I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day spent with friends and family!
This week's Tuesday Takeaway is sponsored by Arbon Publishing - who has graciously offered to give away a copy of "The Salt Book: Your guide to salting wisely and well, with recipes" to one lucky winner.
This book does a great job of offering the reader a great introduction to the fundamentals of salts, discussing types of salt and how to use them in the wisest of ways with a variety of techniques including brining, pickling, curing and preserving.
The book advocates for healthy eating: "An important part of being 'salt wise' is eating well. We need to take the time to prepare food for ourselves which is healthy, tasty and ecologically viable. We need to season that food sparingly, with quality salt that is made using natural processes."
Predominantly a cookbook - expect a spectrum of recipes, including some untraditional, yet excitingly essential. A few of these basics caught my eye, as you so rarely seem them in mainstream cookbooks - Brined Feta, Butter, even Soy Sauce! If you are like me, you find the idea of making these practical essentials extremely rewarding. Expect also more traditional dishes such as: Salt Block Salmon, Olive and Rosemary Focaccia, or Broccoli Soup.
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To enter to win, simply reply to this blog post with a response to the following:
How many cookbooks are in your kitchen?
Looking for ways to increase your chances of winning?
1. Sign up for our E-Newsletter
2. Like Salt Traders on Facebook
3. Follow Salt Traders on Twitter
4. Tweet/Blog about this Giveaway
5. Send a friend a link to this Giveaway (I am counting on your honesty here!)
Submit a separate comment for each additional entry to let me know you've done it!
Thanks for commenting - the winner will be announced next Tuesday and contacted by email!
All comments must be submitted by Monday, June 6th at 12:00 midnight EST.
Be sure to tell your friends about the Salty Dog's Blog and how they too can win!
I have found the most wonderful soup for spring! I came across this recipe for Vietnamese Fisherman's Soup in a Martha Stewart cookbook. The photo of it caught my eye - a beautiful mélange of color, texture and flavors - I could almost taste it just looking at the picture!
The soup boasts a perfect balance between sweet and spicy - sweet from the fresh, juicy slices of pineapple, and spicy from the Chili Garlic Sauce that warms you from the inside out. The texture is exciting - from salmon that delicately flakes apart to the subtle crunch in the bean sprouts and crispy fried shallots. Fresh herbs provide a brightness that is perfect for sunny spring days, finished off by a subtle tartness of freshly squeezed limes.
So wait for a cool, yet sunny evening, and make this comforting yet refreshing soup. Pairs perfectly with crisp, dry white wine and a crusty French loaf.
Vietnamese Fisherman's Soup
Adapted from Martha Stewarts The Original Classics Cookbook
Serves 8
8 ounces boneless, skinless salmon
8 ounces boneless, skinless cod (or any other white fish)
1 T. canola oil
1 T. Chili Garlic Sauce (found in the international section of most grocery stores)
5 cups chicken stock
2 medium fresh tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 cups fresh diced pineapple
1/2 medium onion, sliced lengthwise, 1/4 inch thick
2 T. Asian fish sauce or clam sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 t. sea salt (I like our new Portuguese Sea Salt)
1/8 t. freshly ground Comet's Tail Pepper
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
2 T. fresh Thai or regular basil leaves, sliced
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
2 T. Fried Shallots (see recipe below, optional)
Blanch the fish in boiling water for 10 to 20 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon, and drain in a colander.
Heat the oil in a small stockpot over medium heat. Add the Chili Garlic Sauce and heat for about 10 seconds. Add the chicken stock, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; stir in the seafood, tomatoes, pineapple, onion, fish sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and lime juice. Cook just until the seafood is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the scallions, bean sprouts, basil, and cilantro. Serve soup immediately and garnish with fried shallots, if using.
Fried Shallots
3 to 4 medium shallots, thinly sliced
3/4 cup canola oil
Spread the shallots on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet, and let dry for 15-20 minutes at room temperature. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat until it's so hot that a shallot slice dropped in the oil bubbles and floats to the surface. Stir in all shallots; fry until golden, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove the fried shallots with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.
