"Fork in the Road" - Michigan Culinary Adventures From the Emmy Winning PBS Series" - Michigan Double Sweet Corn Chowder

Date I made this recipe:  October 5, 2016

Fork in the Road – Michigan Culinary Adventures from the Emmy Winning PBS Series [Fork in the Road] with Eric Villegas

Published by Huron River Press (Ann Arbor, Michigan)

ISBN: 13: 978-1-932399-17-2; © 2007

Purchased at Canterbury Book Store in Escanaba, Michigan on a trip back to my home state

Recipe:  Michigan Double Sweet Corn Chowder- p. 98; Roasted Garlic Puree – p. 88

Last week, I returned to my home state, Michigan, to have an early birthday celebration with my Aunt Mary, who will be 95 years old next week. My birthday is the day before hers and we have always been thick as thieves so it was great to see her to "pre"-celebrate.  She rode shotgun with me on trips to into town as well as one longer one to Traverse City to deal with a rental car issue.  Make that issues, plural, but that's another story for another day.

And while we were traversing Traverse City (and greater Traverse City), we stopped to eat and had a nice chat with our server who said that he was originally from "The Soo," which translated means "Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan" (or, but not in this case, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada). 

The Michigan "Soo" is located in the Upper Peninsula.  Although Aunt Mary has lived "downstate" (i.e. the lower peninsula) for many years, she was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula as was I.  We informed our server of this cosmic connection, and it is cosmic in that it a rare thing to find three people hanging out "downstate" who can all lay claim to having Upper Peninsula roots.  So that was fun.

Anyway, I was hoping to have time to scrounge around for a Michigan cookbook to commemorate this trip, but I did not and so I pulled what I think is the last of my Michigan cookbooks off the shelf and set to work. 

This cookbook is based on the PBS show, Fork in the Road, and is all about Michigan.  The author, who is also the show's host, showcases Michigan foods by regions and then makes recipes using these foods.

As a native to the state, I am very familiar with some of these "native" incredible edibles such as whitefish, cherries and blueberries.  Naturally, the author suggests using "Michigan" ingredients for many of these dishes but that was pretty impossible.  For one thing, I am not hauling whitefish on a plane with me (plus, you'll mostly find it in Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula) and it was way too late for blueberries and cherries.  You should know that the area I was in, Traverse City, hosts the National Cherry Festival every July (1^st part) and you cannot turn around in that town without spotting a cherry "whatnot," regardless of whether or not the festival is in full swing. In fact, I am quite enjoying some hot coffee in my "Traverse City – Cherry Capital of the World" mug as we speak! 

The book is broken out into recipes by region:  "Freshwater;" "The Fruit Belt;" "Middle of the Mitt" (i.e. the lower peninsula); "The Thumb" (the area along Lake Huron's lakeshore, home to such cities as Port Sanilac and Port Huron (I've been to both); "The U.P." (my home turf), and then "Great Lakes Pantry," which features side dishes, spices, vinaigrettes, and other items used in cooking.  That said, I'm not sure these are necessarily native to Michigan but we'll run with it.

Recipes from these regions are as follows:

Freshwater:

• Freshwater Whitefish Chowder with Bacon, Potatoes and basil – p. 15
• Smoked Whitefish Nachos with White Cheddar, Smoked Tomato Salsa and Cilantro – p. 19

The Fruit Belt:

• Balaton Cherry and Michigan Maple Crisp – p. 50
• Barbecued Pork Ribs with Blueberry Chipotle Chile Rub and Blueberry Mop – p. 55

Middle of the Mitt:

• Grilled Ears of Michigan Sweet Corn with Black Truffles – p. 95
• Michigan Beer Bread – p. 96
• Michigan Double Sweet Corn Chowder – p. 98 (featured recipe)

The Thumb:

• Maple Sage Breakfast Sausage – p. 140
• Michigan Steamed Brown Bread with Dried Cherries and Walnuts – p. 144
• Maple Corndogs – p. 147

The U.P.:

