Catfish "Burgers"

Now I love a good beef burger--served up medium rare with loads of bleu cheese--as much as the next guy. But I recognize it is not healthiest of dinner choices. So I've been experimenting with various kinds of fish sandwiches (such as salmon, tuna) for a healthier "burger"-eating experience. These catfish burgers are my latest creations and really saved that day last Sunday when I felt lucky to get anything on the table.

To try these, start with a medium onion, 2 large cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp of capers and 1/4 bunch of parsley. Place all of these ingredients in a food processor and then pulse until the aromatic vegetables are finely chopped. Then saute this mixture in a saute pan (the bottom pan should be just coated in olive oil) until the onions become translucent. Set the mixture aside to cool. Next you need about 2 1/4 lbs of catfish. Cut the catfish into small bite-sized chunks and then grind in a food processor. You don't want the fish to be pulverized into a paste but you do want to get it into fine pieces (it should look like ground meat).

Remove the ground fish from the processor and place in a large bowl. Add the sauteed onion mixture to the fish. Next add 2 tbsp of mayonnaise and 1 heaping tbsp of dijon mustard. Then add 2 tbsp of Old Bay Seasoning, 1 tbsp of Lawry's seasoning salt, 1 tbsp of breadcrumbs, 1 tsp of lemon juice and cayenne pepper to taste. Make sure that all of the seasonings are incorporated into the fish. Next test the seasonings by sauteing a small amount of the fish mixture (how disappointing it would be to find out after cooking all of the burgers that they need more salt?!). Adjust the seasoning to taste if needed.

Shape the mixture into 5 patties. After shaping each patty, lightly coat it in breadcrumbs. Once all the patties have been shaped and coated in breadcrumbs place them in the freezer for about 20 minutes to firm up. This step is important because it will help the burgers keep their shape during the deep-frying process.

After the burgers have set, deep fry the burgers in canola oil at about 320F. Each burger will take about 5-6 minutes and will take on a deep brown color.

A broccoli slaw is a great complement to this burger--adds a nice texture contrast. To make the slaw I used a store-bought mixture of julienned carrots, broccoli stalks and cabbage and dressed it in a lemon vinaigrette. To make the vinaigrette, add 1/2 tbsp of dijon mustard, 2 tbsp of lemon juice and 6 tbsp of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk this mixture to emulsify. Lightly dress the broccoli mixture so that it is just coated in the vinaigrette. Now its time to assemble the burgers.

Slice hearty sesame buns and get them nice and toasty. Spread a bit of tartar sauce on the inside of each bun-top and bottom halves. Then place the catfish burgers on the bottom halves and pile on some of the broccoli slaw. When you've got the bun "lids" on you are ready to eat. I served these burgers with some sweet potato fries and a cold wheat beer.

Mumbo Gumbo

I pretty much love any dish that hails from Louisiana. The fusion of African and European flavors and techniques remind me of the creole food I grew up on in Trinidad. Gumbo is right up my alley--a comforting one-pot meal with some of my favorite ingredients: okra, andouille sausage, chicken and shrimp.

Gumbo is really easy to make. The hardest step is making the roux (but more on that later). Start by slicing 4 andouille sausages on the diagonal. Then brown the sliced sausage in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Beforehand you want to add just enough canola oil to coat the bottom of the Dutch oven to prevent the sausage from sticking. Once the sausage slices are browned remove them and set aside. Next add 6 chicken thighs seasoned liberally with Lawry's seasoning salt (I am a big fan of the stuff..but plain old salt and pepper would also work) to the Dutch oven. You want to brown the chicken in the oils that the sausages released. I recommend browning the chicken in batches as an overcrowded pan will lower the temperature and lengthen the browning time. Remove the chicken after you've achieved a nice deep brown color (remember color=flavor). After browning the chicken pieces, set them aside with the sausage. Next you want to saute the aromatic veg. I added about a tablespoon of finely chopped celery, 6-7 tablespoons of finely diced yellow bell pepper (about a 1/3 of a large yellow bell pepper), a finely diced medium onion and 3 large cloves of minced garlic. Saute this vegetable mixture--in the same Dutch oven that you used to brown the sausage and chicken--until the onions become translucent. Then remove all of the vegetable mixture from the Dutch oven and set aside.

Now comes the roux. Add about 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter to the Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Once the butter has melted add 4 tablespoons and using a whisk stir the mixture until the flour is completely incorporated into the butter. Keep whisking periodly and slowly brown the roux until is goes from a blond color to a deep caramel color. When the color is right add about a quart of chicken broth to the Dutch oven. Then add the sausage, chicken, and vegetable mixture back to the Dutch oven. There should be enough liquid to completely cover the sausage and chicken. Add 1 teaspoon of Gumbo file (if you don't have this the recipe will work fine), 1/2 a pack of Sazon (a Goya spice--don't worry if you don't have it), cayenne pepper to taste and then simmer on medium-low heat for about 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is really tender (the meat should pull apart easily). Then add about a cup of frozen chopped okra. Once the okra is fork tender (a few minutes), add about about 1/2 lb of shrimp. Cook for 5 minutes longer until the shrimp is cooked (they should just turn pink and curl up a bit). Finish with a squeeze of lemon and chopped parsley for garnish. This recipe will feed about 4-5 people.

