Gravad Lax: At about I combined ½ cup of sugar with 2/3 cups 1 tsp. of fresh ground black pepper (times three because the measurements given are for 1 three pound salmon) and zested into the mixture he peel of two oranges and mixed all of that. Then I filleted the salmon by removing the throat bones, fins and backbone of the salmon and put those pieces into a stock pot to simmer. This left two large filets. After removing enough of the tail of the filet so that the salmon would fit into an about 24 inch long salmon poaching pan, we began tearing the green leave portion of the dill and laid a layer of dill in the bottom of the poaching pan, then we covered the skin side of one of the salmon filets with the sugar and salt mixture and laid it skin side down in the poaching pan. Then we coated the exposed belly side of the filet with more of the mixture and dill and then coated the belly side of the other filet and flipped it onto the first filet in the pan and poured the rest of the mixture onto the exposed outer skin side and some more dill. Then I placed a wooden board on the salmon and put two bricks on the salmon to weigh the whole arrangement down. (See picture).
Then Suzette went to work and I went to my office to work until when I went for a bike ride (said hello to Barry and Robert as we passed on the bike trail south of Campbell Road ). Suzette came home a little after and we then went shopping. We first went to my favorite Northern European market, Alpine Sausage Factory, at the corner of Indian School and Girard, where we bought lamb stew meat and German wide egg noodles (for Suzette’s German meatball dish) and sliced gelbwurst (veal bologna) and coarse pork braunsweiger (poor man’s foie gras) for snacks.
Then we went up the street to Whole Foods at the corner of Indian School Carlisle where I picked the wheel of Explorateur cheese (a soft French triple cream cheese) I had ordered and a gift card for Luke for Christmas. We also tasted a nice Chalk Hill red wine with warm brie and a porcini and white truffle spread from Italy
Then we went to Trader Joe’s and bought a 1 kilo bar of dark chocolate ($4.49), another box of chocolate covered cherries ($4.99) and a case of Spanish wine for the party (6 white Montanita Viuras, 1 Ducay Carnenia red and five La Granja Tempranillo reds).
We sampled a lovely fondue on strongly pungent sourdough French bread (like the kind you find in the San Francisco
Then we went to Cost Plus World Market and found Terry orange flavored milk chocolate eggs ($4.99) for my family for Chanukah and small timers in vegetable shapes (tomatoes, celery and garlic bulbs) for Christmas gifts for Suzette’s family.
When we arrived at home we decided to try to test the Spanish tapa of beans and baby clams. So Suzette prepared the clams in her usual way in a large enameled covered pot in which is melted ¼ lb. butter, ½ cup white wine, and garlic. Willy and I chopped ½ cup onion, ½ cup heart of celery and one carrot and three stalks of rosemary and three stalks of parsley (See picture). Suzette separated the fava beans into two different batches the broken pieces into one bowl and the whole beans into another bowl. She then heated in another large enameled cooking pot some of the clam cooking medium pureed with the pieces of favas and some 4 tablespoons of olive oil and then added the chopped ingredients to cook and then added the whole fava beans to heat (See picture). While the bean stew was cooking we shucked the opened clams and I toasted four slices of the fresh French bread and opened a bottle of Leese-Fitch California Savignon Blanc 2010 (Costco $7.99) and Willy and Suzette steamed 16 stalks of fresh asparagus.
It is hard to describe what a good Sauvignon Blanc tastes like, but you know it when you see it and taste it. It is a combination of a pale yellow color and a complex combination of mineral and fruit that lingers at the back of the tongue as an aftertaste of concentrated fruit. The Leese-Fitch had that and I can understand why it merited its 90 rating; a buy at $7.99.
The fava bean and baby clam stew was a very satisfying dish. The clam cooking medium and broken fava beans, herbs and vegetables made a pleasing combination. Unfortunately, the whole fava beans still were a little doughy. Perhaps they would have benefited from longer cooking. We decided to use white cannelini beans for the Christmas Party, because Suzette had used them for this dish when it was served on her Spanish Cuisine menu at the Greenhouse Bistro in August and September with great success. Suzette also commented that had she had the time, she would have sautéed the whole fava beans in olive oil to dispel some of their doughy flavor.
The five pound bag of clams yielded about 100 clams and we used about 20 clams for dinner so we froze about 80 clams for the party and two 32 oz. containers of clam cooking medium.
I turned the salmon at , so the fish would have 12 hours on each side for a total of 24 and possibly 48 hours of curing in the salt and sugar. I also added some orange liquor to the salmon pan to give it a bit more orange flavor, since did not have the usual grappa to add. After putting the salmon back into the fridge, I went to bed.
Bon Appètit
Hi friends,
ReplyDeleteThe dish Fava Bean and baby clam Tapa is so nice.
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