Shorthand It

I hate when I've gone a week between posts--which I never mean to do, but life happens--because it means that there is too much to catch up on.  It makes me think of a scene from Will and Grace, a show I used to love.  Will and Grace had a fight, they want all the drama to be over, but don't want to go through a big, emotional, apologetic conversation.  Grace says, "Let's shorthand it."  They both laugh for a second, fake-cry for a second, hug and the fight is over. 

If only.

So let me shorthand it--here are the bullet points:

• On Golden Pond is finally cast, and I'm really pleased with everyone involved. 
• David managed to fracture and displace one of his ribs in a mountain biking accident last weekend, plus sprain his right wrist.  He'll be fine, but he's a little helpless right now.
• My parents are in town for their annual visit.
• I had one of the longest depositions of my career last Friday, in which opposing counsel beat up on my psychiatric expert and was just a total jerk.

You would think that the last one wouldn't surprise me at this point, but I work in such a specialized field that I see about the same thirty lawyers over and over again.  The vast majority of them manage to be totally civil while disagreeing with each other.  I think the motivation to be nice is that we're all going to see each other again, so don't want to piss each other off.  This guy was not one of the thirty people I usually see, and obviously was not advised about the civility rule.

I have two more depositions with him in August.  Give me strength.

Last week I posted the crisp green salad with quinoa that I served with Nigella's salmon.  Salmon fishing is at its peak in Alaska right now--friends keep bringing home upwards of twenty fish and we're often the lucky recipients of extra fish.  This recipe is dead simple--portion the fish, pat it dry, dunk in seasoning and then pan fry.  Couldn't be easier.

Seared Mustard-Crusted Salmon

Adapted from Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1 1/2 tbsp. crushed mustard seed or powder

4 6 oz. fillets of salmon (the recipe calls for skinless, but I left the skin on)

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.  When the skillet is warm, add the oil. 

In a shallow bowl, mix together the sugar and mustard.  Dredge the fish in it--if you are using skinless fillets, dredge it on both sides.

Throw a plate in the oven to warm.  Then add the fillets to the skillet and cook for three minutes on each side.  If you are using fillets with skin, start with the skin facing up.  You might want to check one of the fillets at the six-minute mark to make sure it is cooked through, although this recipe is meant to keep the salmon juicy and slightly opaque. 

Remove to the warmed plate and serve with last week's greens and quinoa.  Makes a lovely summer dinner for four.

Climb Ev'ry Mountain (At Least the Easy Ones)

I love Anchorage in the summer, last post's weather gripes aside.

We had fabulous friends over for dinner on Friday (there was an ill-fated clafoutis incident that I won't bother you with here), dinner with a friend of my parents on Saturday, and then walked past a street fair to meet some other friends later that night.  On nice days in Anchorage, you run into everyone downtown--forget six degrees of separation, it's more like two.

Yesterday David and I went hiking at Falls Creek Trail, which is a very steep uphill trail through trees to a valley at the end.  The state's website says the difficulty is "moderate," which may be true if you're a mountain goat or a Dall sheep.  My pedometer said that the uphill was the equivalent of going up 141 flights of stairs, if that can be believed, and my legs are a little on the sore side today.



A view of Turnagain Arm from
further up the trail.



By the time we rolled off the mountain dirty and sweaty, I didn't want to do anything too complicated for dinner.  Halibut tacos are one of the great Alaskan summer dishes--you can find them on menus around the state while the halibut is fresh, and while some restaurants are stupid enough to deep-fry halibut chunks for the tacos, this broiled version is much tastier and healthier.

I sauteed a small red spring onion and half a jalapeno and mixed them with a can of black beans for a side.  Green tomatillo salsa is a perfect complement to the tacos.

Halibut Tacos

Adapted from A Platter of Figs by David Tanis

1 lb. halibut steak or fillet

2 small peperoncino peppers, crushed

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

Extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 head green cabbage, thinly shredded

1 lime, juiced

Small corn or flour tortillas

Kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper

For serving:

Guacamole

Black beans

Lowfat plain yogurt or sour cream

Salsa

Pat the fish dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides.  Preheat the broiler or, if it's a nice day, prepare your grill and cook the fish outside.

Combine the garlic, peppers and dried oregano in a ramekin, then spread on one side of the fish.  Drizzle the fish with olive oil on the same side.  If you have time to marinate the fish for an hour or so, cover it and put it in the fridge.  You'll want to let it come back up to room temperature before cooking.

In a small bowl, toss the shredded cabbage with a little salt, then add the lime juice and toss again.  Set it aside while you're cooking the fish.

Place the fish on a baking sheet and broil on high for about three minutes on each side.  The fish will be done when it flakes into large chunks and is opaque inside. 

Serve with warmed tortillas and garnish with the shredded cabbage and other fixings.

Serves 2 with leftovers.

And Chaos Ensued

David and I are still cleaning up the kitchen after last night's Passover seder/blowout.  We had our first one two years ago with about six people, last year increased to about eight and this year went full throttle with a crowd of fourteen that included three children and one person that neither of us had previously met (though she was lovely). 

