White Bean and Sardine Stew

Last week was filled with a lot of firsts. Not just for us, but for Maki too. It's taken some time for her to get settled into the house. Even now, every time we leave, she runs to the door wondering, hoping, that we’ll take her back to our old place. It’s not that she’s uncomfortable in her new surroundings, just a bit confused. We haven't made things easy either. In an effort to keep our brand new couch furless, she's been barred from climbing aboard. It's a new thing we're trying and it probably won't last very long. Not with those sad looks she gives us every time we  scold her. What Maki has been enjoying is our yard. Full of sunlight, it’s the perfect place for napping. And then there are the smells — oh, the smells!!! — which never get old. When we go out for walks,  she's excited by every turn.

Of course, now that we’re getting back into a routine, I’m screwing things up by heading out to Southern California to photograph The Big Potluck. I look forward to these events because I know that, by the end, something in me will change. It’s not always a big thing… but just being around my peers, people who share a love for food, for writing and photography it, ignites my creative spirit. I’ll come home with stories for Eric and, hopefully, a little tan as well.

We opened the Cape house last weekend and, while much of it was spent getting things in order, I also found some time to lounge outside and catch up on some neglected magazines. I finally got to check out the seafood issue Saveur created and I instantly fell for the sardine recipes they printed. While I have every intention on trying all of them, I started with this white bean and sardine stew. If you're wondering if this is a recipe to write home about, well, let me tell you, it's wonderful. Even those not inclined to try sardines could get behind this hearty dish.

White Bean and Sardine Stew

Source Slightly adapted from Saveur, April 2014

Source Serves 2-4

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 carrots, grated 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional) 1 15-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand 1 14 oz can cannellini beans, drained 1 4 oz. can boneless skinless sardines, packed in olive oil, drained 2 tablespoons minced parsley

1 cup couscous 1 cup water 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium heat. Cook panko until golden, 2-3 minutes; transfer to a bowl.

2. Add remaining oil to skillet, set over medium-high heat. Cook garlic, carrots, celery, fennel, salt and pepper until soft, 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, and sardines and red pepper flakes; cook, stirring to break up sardines until stew is slightly thick, 8-10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and, if necessary, add more salt.

3. To prepare the couscous, pour the water in a medium saucepan and add the oil and salt.  Bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, add the uncooked couscous, cover the pot, and turn off heat.  Cook for three minutes.

4. Serve couscous in bowls and top with stew. Garnish with reserved panko and the parsley.

Spicy Squid and Mango Salad

Spicy Squid and Mango Salad

Spicy Mango and Squid Salad

Spicy Mango and Squid Salad

We closed on our house last week!!! (I think that deserved more than a single exclamation point) After we did the walk through and signed a gazillion documents, Eric and I went back and had a quiet moment together. There was Prosecco consumed out on the front porch. We got to meet a few of our neighbors, all of whom greeted us warmly. Now we begin the process of moving. We immediately started moving fragile items and the massive amounts of photography props just to make room for more boxes.  Next week, the movers come which, along with hiring a painter, was one of the smartest things we could have done in this whole process. Those cookbooks are heavy!

Despite having no furniture in our house, we managed to throw our first dinner party on Sunday. Ok, so we took in Thai food and ate on the kitchen floor, but it was still a lot of fun. And we drank some delicious wine (thanks to Eric's brother and sister-in-law). My heart melted a little when our niece came up to me and asked me if this was our new home. Seriously, precious.

This weekend will be spent in NJ hanging with my mom as she turns the big 6-0 (sorry, Mom, I had to share!). For months, she kept telling me that it was crazy to come down in the middle of the move. But celebrating this milestone... well, there's no way we are missing this.

Spicy Mango and Squid Salad

Spicy Squid and Mango Salad

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds small squid, cleaned, bodies cut into 1/3-inch rings and tentacles halved 1 mango, ripe but still firm, peeled and julienned 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup lightly packed mint leaves 4 basil leaves, chiffonade 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped cilantro Juice of one lime 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger 1 shallot, sliced thinly 1 tsp chopped habanero pepper 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper 1/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts Salt Black pepper

Instructions

1. Add the oil to a skillet and set over medium heat. Add the squid and cook on low heat for approximately 5 minutes, or until they become opaque. Season with 2 teaspoons Kosher salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Remove from heat and transfer squid, but not the cooking liquid, to a bowl to cool.

2. In a separate bowl, add the lime juice, sesame oil, ginger, shallot, and habanero. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and whisk to combine.

3. Add the mango, red pepper, mint, basil, and cilantro to the bowl with the squid. Pour the dressing over and toss to combine.

