Two Great Meals

This potato salad,the recipe is located here Chef Lou’s Potato Salad, is full of vegetables. (Pictured above) You can use veggies, or not, or choose your own. The salad has an awesome dressing of mayo, apple cider vinegar and Dejon mustard. I also added some fresh lovage to add to the “celery” flavor. Try it. Easy to make. I chilled the cooked potatoes before adding them to the sauce/vegetable mix. I also cut the potatoes in “bite sized” pieces before cooking them. Try using new potatoes and quarter them.

The second wonderful dish we made was a Shrimp Salad. (Pictured above) This was a great, summer salad and it can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Full of vegetables and shrimp and with a creamy sauce. I added frozen peas and corn to this salad which gave a a nice texture and flavor. I also used some fresh lovage in this, too. You could probably use lobster instead of shrimp, if you are so inclined. We served it with baked Orange Kokanee – salmon – (7 min at 375 degrees F) for 7 minutes. Toasted Sourdough Wedges with butter and garlic.

Well there are two meals you can play with. Have fun and enjoy! Just don’t forget: If it is on a plate, it is edible! Don’t ever put something on a plate that is not edible.

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32nd Anniversary Dinner

15 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Anniversary, Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Classic Cuisines, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Robin, Ethnic Foods, Fennel, Food Prep, Fruits, Ginger, Green Peas, Green Salad, Harissa, Herbs and Spices, Idaho Lamb, Lamb, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Main Dish, Olive Oil, Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Raisins, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes -Tagine, Salads, Special Dinners, Special Events, Spices of Morocco, Tagine, Tagine Cooking, Tagine of Lamb, Tomatoes, Traditional Food, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?

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fennel, lamb tagine, tagine, tajine

A happy 32nd anniversary dinner tonight! Thank-You Robin for all that love and those many years! The gardenia pictured here is on our front porch. Last century, when Robin and I would go to a formal dance, I would get her a corsage of gardenia. This plant is fitting and brings back many fond memories.
The dinner tonight, Tagine of Lamb with Peas and Fennel, is a very traditional Moroccan dish and tonight we prepared it in a traditional way – in a tagine.

A tajine or tagine (Arabic: طاجين‎ tajin from the Arabic: طاج‎) is a historically North African Berber dish that is named after the earthenware pot in which it is cooked. A similar dish known as tavvas is found in Cypriot cuisine. The traditional method of cooking with a tajine is to place it over coals. Use of the tajine can be compared to stewing.

Ceramic tajines.
The traditional tajine pot is made of pottery, which is sometimes painted or glazed. It consists of two parts: a base unit that is flat and circular with low sides and a large cone- or dome-shaped cover that sits on the base during cooking. The cover is designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom. Tajines can also be cooked in a conventional oven or on a stove top.
Tajine is traditionally cooked over hot charcoal leaving an adequate space between the coals and the tajine pot to avoid having the temperature rise too fast. Large bricks of charcoal are purchased specifically for their ability to stay hot for hours. Smaller pieces of charcoal are reserved for cooking brochettes (barbecue) and other grilled meats.
Other methods are to use a tajine in a slow oven or on a gas or electric stove top, on lowest heat necessary to keep the stew simmering gently. A diffuser – a circular piece of aluminium placed between the tajine and burner – is used to evenly distribute the stove’s heat. European manufacturers have created tajines with heavy cast-iron bottoms that can be heated on a cooking stove to a high temperature. This permits the browning of meat and vegetables before cooking.
Tajine cooking may be replicated by using a slow cooker or similar item; but the result will be slightly different. Many ceramic tajines are decorative items as well as functional cooking vessels. Some tajines, however, are intended only to be used as decorative serving dishes. [Wikipedia]

Using the recipe link above, the vegetables are cut and placed in the tagine along with all spices.

At about 2 hours, or halfway through the cooking process, check to see if more liquid is needed.

The finished product still in the tagine. It could be served from this pot.

