Salmon Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

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Dear Ina Garten,

I love you.

Every Ina Garten recipe I have ever made has turned out delicious.  Her choice of ingredients and equisite taste makes her recipes just simply divine.  I've had a bag of frozen salmon filets in my freezer for a month or so and was trying to figure out what to do with them.  My good friend, Mama with Flavor (who is an amazing cook btw) suggested I make salmon cakes.  It sounded interesting and I've always wanted to make crab cakes, but just never had the confidence to do so.

Since I've been cooking seriously for over a year now, I thought I could handle this challenge.

And I am so glad I did.  These were delicious!

My changes to the recipe were as follows: I used 1lb versus 1/2 lb salmon. I sauteed half a white onion instead of a red onion (didn't have a red onion on hand).  I only had a red pepper (no yellow) and I used store bought bread crumbs and panko crumbs instead of homemade bread crumbs. I didn't use capers because I'm not a fan of them. I also used dried parsely instead of fresh because I didn't have fresh on hand. When it came time to mixing all the ingredients together I mixed in 1/2 cup of green onions.   Even despite all these modifications they were amazing!

The red pepper aioli comes courtesy of Giada de Laurentis and I followed that recipe exactly.  The aioli was sooo wonderful and was a great compliment to the salmon cakes.  I'd use it again for many things, included garlic toast as Giada suggests.

This is a wonderful appetizer and can be made ahead of time and frozen.  If you want to freeze these, do everything except fry in the pan.  Form into balls and slightly flatten and then place them in a freezer bag.  Use within one month.

Ina Garten's original recipe:

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound fresh salmon


• Good olive oil


• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter


• 3/4 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)


• 1 1/2 cups small-diced celery (4 stalks)


• 1/2 cup small-diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)


• 1/2 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)


• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley


• 1 tablespoon capers, drained


• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)


• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce


• 1 1/2 teaspoons crab boil seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)


• 3 slices stale bread, crusts removed


• 1/2 cup good mayonnaise


• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard


• 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the salmon on a sheet pan, skin side down. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until just cooked. Remove from the oven and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and refrigerate until cold.

Meanwhile, place 2 tablespoons of the butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the onion, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, parsley, capers, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, crab boil seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large saute pan over medium-low heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Break the bread slices in pieces and process the bread in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. You should have about 1 cup of bread crumbs. Place the bread crumbs on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 5 minutes until lightly browned, tossing occasionally.

Flake the chilled salmon into a large bowl. Add the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, and eggs. Add the vegetable mixture and mix well. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Shape into 10 (2 1/2 to 3-ounce) cakes.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. In batches, add the salmon cakes and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until browned. Drain on paper towels; keep them warm in a preheated 250 degree F oven and serve hot.

Aioli:

• 2 garlic cloves


• 1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers, drained, patted dry


• 1/3 cup mayonnaise


• 2 tablespoons olive oil


• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the aioli: Finely chop the garlic in the food processor. Add the peppers and blend until almost smooth. Blend in the mayonnaise. With the machine running, blend in the oil. Season the aioli, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the aioli to a small bowl. (The aioli can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Enjoy!

xoxo

B

Honey & Hoisen Glazed Wings

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Earliar this week I made this exact recipe, but with chicken thighs instead of wings.  They were so delicious I just knew that as wings they would be just as incredible.  And in spirit of the superbowl I decided to give em' another go.  I found the recipe from Carmen Cooks.  I definitly recommend these.  Although with a few changes as suggested by Mr. Wright these wings are even better and taste like restaurant quality.

3 lbs chicken wings, separated

1/3 cup hoisin sauce

1/3 cup honey

5 T soy sauce (I use reduced-sodium)

2 tsp sriracha (or to taste, depends how spicy you would like it)

2 t toasted sesame oil

1 t black pepper

1 T toasted sesame seeds

Oil for frying

1. In a deep fryer or (deep skillet with oil) fry all wings until done.  Set aside on plate to cool.  Turn on oven to 400 F so it can preheat.

2.  In a medium saucepan combine all the other ingredients and bring to a boil. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes, until it is slightly reduced. Put aside 1/3 cup of the sauce in a small bowl.

3.  Transfer the wings to the saucepan. Make sure each wing is coated in sauce.

4. Line a roasting pan with foil.  Place glazed wings on a roasting rack and pour the rest of the glaze from the saucepan over the wings. Roast for 10-15 minutes, until the glaze on the wings is thick and sticky.

5.  Transfer the wings to a serving dish. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over them and serve with the reserved glaze on the side.

Chili Con Queso Revved Up

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I first made this a few months ago for a game night we hosted. The recipe comes from her greatness, The Pioneer Woman. It's meaty, cheesy and just slightly spicey (or more if you want). What more could you want in a dip? This really is a great appetizer for UFC fight nights, a Super Bowl party or any group get together. This served 8 people just perfect with no leftovers. So if you have more than 8, or want some to freeze for later than double the recipe. BTW, this is so easy to freeze leftovers in a ziplock back. It tastes just as good reheated. Perfect for if you need a make ahead app.

Serving Tip: Keep heated in a fondue pot or crock pot. Provide plastic bowls for guests to serve their own. Also, you can have a little bowl of diced jalapenos on the side for people to add themselves. That way the dish isn't too spicey for some, but spicey enough for those who like.
Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 12

Ingredients
32 ounces, weight Velveeta Cheese Loaf
10 ounces, weight Rotel
1 pound Jimmy Dean Hot Breakfast Premium Pork Sausage
7 ounces, weight Chopped Green Chilies
1 whole Yellow Onion
1 whole Jalapeno, or more to taste

Preparation Instructions
Dice the onion. Using a nonstick sprayed skillet, cook sausage and onions until brown, stirring occasionally. Once browned, drain some of the fat from the skillet.
Cube Velveeta loaf. Add cubes to browned sausage and onion mixture. Add can of Rotel (juice and all), can of green chilies (juice and all), and stir over low heat.
Cut the top and bottom off the jalapeño, slice into matchsticks, then rotate and slice to create a fine dice. (For a spicy version, leave seeds and white membranes. For a milder option, remove them.) Add to queso and stir

Bruschetta with Feta

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Bruschetta, pronounced brus'ketta, is traditionally  a very simple recipe of just grilled bread rubbed with garlic and olive oil.  Most bruschetta as we Americans know it includes a tomato/garlic/basil topping or some variation thereof.  Here is my version of the yummy appetizer.

Ingredients

7 or 8 plum tomatoes or 3-4 large hot house tomatoes, sliced into quarter pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mediterranean flavored feta cheese

Loaf of french, ciabatta or italian bread

Directions

1. In a bowl, toss together the tomatoes, basil, and garlic. Mix in the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture onto toasted bread slices.


2. Sprinkle with feta cheese.