• Beef and Pork Pasty with a Classic Suet Crust – p. 166
• Michigan Maple Spice Rub – p. 157
• Maple Chocolate Truffles – p. 169

A few of these sections need an explanation:

If you live along Lake Superior (in either the Upper Peninsula of Michigan or the Duluth area of Minnesota), then you probably know that Whitefish is considered the poor man's lobster.  I am not fond of fish so I don't eat it, but the rest of my family loved it.  There is hardly a restaurant in these regions that doesn't have it on the menu.  Even though many of you won't be able to get your hands on Whitefish, you might want to try some of these recipes with a comparable fish from your area.  Check out Google for a home-turf equivalent.

Another wildly popular food from the U.P. (if not the most popular) is the Cornish pasty (pronounced pass-tee).  The Upper Peninsula (and northern Minnesota) is big into mining (of iron ore) and immigrants came from all over to work the mines.  The Cornish pasty was popular in the mining community but then caught on throughout the region. Today, you will find pasty shops everywhere and if you are traveling the area and find one, give it a try.

The crust for this recipe (which I did not try) is  made with a traditional suet crust but I've eaten plenty in my day that were made from vegetable shortening or lard and all was well.  Where disputes arise is the filling (rutabagas or not) and whether or not a pasty should be eaten with gravy, ketchup, or plain.  We were always a "ketchup" family as a pasty is really like a meat and potato casserole/meatloaf, wrapped in crust. 

Then there's the "Fruit Belt" of the lower peninsula.  The area I was just in, Traverse City (and environs) is the cherry capital of the world.  Also found in the "Fruit Belt" (as well as the U.P.) are blueberries and maple trees that yield maple syrup.  My dad used to tap the trees on our property to make syrup, and we also went blueberry picking several times when I was a kid.  Rounding out the fruit selection are recipes featuring Michigan apples.

As to the corn chowder I made, of course the recipe suggested using Michigan sweet corn, but alas, I used up some Iowa sweet corn brought to us by friends this summer.  I am no corn connoisseur but I doubt anyone could tell the difference.

So, with cheating on my mind (!), I set to work making this dish and I have to tell you that it failed because I failed.  The chowder itself is really flavorful and very good but I screwed up the corn situation and it was basically inedible. 

Here's what happened:  twice now, our Iowa friends have given us corn (Thanks, Doug and Emily!) and twice I've frozen it on the cob.  Methinks I should have blanched the corn or something but I didn't because what do I know? And so twice it ended up being soggy when I thawed it – no surprise, right? 

So this time around, I decided to try to dry the kernels by spreading them on a baking pan and setting my oven to 275.  When that didn't work, I thought maybe I should roast the kernels and so I put them in the oven at 425 just for a short period of time but by then, it was too late.

I was bereft.

Naturally, I should have looked online to see if I could find instructions, but I thought my solution would work.  It didn't.  As Andy said "Well, this is how we learn."  Ha!

So here's my advice to you if you make this dish (which you should because everything else was delicious):  1) if you use sweet corn (and the dish calls for you to add the de-kerneled cobs to the  chowder), do it when the corn is fresh, period, end of discussion. 2) if you cannot do that and want to make this dish, use frozen corn (proportionate to what you would remove from the cob) and cook it as directed.  And this is because 3) even though the recipe says to pour the hot chowder broth over the raw kernels to cook them, I am not sure that will happen unless you are using fresh kernels.  That said 4) the only ingredient in this chowder's "broth" is cream.  That's it.  My cream simmered nicely but it also thickened which is fine for the end result, but not so much to cook the kernels – at least in my completely inexpert opinion, emphasis on the "in."

I found I wanted to add chicken broth or water to the chowder so it was less thick but did not as I almost always stick to the recipe and the recipe said to use cream (and only cream).  You might want to tinker with it.

