues who are more skillful than I, please go here. If your brave enough to sink or swim with this recipe, here’s a recipe link.
** “This eminently readable book is a new tool for scanning world history. It leads to a vastly different perception of why folks did what they did…. Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World is history filtered through the gills of the fish trade.” The New York Times Book Review, Molly Benjamin
What did you find in your stocking Christmas morning? I found celery root.
Odds are that when you planned Christmas dinner, celery root did not come to mind. When you were thinking about pies, I’m betting it was whether to bake pumpkin, pecan or apple. “Pot” probably didn’t enter the picture.
Here’s the problem. During the past six months, my Christmas dinner guests here in Henderson turned sorta-kinda-vegetarian. Sorta-kinda-vegetarian means they will not eat four-legged animals. If it moos, baas, oinks or whinnies, it’s a nonstarter. Furthermore, they won’t eat creatures with wings. Flying is a no, no. Swimmers? Yes, but only those with a shell.
Peel and cut up 2 celery roots and one medium russet potato. Quarter an onion. Add this to a pot of boiling milk, water and salt. To avoid a strong peppermint flavoring, discard the candy canes.
Here’s another problem. The French Friday with Dorie recipe this week is Go-With-Everything Celery Root Purée. To answer your question? Neither had I.
Merry Christmas. Ho! Ho! Ho!
Doesn’t everyone serve Lobster Pot Pie on Christmas Day? (With profound apologies to my Iowa born-and-bred, very traditional Mother.)
Thankfully, this story has a delicious, Christmas-bells-are-ringing ending. My menu may not have been traditional but, with a little help from you foodie friends, I pleased all our palates. Here are the 3 principal players —– We began with Cranberry and Avocado Salad topped by Candied Spiced Almonds and Sweet White Balsamic Vinaigrette as featured by Chris Scherer on The Café Sucré Farine. I added some baby beets, quartered.
The Barefoot Contessa’s Lobster Pot Pie solved my main course dilemma in a very tasty, très élégant manner. A bubble off, perhaps, but, hey, lobsters swim and have shells.
Thank you, Dorie, for this delicious, nutritious, Go-with-Everything Celery Root Purée.
Again, Dorie is correct. Why do I ever doubt that woman? When she calls this recipe, Go-With-Everything Celery Root Purée, she means business. “Because the flavor is subtle, complex, and just a little sweet,”, she writes “the purée is the perfect accompaniment to fish, meat or poultry, whether it’s a main dish that is robust and big flavored or one that is light and mild.”
No one at my table had ever sampled celery root served as a purée. It’s a wonderfully, less caloric, and more nutritious substitute for mashed potatoes. I used my Immersion Blender, instead of fussing with a food processor, to whirrrrr it into a smooth ivory purée. If you want a more silky texture, use the processor. Surprisingly, the lobsters and the celery root did not do battle. This dish totally complimented the pot pie with one guest even using it as a tasty base under the pie.
Seconds, anyone?
The ultimate compliment? No room for dessert.
Dessert, anyone? Last night Michelle and I contributed the sugar for our neighbor’s, Bobby & Adriana Scrima, annual everything-Italian Holiday Open House.
Michelle’s Eggnog Panna Cotta and Dorie’s Top-Secret Chocolate Mousse. When Lilly, a party guest from France, tasted this, her eyes brightened. “Very french,” she remarked. I asked her if she knew the secret? She replied, “Oui,” and preceeded to rattle off the recipe from the back of the Nestlé Dessert Chocolate Bar wrapper that Dorie had discovered and shared with us.
May I wish a Happy New Year 2013 to all you loyal Readers and my fellow Doristas, far and wide. And, to you, Trevor, for loyally cooking with us as our one-and-only FFWD “token” male. May the year ahead be filled with peace & happiness, good health, family & friends and the fellowship of food.
Dry-Fried Pepper and Salt Shimp, a classic Chinese entrée that could bring home its own Gold Medal.
Today’s Wok Wednesday recipe choice has been a brain-buster for me. Not only is this dish bursting with flavor, but it sent my mind reeling with menu variations, those “with this I can do that” moments. While that may be a “Well, duh” moment for most of you, please understand that I’m a by-the-book cook. Really, I’m a by-the-book, black and white, follow-the-rules Person. My Goal? Get to GRAY.
When joining Wok Wednesdays I also thought I was introducing myself to a cuisine which I could successfully master and utilize portion control. Unless entertaining, I cook for “one” and am not particularly fond of never-ending leftovers (remember, I don’t improvise) or frozen anything. With today’s recipe, I was able to cut it in half, without sacrificing flavor.
I was able to cut the recipe in half, maintain the flavor and integrity of the dish, and still have leftovers for one additinal meal.
