Something Is Fishy

It seems to me almost every dinner in the winter is kale and potatoes.  I never get tired of it.  It comforts me in a profound way and I feel okay about it because of the piles of kale I'm consuming.  It makes posting meals boring though.  Oh well!

Dinner tonight: braised kale and mashed potatoes!
I treated us with glazed salmon and crispy caramelized onions to go with our kale and potatoes.  I love salmon with only salt and pepper, but I was craving intense flavor and this glaze is amazing.
 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or brown sugar)
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger (we were out of ginger because Nick had just made an incredible ginger beet syrup so I just used a tablespoon of that)

Melt the syrup, honey and butter in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil and ginger. Let cool.

Heat the oven to 400 F

Drizzle and brush your salmon with the glaze (you could probably even marinate  the fish if you wanted to).  Roast until the salmon is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, 8 to 10 minutes.

 

Enjoy!

Farewell Papas and Pollo

Once upon a time there was a Southwest meets Humboldt County restaurant in Sebastopol California.  I did love the cabbage salsa and the marinated tofu.  Unfortunately it seems the inconsistency of both the food and the hours has finally done them in.
In truth I'm not exactly sure when they closed, but as soon as I realized I would never get a Papas Tofu again I got a craving I couldn't shake.  I decided I had to make my own.  Papas Tofu is simple enough in concept.  It is a baked potato that acts as a vessel for everything you would have in a burrito.  Rather then meat there is tofu, and the tofu is the mystery.  For may years there has been speculation about what the marinade is, some say soy sauce, others swear it's yeast.  I fried ours in soy sauce.  It was good, not perfect, but it hit the spot.

For Papas Tofu at home:
Start with a baked potato, pile black beans on top, followed by cheese.

Then the tofu!
To make this tofu, you need to cube and marinate firm tofu for at least an hour, you can design your own marinade.  I just used some garlic an soy sauce.  Then fry the tofu with a little olive oil until golden.

I always ordered mine with extra lettuce, so I add a lot of greens and fresh salsa (hot house tomatoes are finally at the farmers market, and they will do for now)

Papa tofu at home is a nice substitute for the real thing, and incredibly filling dinner!

I Say Potato

I love potatoes.  I love them cooked any way, I love any variety, I love them all.  Potatoes are not just tasty; they are my favorite comfort food.  Cooking dinner after dark slows me down, and makes me less ambitious.  I want warm and simple meals, because what I really desire is to cozy up by the fire and go to bed unreasonably early.  This time of year all I want is comfort.  This time of year all I want is to eat potatoes.

Baked potato, creamed spinach, and a sausage. Warm, flavorful, buttery... all my winter food requirements.

I blanched some fresh spinach and then tossed it with chopped onions and garlic that had been sauteing in butter.  I added a little cream and a little hard Italian cheese, let it cook down for a few minutes. Ta da!  I don't usually make creamy food, but I couldn't get creamed spinach out of my mind.

This is perfect comfort food.  Rich, easy, potato.