Finally, this recipe calls for you to use 1 tablespoon (less, if you make half the recipe as I did) of Roasted Garlic Puree, found on page 88, but you have to roast a lot of garlic for that 1 tablespoon and I didn't want to deal with it.  So here's what I did instead:  I caramelized one small onion along with some sliced garlic cloves, then pureed that and added it to the dish.  Worked just fine without the added fuss of roasting garlic.

And so kids, if you rework the recipe for either fresh corn or frozen (but cooked) corn, I think this might work. Heck, you could probably even use canned corn because who's going to know? 

After we picked our way around the corn, Andy suggested that maybe I could try again but I am not that fond of corn that I wanted to do so and so I passed.  Besides, I know where I sinned and shall now say the kitchen equivalent of  five Hail Mary's and move on.   And if you don't want to make corn chowder, there are plenty of other delicious recipes in this book with fabulous photos to boot (I am so hungry right now).

This concludes "Michigan, My Michigan," a look back at my home state and the fond memories I had of living and touring it.  As an aside, many people (including me) think that "Michigan, My Michigan" is the name of our state song but it isn't. According to Wiki, the state song is just "My Michigan."  I can see why there is confusion though, as the lyrics say "Michigan, my Michigan..." over and over but details, details.

Michigan Double Sweet Corn Chowder – serves 4

4 tablespoons unsalted sweet butter

1 cup white onions, peeled and diced

½ up leeks, white part only, diced

1 tablespoon Roasted Garlic Puree (recipe below) Ann's Note:  or substitute caramelized onions and garlic – see below

½ pound red skin potatoes, washed and sliced

*9-10 ears ultra fresh double sweet corn, preferably from Michigan, shucked, kernels removed, reserving "bones" (ears) *Ann's Note – Important see notes above and below about the corn situation

3 ½ - 4 cups heavy cream

Sea salt, to taste

Clancy's Fancy Hot Sauce, or similar, to taste

½ small lemon, juiced

For the roasted garlic puree – makes about 1 cup (of which you need ½-1 tablespoon)

1 pound fresh hardnecked garlic, whole heads or similar

½ cup extra virgin cold pressed olive oil

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

Fresh rosemary sprigs

And if you want to skip that, you can caramelize one small onion and a couple of garlic cloves (sliced) and then puree that.

To make the garlic puree:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Peel the outermost layers of skin off the heads of garlic leaving an intact whole head free of any scrap.  Split the heads in half (horizontally) opening the cloves.  Put the heads, cut sides up, in a small baking dish and pour the olive oil over them.  Season with salt, pepper, and top with the rosemary.

Cover tightly with foil or lid, place in the oven, and roast until about three-fourths cooked, about 45 minutes.  Uncover and return to the oven until the cloves begin to pop out of their skins and brown, about 15 minutes.

When cool enough to handle easily, squeeze the roasted garlic into a small bowl.  Press firmly against the skins to extract as much of the sweet roasted garlic as you can.

Add the oil from the baking dish and puree with the back of a spoon or in a small food processor until a paste forms.

Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 1 week.

To make the chowder:

In a 3-quart saucepan, melt the butter; sauté the onions and leeks over a moderate heat until translucent and wilted, about 10 minutes.

Add the Roasted Garlic Puree (Ann's Note:  or pureed caramelized onions/garlic mixture or skip this all together!) and the sliced red skin potatoes.  Cook for another 3 minutes or until the potatoes are warmed and completely coated in the butter.  Add the heavy cream, "corn bones" and season with the salt and hot sauce.

Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the "bones" have released their flavor.  Remove and discard the "bones."

***Place the rest of the raw corn kernels in the bottom of a soup tureen and pour the hot soup base over all, season to taste with the lemon juice.  Serve immediately.

***Ann's Note:  Since I screwed up the corn portion of our program, let me just remind you that to achieve the results above, use fresh corn otherwise, frozen but cooked corn is probably your best bet.  I just didn't think the "hot soup base" was hot enough to cook the corn but that's just me.  I also think the base was too thick and needs more than just cream but that's not what the recipe says!

If you get the corn right though, this chowder will be a home run instead of a slight swing and a miss.

