Recipe - Salmon Wellington

Happy New Year Sisters!

Christmas is over, but the holidays aren't.  I always think it's fun to have something festive for New Year's Day, especially if the family is still around.  In past years I've made made things like crab legs or prime rib--foods we don't usually have at other times of the year. Recently I tried something new.  Patterned after the classic dish, Beef Wellington, my Salmon Wellington is a New Year's meal fit for a king (or a hard-working construction guy). I know everyone's tired of hearing about my torn-apart kitchen, so I won't mention that I made this elegant recipe the other day in this less than desirable space:

Don't be too appalled. He left me a small piece of counter top that is kept impeccably clean!  What this means, however, as things have deteriorated even further in my kitchen since then, the next few posts may feature simpler fare.  Pancakes anyone?  I have a daughter or two who has promised to provide a guest post while my kitchen is out of commission, and in a few weeks, if the stars align, a picture of the finished product may appear. Until then, bear with me--and be sure to make something special for your loved ones to kick off 2016!  

Salmon Wellington

-2 egg yolks

-1 egg plus 1 Tablespoon water

-8 oz. (1 package) cream cheese, softened

-1 lb chopped fresh spinach leaves

-1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced

-4 cloves garlic, minced

-1 bunch chopped green onions

-1/4 teaspoons lemon pepper

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-One package Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets (2 sheets), thawed

-About 3 lbs salmon

Divide salmon into 8 equally sized portions, about 3/4" thick. (Please note that I have only 5 pieces, but they were really too big and it's better if you make the recipe for 8).  If there is a skinny edge along one side of the fillets, trim that off and use for another purpose so that the thickness will be pretty consistent (as shown).  If the salmon is not skinless, remove skin from the bottom with a sharp knife, cutting closely as possible so as to not waste any.

Saute spinach, mushrooms, and green onions in 1 to 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.  It will cook way down.  Add minced garlic for the last minute of sauteing. 

Drain well in colander, pushing against it with a spoon, then press out more liquid with paper towels as shown. 

 

It needs to look very dry, as shown above.  You don't want watery veggies going into the dish, or it will ruin the crispiness of the pastry.

Put 2 egg yolks in a bowl.  Add the cream cheese (which has been left out an hour to soften), lemon pepper and salt.  Beat well with electric mixer.  Stir in spinach mixture.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.  Roll out somewhat thinner with a rolling pin.

Spread the cream cheese mixture all over the pastry to within 1 inch of the edges. Divide into portions for the salmon with a pizza roller, so there is a top piece for eacha s well as the bottom piece you have placed the salmon on.  Top with the salmon.  Season salmon pieces with salt and pepper.Place on a greased cookie sheet.Tuck the ends around and under to seal.  Brush the pastry with the egg/water mixture.  Cut several slits in the pastry top.Bake at 375 for about 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serves 8.

Note:  I didn't do a very good job portioning out the salmon and pastry and was trying to make 5 servings (which turned out to be too large).  I think it would be perfect if you divided each sheet of pastry into 8 equally sized rectangles (after spreading with spinach mixture).  Then you would have a top and bottom for 8 portions of salmon that would be about the right size.

Recipe - Fried Mozzarella Sticks

I'm sitting here staring at a blank page trying to think of an interesting or clever way to introduce this week's post about Fried Mozzarella Sticks.  I can't expound upon how healthy they are because, well, they're not. That being said, it is the holiday season and what better time to throw caution to the wind and live a little!  Along with French Dip Sandwiches at our Christmas Eve gala (which are essentially fat free the way I make them), we always have fried egg rolls, both cheese and chocolate fondue, bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers, spinach artichoke dip, cold shrimp, stuffed mushrooms . . . the list goes on and gets a bit longer each year.  And yet despite this evening of (not fat free) culinary excess, no one appears any worse for wear the next day.  Moderation is a wonderful concept because it means that no single favorite treat need ever be banned entirely.  Besides, for some traditional favorites, an annual indulgence is enough and keeps folks looking forward to next year!

Here are some of the usual gang at our party.  No one seems too concerned about diving right in!  It's Christmastime, after all, and there's plenty of time for whole grains and steamed veggies tomorrow.

Merry Christmas!

Sisters:  I am taking the week of Christmas off, so please note that the next installment of Savings for Sisters will be on December 29.  Have a wonderful holiday season.

Fried Mozzarella Sticks

16 packages of String Cheese

1/2 cup or so of Flour

2 large Eggs

3 Tablespoons Milk

2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Salt

1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1 Tablespoon of dried Parsley Flakes 

Slice string cheese pieces in half for a total of 32 pieces.

Place flour in a bowl.  In another bowl, whisk eggs and milk.  In a third bowl, combine Panko bread crumbs with seasonings.

