Burger Night - Salmon Burgers With Orange & Fennel Slaw

Lately I've been trying even harder than I normally do to limit our family's overall meat intake, much to the chagrin of my carnivorous husband. It's not an easy task, particularly because the only fully vegetarian meal that makes him smile is some iteration of pasta and greens (hence the veritable treasure trove of meat-free pasta dishes in our archives). 

This wouldn't in itself be an issue except that even if I am being extra charitable to myself, my girlish figure cannot stand up to multiple carb-heavy meals per week. I'll also admit to having absolutely no self control of around pasta (the ultimate comfort food), and the charming idea of just eating a smaller portion goes right out the window when I am faced with a pot full of the good stuff.

Salmon Burgers With Orange & Fennel Slaw, Photo: NK

This is why I am always eager to come up with more and more Meat-Free dinners that my family will enjoy. Piggie-backing off the success of our super easy and light Tuna Burgers, I was very excited to add another fish-based burger to the monthly rotation. Luckily my new Giada Cookbook, Happy Cooking, had a really appealing Salmon Burger recipe that looked great.  After all, we only make Tuna Burgers once,  maybe twice a month because Tuna is high in mercury content.   EWG's Seafood Calculator is a great, customizable way to plan your monthly fish meals because it tells you how many portions of each soft you can consume while still staying below the guidelines.

The Salmon Burgers are topped with Orange and Fennel Slaw -which is delicious on so many things - especially fish. That's probably what sold me on this recipe. I hope you enjoy our slightly adapted version below. It will yield four burgers. The remaining two that we didn't eat froze really nicely. Kids will eat these too! 

Salmon Burgers With Orange & Fennel Slaw
Lightly Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis, Happy Cooking
Serves 4 

Ingredients: 
Slaw
1 Fennel Bulb, cored, and sliced thinly into rings (by hand or with a mandoline), some of the Fennel Frond set aside and minced (about 1 heaping Tablespoon of fronds)
1 Orange, peeled and segmented
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Burgers
2 6-8 portions Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon, boned, skinned and cut into small cubes
1/3 Cup Flat Leaf Italian Parsley, leaves only
4 teaspoons Capers, rinsed 
1 Shallot, chopped
1 heaping teaspoon Orange Zest
2 Tablespoons Panko Breadcrumbs
1 Egg White
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 
4 Toasted Potato Roll Burger Buns, for serving 

Method: 
Combine all the Slaw ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir and set aside.

In a food processor, combine all the Burger ingredients except the Olive Oil. Pulse a few times so that Salmon is coarsely chopped and all is combined. Remove the mixture and divide it into quarters, shaping each into a 1/2 inch thick patty. 

In a medium saute pan, heat the Olive Oil over medium-high heat. Once the Oil is hot, cook the patties for about 3 minutes per side until cooked through and golden.

To serve, toast the Potato Rolls and place patties on them. Top with Orange and Fennel Slaw. Serve right away!

Italian Pasta Classics - Fusilli Puttanesca

Happy New Year! It will shock no one that we resolve to cook and, more importantly, eat even more great food in 2015. I hope you'll come along for the ride. To this end, it is time again for Italian Pasta Classics, and this week, we are exploring one of most storied sauces Southern Italy has ever given us - Puttanesca. It also happens to be one of my top five favorite pasta preparations of all time - capers, olives, anchovies - I ask you, what's not to love!?  Now to the name, oh, the name. Yeesh. Puttanesca means, how to put this, in the style of the... not-so-nice-word for practicers of the proverbial "oldest profession." The more you know, as they say. 

