i hope you eat good food, grow beautiful things, and have more love than you know what to do with.
As I scour the internet for recipes on Akebia shoots, the thin, curling new vines that sprout each spring from last year’s now woody growth, the only thing that I can find is anecdotal evidence of the Japanese eating it as fresh greens, especially in …
Shishito peppers are delightful little morsels that do beautifully blistered on the pan or in the air fryer. Mild, sweet, but packing with flavor, these peppers are a great little side or snacking dish. This recipe tosses the blistered peppers into a olive oil, feta, …
Today is the one day this week where we’ll be having warm and non-rain-y weather so my husband and I packed up the children and decided to go fishing. After all, if we didn’t get out soon, the great Coronatine of 2020 would have us cannibalizing each other by the end of it. I didn’t really expect to catch anything, as it’s kind of early in the year and the Great South Bay is just waking up. We had seen some Perch swimming upstream in the nearby canals, but unfortunately all the places we could fish fall on private property. I had a small container of salted clam that I keep in the freezer, so off we went to the local docks.
The dock itself has long been fenced off to prevent people from gathering there, but you could fish off sections of the parking lot too. We bought lunch (Wendy’s), ate it, strung up their rods, chucked them in and waited.
A few other people were fishing near us, dutifully separated 6 feet+ to maintain social distancing. Lo and behold, my 4 year old daughter squeaked that something was pulling on her line and she reeled and reeled and reeled it in with all the strength she had in her chubby little arms. Almost at the same time, my 7 year old shouted that something was on HER line and she also began to reel as quickly as she could.
Up popped two fish that, while the same species, I had no knowledge of. I was expecting some small striped bass or bluefish snappers (or even a sea robin or flatfish), but instead, up came the pair with a blunt face and a black dot behind the gills, as if someone painted it with a calligraphy brush. A quick google search came up with Atlantic Menhaden, also known as Bunker. Both were 12+ inches so we plopped them in the bucket and called it a day. I was perturbed—as far as I know, you can’t catch bunker on a hook and reel since they are filter feeders that eat plankton, but here they were, in our bucket.
On the way back home, I grew increasingly dismayed as site after site spoke of the disgusting smell of this bony “trash” fish that’s from the same family as anchovies. Only a few mentioned historical instances of it being regarded as a fish for eating. Otherwise, it’s prized as bait for bigger fish, or for its precious oil.
I would hate to have wasted them so I decided to give it a try anyway. For strong flavored, oily fish, acid and salt and herbs are the way to go. My ramps and bronze fennel have come up beautifully in my garden, and bronze fennel is a gorgeous herb to pair with seafood. Flavor undertones of dill mixes with anise for the perfect foil to strong flavored fish. My salt preserved lemon puree was just what I needed to cut through the possible grease, Quickly cleaned (the innards went to my ducks who delighted in fighting over them), salted, and thrown into my air fryer with very little fanfare, then removed and quickly covered in the herb mixture… but… how did it taste?
Calling it a “trash” fish is unfair to the sweet and firm but tender flesh. I suppose if it wasn’t fresh and had been sitting out for a few hours dead, it would quickly go rancid, but should you ever have had fresh herring or bluefish, there is no trace of any “fishiness.” Just a delicious fish fit for my table with a brightly flavored sauce that lit up our palates. The only unfortunate issue is that it does have a lot of bones, which for those unused to picking out fish bones would be a great turn off. I hold no such prejudice. However, any smaller than these and it likely wouldn’t be worth the work unless we are in more dire situations. I am slightly disappointed I did not catch a few more to smoke, as I imagine smoked menhaden should be a great treat.
As food security comes into question, I look at the things both mother nature and my little slice of Eden provides and I know the meaning of gratefulness.
The trifecta of apple, bacon, and gorgonzola makes this roasted Brussels sprout an enviable centerpiece for lunch or dinner (or breakfast, I’m not judging—Brussels sprout hash is a thing.) I like using my air fryer for this because everything is roasted to perfection. Prep time …
Cacio e Pepe has always been a little bit of a bucket list item for me. I always wanted to try it since I have heard about its deliciousness over and over again but never order it when I see it on the menu (nor …
As I’m going through my chest freezer, I found a container of the various berries I grew last year—I very often shove them all together into the freezer, if there isn’t enough to immediately make something with due to varying ripening times. I sometimes grab a handful to make a compote for roast pork, or for a smoothie of some sort, sometimes I’ll make jam. I bought some ice cream yesterday though, my rhubarb is coming up with a vengeance, and I’m down to my last bit of flour so I thought I’d make an apple berry rhubarb bake.
The prep is simple, taking about 10 minutes. My berry mix is a hodgepodge of frozen blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, strawberries, currants, serviceberries, and gooseberries, but you can use any berry mix really. It clears up my freezer for this year’s bounty, and provides a tasty and quick dessert for my family. No two bakes of mine taste the same, because it will depend on the mix of berries that I have on hand. Nothing like a hot fruit bake/cobbler with cold ice cream.
I also added a tablespoon of Armagnac to it, and I urge you to give that, Cognac, or Rum a shot if you have them on hand. It gives it just a bit more depth. If you like it a little more boozy, add more (but keep it away from the kids!)
You can do this in the oven, or if you want, in your air fryer. The results regardless are excellent. The crust is very forgiving. I made it like pancake batter, but if you add less liquid it can be more like a traditional cobbler with a crumble topping instead.
It’s spring which means my rhubarb is out. I’ve made strawberry rhubarb scones before which is always a hit but my strawberries haven’t started yet. This tea cake actually uses a donut batter so technically I could have fried it into donuts… but that’s an …
Spring is here, which means my ducks have started laying in earnest. 7 of the eggs have gone into the incubator to replenish my flock, but I’m still looking at a good amount of eggs from my remaining 3. I’ve made mini soft boiled ramen …
I never have lemons when I need them, which is a painful point for me because I love lemon zest to make pasta al limon, lemon butter pasta, Greek avgolemono (lemon egg soup)—I either don’t use them up quick enough and they go moldy or I use them up too quick. Either way the eventual problem is that I just don’t have what I need when I need it. Lemon pepper and store bought lemon juice just isn’t the same.
Here comes this really simple way to preserve lemons for cooking—lemon puree with a salt brine. I slice the lemons, remove the seeds, puree (peel and all) in a blender, and add salt. Some people like to let it ferment but I keep it in the fridge because I don’t always trust my fermenting ability. This way I just have to take a spoonful whenever I need that lemon-y goodness.
Always use glass to preserve the flavor. There are versions that included herbs and spices, but I just want a simple lemon base.
My muscovies have started laying which means Spring has sprung! This year I’m desperate to replenish my flock, after having warred with a really resourceful raccoon who was getting into the coop before I locked them in for the night. A fierce battle ensued that …