This is a Tuesday Takeaway to get extra excited about! We are thrilled to giveaway a tin of our handcrafted Didi Davis Food Mojito Sugar - just in time to make a Mint Julep for the Kentucky Derby!
Don't let the name of this sugar blend lead you astray - it can be used for more than just minty cocktails like the Mojito or Julep. Sprinkle it on grilled chicken or fish for a tangy glaze, or on top of fresh fruit or yogurt. Try
spinkled on roasted carrots or fresh peas, or atop baked goods like scones, muffins, or cookies!
Like all our Didi Davis Food products, our Mojito Sugar is made with the finest ingredients and lots of care. Comprised of mint, fresh lime zest, and sparkling Maui white sugar. Perfect for warm spring days that bring the promise of summer!
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To enter to win, simply reply to this blog post with a response to the following:
What is your favorite summer beverage (cocktail or other)?
Looking for ways to increase your chances of winning?
1. Sign up for our E-Newsletter
2. Like Salt Traders on Facebook
3. Follow Salt Traders on Twitter
4. Tweet/Blog about this Giveaway
5. Send a friend a link to this Giveaway (I am counting on your honesty here!)
Submit a separate comment for each additional entry to let me know you've done it!
Thanks for commenting - the winner will be announced next Tuesday and contacted by email!
All comments must be submitted by Monday, May 9th at 12:00 midnight EST.
Be sure to tell your friends about the Salty Dog's Blog and how they too can win!
Sorry everyone, it's been a few weeks since our last Tuesday Takeaway! Everyone needs a brief hiatus every once in a while, right?
This week's giveaway is Peruvian Pink Salt! This salt comes from an ancient ocean, trapped underground, which feeds a spring located 10,000 feet high in the Andes Mountains in Maras, Peru. The warm spring water seeps into terraced ponds located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
This pale-pink beauty is a great all-purpose salt with a sturdy crunch - perfect for use with a mortar and pestle and ground until the desired texture is reached.
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To enter to win, simply reply to this blog post with a response to the following:
If you could travel to any country for the sole purpose of trying
it's local cuisine, what location would you choose?
Looking for ways to increase your chances of winning?
1. Like Salt Traders on Facebook
2. Follow Salt Traders on Twitter
3. Tweet/Blog about this Giveaway
4. Send a friend a link to this Giveaway (I am counting on your honesty here!)
Submit a separate comment for each additional entry to let me know you've done it!
Thanks for commenting - the winner will be announced next Tuesday and contacted by email!
All comments must be submitted by Monday, April 18th at 12:00 midnight EST.
Be sure to tell your friends about the Salty Dog's Blog and how they too can win!
Whether it feels like it or not, Spring is here! It is my favorite season - watching as the earth thaws out and the life that has been suspended by Winter's chill resumes with a fresh start. We feel the newness of creation around us, as buds bloom, birds chirp, and eggs hatch.
With Easter just around the corner, eggs are available in plenty. I photographed some beautiful eggs from Heritage breeds locally. If you are unfamiliar with Heritage breeds, think of them as the "heirloom tomatoes" of chickens! These breeds are protected for their unique qualities, and are not altered to meet the demands of agricultural mass production. As you can see, the eggs are striking in their natural variety of colors - a spectrum of blues, greens, and coppers.
Whether you purchase rare blue eggs like these, or choose eggs from your local grocery store, we hope the following recipes provide inspiration for new ways to use eggs this season. Each dish is effortless to prepare and simply delicious.
Happy Spring!
Fried Eggs with Spaghetti
Serves 4-6
For garlic lovers, this simple and comforting spaghetti dish is a variation of a Mark Bittman (of The New York Times) favorite. The sauce is our addition for a light, fresh touch. The spaghetti recipe may easily be cut in half. The tomato sauce may be made ahead and reheated when serving the dish. Save any extra sauce for another use.
