Sausage (19 page)
Authors: Victoria Wise
SERVES 4 TO 6
Croquettes
1 pound skinless salmon fillets
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
¾ teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon or ¼ teaspoon dried tarragon
¾ cup fine
fresh bread crumbs
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Slaw
1 fennel bulb, halved lengthwise, cored, and cut crosswise into thin slices
1 red bell pepper, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6 cups arugula leaves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh bread crumbs, to coat the croquettes
4 tablespoons butter or
ghee
, or more if needed, for frying
4 lemon wedges
The salmon can be cooked in the oven or in the microwave. If cooking in the oven, preheat it to 375°F.
To cook the salmon, sprinkle the fillets with salt and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet or microwave-safe dish. Cook in the oven uncovered or in the microwave covered until just beyond medium-rare and white curds have formed across the top, about 8 minutes in the oven or 4 to 5 minutes in the microwave, depending on the thickness of the pieces. Transfer to a large bowl and when completely cool, pick out any errant bones.
To make the croquettes, add the parsley, tarragon, bread crumbs, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the salmon and mix with your hands, breaking up the salmon without mashing it, until well blended. Spread the bread crumbs for coating on a large plate. Form the salmon mixture into patties ½ inch thick in whatever diameter you would like, depending on how many people you are serving. Coat them on both sides with the crumbs. Set the coated patties aside in the refrigerator to firm for 30 minutes or so.
To make the slaw, combine the fennel, bell pepper, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl and toss gently to mix. Place the arugula on top and set aside without tossing.
To cook the croquettes, melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add as many salmon patties as will fit without crowding and fry, turning once, until golden on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes total. If necessary, continue with another round, adding more butter to the pan if needed.
To serve, gently mix the arugula into the slaw. Spread the slaw across a large serving platter and drizzle with the oil. Set the patties on top, garnish with the lemon wedges, and serve right away.
The Yiddish word
gefilte
means “filled” or “stuffed,” and originally gefilte fish was fish skins stuffed with a white fish mousse, similar to a French quenelle. Eventually the fish skins were eliminated and just the stuffing was kept, more user-friendly for the home cook, and the skins, if there were any, became part of the broth. Once freed from being stuffed into something, the filling was shaped into oval dumplings and poached without benefit of wrapping. What is important for authenticity, and for the best flavor, is to brew your own fish broth with white fish bones (not salmon or shrimp), which is ready in only 30 minutes. Why take the trouble at all? Well, some dishes are revered for their status as iconic ritual that affirms and carries forth the culture, and making them from scratch both reinforces that role and binds the community of which they are part. Out-of-the-jar gefilte fish just isn’t the same. It is a must-have dish on the Seder table, and beyond that, it is delicious for any occasion that calls for a light first course. Gefilte fish is traditionally made with freshwater fish, but if none is available, any saltwater fish with firm, white flesh will do.
Horseradish root is part of the Seder plate of symbolic foods that signify various stages of the Jews’ flight from Egypt. Finely grated, and sometimes colored a fiery red with the addition of shredded beets, the horseradish condiment is both the customary and perfect accompaniment to gefilte fish.
SERVES 4 TO 6
White Fish Dumplings
¾ pound skinless white-fleshed fish fillets, such as trout, yellow pike, halibut, or cod
⅓ cup grated or minced yellow or white onion
1 large egg
2 tablespoons matzo meal
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Beet Horseradish
1 large red beet (about ½ pound)
1 to 2 tablespoons grated fresh horseradish
1½ teaspoons distilled white vinegar
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Broth
1½ pounds white fish bones and heads
1 small carrot, coarsely cut up
½ rib celery, coarsely cut up
1 large shallot, coarsely cut up
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5 cups water
To make the dumplings, cut the fish into 1½-inch chunks and place in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to freeze partially. Transfer to a food processor and process to as fine a puree as possible. Add the onion, egg, matzo meal, salt, and pepper and continue processing to a paste. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator until quite firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
To make the beet horseradish, cook the beet in water to cover until it can barely be pierced, 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size. Drain and let cool until it can be handled, then peel it while still warm. Grate on the medium-fine holes of a box grater. In a small bowl, combine the grated beet, horseradish, vinegar, sugar, and salt and stir to mix. Set aside at room temperature until ready to use or refrigerate for up to 2 days.
To make the broth, combine the fish bones and heads, carrot, celery, shallot, salt, and water in a medium saucepan, adding more water if needed to cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off any foam that forms on the surface. Decrease the heat to maintain a brisk simmer, cover partially, and cook until slightly reduced, about 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
To cook the dumplings, with wet hands, form the fish mixture into ovals the size of a very large egg, using about ⅓ cup for each dumpling. Drop them into the broth and bring just to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer, adding more water if necessary to keep the dumplings afloat, until cooked through, about 1½ hours. Transfer the dumplings and broth to a serving bowl, let cool until no longer steaming, and refrigerate until the broth sets into a loose gelée, 3 hours or so.