"Michigan Facts, Food & Fun!" - (Kellogg's) Corn Flake Bars

Date I made this recipe: August 16, 2010

Michigan Facts, Food & Fun! – Composed and Edited by Judith Bosley
Published by: Grand Books, Middleton, Michigan (Grand Books – P.O. Box 7, Middleton, MI 48856) – Price: $6.50
ISBN: 0-930809-18-1
Recipe: Corn Flake Bars – p. 11

Novelist Thomas Wolfe famously said “You can’t go home again” but I disagree. After a trip back to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a place I’ve always had mixed feelings about, I think you can.

My hometown of Munising, Michigan is home of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. These “painted” rocks used to be a well-kept secret. But times have changed and now people from all over the planet are coming in to hike, kayak or take one of the many commercial cruise boats to tour the spectacular shoreline. I almost fell out of my proverbial chair the day my dad, husband and I took a boat tour. Ever single, previously-deserted beach was filled with people. Tons and tons of people. Jet skis were everywhere, a beautiful kayak flotilla bobbed near the rocks and pontoons filled the beaches. Where on earth did everyone come from??

And then there was the cruise itself. Back in the day, my friends and I got to ride for free so we jumped onto the “Miss Munising,” and out we went. Back then, the captain sold tickets right on the boat (as well as film to capture those Kodak moments); today, there is a huge ticket sale/gift shop building occupying a place by the docks and everything is run with naval efficiency even if the navy isn’t involved. One must reserve a place on the boat and have tickets in hand before jumping on board. Gone are the on-board film sales; today you can buy a digital camera memory card if you need one (although they do sell disposable cameras in case of emergency).

And people—can we talk about the boat docks themselves? When I was growing up, there was one dock and one dock only. Now there’s a second dock of slips and a few of the boats moored there showed “Munising” as the city of (boat) residence. Say what? Nobody had any money to buy a boat when I was younger (something I always thought was hilarious: we all lived on a lake but couldn’t afford to “be” on it.)

Too bad the boat didn’t serve cocktails because I could have used one—for the shock, you understand.

Still, Munising retains its quaint little feel. Downtown is still downtown—one main street and a couple of side ones. To combat summer traffic, the city fathers put in a stop light at the busiest intersection. Naturally my dad almost ran it the first time around.

Many of the same businesses exist although sometimes in a different location. As I made the rounds of banks with my dad to take care of some things for him, I marveled that until we got to the last place, I didn’t know anyone. Most last names meant nothing to me and that was unheard of when I was living there. But time marches on.

Nearby Marquette, Michigan, also on Lake Superior, fared much better in the “remember this?” game. Marquette was just featured in my local paper, the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune since it, too, is absolutely gorgeous. Marquette looks a lot like Duluth, Minnesota, right down to the ore docks and the high, San Francisco-like hills.

My mother grew up in Marquette and I went to school there and I tell you what, the place still looks about the same. Many of the same businesses are where they were supposed to be and the campus of Northern Michigan University looks virtually unchanged since I left it 30 years ago. In what has to be a cosmic moment, I am currently working on a project in Minneapolis with a guy who graduated from Northern four years ahead of me. He’s from the Detroit area (“downstate”) but loved spending time up in the UP and since he’s also a nature photographer, this makes sense to me. You can’t get any closer to nature (or rumor has it, God) in that area!

While in Marquette tooling around town, I spied Donkers candy store. When my mom was growing up, Donkers was THE hangout as it had a soda fountain that served up luscious treats in addition to their famous candy. When I was teenager the soda fountain closed and my mom and her friends were devastated. So she’d be happy to know that the fountain has now reopened for business. It doesn’t quite look the same but it is there nonetheless. If we had more time, I would have opted for one of their Tin Roof Sundaes.

Across the street was a little gift shop called Michigan Fair and it is there that I bought today’s featured cookbook. But first, a word about an actual department store called The Fair Store that used to be the place to shop in the nearby town of Escanaba, Michigan. (In case you haven’t figured it out, the UP is rife with Indian names).