For the tomato sauce:
1 28 oz. can whole plum tomatoes, with juice
1/4 cup best quality extra virgin olive oil
2 large or 4 small garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, optional
Chopped fresh parsley and/or basil, optional
For the pasta:
1 lb. spaghetti
1/4 cup best quality extra virgin olive oil
8 large eggs
2 large or 4 small garlic cloves, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley, optional
Grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
To make tomato sauce, place canned tomatoes in a saucepan, crushing with your hands, potato masher, or large spoon while adding to pan. Place over medium heat, add olive oil and garlic, and bring to a gentle boil, stirring often. Lower heat and simmer sauce 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often and continuing to break up tomatoes as they simmer. At this point, you may puree through a food mill or leave as is (our preference is to leave as is, as it is more rustic). Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed and pepper and herbs if using.
To make pasta dish, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add sea salt and pasta and cook, stirring often, until al dente.
While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet (10- to 12-inch) over medium heat. Add eggs and scatter the garlic over top of eggs. Fry eggs, basting occasionally with the olive oil, until whites are almost set and yolks still soft and runny. You may cook eggs longer if you prefer a firmer yolk, but bear in mind that eggs continue cooking in the heat of the pasta and yolks act as a sauce for the pasta.
Drain pasta and return to pot. Add eggs and olive oil and toss together, breaking up eggs. Season pasta with salt and pepper to taste, add parsley if using, and toss again. Serve with a spoonful of warm tomato sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
Baked Eggs with Tomato and Capers
Serves 1
Also known as shirred eggs, baked eggs are elegant, easy, and wide open to variation. Use ramekins, custard cups, individual gratin dishes, or other oven-proof cup. If using a gratin or wider dish, the cooking time will be less as the egg layer is thinner. Simply take the formula below and increase for as many people as you like.
Unsalted butter
1 slice tomato
Freshly ground black pepper
1 TB capers, rinsed if in brine, as is if in olive oil
1 or 2 eggs, as preferred
Heavy cream, optional
Preheat oven to 375°. Butter bottom and sides of ramekin and place tomato slice in bottom. Season with salt and pepper. Scatter capers over the tomato slice. Break one or two eggs into ramekin and drizzle with a touch of cream, if you like. Place ramekin on a baking sheet and bake 12 to 14 minutes for 1 egg, 15 to 17 minutes for 2, or until egg white has set and yolk still soft. The egg will continue to cook because the ramekin will retain heat, so it is best to undercook the eggs a bit. Season egg with salt and pepper and serve with toast, garlic bread, or rice.
Variations:
Fresh chopped herbs and/or garlic to the bottom of ramekin.
Cooked vegetables, such as peas, spinach, artichokes, asparagus, or corn. Drizzle with a touch of cream before adding the egg.
Sautéed potatoes and onions.
Cooked, crumbled bacon.
Cooked asparagus and ham with cream.
Salsa or ratatouille. Use olive oil in place of butter.
Garlic Soup with Eggs
Serves 4
This classic soup is found in Portugal and Spain along with many variations throughout the Mediterranean. It is extremely easy to prepare and is ready in 20 minutes, using ingredients you most likely have on hand in your cupboard and refrigerator. Perfect for those times you are in a hurry or have no idea what to make for dinner. Use the freshest eggs to help minimize egg white shreds. This is a time to use your best quality olive oil.
4 TB best quality extra virgin olive oil
20 cloves garlic, peeled and halved lengthwise
4 slices country bread, French or Italian
4 1/2 cups chicken or beef broth
Freshly ground black pepper
4 large eggs
Sea salt, if needed
Warm olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan and add garlic halves. Sauté the garlic briefly, stirring, until just beginning to color. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon.
Lightly brown bread slices in olive oil on each side and transfer slices to 4 bowls.
Return the garlic to the pot and add broth and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer soup 10-15 minutes, or until garlic is soft and tender. Mash garlic with a fork against side of pan. (Alternatively, you may remove garlic to a plate with a slotted spoon, mash, and return to pan.)
One at a time, break eggs into a teacup and gently slide each into soup. Cook eggs 3-4 minutes until egg whites are set and yolks still runny. You can check doneness by lifting an egg with slotted spoon and gently pressing egg with your finger.