4. Transfer salad to a serving bowl and top with peanuts. Season with salt, to taste.

Sous Vide Salmon with Roasted Beet Sauce

The more I talk to people about the house we just purchased, the more it hits me: oh my gosh, I'm an adult. Actually, it's not the purchasing of the house that makes me feel this way, but all the other things that come with it. Getting quotes for refinishing the floors.  Finding someone to take down wallpaper and paint the walls. Then there's the furniture we're ordering. Eric and I haven't spent much money on furniture for our current place, instead decorating with what we've acquired over the years. Nothing matches. And most of it's from friends or CraigsList. It's time to upgrade a few items. We'll find out in the next week or so when we're actually moving, at which point the packing process will begin. In the meantime, I've enjoyed tossing out stacks of papers we no longer need. And cords to electrical devices that we'd gotten rid of a while ago.

So, here's the backstory on why I'm providing a recipe for sous vide salmon.  The whole thing started a few years ago, when Eric and I went out to a restaurant to celebrate my birthday.  On the menu was a salmon entree with beet and crème fraîche. This was the first time I'd been served fish so perfectly prepared... it actually felt like it was melting in my mouth.  I asked the server how it was prepared, at which point he described the sous vide process. And my mind was officially blown.

Ever since then, I've dreamt of recreating that dish. Or, at the very least, something resembling that dish.  A few months ago, I decided to reach out to one of the leading producers of sous vide water ovens, SousVide Supreme, to see if they'd be willing to let me test out one of their units. Last month, I heard back from them saying they'd be happy to send one over. Now, I was thrilled... but Eric was elated (he's been eying a few recipes for sous vide steak and smoked brisket).

So the unit arrived and I got up the guts to take the thing out of the box. Now, I'm terrible at following directions and often ignore the instruction manual. But, in this case, I decided to read up.  To my surprise, the process seemed simple enough: vacuum seal the ingredients you want to cook, fill the unit with water, add the ingredients, set the temperature and timer and let it go.

When preparing the fish for the vacuum sealer, I lightly seasoned the fillet with Kosher salt, though a slice of lemon might work nicely in there as well.  You really don't need to do much and, when working with fish, I'd recommend keeping the seasoning to a minimum. Sauces and additional spices can always be added later. Though my roasted beet sauce was was different than the restaurant's and I used Greek yogurt instead of crème fraîche, the meal was superb. This definitely won't be the last time I use the machine. In fact, I'm already brainstorming other recipes.

SousVide Supreme has also been kind enough to provide a $50 off coupon for a water oven to readers of A Thought For Food. During the check out process, just be sure to include this code: ATFF50.

Notes on discount code: Limit of 1 discount per order. Discount expires on 2/28/2014. Discount applies to SousVide Supreme and SousVide Supreme Demi water ovens, but does not apply to promo packages. Offer valid only at Sousvidesupreme.com website and for US orders only. No adjustments to previous purchases. Free Shipping applies to US mainland orders only for standard delivery. 

Disclosure: While SousVide Supreme did provide a unit, I was not monetarily compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.

Sous Vide Salmon with Roasted Beet Sauce

Note The directions provided require a food sealer and sous vide water oven.  However, if you do not own a water oven, feel free to prepare the salmon in the oven or in a pan.

Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

4 - 6 oz salmon fillets, bones and skin removed Kosher salt Olive oil (if finishing in a pan)

3 medium beets, peeled and cut into 1.5 inch chunks 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger Juice of 1/2 a lemon Kosher salt Olive oil

Greek yogurt Fresh rosemary

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 385 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread the cut beets across the lined baking sheet, drizzle olive oil on top and season with a sprinkle of Kosher salt.  Roast the beets in the oven until a knife easily goes into them, about 30 minutes.

2. Once the beets are cooked, transfer them to the bowl of a food processor, along with the garlic, ginger, and lemon juice. Pulse until finely chopped.  Leave the machine running and drizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil.  Puree until smooth.  Taste for seasoning and, if necessary, season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.

3. Next, season the salmon with Kosher salt.  Using a vacuum sealer, package the salmon fillets in a sealer bag.

4. Fill the sous vide machine with enough water so the packages of salmon will be covered by at least an inch.  Set temperature to 116F/47C for rare; 126F/52C for medium rare; or 140F/60C for medium.

5. Place fish in machine. Set time for 20 minutes.

6. When it's cooked, remove pouch from water. Pan sear the salmon if desired.

7. Spread about 1.5 tablespoons of greek yogurt onto plate, followed by 1.5 tablespoons of beet sauce. Place fish on top of the sauce. Sprinkle fresh rosemary on top. Season with Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Serve with roasted potatoes or these roasted carrots or any other sides.