The best thing about the Fair Store was that when you purchased an item, the clerk put the sales slip (written in triplicate) and your money in a cylinder and sent it up through a pneumatic tube to the accounting department. My brother and I were fascinated by that contraption and used to wait with bated breath until the cylinder came back down with the receipt and mom’s change. Modern payment systems have nothing over this one!

But I digress…so Michigan Fair, not to be confused with The Fair (department) Store, had several cookbooks but the one I selected was Michigan Facts Food & Fun!. I am pleased to say it delivered all three.

Out of all the recipes listed, some were clearly out of bounds—anything containing “wild” animals like venison or bear, anything containing “foraged food” like morel mushrooms (not that they aren’t good) and pasties, the famous Cornish meat pie. And it’s not because I don’t like pasties, I do, but pasties seem like winter food and we were in the midst of summer.

And then…I spied with my little eye the blurb for Battle Creek Michigan-Cereal City and the recipe for Corn Flake Bars.

Battle Creek, Michigan is indeed “Cereal City” because of the presence of the mighty cereal maker – Kellogg’s. Those of my generation will remember ads for Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes® (“They’re great!”) and Kellogg’s Rice Krispies® (“Snap, Crackle, Pop, Rice Krispies!”) but the company also made the ever-popular Kellogg’s Special K® and Kellogg’s Corn Flakes®. (And let’s not forget Pop Tarts, shall we?) And so when I saw the Corn Flake bar recipe, it was all over but the crying.

This was so easy to make it was just silly and the bars are tasty if not a bit messy. And so you see, you can go home again, even if it’s just taking your favorite cereal for a walk down memory lane.

Enjoy!

Corn Flake Bars – makes an 8x8 pan of bars
3 T. butter
32 large marshmallows (because studies have shown that 33 is too many??)
4 C. cornflakes
½ C. chopped nuts
½ C. shredded coconut
4 ozs. Semisweet chocolate

Melt butter and marshmallows over low heat; stir in cereal, coconut and nuts. (We left out the nuts). Press mixture into a buttered 8x8-inch buttered pan. Melt chocolate and spread over mixture. Cut into bars.

Warning: For those who use the microwave to melt the chocolate, keep your eye on the prize! I was going along just fine until I smelled something burning and sure enough, it was my chocolate. I think a minute in the microwave is about enough to melt the chocolate. Anything more is asking for a visit from the fire department!

For more information on the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, go to: http://www.nps.gov/piro/
For more information about the Pictured Rocks Boat Cruises go to: http://www.picturedrocks.com/Home.php
For more information about Marquette, Michigan go to: http://www.mqtcty.org/
For more information about Michigan Fair go to: http://michiganfair.com/
For more information about Kellogg’s go to: http://www2.kelloggs.com/

"To Your Kitchen, from the Castle Rangers Booster Club" - Barbecued Pork Chops

Date I made this recipe: July 19, 2010

To Your Kitchen, from the Castle Rangers Booster Club compiled by the Castle Rangers Drum & Bugle Corps Booster Club and Friends (Munising, Michigan)
Published by: Circulation Service
© 1974
Recipe: Barbecued Pork Chops submitted by Mrs. Ed Matson – p. 20

People, I’ve often said that I have a cookbook for just about everything and this week is no exception. After attending, of all things, a Drum Corps International competition with a friend, I came home, pulled the Castle Rangers (Drum & Bugle Corps) Booster Club cookbook, To Your Kitchen off my shelf and away we went!

The Castle Rangers was the name of a drum and bugle corps from my hometown, Munising, Michigan. The Castle Rangers were organized in 1973 to take the place of the Silver Echoes that performed from 1962 to 1971. The Castle Rangers lasted until 1977 and sadly, that was the end of the line for the drum and bugle corps.

