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10 Legs in the Kitchen

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10 Legs in the Kitchen

Tag Archives: cabbage

Please Remove Your Shoes

31 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by Stacey Bender in From the journals, Ginger + Buddy, the kitchen

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Buddy & Ginger, cabbage, crispy halibut, dinner, house rules, raw beets, remove your shoes

20140331-195149.jpgCrispy halibut with raw beet, apple, cabbage slaw

When Buddy came to visit us with his Foster Mom, Michelle, three years ago, he walked right in as if he had always lived here. He came in the door, alongside Sophie (a shitzu who was also sadly looking for a home), said his proper hello then proceeded to make a beeline straight to the living room where he confidently climbed into Gingers “raft” (code name for her living room bed). Ginger, had no reaction. This was a strong indication that he may, in fact, be here to stay.

To give a little context to the significance of this move, I need to let you know that Ginger was not on board with our decision to provide her with a little brother. In fact, she had no idea that this was a real consideration. Ginger was ten years old at the time and had always been the center of attention. Ginger is far more interested in the people we meet than their dogs and through her actions around the other dogs, she was very clear about her desire to be an only child. Ginger is a little territorial. She also doesn’t like to share.

So when Buddy made himself at home in her very special bed, Tom and I both looked at each other with wide eyes and took a deep breath. Then… nothing happened. We were elated and at the same time, quite surprised.

Our next step, as Michelle suggested, was to take them for a walk together. Buddy plowed forward like a bull dog, hind feet propelling so fast I thought he might do a summersault. Ginger competitively tried to get ahead but they both ended up strolling together, side-by-side. They tromped through the wet grass at the park and sniffed everything along the way, including each other. It was still wet out from the rain and the mud coated their little paws making patterns on the sidewalk as they marched onward.

When we returned home, Tom took Buddy and I took Ginger, into our arms and carried them to the back door to wipe their feet with the paw towel. Michelle was puzzled by this and said, “Oh, they have to wipe their feet?”, as if this might break the deal.

We don’t have many rules in this house, but one that we make everyone abide by is, “please remove your shoes”. We even provide guest slippers in a bin next to our door, yet they rarely ever get worn. Most people don’t have a problem with this rule, but it is obvious that not all people have this one. Buddy doesn’t like the rule. He likes everything about living here but continues to try and wear his dirty shoes in the house. When I open the door from the backyard to let him in, he sheepishly looks up at me and hesitates when he sees the towel in my hand. I can see his eyes darting to and fro, looking for an alternate route. He usually takes two steps back and requires a little coaxing to come inside (screen door practically shutting closed and thwacking him on the butt).

I take his tiny paws, one at a time and gently brush the towel back and forth to remove the dirt then give a little squeeze to dry the moisture. The second I release his fourth paw, he catapults out of my hands as if he were a wind-up toy, heading toward the treat jar.

Balanced nutrition and healthy foods are a key to building a stronger body. The first time I took Buddy’s little paws in my hands, they were so thin and frail, I feared I would snap them in two. Just this morning, I couldn’t help but notice that his feet felt big and his legs felt sturdy. The little twigs that used to be in their place have grown strong and healthy and a diet rich in nutrients, devoid of chemicals and fillers have played a big part.

Needless to say, he did stay and even Ginger thinks he is kind of swell (although won’t admit it). So with a spring in their step and all shoes removed, Buddy and Ginger join us at the table for our family dinner, halibut tonight.

Crisp halibut over raw beet, apple, cabbage & blue cheese slaw with mint aioli
Serves 2 plus enough for two small pups

As usual, Buddy and Ginger get their fish cooked in foil, sans seasoning and they take their slaw undressed, minus onion. You can use any dense white fish, or even salmon, instead of halibut. I like using golden beets in the Springtime and red beets closer to Fall.

INGREDIENTS (for slaw)

2 cups shredded napa cabbage
2 small or 1 medium golden beet, cleaned & peeled
1/2 red apple, cored, sliced and julienned (squeeze lemon juice over to keep them from turning color)
2 green onions, sliced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 TB mint aioli (recipe to follow)
1 oz. good quality blue cheese, crumbled (I used Rogue Creamery Reserve)
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

PREPARE (the slaw)

Parboil the peeled beet. Slice the beet very thin (helps to use a mandolin). Set aside six slices for garnish.