Penne with Braised Beef

This recipe was inspired by a Fresh Direct sale on beef short ribs and a Giada at Home (a Food Network program) episode I recently saw. I love the cooked-all-day-long flavor of a bolognese sauce and thought this recipe would be reminiscent of a bolognese without all of the dairy and ingredients the latter requires.

I began by generously seasoning 3 pounds of ribs (about six pieces)on all sides with salt and pepper. Next I browned the beef short ribs (in batches)on medium/high heat in a large Dutch oven until I achieved a deep mahogany color (this is very important -- color equals flavor). This browning process takes some time but is worth the effort. It probably took about 25 minutes to brown six short ribs. After browning the meat, I removed the ribs from the Dutch oven and set them aside. I then added a finely diced onion, 3 large cloves of minced garlic, a tsp of red pepper flakes and the leaves from 3 or 4 sprigs of thyme to the same Dutch oven in which I had browned the meat. Using a wooden spoon I sauteed the onion mixture until the onions were translucent. Then I added a cup of red wine, rubbing the bottom of the pan to dissolve the brown bits from the meat. Next I added about 2 cups of chicken stock (beef or veal stock would be preferable if you have it on hand) and half of a can of San Marzano tomatoes. I added the ribs back to the Dutch oven and placed the lid on and let the meat simmer for about 2 1/2 hours or until the meat is falling off of the bone.

When the ribs were cooked, I once again removed them from the Dutch oven and set them aside while I prepared the sauce. The first step in making the sauce is to remove the fat from the braising liquid that the ribs were cooked in. I did this by placing paper towels on the surface of the liquid. The paper towels quickly absorb the oil that floats on top of the liquid and can just be discarded. Once I was satified that the braising liquid was no longer oily, I pureed it so that all of the onions, garlic, tomatoes and meat juices were blended into a smooth sauce. I added a touch of cream (about a tablespoon)--- because I found the sauce needed a bit of sweetness-- and a dash of red wine vinegar to wake things up a bit.

Next I used a fork to shred the rib meat (should look like pulled pork when you're done).

I then boiled about a pound of penne in heavily salted boiling water (should taste like sea water). After draining the al dente penne in a colander I added the pasta and the shredded rib meat to the Dutch oven with the sauce. I cooked the pasta, sauce and meat for a few minutes on medium heat so that all the components were well-blended. I finished with a handful of grated parmesan and chopped parsley. Comfort food!

Crispy Duck with Thai Red Curry Sauce

Duck is a real favorite at my house. Rich succulent meat, crispy skin and incredibly tasty fat (great for cooking almost anything in) is an irresistible steak-like combination. It is the closest poultry gets to tasting like beef.

It is much more complicated than steak to prepare, however--especially when cooked whole. When I cook duck at home I usually prepare just the breast meat, on low heat, skin-side down in a saute pan, slowly rendering the fat to achieve that much-sought-after crispy skin. My successes with duck breast evidently caused me to be much too confident in my ability to cook a whole bird.

This point became all too clear when I attempted to roast a whole duck last month. Although the end product was a beautifully browned bird, with crispy lacquered skin....it was a total disaster in the taste department...a real let-down--especially because it looked so appetizing.

I tried to redeem myself last weekend by reproducing one of my hubby's favorite dishes - crispy duck in Thai red curry sauce.

What I didn't realize the last time I attempted a whole duck was how long it takes to cook a whole bird. Unlike chicken, duck can stand up to hours of cooking. Total cooking time for this recipe was about 4 hours.

I began by liberally coating a 5-lb duck--inside and out--with a store-bought Thai red curry paste. I let the duck marinate uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. Exposing the duck helps to dry out the skin and facilitates the skin-crisping process when the duck is cooked. Then, using the sharp end of a knife I pierced the skin and fat layers of the entire duck to allow the fat to render, taking care not to penetrate the meat. I then steamed the duck for 3 1/2 hours. Now, I don't have a steamer that is large enough to hold a duck so I improvised by putting it in a colander, which I then placed in a large pot that contained about 3 cups of water. To this cooking liquid I added a 2-inch-long stalk of ginger, a bunch of scallions, half of a lime and half of a head of garlic. You know the duck is done when the leg joints feel loose and are easy to move back and forth.

After steaming, I let the duck rest/cool until it was easy to handle. I then cut the bird into quarters (My deep-fryer isn't big enough to accomodate a whole bird). I deep-fried the duck, two pieces at a time at an oil temperature of 375 F, until the pieces were a deep golden brown and the skin was crispy (about ten minutes).

While I fried the duck I began to prepare the curry sauce. I sauteed about 2 tbsp of store-bought Thai red curry paste in a pan (you can add more if you like more heat) and then added, 1/2 cup of coconut milk, 1/2 cup of chicken stock, 1 tsp of fish sauce, a squeeze of lime juice (about a tsp) and 1 1/2 tsp of sugar (If I had canned pineapple I would have added about 1/2 a can for sweetness instead of the sugar). I then let the sauce reduce for about 8 mins to let the flavors marry and sauce reduce. I then drizzled this sauce over the pieces of fried duck. Don't overdo it or you'll spoil the crispy skin you worked so hard to achieve. I served the duck with sauteed bok choy and sticky rice. I'll be doing this one again.