Transfer eggs with slotted spoon to each bowl on top of bread slices. Taste broth for seasoning, add salt if needed, ladle soup over eggs, and serve.
Variations:
Garnish with chives, parsley, basil, cilantro, or paprika.
Season with Smoked Paprika or Aleppo Chile Salt.
Season with cumin or cayenne.
I made a wonderful dinner last night. My husband, upon savoring his first bite, announced, "This is the best chicken pot pie I've had in my entire life." If that sort of response doesn't make a cook happy, I don't know what would.
Ladies and gents, it was so simple - I don't know why I haven't done this before. I substituted plain sea salt in the crust for 1 teaspoon of Didi Davis Food Sagemary Salt. And wow - it was SO delicious! You all must try this. It was the perfect Farewell Winter sort of meal (I even poked a bird design in the crust to welcome spring).
A few other factors contributed to this moment of gastronomic bliss: I had roasted my vegetables first, so they were rich and flavorful instead of boiled into a mass of soft nothing. Also, I used Julia Child's recipe for delicious and buttery pastry (it never fails).
Other than that, the chicken pot pie was nothing out of the ordinary (a classic combination carrots, red potatoes, peas, onion and celery). I even cheated and used boneless chicken breast, and it was still the best chicken pot pie I've ever had.
So yes, try making a savory pie or quiche using Sagemary Salt in your crust - that little trick will not disappoint!
My dear friend Bryan sent this recipe to me months ago, and I've just now gotten around to actually trying it. I am kicking myself for not doing this sooner! People, this is seriously delicious.
I knew it would be - Bryan is a brilliant writer (check out his blog here), but his talents most certainly extend into the kitchen as well. He named his discovery most appropriately "Lapsang Souchai." The name is based on a wonderfully robust and smoky tea, Lapsang Souchong. If you like smoked things, you'll love this tea.
The wonderful thing about Bryan's "chai" interpretation of this tea, is that it smoothes out the potent smoke that Lapsang Souchong boasts so proudly. This tea is not for the faint of heart, yet combining it with milk in a traditional chai style balances the bold smoke and turns it into a cozy, smoky, spicy cup of comfort.
This recipe features a mélange of delightful spices - cardamom, coriander, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg - and the best one, Australian Mountain Pepper, sometimes known as Tasmanian Pepperberry. The result is a complex, but satisfying blend of complementing flavors.
Easy to prepare, follow these simple directions for the perfect afternoon cup of tea. This recipe makes 1 serving, so consider doubling it if you'd like to share with a friend.
LAPSANG SOUCHAI by BRYAN PARYS
Combine in a pot and bring to a slow boil:
1 cup water
1 green cardamom pod (seeds and husk broken up, and all thrown in)
1/2 teaspoon of coriander seed
1/2 inch roll of cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
1 small star anise
a few grates of nutmeg
5 Australian Mountain Black Peppercorns
You can let it boil for as long as you like--the longer, the stronger it will become. Remove pot from heat and add:
1-2 teaspoon of Lapsang Souchong tea leaves
Steep 3-5 minutes, depending on taste preference (I like the full 5 minutes).
Whisk in:
1-2 teaspoons honey (I suggest Orange Blossom Honey)
3/4-1 cup milk (or Bryan recommends almond milk for a nutty flavor)
Reheat slowly if necessary - do not let the milk boil. Strain into a mug, and serve!
Himalayan Pink Salt is a pure, strikingly beautiful dark pink salt. The dark pink salt, unlike the ubiquitous lighter Himalayan Pink Salt varieties, can only be found in a few mines in Pakistan. This natural salt looks as beautiful on food as it does on your table in a bowl, a salt shaker, or salt mill.
Danish Viking-Smoked Salt is made in a style devised by the Vikings, thanks to the efforts of one man in Denmark, who took it upon himself to rekindle this millennium-old tradition.
Choose from varying textures of Bali Sea Salt - fine grain or pyramids. Both offer a delightful crunch and satisfying sea salt taste.