Mix together the cabbage, beets and onion in a medium bowl. Squeeze in the lemon juice and sprinkle over a pinch or two of sea salt

Toss in the aioli and mix well. Add the blue cheese, carefully mixing it in.

Season to taste and let rest at room temperature as you cook the fish.

INGREDIENTS (for the mint aioli)

1 TB rice wine vinegar
1 TB lime juice
1/2 tsp Thai hot sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
Pinch of sea salt
1 TB chopped shallot
1 egg yolk
6 TB peanut oil
1 TB hazelnut oil
1/4 cup packed fresh mint

PREPARE

Process the the vinegar, lime juice, hot sauce, sugar, shallot and yolk in a food processor. Slowly add in the oil until emulsified. Add the fresh mint and process until smooth.

INGREDIENTS (for the fish)

3/4 – 1 lb fresh halibut fillet, skin removed and cut into 2 pieces
Sea salt and pepper to season
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour (or all purpose)
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1 egg, lightly beaten (or spanked ever-so slightly)
1/2 cup panko

COOK (the fish)

I don’t typically measure out the flour or panko, so don’t get too hung up on the quantities listed above.

In addition to lightly seasoning the halibut with salt & pepper, I also lightly season the flour with the addition of smoked paprika.

Rinse and pat dry the fish (friendly-like). If you have a small dog(s), consider trimming the ends of the fish off to cook in foil for them (trust me, they will love you even more if that’s possible).

Dust the fish (no feathers necessary) with the seasoned flour then dip it into the egg letting the excess drip off. Press the fish into the panko on each side.

Heat a pan until hot and add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the fish and let cook, undisturbed until it has formed a nice brown crust. Flip it over and cook through a few minutes more, depending on it’s thickness. If you like, you can transfer the pan to a 375 degree oven once it is flipped and continue cooking it in the oven.

TO SERVE

Put three beet slices down on each plate. Put a mound of slaw in the center and top with a fillet of halibut. Serve with a small bowl of aioli alongside. Alternately, you could drizzle some sauce on the plate before you put down the beets. A sprig of mint makes a nice garnish.

20140331-204953.jpgFriends without dirty shoes (on a clean-ish floor); paws washed for dinner.

47.535698-122.05484

Simple Salmon (fit for a Princess)

26 Sunday Jan 2014

Posted by Stacey Bender in Ginger + Buddy, the kitchen

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

cabbage, celery root, food for pups, King salmon

By Ginger

Mom is a really good cook but I bet you already guessed that by the way she gushes on about food every week. She is often in the kitchen which is why I like spending time in there. I’m not actually in the kitchen so much as at the edge of the kitchen. I have a special spot that I sit atop; a little orange carpet square. There are a few reasons for this. I am less likely to get stepped on (like Buddy does), I am less likely to piss Mom off and thus am more often fed treats. I also have a better vantage point from there than I would if I were just under foot all the time (being under foot some of the time does have benefits though, when strategically timed).

20140126-163843.jpgPlus I have something soft under my tush instead of that darn wood floor, but that’s another story

Sometimes, I don’t even bother getting off the back of the couch, my perch as it were. It is not because I’m lazy but rather because I like to see how often I can get Mom to come over to the couch to feed me. She is very hospitable and it makes me feel special when she goes out of her way to cross the room for my discerning opinion (I like to feel special, and doted upon, don’t you?). I figured out long ago that she likes to feed us and we don’t even have to exert much energy to get her to do so. There is a particular pillow in the corner of the couch that I have, over many years, molded to my form perfectly. It gets fluffed all the time but I keep putting it back to the way I like. From there, I have established my seniority over Buddy and am also able to survey my domaine, inside and out. I like to think of it as my throne. My pal from across the street calls me Princess, so I must be royalty. Then again, he is always in awe that I get to eat better salmon than he does. It suits.

20140126-152900.jpg

Some nights we spend less time in the kitchen than most. On the simple nights, Mom is tired. She starts out more slowly and I come down off the back of the couch to cuddle next to her. She instinctively begins rubbing my back and I repay her by putting my head on her lap and letting out a deep, full-chested, straight from the diaphragm sigh. This lets her know that I am completely relaxed and content. I like doing that because I can hear her smile and feel her body release some of it’s tension.