One by one, roll mozzarella sticks in flour, shaking off excess.

Dip in egg/milk mixture, then roll in panko crumb mixture. Another good use for Piggy!
Use your hands to press crumbs all over the mozzarella stick.  It's important that they are well coated and you don't see cheese peeking through.

Dip a second time in eggs and crumbs so there's a double coating. This helps insulate the sticks so cheese will not leak out while they're cooking.  I did not know about doing this when I made them in the photos you're looking at, but I wish I would have, since as you can see, some of the cheese is showing through.

Line up on a tray or cookie sheet that has been covered with foil.
Place in freezer for 1 hour.  Don't skip this step!
Heat a couple of inches of cooking oil in a large skillet or small pot to about 360 degrees.  If you don't have a thermometer, sprinkle a few crumbs into the oil and see if it sizzles.  Then test with one stick, adjusting the temperature as needed.  Add mozzarella sticks a few at a time.  They don't take long, so don't overcook them.  If you ruin one, don't worry; just adjust the temperature and try again.

Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain, but then move to a serving plate so they don't stick to the paper towel.

Serve immediately with warm marinara sauce.  You can make a homemade sauce, but I just heat up a good quality jar of purchased sauce.  Makes 32 sticks.

Recipe - Grandma's Orange Rolls

Whenever I smell oranges, I think of Christmas.  I don't know if children today would necessarily associate oranges with this time of year, because they enjoy a wide variety of treats compared to what we had in the "old days."  It isn't only that toe-of-the-stocking orange that comes to mind when I remember the Christmases of my childhood, but those chocolate covered orange sticks Santa used to bring, and the delicious orange crepes Mom made us for breakfast.  Perhaps my fondest memory when I catch a citrusy whiff is the clove-studded oranges we made in school as gifts for our mothers to dangle from a red ribbon in their closets.  When I smell either cloves or oranges, a flood of memories comes back centered around those simple, happy Decembers now so far in the past.  My grandma's homemade Orange Rolls also bring back good memories of yesteryear for me, and I hope for you too.  You can use your favorite roll dough recipe if you like, or click on the link to mine.  Either way, I think you'll love my grandma's orange sauce which is rolled into the dough and also spooned on top before baking and spreading with frosting while still warm.  My grandma made these often during the winter to dress up an ordinary evening meal, served right out of the oven with butter--and no frosting--like you would eat a dinner roll.  Now I'm just making myself nostalgic (and hungry), so I think I've said enough.  I almost always make orange rolls at Christmastime and freeze them for easy family breakfasts when my house is full over the holidays. My easy step-by-step instructions are below.  Merry Christmas!

Grandma’s Orange Rolls

SAUCE

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

½ c orange juice squeezed from about 2 oranges

2 Tablespoons orange peel, shredded very finely (use zester or grater to remove peel before squeezing oranges)

Melt together in small saucepan, bring to a simmer, then take off heat. Cool completely at room temperature (not in fridge).

Note:  Double this if you use my roll recipe (found HERE), unless you want to make half of the dough into cinnamon rolls and half orange.  If you do that, you only need one recipe of the orange sauce.

-Make your favorite roll dough recipe, or follow the link above for mine.

-While your dough is rising, make the sauce as explained above.

-When the dough is ready, roll out on lightly floured countertop into a rectangular shape.

-Spoon on some of the sauce and spread out with clean hands. 

Depending on how much dough you have made, you will most likely be rolling it out in several batches.  Divide your sauce accordingly so you’ll have enough.

-Roll up the dough and cut with dental floss as shown.  Slide the floss under the dough, then criss-cross it in a quick motion across the top to make neat, even slices.(Don’t worry if it appears most of the sauce is spilling out, as you will be spooning more on top when they are in the pan.) 

Note: Use a spatula to scoop up any spilled sauce off your clean counter top, as you will need it.

-Pour some of the sauce out on your pan and spread over the surface before placing the rolls on top.

-Space rolls evenly, leaving room to rise.  Or if you would like them to grow together (as my grandma used to do in an oblong cake pan when she planned to serve them for dinner), space them more closely. Spoon additional sauce over the top of each roll.

NOTE:  If you want to make part of your dough into cinnamon rolls, mix sugar and cinnamon together, and after spreading the dough with melted butter, sprinkle it on and roll up the same way as with the orange rolls.

If you have more than one pan, follow this procedure for each pan and whatever orange sauce is left, spoon evenly over the rolls in the pan.  Use all the sauce.

-Let rise until almost doubled in a warm area of your home.

-Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes (keep an eye on them).

-Remove onto cooling racks and frost while still warm (but not hot, or the frosting will all melt off).