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Who knew?

Remember that salmon that almost set my house on fire? Of course you do... it's right below.

Well, anyway, I just realized I got the recipe from Prevention magazine.

Hey, I'm as surprised as you are. One of the best pieces of fish I've ever prepared and it's from a magazine my mom reads? You never know.

Incidentally, I found this recipe using Google, which is probably the biggest cookbook in the world. All you have to do is throw together a couple of ingredients in the search bar and it brings up a ton of great options.

This one was the first response to "salmon + ginger." Mmmmmmmm, Google.

Fun with Fish

When I buy fish at the supermarket, I usually get two kinds: tilapia and salmon. This is not because those are my two favorite fish. This is because those are the two cheapest fish that I like and won't fall apart on me - yeah, I'm looking your way, flounder.

Anyway, I actually really like tilapia and salmon, especially when prepared right. The problem is, while I definitely make edible fish, I can't quite get the quality up to the same level as my other recipes.

Quick recap: I made both fish in the oven, even though I can safely say that I like pan-frying tilapia a lot more. When I baked it, I used a butter-based bath and a panko breadcrumbs. It was very tasty, but somehow too plain. I also can't get those panko crumbs to really crisp up. In my third attempt with them, it still didn't get that "crusted" texture I was going for.

The salmon, despite being a disaster for the household, was an unmitigated success. I don't think I've ever made salmon that good and I credit it to two things: fresh ginger and the broiler.

Despite putting up with the incessant squawking of the fire alarm for 10 minutes, the broiler helped make some of the most tender fish I've ever tasted. Ginger, in my first time using the ingredient, proved to be a good alternative to my usual flavors, and really complemented the salmon.

I think I've found my Excalibur of salmon recipes.

Mama's Vegetarian

The "Vegetarian" part of the title is a bit misleading. It's not like there's hundreds of unique, vegetarian dishes to wow your palette here.

It's a falafel place, nothing more. Granted, they make some mean falafel, but just because you also offer roasted eggplant and potato pancakes does not mean your food-shack is anything more than a falafel shack.

Regardless of the name issues, the food is really good. You can either get sandwiches, made in fresh-baked pitas, or contribute to global warming with a styrofoam platter. Honestly, both methods have the same stuff - hummus, veggies (including tomatoes, cabbage and cucumbers), sauce and your choice of main dish - but there's more of everything in the platter.

Two complaints:

1. The other day, the falafel balls were a bit too crispy.
2. There's this one guy that's given me the spicy sauce twice, even though I've turned it down twice. You can say he's busy and not paying attention, but he probably just hates me.

A Food Mill

COMMENTARY - Tomato Sauce

See, I told you: five ingredients. Unless you want to count salt & pepper separately, but that's just silly.

Anyway, the key to tomato sauce ("marinara" is something different in my book, even though most places and companies confuse the term) are the tomatoes. While that may be obvious, using canned tomatoes may not be.

Fresher is not always better, especially when it comes to tomatoes. Preparing fresh tomatoes to use in sauce takes an awful long time, a lot of work, and even then, will usually not come together as well as the canned kind.

I have a picture of Rosa tomatoes here, but you can use any kind, as long they're Italian. I know, it's snobby, but the Italian ones really are the best.

The tomatoes are usually packed in puree, and should come with basil. Make sure they do not have tomato paste (Death to tomato paste!) or are Italian style (meaning they are probably from New Jersey, not Italy: actually two different places, as opposed to what cable TV leads you to believe).

On a side note, my friend Lou maintains that the onions are dispensable, Sicilian addition. I can't bring myself to try it another way.

RECIPE - Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 32 oz. can Italian plum tomatoes (with basil leaf)
• 1 medium onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt & pepper
  

Directions

Chop onion and saute slowly in olive oil. Halfway through, add sliced garlic. Cook onion and garlic until soft, but not browned.

Meanwhile, empty tomatoes into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer.

When onions and garlic are done, add them to the tomatoes and position a food mill over the now-emptied saucepan. Put tomato mixture through food mill and strain through.

Cook slowly for 15 minutes to an hour, depending on your taste. During last few minutes, add salt and pepper.