There has been a lot of energy in the kitchen lately which does come and go in spurts. The house has been very aromatic and heavy with meat (which I have happily helped eat). Recently though the odor from the oven became so intense that I felt like taking myself out for a brisk walk. They won’t let me go by myself – I have been known to do that and cause great distress. Instead, Daddy asks to go with and if I just stand there, he just leaves the back door open a bit to let me breathe in some fresh air.

20140126-161837.jpg I think he likes it too. (P.S. This is what I do with my tail when something isn’t right.)

Perhaps the oven needs cleaned because it smells burnt. I saw Mom take a charred piece of foil from way in the back. She burnt the top of her hand again as she reached in to retrieve it thinking that would make the smell go away. The burnt essence is still present though when the oven gets turned on high. Humans have such a poor sense of smell and somehow this dangerous odor has alluded them. It is up to me to act unusual and pretend that I am going to run away so that they understand that the oven needs cleaned. With this type of charade, I am helping to keep us all safe.

Thursday was one of those simple nights. The kitchen remained quiet until late into the evening. I guess that makes sense since they didn’t come home until just after seven, even though Buddy and I were waiting patiently by the end of the couch, starring at the door every time we saw headlights flash by. I knew I would like dinner that night when they walked in the door. I could see a small, neatly wrapped package in Mom’s hand that I knew came from the fish market. I could also smell salmon. I am particularity fond of salmon. It is what I request every year on my birthday just like Mom used to request lamb for hers.

It wasn’t my birthday but I got salmon that night and more time in Mom’s lap than on my little orange square. Buddy and I always get our salmon wrapped in foil and cooked for 5 minutes in the oven which leaves it tender and moist. Mom puts seasoning on hers and Daddy’s and cooks it in the metal pan that gets really hot from the flames underneath. Scary. I could lick butter off the floor when it pops out of the pan but she doesn’t like that so I let Buddy get in trouble instead. The only thing that got heated was the fish. The rest were raw sliced veggie’s which I only got a few bites of because they were the type that Daddy thinks makes me poot. The purple stuff is good (I like veggies that are crunchy) but that white stuff, while crunchy, was weird, so I spit it out and let Buddy think I was giving him a treat.

Here’s what Mommy and Daddy had…

20140126-171452.jpg

SALMON OVER SHAVED CELERY ROOT AND CABBAGE

INGREDIENTS for two humans (and two small pups)

(Mommy helped with most of this because I just care about the outcome; I edited tho ‘cuz I’m funnier)

1/2 small head red (or napa) cabbage, shaved thinly
1/2 small celery root, peeled of skin and shaved thinly, with shavings cut into strips
Juice of 1/2 a lemon (she prefers Meyer)
Small pinch sea salt and 4-5 grinds fresh black peppercorns
Quick drizzle of olive oil (1 tsp)

3/4 to 1 lb fresh (Alaskan) king salmon fillet – skin removed (‘cuz it can be fishy, not in a good way)
Sea salt and fresh pepper to taste
Pinch of natural sugar

Olive oil to cook with
Small pat of butter (I like butter)

Lemon wedges (Meyer again)

This is more of a process than a recipe. Winter salmon is smaller than summer salmon but don’t let that fool you, it is super tasty!

FOR THE VEG

Put the cabbage and those celery root shavings (I’m not so crazy about personally) in a bowl and squeeze in the lemon juice, toss in the seasonings and drizzle in the olive oil. Rub it all together and let it sit by itself until the salmon is cooked.

FOR THE SALMON

Always pat out the water from the fish (Mom says this makes it turn brown which she and especially Daddy think is good).

Using your paws er, fingers, take a pinch of salt out of the salt drawer (I can’t reach) and sprinkle it over the fish. Mom moves her thumb back and forth as she waves her hand up and down the length of the fish.

Next, grind some black flakes from the steel tube that makes noise as it grinds. Sprinkle the sweet sugar over just like the salt, only less. Mom says you won’t taste the sugar but that it also helps make it browny. One of her friends told her she was weird to do this but then told her it tasted good. I like mine better plain but I never turn down bites from their plate when they offer.

Put the metal pan over the flame and then add some oil. Right before the fish goes on top of the oil, throw in a pad of butter (if it starts to bubble and smoke, turn down the flame and make sure the noisy, sucky thing is on overhead). Add the salmon and let it sit still, untouched, which is tricky. You should hover over it though (like Mom does). Sometimes I begin to bark randomly; she starts talking back so I keep barking. It’s kind of fun. Buddy starts pacing back and forth, licking the floor. Mom never seems too amused.

