opiate wave

(I keep that family recipe close and under penalty of a horrific death)

But I do love the tamarind soup, or sinigang. With seafood most especially. Tart and sour, deliciously unique in flavor. And the seafood makes it healthy. You can find plenty of recipes on the ‘net for different types of sinigang. It’s a real easy soup to cook. Here’s my version – kicked up with my favorite ingredients. I keep it rustic and homely.

E’s SEAFOOD SINIGANG

Water – 3 cups plus 3 cups rice wash*
Tamarind Soup Base** – 1 cup concentrated (see Recipe below)
Short stalk of ginger, julienned
Onion – 1 large, sliced
Tomato – 1 large, quartered
Siling Haba / Green Chili – 1 or 2 long ones, whole
Long OR String Beans – 1 large bundle
Fresh Fish – 1 small whole fish (see below for recommendations)
Fresh Shrimp – 1 pound, your choice to shell or not shell them
Bok Choy – 1 medium or 2 small, separated from the stalk
Kangkong (Water Spinach) OR Fresh Spinach – 1 large bundle
Patis / Nam Pla / Fish Sauce – to taste (one tablespoon will do)

*Rice wash is the water saved from rinsing uncooked rice grains (always rinse your rice grains before cooking them) I prefer to use water from the second or third rinsing.

**You can substitute one package of powdered Tamarind Soup Base instead of making a fresh batch. Any brand will do. I found some on sale at Amazon dot com.

RECOMMEND any non-oily white fish. Traditionalists use Bangus, or Milkfish. I prefer Tilapia. Do not use salmon or tuna. It’s best that you use the whole fish because its bones, head and tail will add flavor to the soup (you can always remove them before serving) But if you don’t like whole fish, at least leave the skin on the fillets.

Okay …

In a large stock or stew pot, combine the water and rice wash, tamarind soup base, ginger, and onion. Bring them to a boil, then add the tomato, chili, long beans and fish. Continue to boil uncovered for ten minutes (or at least until the fish begins to lose its translucent sheen) Lower the heat. Add the shrimp, bok choy and spinach. Then slowly drizzle in the fish sauce. Cover and simmer until the shrimp are cooked to a nice pink color. Turn off the heat.

Serve hot in a bowl over a scoop of steamed white rice. Enjoy!

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FRESH TAMARIND SOUP BASE (it’s easy too)

Fresh Tamarind pods – 2 to 3 cups, leaves and stems removed
Water – 6 to 8 cups
Sea Salt OR Fish Sauce – to taste

In a large stock pot, combine all ingredients and bring them to a boil for ten to fifteen minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully strain the liquid into a separate container, making sure to mash the tamarind pods so that you collect as much of its juice as possible. Discard the pods.

You can store this soup base in the freezer for future use.

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I pan-seared a fillet of Pacific salmon (skin on) lightly sprinkled with Old Bay Seasoning. And then I threw it in the oven with the juice of one small fresh lemon (plucked from the tree in the back yard), a tablespoon of butter (cubed) and two sprigs of fresh rosemary (had a bunch left over from Thanksgiving).

Oh my gods.

It was my last evening house-sitting and I wanted to celebrate with a simple meal. I love salmon, but I don’t like the way most chefs prepare and cook it. They’ll overcook it, or worse, mask the flavor of the fish with too much added ingredients or sauce. My salmon is just pink enough, but it’s pink through and through. It’s just to the point of beginning to flake, but it will still hold its shape when you slice into it. It’s tender yet firm, it retains almost all of its own juices and it melts in your mouth when you bite into it. It’s perfect.

Last year my brother and I went fishing on First Street in Benicia, a local salmon hot spot. On any given day during salmon season you can see a dense line of hopeful fishermen on the jetties near where the salmon would swim on their way to the American River to spawn. I was minding the dog when a scrappy long-haired kid reeking of San Francisco’s finest Purple Haze walked up to the rinsing station with a salmon in one hand and a gutting knife in the other. He flicked his blunt aside and went to work, finishing up just in time for another man to use the sink to clean his own fish.

I looked at the kid’s catch. A three-footer, nice girth. Bright eyes. Good silver sheen to the belly. It looked very similar to the salmon I paid $125 for at Pike’s Market in Seattle back in ‘98.