Puttanesca Sauce, Photo: NK 

There are various accounts of origins of this deliciously easy dish. Probably the most ubiquitous is the anecdote that Pasta Puttanesca was something quickly thrown together from common pantry items, thus making it the ideal sustenance for these working women in between appointments. For my own part, I was surprised to learn that the dish, or at least the name, is relatively young. Several sources trace it only as far back as the middle of the 20th century (figures, right?).  As food lore goes, the popularly accepted story of Puttanesca is pretty well known, however I recently read a very interesting article that posited that despite the name, the dish may not have had much to do with sex workers at all. The author aptly notes that "Sex workers aren't the only people who appreciate quick, aromatic meals." Her theory on the origin has been batted around before, though less often. Check out the full article here. As you will note, there's not to an exact recipe for this dish conceived in imprecision, but I invite your to try our favorite iteration of it today. What you do after you eat it is most definitely your own business. Enjoy! 

Fusilli Puttanesca
Serves 4 as an entree 

Castelvetrano & Gaeta Olives, Photo: NK

Lightly Adapted from Lidia Bastianich
Ingredients:
1 35 Ounce Can whole San Marzano Tomatoes 
1 Pound Fusilli
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil plus more for drizzling
3 Large Garlic Cloves, smashed
1 Cup Gaeta or similar Olives
3/4 Cup Castelvetrano Olives, or other meaty, firm and bright green variety such as Cerignola
5-6 high quality Anchovy Fillets
1/2 Cup Italian Parsley, chopped
1/4 Cup Capers, rinsed
1 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
Toasted breadcrumbs (if you need a topping, but not usually necessary)

Method: 
1. Start a large pot of salted water boiling for the pasta. Add the Fusilli as soon as it comes to a boil and cook for 9 minutes for al dente. 

A sauce that is both gorgeous & flavorful, Photo: NK

2. Pit the Olives by smashing them with a heavy, flat object such as the bottom on the pan and removing the pit. Coarsely chop the Olives and set aside.

3. In a very large skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the Garlic Cloves and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until they begin to brown. Place the Anchovies in the pan and break the up a bit using a wooden spoon. Add the Olives and cook 2 more minutes until they sizzle. Add the Tomatoes along with their juices and mash them using a potato masher until the large chunks are broken up. Add the Crushed Red Pepper.

4. Allow sauce to boil and then lower the heat to where it stays at an energetic simmer. Cook for 5 minutes and add the Capers. 

5. By this time your pasta should be done. Drain it through a colander and add the pasta to the skillet containing the sauce. Turn up the flame to medium and add the Parsley. Stir. Remove skillet from the flame and check for seasoning (a very little bit of salt may be needed) and serve! 
**Special thanks to Cousin Julie for the delicious homegrown and hand canned tomatoes!! 

Back To My Roots - Pasta con Cavolfiore

Conchiglie con Cavolfiore, Simple, Fast and Satisfying, Photo: NK

I grew up as an only child.  While I'm very lucky to have an amazing half brother and half sister, I never lived with them, and I am the sole child of my mom and dad. My mom's an only child herself, and my dad had just one sibling. What am I getting at? I grew up feeling like my family was small. 

But that's really not the truth, as I was reminded the other day at my cousin's lovely wedding on Long Island. My immediate family may be pretty compact, but I think I never really realized how large my extended family is until they were all in one big room together. Our numbers are thanks in part to my maternal grandfather's prolific siblings and all their children and grandchildren - one of whom is my cousin Laura, the beautiful bride we had gathered to celebrate that day. 

My Pop Pop was one of 6 children born to Sicilian Immigrants who originally settled in the Lower East Side of Manhattan before hopping the East River to Brooklyn and Queens. This recent wedding, filled with people that I don't see nearly enough of, definitely brought back warm memories of my departed grandpa, and I left what was a fantastic evening feeling really invigorated. I had people! Lots of them. And we all had such fun together.

The next day, on a bit of a family-togetherness high, I was struck by the overwhelming urge to cook something to celebrate my Italian heritage. Ok, this happens a lot - but I wanted it to be something to honor my grandpa, my spicy Sicilian bloodline, and our family's proud peasant beginnings three generations removed. Ours is in no way a unique American story, but something to be celebrated nonetheless.  