After the salmon has sat for a few minutes without moving, Mom says it is brown so she turns it over. A minute later she takes the pan off the heat and moves the fish to a flat tin plate (that she uses for little pizza too), puts it into the oven (which must be about 375 degrees based on the smell). A few minutes later, it is pulled out of the oven and the fish is put over a mound of the veggie’s that have been divided onto each plate. Put a lemon wedge on top so that it can be squeezed over with as much or as little of the tart juice that you want.

While their dinner cooks, ours is cooling. We get to eat first so we can help with their plates. This is my kind of dinner, more lap time, less begging, plus two meals.

20140126-161625.jpgPatient and loyal wins the game.

Thank you for reading my story. I can use my words better than Buddy but he is right about one thing (if little else) typing is hard. That’s why I have my super secret assistant Miss Prissybones help me out. Don’t tell Mom

Thoughts of Dad

19 Saturday Oct 2013

Posted by Stacey Bender in the kitchen

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

cabbage, carrots, Pork chops

20131019-113513.jpg

Recently I made a fine pork chop. I ruled them out lately in favor of my current run on slow cooked tenderloin, to which I will admit, I have become quite addicted. I have made my share of dried-out pork chops for sure, but even when they are treated to a little spa time in a fancy brine and cooked just right, the pork chop just isn’t my favorite cut of meat, truth be told. I am sometimes intrigued when I see it listed on a menu with a luring description but with so many other things to try, when it comes time to pull the trigger, I end up with several types of fish, another small plate or two, and I rarely pass on the duck. If I am dining with my father, it is a pretty good bet that the pork chop will end up on his list, thick cut, double big or whichever way it is presented. This after eating a very large bowl of mussels, himself of course (I mustn’t even think of reaching into the bowl to fish one out for myself as I might be inclined to do). He takes his mussels seriously, but as far back as I can remember, my father loves pork!

Every time I make pork, I think of Dad. I am not really sure why this is, because more importantly, he loves chicken fried steak and banana cream pie! Once we stopped in for a sweet snack to replenish during an afternoon of shopping. Dad ordered banana cream pie as I knew he would. When the waitress informed him that they were out, he bit his lower lip and let out a groan of disappointment as if he had been anticipating it all day. He then lifted his head, looked up at the waitress and without skipping a beat said, “Okay, I’ll take the chicken fried steak instead”.

PORK CHOPS, BRAISED CABBAGE and CARROTS – serves 2, but can be easily doubled.

This meal is a good one to do during the week when time and energy are limited because it goes together easily. It is also equally suited for company because in addition to the aforementioned, it has the added bonus of being elegantly delicious too!

INGREDIENTS

For the pork:

2 thick cut pork chops – rinsed and wiped dry
3 TB soy sauce (low sodium is ok)
2 TB fresh orange juice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
(Above measurements are approximate – erring on the side of more or less won’t hurt. I don’t measure it out, rather I pour from the bottle, judging with my eyeballs and instinct)
1 sprig fresh tarragon
Olive oil for sautéing

Optional – 5 to 7 baby fingerling potatoes per person, par-boiled (put in saucepan covered with water and salt – bring just to a boil and drain)
Olive oil

For the cabbage:

Olive oil for sautéing
1 medium-sized cipollini onion – peeled and sliced, slices cut in half
2 cups (approx) sliced red cabbage, core removed
1 or 2 large carrots – shaved using a peeler (you will have about 1 cup of carrot ribbons)
1 TB (approx) apple cider vinegar
1 tsp (approx) sugar
1/2 tsp (approx) salt
2 TB chopped tarragon

PREP

In a shallow bowl, COMBINE the soy sauce, juice and 1 tsp of the vinegar. ADD the chops and turn coating both sides. COVER BOWL and let sit at room temp while you prepare the cabbage.

GATHER the rest of the ingredients listed above.

TURN THE OVEN to 400 degrees, TOSS the potatoes in a wee bit of oil and ROAST for 5-7 minutes. They will be finished in the pan with the cabbage.

COOK

HEAT a sauté pan and ADD olive oil, just enough to coat the pan, 1 TB or so. When it is hot enough to move freely when tilting the pan, ADD the onion, cabbage and carrots. STIR a few minutes to soften the vegetables then ADD the vinegar, sprinkle with sugar,salt and tarragon, STIR to combine.

20131019-113804.jpg

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