It took my brother and I two weeks to finally overdose on our own catch, and in that time I perfected my salmon cooking technique. I like to sear it – lock in the flavor first before baking it. Or I’ll steam it with aromatics in the steaming liquid. I always leave the skin on because it enhances the flavor (you can always discard it right before serving) And I never serve it with a sauce. Detracts too much from the flavor. When I serve it, it’s usually with a light side dish like steamed rice or fresh vegetables. Or even baked potatoes. Again, nothing to detract from the flavor of the fish. It’s how I like it. Simple, easy and pure.

I’m gonna miss having this big kitchen all to myself.

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(by the way, brandy-spiked whipped cream is simply divine over fresh fruit)

I turned down two invitations to Thanksgiving dinner and one suggestion to go out and dine at a nice restaurant in order to prepare my first ever Thanksgiving For One meal. The family is out of the country and it’s just me and the little one, who is currently splayed out on the Pergo catching his breath because we just played fetch in the back yard.

It was so chilly this morning so I decided to go find some sunshine to warm us up. That led to wine country. There’s always sunshine there. So I took the little one on a drive to Rutherford to visit my favorite winery, V. Sattui. I love their picnic grounds – cool soft grass and aged wooden tables and benches amongst the oak trees where one can enjoy a picnic with family and friends. The smell of fermenting wine infuses the air and the rustle of leaves and small talk cuts out the drone of cars on Highway 29 just next to the tracks where the Napa Valley Wine Train travels. Sattui has a great deli and cheese selection too, and I was thrilled to find some homemade Tallegio and Fontina for a panini recipe I saw on Giada de Laurentiis’ show last week.  And in the tasting room I chatted with a lady stocking up on bottles for the holidays. We swapped Italian recipes while waiting in line. I went with dessert wine this time, opting for a bottle of Angelica for myself and Madeira for Dad for Christmas. Hope he doesn’t stumble upon this blog entry or that gift will be ruined!

And just like that I’m inspired to cook.

Three days ago I finished all of my grocery shopping. I wasn’t just buying for the big holiday but also for the next two weeks. Food Network got me going. Not only will I prep a turkey breast in lieu of an entire bird, but I will also innovate on some of Mom’s traditional specialties. Add a new ingredient or two, or adjust proportions of spices and such. I’m excited. So here’s a bit of what I’ve got planned.

For Thanksgiving I’m going with a somewhat twist. Pear and mixed greens salad with olives and pine nuts dressed in balsamic vinegar (instead of a creamy blue cheese or ranch). Wild rice and chantrelle mushroom pilaf cooked in chicken stock and white wine (instead of stuffing and potatoes). Barbequed corn on the cob, slathered with copious amounts of rosemary thyme butter (instead of a vegetable casserole). Sweet potato pie for dessert. And the turkey breast? I’m stuffing under the skin with fresh sage, rosemary, thyme and goat cheese and giving it a good rub of sage butter and dry seasoning before placing it into an oven bag to bake in its own juices.

!!!

After Thanksgiving? Seafood. Lots of seafood. I’m going to make E’s version of Sinigang Na Hipon a tamarind-flavored stew of shrimp, fish and shellfish. For the seafood I’ve chosen jumbo prawns, manila clams, squid and tilapia. For the greens I’m going with spinach, bok choy, green beans and romaine. I might kick it up with julienned ginger and throw some shallots in with the onions as well. Sky’s the limit.

I’ve got lots of other seafood dishes in mind. Cioppino, San Francisco style. Pan-seared salmon with ginger butter sauce. New Zealand mussel stew. And if the local fishmonger can guarantee that it’s safe, maybe I’ll do a dungeness crab boil. I don’t think I’ve had a crab boil in over three months!

Finally, I’ve got some simple dishes in mind. Eggplant lasagna and maybe some other lightly tossed fettucini pasta dish. Buffalo wings, extra hot. Udon noodles for a cold day. Ginataan (tropical fruits, tubers and roots stewed in coconut milk and served hot out of the pot) for dessert. So much more!

It’s looking hearty and full for the next couple days. Perfect for crawling up on the couch with a movie or sketching while watching the leaves turn and fall.

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ETA:  I just got my third text from Mom today and she was really happy to hear that my turkey came out perfect.  Yay!!