Serve the gefilte fish and gelée cold with the beet horseradish on the side.
Delicate and unusual, shrimp and pancetta combined into a sausage is an example of the delightful ways in which seafood and pork can glamorize each other, here in ravioli made easy to execute using store-bought wonton wrappers for the pasta. Edamame (fresh soybeans) and fava beans (broad beans), both Old World beans, can be used interchangeably in this recipe. Both are almost meaty and bright green, and provide similar vivid leguminous presence in dishes that employ them. However, practically speaking, edamame have the advantage because they are available already shelled in supermarket freezer sections in all seasons. Favas, in contrast, are mainly spring to early summer and fall fare, and they are a chore to prepare, requiring first shelling and then peeling each bean after immersing in boiling water for 1 or 2 minutes to loosen the bitter-tasting skins. (A side note: if you are using fava beans and purchasing them at a farmers’ market, you can probably also pick up some fava leaves. As our vegetable horizons expand more and more, they have become available and are quite tasty as a green for a soup such as this one or tossed into a salad.)
Shrimp and pancetta sausage can also be made into small balls and dropped into a chicken or vegetable broth for a substantial appetizer or light first course. Or, you can use it to top small cooked and halved artichokes, then generously sprinkle the sausage with bread crumbs and briefly cook the sausage and brown the crumbs in a hot oven or under a broiler.
SERVES 4 TO 6
Sausage
½ pound medium shrimp, shelled
2 ounces pancetta
1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion, light green parts only
½ teaspoon grated or minced lemon zest
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Ravioli
24 square wonton wrappers
Kosher salt
2 ounces broccoli rabe or broccolini, sliced lengthwise into thin strips
½ cup shelled edamame or shelled and peeled fava beans
2 teaspoons grated or minced lemon zest
¼ cup best-quality extra virgin olive oil
To make the sausage, place the shrimp and pancetta in a food processor and pulse to chop. Add the scallion, lemon zest, and salt and pulse briefly until blended but not pureed. Use right away, or cover and refrigerate for up to overnight.
To make the ravioli, place 1 teaspoon of the sausage in the center of each wonton wrapper. Lightly brush the edges of the wrapper with water, and fold it over corner to corner to make a triangle. Press the edges together with a fork to seal. As the ravioli are made, transfer them to a plate. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside.
Bring a medium saucepan filled with 1½ inches of water to a boil over high heat. Add a pinch of salt and then the broccoli rabe and edamame. When the water returns to a boil, cook until the broccoli is barely wilted and still bright green, about 3 minutes. Lift out the vegetables with a slotted spoon and rinse under cold running water. Set aside.
To cook the ravioli use the same pan of water and return it to a boil. Add as many ravioli as will fit without crowding and boil gently until they float to the top and plump up, about 3 minutes. Lift them out with a slotted spoon, shake to dry slightly, and transfer, still moist, to a platter. Set aside in a warm place and continue with another batch until all are cooked.
Arrange the broccoli and edamame over and around the ravioli. Sprinkle the zest over the top and drizzle the olive oil over all. Serve right away.
Japanese-Style White Fish Balls in Shiitake-Ginger Broth
Subtle, calming, and healthful, this clear soup is a home remedy for alleviating stress. The ginger subdues nausea, aids digestion, and stimulates circulation; the fish balls provide protein to relieve hunger; and the mushrooms and spinach enliven the broth to make the remedy more than palatable, indeed desirable. How simple. How soothing.
The spinach roots add an elusive textural dimension to the broth. Not exactly crunchable, they are nonetheless more chewable than spinach leaves. They are available at the bottom of ordinary bunch spinach sold with roots attached. Cut them off to use in the soup and save the leaves for another dish.
SERVES 4 TO 6
Fish Balls
½ pound skinless fatty white-fleshed fish fillets, such as black sea bass, white sea bass, or butterfish
1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Soup
6 cups water
2 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems cut off and chopped and caps thinly sliced
2 tablespoons peeled and coarsely chopped fresh ginger
4 cilantro sprigs
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
8 spinach roots, cut in half lengthwise
2 small scallions, white and light green parts, cut lengthwise into thin strands
To make the fish balls, cut the fish into 1- to 2-inch chunks, place in a food processor, and process until finely ground. Add the ginger, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and process until thoroughly blended. With wet hands, pat the mixture into ¾-inch balls. Set aside on a plate, cover, and refrigerate until ready to cook.
To make the soup, combine the water, mushroom stems, ginger, cilantro, and soy sauce in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover partially, and cook until the mushroom and ginger pieces are soft, about 10 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean medium saucepan. Discard the contents of the strainer.
Bring the strained broth just to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the shiitake caps, spinach roots, and fish balls and cook until the balls rise to the top, about 3 minutes. Ladle the soup into individual bowls, garnish each bowl with a few scallion strands, and serve piping hot.