I tell you what, folks I wanted to be a Silver Echo in the worst way, particularly a member of the color guard. Flag bearer, rifle twirler, it didn’t matter to me just as long as I got to wear those satiny uniforms, plumed hats and best of all, the white majorette boots. (It was, and remains, all about those boots!) But alas, I was too young. One of my former next-door neighbors, though, was the corps commander, sharply issuing orders to her crew – “Mark Time March!” “Forward March!” and I would snap to attention as though she were talking to me. (And don’t get me started on those snappy salutes they gave at the start of each parade as they still bring chills.)

By the time the Castle Rangers came along, I was no longer interested. (Much of it, I hate to say, was due to their outfits. Miner's Castle, the inspiration for the groups' name, is part of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and that prompted the (park) ranger outfit. But people, the colors they selected, green and orange, were a definite turn off. And I didn't quite fancy looking like a forest ranger at the time so there it is.) Be that as it may, I still hung out with some friends in the Rangers and managed to learn how to twirl a rifle or two.

So fast forward to the DCI competition held this past Saturday at the new University of Minnesota stadium that was built near my house. Ai yi yi, people, talk about a change to the corps!

First let’s start with the fact that today’s drum corps don’t march and given the number of guitars, marimbas (xylophones), and even tympanis (kettle drums) that were used, you can see how that would be a problem. I’ve never seen so many percussion accoutrements in my life!

Style wise, today’s “march” consists of this interesting heel and toe combination that always triggers me to “sing” “Heel, toe, heel, toe, slide, slide, slide, slide…” like I learned during dance class during PE (physical education) in high school. I’d rather see some military-styled marching because that’s what I’m used to but I fear those days are long gone.

Third, call me a dinosaur (It’s okay—I do!) but what on earth are these groups playing? Most songs, a term I use loosely, were unrecognizable. And okay, so the Silver Echoes played the song “Tammy” from the movie, "Tammy and the Bachelor” (popular in the 60’s) but what’s your point? At Saturday’s performance, the Madison Scouts earned big brownie points by playing a medley that included "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" (from the musical "On Your Toes," music and lyrics by Rogers and Hart, 1963) as well as Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue." Now that’s music!

But what wasn’t music…or at least music I’m not used to hearing from a drum & bugle corps was a religious medley played by one of the groups we heard on the field. The first piece they played sounded a lot like "Beauty and the Beast"…until the flag corps came out in choir robes carrying crosses. Excuse the pun but what.the.hell???! The group ended with a piece that took me about a half an hour to name ("Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow") and the piece de resistance was the group unfurling a large banner with hands clasped in prayer in the middle. Oy vez!! We didn’t know what on earth to make of that performance—heavenly? Divine? (And while I’m at it, drum and bugle corps started to lead troops into battle and while I’m sure the troops called upon divine intervention to keep them safe, I’m not sure that today’s troops could get their battle groove thing on with that music as a warm up!).

And finally…I would be remiss if I did not talk about the modern day concept of a color guard. I realize time has marched on (hahaha) without me but since when does a color guard consist of dancing and prancing flag bearers and riffle twirlers? And can we TALK about the outfits? Oh.my.word. Let’s be clear—lyrca is nobody’s friend and lyrca plus major polyester is just against the laws of fashion. And the COLORS! Holy Moly—hardly anybody’s outfits matched those of the drum and bugle players. Where are Clinton and Stacey from TLC’s What Not to Wear when you need them? (And no, Clinton and Stacey, we are not talking about a little pop of color to accentuate an outfit. We are talking about a paint spattering of what was left over at the Home Depot paint department that day!)

All that being said, it was most unfortunate for all that the Twin Cities experienced major storms and only 14 out of 23 corps competed so we were unable to take in the full drum corps experience. Kudos, though, to the ones who performed, especially an itty bitty drum corps from St. Peter Minnesota. It was nice to see some local groups mixed in with the big guns from either coast.

So back to the cookbook--there’s nothing like a community cookbook, is there? I love the fact that I know just about everyone in this cookbook, a cookbook by the way that I took from my mother’s collection. After much discussion and lobbying, we settled on the Barbecued Pork Chop recipe. It was ridiculously easy to make and (and this I love), I had all ingredients on hand so all I had to buy was the pork chops. The only advice I have is to watch the chops as pork tends to get dried out very quickly. The sauce was a winner and is something I can see putting on many a cut of meat.