Although I love Chinese food, enjoying it in restaurants and to-go, I’ve not done homemade successfully. Grace Young’s cookbook, “Stir-Frying To The Sky’s Edge” is impressive and well-written. With her guidance, perhaps, I thought I could conquer the basics and move on to at-home Chinese glory. Surprisingly, Grace also responds to each WW participant’s Post, answering questions, pointing out problems and encouraging novices. Last week I received an e-mail, a comment and a Tweet from her. I didn’t even know I belonged to Twitter!!!
My suggestion? Buy the book. You’re welcome.
This week we made Classic Dry-Fried Pepper and Salt Shrimp. DO NOT MISS TRYING THIS. The entire recipe can be found on Grace’s own Site, http://www.graceyoung.com/recipes/. Although Dry Stir-Frying, a new technique for me, seems like an oxymoron, it’s actually classically Chinese and a stir-fry intended to have only enough sauce to cling to the main ingredients. Love that, don’t you? Simple to make. Few Ingredients. So satisfying.
Besides a tiny amount of salt, pepper, and sugar, our only other flavor friends are garlic, ginger, and chili.
And, this week, thanks to my daughter, Melissa, who was horrified to read that I was woking with a skillet, I received a new, gorgeous wok. Don’t you just love to embarrass your kids? Thanks, Mis.
My question to you, Grace, is about Brining. Because I was using frozen shrimp and dry cooking it, I first put it in a cold, sugar water Brine for 20 minutes. Then, I also swished it two times for 30 seconds each in salt water as you specified. I eliminated the sugar in your recipe. I thought the sugar brine would pop the flavor more. Any thoughts on that?
Beginning with a 20-minute sugar brine, a going-out-on-a-limb moment for me since Grace didn’t specify brining in her recipe.
Last night I enjoyed my Shrimp with plain rice and Tsingtau, my favorite Chinese beer. I could not have been happier. Tonight, as I march onward to GRAY, I’m using my few leftovers to make a New Orleans Shrimp Po’ Boy, Chinese-style.
A French Friday’s with Dorie Feast: Salmon with Basil Tapenade, Yin-Yang Beans, and Semolina Bread to mop up the extra tapenade sauce.
Shortly after my daughter Melissa arrived to spend some time with me after the death of my husband, she made a suggestion. “I think, Mom, this is a time to stock up on Comfort Foods, just eat what makes you feel good.” Somehow, to hear her now irreverently tell it, I translated “Comfort Foods” into “all the Junk Food that you want” and went on a binge. My menu, for more days than I’d like to admit was:
Fritos, the Original Corn Chip;
Cheetos Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks;
Archway Original Windmill Cookies; (with milk)
Caramel Corn (Farmers Market); and
Premium Saltine Crackers (crumbled and mixed with sugar and milk).
Toss in one-half a Blueberry-Marscapone Roulade and a whole loaf of Semolina Bread and, to me, that spells c-o-m-f-o-r-t. For about ten days. After that, it spells j-u-n-k-f-o-o-d. That’s why it was a nice jog back to reality when this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe choice was Salmon with Basil Tapenade.
Wild Sockeye Salmon Fillets
There’s nothing difficult about this tasty main course which is explained beautifully here. It’s simply tapenade coaxed into two “pockets” created in each 5 ounce, thick, center-portion of salmon. The fillets cook 4 minutes in the skillet before heading into the oven for another 6. Add some leftover tapenade sauce for a lovely dinner entrée.
Fill a small plastic baggie with the olive tapenade. Then cut off a small tip of a corner and hold the “cone” tightly with your hand. Use this make-shift tube to fill the slit “pockets” in each salmon fillet. Massage gently to evenly spread the tapenade.
I thought that Yin Yang Beans, a favorite recipe from Grace Young’s “Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge” cookbook and featured on PBS a year ago, might be a complimentary side to the salmon. Even without the ground pork, which I left out, these green beans still have the tangy, spicy flair that is delicious with this salmon. So good, in fact, that I’ve joined Wok Wednesdays, a new twice-monthly cooking group that is woking it’s way through Young’s book. Next week, Kung Pao Chicken. If you want to see what others chose to serve with their salmon this week, go here.
It would be remiss and most ungracious of me not to acknowledge your many kindnesses and concerns expressed since the death of my husband. Quite remarkable, really. Six years ago, Michael wrote a letter telling me the life he hoped I would lead after he could no longer live it with me. Now, keeping in mind this is a Man’s Idea of how a Woman should live, he did leave behind good marching orders. Since by nature, I am a happy, optimistic woman, always willing to choose joy over sadness, he’s now made that even easier. In that vein, I am off to California this week-end to celebrate a lovely young lady’s 11th birthday. Life is Good.