Despite all the careful planning, there were things we had forgotten, like the hand-washing bowl that is a part of the seder.  While dinner was in the oven, the delicious potato casserole boiled over and caused smoke to fill the kitchen and dining room.  We then opened the doors a little earlier than the section where you open them for Elijah--but no matter.  It was a chaotic seder, but everyone had a good time.

Last week I wrote about the challenges of preparing a delicious meal that is not only kosher for Passover (no bread, rice, beans, corn, peas or things that puff when they cook), plus suitable for the one vegan and five vegetarians that were joining us.  What do you serve under these circumstances?We settled on a dairy meal with a fish dish--for those who aren't familiar with the laws of kashrut, certain fish are considered pareve, or neutral--neither meat nor milk. 

Haroset (traditional fruit-and-nut dish that is part of the seder plate, but also delicious)

Matzoh

Herb-crusted halibut

Warm quinoa salad with vegetables

Roasted asparagus

The best scalloped potatoes ever (will be posted later this week)

Various salads and vegetables brought by friends

Gelato and chocolate-covered matzoh for dessert



This is what I get for forgetting take photos until after the meal.

We had a lot of food, and our refrigerator runneth over.  As it turned out, most of the vegetarians were of the pescetarian, a/k/a Alaska vegetarian, variety--eaters of fish but not meat.  That's just as well since David got carried away when he bought the halibut. 

This recipe originally called for salmon, but oddly salmon was selling at a premium yesterday.  It makes no sense, unless it is all the restaurants in the lower 48 buying Alaska salmon that is causing the price hike.  It worked just as well for halibut, a firm, mild white fish that needs adventurous flavors to be at its best.  I doubled the original recipe, but it can be scaled back down if you're feeding less than a crowd.

Herb-Crusted Halibut

Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa's How Easy is That? by Ina Garten

2 cups chopped mixed herbs--parsley, sage, thyme or whatever you have on hand

2 cups chopped green onions, including both the white and green parts
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup dry white wine
5 lb. halibut filet, skin on

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  While it is heating, place the halibut skin side down on a rimmed baking sheet.  In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and olive oil, then pour evenly over the halibut--there may be a bit left over. 

Combine the herbs and green onions, then pat the mixture evenly over the fish.  Pour the wine around the edges of the halibut.

Bake for fifteen to eighteen minutes, or until the thickest part of the fish flakes easily and is opaque.  Remove the fish from the oven and cover with foil for ten minutes.

Easily serves 12 people.

Nesting Instinct

I love living in Anchorage.  Very little gets cancelled when there are several feet of snow, but "slippery conditions" that seem to be very similar to yesterday's slippery conditions have shut down a large portion of the city schools.  Maybe I'm just being grumpy because I'd like to stay home today, too.

 

I really should take the computer cables
out of the background before taking
photos, shouldn't I?

It's been great to be home most evenings this week now that Love, Loss has closed.  I start rehearsals for my next directing project in a couple of weeks, but in the interim I am doing what I like to call "nesting."  As in, cleaning the house, catching up on the bad television I didn't see while I was performing (thanks, Hulu!), reading and cooking.



This recipe is an adaptation of one for sashimi that I received from Iron Horse, the Sonoma winery.  The recipes are often lovely but a little complicated.  I'm sure someone has Madras curry oil in their pantry, but it sure isn't the majority of their consumers.  With a little punting, though, this became a fantastic light main dish.  I just wish I'd had a colorful sauce to use as well.  Next time!

Seared Yellowfin Tuna with Curry Oil and Soy Glaze

Adapted from a Recipe by Chef Ming Tsai

1 lb. yellowfin tuna fillets, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. curry powder or curry powder blend (I used Penzey's Singapore Seasoning Blend)

Sea salt and pepper

1 shallot, minced

1 cup low-sodium soy sauce

Juice of 1/2 lime

1 tbsp. brown sugar

Once you have pounded the tuna, cut into four servings.  Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and return to the refrigerator.

In a small pot, combine the lime juice, soy sauce and brown sugar and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Then reduce heat to medium and cook for about a half hour, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has reduced to about a fourth of its original volume.  Once it is finished, set it aside to cool and then pour it into a squeeze bottle.

In a ramekin or measuring cup, combine the olive oil and curry powder.  Stir and set aside until needed.

After the soy mixture has been cooking for about twenty minutes, warm a large saucepan over medium heat and remove the tuna from the refrigerator.  Add the curry oil to the saucepan, stirring to ensure even distribution of the spices, which will want to separate from the oil.  When the oil is warm, add the shallot and saute for about two to three minutes, until it is softened.  Remove the shallot from the pan and set aside.

Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the tuna steaks.  Sear them briefly, about a minute on each side, which will leave them just pink in the center.

Drizzle the plates with the soy glaze.  If desired,  dot any remaining curry oil on the plates too.  Plate the fish with a small portion of the shallots on top and serve with rice and a side of steamed or stir-fried vegetables.

Serves four as a light main dish.