And now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go back to viewing and listening to vintage sounds from the Silver Echoes on YouTube…already in progress. (Their rendition of “Look for the Silver Lining” is giving me goosebumps!)

Barbecued Pork Chops – makes 4 to 6 chops or pork steaks
For the sauce:
½ c. catsup
½ c. chili sauce
¼ c. chopped onion
2 tsp. prepared mustard
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. celery seed
1 clove garlic
Dash Tabasco sauce
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Combine all ingredients, mix well.

In a large saucepan cover meat with water. Salt to taste. Simmer covered over medium heat 20 minutes. Drain the chops and place in a covered dish. Pour the sauce over each chop. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Grill over hot coals until browned, about 20 minutes, brushing with sauce if necessary.

"Michigan Herb Cookbook" - Santa Fe Salmon Salad

Date I made this recipe: July 26, 2009

Michigan Herb Cookbook by Susan Breckenridge and Marjorie Snyder
Published by: The University of Michigan Press
ISBN: 0-472-08694-4
Recipe: Santa Fe Salmon Salad – p. 101

People, my cookbook collection is now up to 1,086 (and still counting) and last weekend, that was just 1, 085 books too many to contemplate. I could not come up with a recipe to make if my life depended on it.

At first, I thought of paying homage to Bastille Day (July 14) but the date came and went and all the recipes I looked at just seemed too heavy for summer.

Next up was a possible homage to Walter Cronkite who passed away last week. But again – what does one cook to honor the most trusted man in news? I didn’t even know where to begin so I passed on that as well.

I then pulled out a couple of other cookbooks but just couldn’t bring myself to really commit to finding a recipe and so they sat (and still sit) on my dining room table.

It didn’t take long for me to throw in the towel, make myself a bowl of pasta using sauce from a (gasp) jar and call it a day. It also didn’t take too long for blogger’s guilt to set in—you know the “I should have made a recipe for my blog this weekend except I was too lazy” guilt. But this, oddly enough, gave me the strength to carry on.

And so for no discernable reason whatsoever, I pulled the Michigan Herb Cookbook off the shelf and found something that turned out to be exactly what I needed— a refreshing, summer recipe using fresh herbs and vegetables and even fish (and I am not too fond of fish). And now I am renewed of spirit and ready to roll.

This salmon salad recipe is definitely a keeper and was just what the doctor ordered on a somewhat dreary (and a little bit nippy) day. Even the salmon passed muster and for me, that’s a biggie.

Enjoy!

Santa Fe Salmon Salad – serves 4

1 lb salmon fillets (not steaks)

Vinaigrette
1 garlic clove, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
½ c. EACH fresh lime juice, orange juice, and oil
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. Salt
¾ tsp EACH sugar and ground cumin

Salad Mixings
2 bunches watercress, picked over and cleaned
1 head romaine, cleaned and shredded
½ c. cilantro, chopped
½ c. EACH red and green pepper, julienned
(optional) 1 jicama, peeled and chopped

Salsa
4 scallions, chopped
2 tomatillos, husks removed and minced
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped (the recipe recommended Italian but they looked horrible so I went with Bushel Boy)

Combine the vinaigrette ingredients and pour about ¼ cup over salmon and place in a resealable plastic food storage bag and refrigerate for 1 hour. Combine salsa ingredients and set aside.

Grill or broil salmon till done. Salmon can be served cold or warm. On a large platter place the salad mixings and toss with a little of the vinaigrette. Place salmon around salad mixings and top with salsa.

By the way, I have to confess that I accidentally made a recipe from a cookbook I previously cooked from, sort of my own personal “No-no” for this blog (my rule is one recipe per book). The book is called Food in Good Season by Betty Fussell and I made the Sweet Corn and Cucumber Soup on page 152. I liked it so you may want to give it a try; it went great with the salad.