Seared salmon

2011-5-4

Seared Salmon

Fish and meat can easily be overcooked. Results of overcooking, depending on the food in question, is dry, rubbery, over chewy crap. For fish, I don't recommend baking, unless super carefully monitored; easily overcooked when baking.

I pan fried - seared - the salmon.

My sister came for a visit and picked up all kinds of goodies. This morning, I seared the salmon. This afternoon, I tended to the pork and ribs, decorated with celery, carrots, mushrooms, red onion, sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and other spices. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Back to the salmon, in a pan on lower medium heat, with some green onions and olive oil, I sizzled the green onions for several minutes. Then I dropped in the salmon (which was frozen but had been defrosting in the refrigerator), adding sea salt and a bit of soy sauce for flavor. Should be somewhat pink and transparent on the inside. It was amazing that I didn't overcook any of the fish (I cooked six pieces of salmon, three at a time), considering I was also getting my children out of their bath and helping to dress them. . .

Cooked just right. Delicious.

Very gourmet scrambled omelets

2011-4-29

Very Gourmet Scrambled Omelets

My sister and her two kiddos are visiting from California. You may have already gathered, if you follow this blog in any way or form, that I'm a bit of a food snob. Perhaps "foodie" is a more friendly term. Add to that my being pregnant, and you have one picky lady. Even though being pregnant with two (yes, twins) has been challenging on my taste buds, nausea, and acid reflux, bland foods have never quite sold me.

In terms of typical breakfast foods, such as eggs, I have always hated, HATED, cafeteria style scrambled eggs. So tasteless. So bland. So disgusting. The day before yesterday, I decided to make the adults a delicious, taste-bud-tingling breakfast, using what we had available in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:

• eggs
  
• garlic, diced into rather small chunks
• olive oil
• (fresh) mushrooms
• (fresh) tomatoes
• sea salt
• freshly ground black peppercorns
• Trader Joe's everyday seasoning with grinder

Since the day before yesterday, I've been making this breakfast every morning. In fact, my sister was so hungry this morning, she was nearly physically ill waiting (famished) for my breakfast. But, she didn't want something else to take up room in her belly. She was desperate for my, what she calls "very gourmet" scrambled omelets. Fourteen eggs worth of scrambled omelets disappeared among three adults and four very small children (ages 4 and under) within seconds; I kid you not.

I believe key to making this very gourmet breakfast is timing. The garlic, for instance, must be cooked just so. The mushrooms must be cooked and seasoned on its own before being married to the rest of the ingredients (eggs, tomatoes, and what not).

Salivating, yet?

Instructions:

• On low medium heat, with approximately 1 1/2 cloves of garlic (diced) and olive oil, wait until the garlic has been sizzling a few minutes before dropping in the small mushrooms (cut thinly). Season with a bit of salt and Trader Joe's everyday seasoning. Cover. Cook until tender (no longer crunchy). Stir intermittently. Set to the side when done.
  
• In the same pan, drop the remainder of the cut garlic (approximately another 1 1/2 cloves, diced), adding perhaps just a bit of olive oil, still on low medium heat. Once again, once the garlic has been sizzling for a few minutes, drop in the beaten raw eggs. When the eggs are nearly cooked, but some liquid is still present, add in the diced tomatoes; and stir. Add in sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stir. Once the eggs are cooked to liking, add in the mushrooms; stir, and viola!

The photograph really doesn't do the food justice. Literally, this breakfast leaves the persons eating the food wanting more, more, and more. I'm so pleased how popular this dish is, at some point, I may post a photo essay of this recipe, even though I'm too tired and too busy to do much of anything these days. May you have a blessed evening dreaming about this dish.

2011-4-29