Dean's Favorite Recipes - a man can live on this
(developed from years of testing and experience)
- Smoked Salmon Brine
- Killer Granola
- The Best Lefse Recipe
- True Grits -- This is my own recipe!
- Aebleskivers for Breakfast
Smoked Salmon Brine
This recipe is ideal for 2-3 pounds of salmon (two slabs 1 to 1.5 pounds each)
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup natural sea salt
- Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl
- Lay the salmon slabs in a large glass pan
- Pour the brine over the fish slabs
- Refrigerate overnight
- Remove from refrigerator and rinse the slabs thoroughly
- Pat dry and allow to air-dry one to two hours before smoking
- Place salmon in heated smoker, skin down
- Smoke at 150-170 degrees for approximately 3 hours
After smoking, cut the salmon into bite sized pieces. Tastes best after refrigeration overnight. Makes a great horsed-over, or dinner entree.
Killer Granola
The original title was "Granola - without the Birkenstocks" but my daughter thought it was stupid
Dry Ingredients:
5 cups oats
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup dried blueberries
3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds - no shells, please
3/4 cup coconut flakes
3/4 cup chopped walnuts - halves chopped once or twice again
3/4 cup chopped pecans - halves chopped once or twice again
3/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup oat bran
Liquid Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups honey
1/2 cup safflower oil
1 tsp real vanilla
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Heat all the LIQUID ingredients in a sauce pan on low/med heat until mixed and runny.
- While the liquid ingredients are perc'in' on the stove, mix all the DRY ingredients thoroughly, in a large bowl - I use a large meat fork with a head approx 1 3/4 inches wide and 2 1/4 inches long.
- Pour the LIQUID ingredients into the large mixing bowl with the DRY ingredients.
- Mix until all DRY ingredients are very WET!
- Pour the mixed contents into two glass baking dishes, approx 10x12 with 2 inch sides. Fill each dish approx 1 inch.
- Bake at 300 degrees for approximately one hour. TURN AND STIR EVERY TEN MINUTES - carefully! - using the same fork that you used to mixed the dry ingredients should work well.
The stirring while baking is a pleasant experience for me; the grainy smell reminds me of feeding my sheep in years gone by. Those are pleasant memories.
My wife used to be the best granola maker in the world. When she left me for a month to help her family, I found the recipe. It didn't take long to figure a few new ingredients and resetting priorities on existing ones. This is the best you will find. Enjoy!
Makes approx 3.2 quarts - hey! there's a nibble factor; okay?
Grits - My Way!
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grits (white hominy)
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Pour milk and water into a 2 quart saucepan and place on hot burner to boil.
While waiting for the boil, place the egg (remove shell first), oregano, ginger, thyme and cayenne in a small dish and blend with a whisk. (I love spices and use a little more than the recipe suggests).
Let the water boil - don't be in a hurry. However, if you over-boil, you will burn the milk; so don't diddle around either. When the water begins to boil, toss in the salt and stir.
Next, add the grits, stirring as you pour.
Now turn the heat to medium-low (between medium and low) and blend in the remaining ingredients (the ones you mixed in the bowl).
This will lightly boil for a while. Stir every couple minutes. Keep cooking for about ten minutes. If you cook with the lid off, the grits will stiffen faster. If you cook with the lid on, the grits will take about fifteen minutes to stiffen and will be lighter. I prefer cooking with the lid off.
When the mixture is fairly stiff (not hard), remove from heat. Allow the grits to sit in the pan for five minutes with the lid on.
Serve with butter. Enjoy!
For breakfast - serve in a bowl. For dinner or supper - serve on a plate. Serve with Ritz™ crackers; a white wine is best but don't drink out of the bottle!
Alternate serving: cut up whole tomato and add with other ingredients.
Serves one healthy man or two regular folk.
If you blow your first batch and cook the grits too stiff, don't throw them out! Place the grits in a container in the refrigerator and allow to cool 24 to 72 hours. Then chop them up and fry them in olive oil. Be sure to use butter and real maple syrup. Makes a great breakfast.
Lefse - from the Old Country
10 cups mashed potatoes (7 large potatoes)
(6 qt Dutch oven approx 11 cups)
1 cube butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 cup flour
makes 30-32 lefse
Boil the potatoes without peeling. Turn to med-low and continue boiling until soft all through. While still warm, peel, mash and put through ricer. Mix in butter (while still warm) and then add cream and salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight (8 hours).
After chilled, knead in sugar and flour. Usually best kneaded by hand.
Roll and cut into 30-32 balls. Using rolling pin, roll each ball on a clean, flour-dusted counter, dusting as needed with flour. Keep remaining portions of batter in refrigerator while baking.
Bake on ungreased griddle, at 400 degrees, until brown (approx 2 min). Turn over and bake other side until brown. Do not overbake.
Stack lefse between towels to cool.
Store in refrigerator.
Serve with butter and brown sugar!
AEBLESKIVERS
(makes a great pancake recipe!)
3 eggs
2 cup buttermilk
2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter or oil
alternate:
3/4 tsp yeast mix with warm milk
allow dough to rise 20 minutes
(you will need aebleskiver pan or cook up on pancake grill)
Separate the eggs and beat whites until stiff but not dry. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine all ingredients except egg whites. Beat until smooth, and then fold in the egg whites.
Heat an aebleskiver pan over medium heat and put about 1 teaspoon oil into each depression (cup). Fill each cup about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Turn using fork or knitting needle when they get bubbly around the edges. Turn frequently until brown.
Serve with jams or syrups.
Alternate: Fill cups (in pan) ½ full. Then place in a little applesauce and put a little batter over that. Warning: DO NOT try this until you have had some practice turning the Aebleskiver in the pan!!!