Photo: NK 

I decided on one of the many simple dishes that can be found in Italy - Pasta con Cavolfiore, aka: Pasta with Cauliflower. I know, I know - it doesn't sound terribly exciting, but you'll be surprised at how its classic, clean flavor, beautifully understated, is actually quite satisfying. This dish also takes me back to growing up and to my mom's cooking. She is superb in the kitchen, but as a kid, with the exception of meatballs once in a while, dinner was nearly always Pasta with a Vegetable. Pasta with Broccoli, Pasta with Cauliflower, and on, and on. This type of largely vegetarian low-cost eating was probably a function of our less than ideal financial circumstances back then, but I didn't know the difference. I didn't feel like I was missing anything  - because I wasn't. This is the type of food that The Greatest Generation was reared on - simple, healthy, and cheap. 

My great Aunt Mae makes a to-die-for version of Pasta with Cauliflower. She serves hers with toasted breadcrumbs on top after painstakingly trimming the Cauliflower florets into perfectly uniform bits. Pasta con Cavolfiore actually originated on the Southern Italian mainland, but it is very popular in Sicily. Here, we'll be using Conchiglie, or Shell Shaped Pasta. Please don't be scared off by the Anchovies in this recipe. They totally melt and disappear into the oil providing a non-fishy, subtle flavor that works so well in this and many dishes. Husband (the Anchovy-hater) had no idea. Buon Appetito!

NK's Conchiglie con Cavolfiore 

Serves 2-3

Cooks Note: Be sure to chop & prepare all ingredients before you start to cook

Ingredients:
1 large Head of Cauliflower

1/2 Lb of Shell Shaped Pasta, size is your choice

Salt 

Pepper 

1/4 Cup finely chopped Italian Parsley (or optionally, toasted fresh grated Breadcrumb)

3 small Garlic Cloves, very thinly sliced

5 Anchovy Fillets packed in Oil 

Fine Quality Olive Oil (about 2 Tablespoons plus more for drizzling)

1 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper (or 1 teaspoon dried Red Chile chopped into small bits)

Method:

Remove the Cauliflower base and allow the Cauliflower head to separate into bite-sized Florets. Pick apart Cauliflower with your hands to help it along, and finally, give it a quick rough chop to achieve a uniform size so the Cauliflower cooks evenly.

Boil water in a medium sauce pan with a good amount of Salt. Add Cauliflower Florets and cook them several minutes until they are tender but not mushy. About 4 minutes should do it. The final texture is really up to you. I generally enjoy my veggies more al dente than the next guy. Once finished, drain the Cauliflower through a colander set atop or inside a large heatproof bowl. You'll want to reserve all of your boiling liquid. Set Cauliflower Florets aside and return liquid to the sauce pan or larger pan to boil your Pasta. Add extra water if needed. Return Liquid to a boil and cook your Pasta Shells as directed on the box until Pasta is done. Remember, al dente is always best!

While Pasta is cooking, set a large skillet over a a medium-low flame. Pour in about 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil, the Garlic, and the Crushed Red Pepper. Take care not to burn the Crushed Red Pepper or Garlic, and stir everything occasionally until the Garlic becomes slightly golden. Next, add the Anchovies. Allow them to melt into the oil. This should take 3 or 4 minutes. Feel free to stir a bit to help them along. Once Anchovies have dissolved, add the drained Cauliflower Florets into the skillet. Toss everything to combine. Lower the flame to the lowest possible setting while your pasta finishes cooking. 

Once Pasta is ready, drain it in a colander reserving about a 1/2 cup of Pasta Water. Pour drained Pasta into the Cauliflower skillet and toss. Add a couple of Tablespoons of Pasta Water and turn the flame back up to medium. Cook a bit longer until the liquid boils away and thickens. Stir in Parsley and toss. Turn off the flame. Season carefully with Salt (remember that Anchovies can be salty already) and liberally with Black Pepper. Drizzle with good quality Olive Oil. Lastly, feel free to add additional Crushed Red Pepper if you like. Serve and enjoy!  

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