Tagine of Lamb with Peas and Fennel

Fresh Spinach and Tomato Salad
with
Meyer Lemon Olive Oil and Tarragon Vinegar Vinaigrette

Boise Farmers Market Expands Program

23 Saturday May 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Adventures, Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Comfort Food, Food, Food Carts or Trucks, Green Beans, Green Peas, Greens, Healthy Eating, Heirloom Carrots, Heirloom Squash, Heirloom Tomatoes, Herbs and Spices, Idaho Greens, Idaho's Bounty, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Meadowlark Farms, Next Generation produce, Onion, Peaceful Belly Farms, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Purple Sage Farms, Special Events, Special Information, Spinach, Spring Greens, Spring Plants, Spring Vegies, Traditional Food, True Roots Produce, Watercress, What's For Dinner?

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Boise Farmers Market, Mobile Market, Next Generation produce, Purple Sage Farms, spring vegetables, True Roots produce

The BFM, Boise Farmers Market, has come up with a novel idea – Take the market to those who can least afford to attend the market at 10th and Grove or any other market in the downtown corridor. In other words, hook up a trailer to a vehicle and take the produce to different neighborhoods. New idea? In the 21st Century, maybe, but I can remember the farmers coming to our neighborhood – in Delaware – and my Mother buying fresh produce that way in season. Look at what they are doing. If you need to enlarge the photos to see them or to print them, Left-Click the photo. From the BFM website, “Spring produce galore! Look for strawberries, asparagus, lettuces, mustard greens, radishes, rhubarb, micro-greens and a whole lot of love. Plus, the debut of the BFM Mobile Market on Saturday, May 23rd!”

The schedule of where the produce trailer will be.

As this poster says, “The Boise Farmers Market and the Boise Parks and Recreation are bringing fresh local produce to your neighborhood this summer! Shop for Fresh-From-The-Farm fruits and vegetables while your kids play in the park. The Mobile Market accepts SNAP benefits. For more information, please contact Janie Burns at (208) 863-6947 or at info@boisefarmersmarket.com.” You can also check the website at The Boise Farmers Market.

The Mobile Market

Map of the service and schedule for the Mobile Market.

Boise Parks and Recreation are helping with this project. Thank-You Boise Parks and Rec!

Hopefully, some of these produce vendors will have some of their produce on the Mobile Market. I know you will be able to purchase fresh, farm eggs from Meadowlark Farms. And maybe bakery items in the future.

True Roots produce.

Purple Sage Farms

Maybe some live plants? If not, fresh tomatoes should be available in season.

Seafood Potpie For Dinner

28 Saturday Mar 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Comfort Food, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Robin, Green Peas, Housemade Pie Crust, Idaho Wine, Lobster, Onion, Photos By: Bob Young, Potpie, Reel Foods, Sea Scallops, Seafood, Shell Fish, Shrimp, What's For Dinner?, Williamson Vineyards and Orchards, Wine and Food, Wines - Italian

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fish stock, lobster, lobster meat, lobster shells, Reel Foods Fish Market, Sea Scallops, shrimp

This was an awesome recipe from Ina Garten for Seafood Potpie. Although I did alter it slightly. I could not find lobster meat – my seafood shop, Reel Foods Fish Market here in Boise was out of it – I used three small lobster tails. (We are really lucky here in Boise to have such an outstanding seafood market that brings in some really fresh product.) I removed the lobster meat from the shell and then stewed down the lobster shells and shrimp shells to make my own seafood stock. It made a fine rich stock. I also used a small jar of clam juice with the stock. Add to this dinner a wonderful glass of 2012 Williamson Vineyards Blossom, 100% Sangiovese Rosè, and we had a great dinner. Try the recipe. Let us know how you liked it and/or if you altered it at any step. Enjoy these photos. Cheers!

Seafood Potpie

This was really very good and we did like the housemade seafood stock.

Break open that luscious crust and one exposes peas, pearl onions, shrimp, scallops and lobster.

Salmon En Croûte

07 Saturday Feb 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Alaskan Salmon, Captain's Shack, Classic Sauces, Classics, Dinner With Robin, Ethnic Foods, French Foods, Green Peas, Hollandaise Sauce, Pastries, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes, Recipes - Sauces, Salmon, Seafood, What's For Dinner?

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Boeuf en Croûte, Copper River Salmon fillets, en croûte, puff pastry, Salmon En Croûte

Table ambiance.

We saw this reccipe on a competition on the Foodnetwork. Decided we needed to make it. Think of it like a Beef Wellington, only made with salmon. We adjusted the recipe for the two of us. That is, I used 2-4 ounce Copper River Salmon fillets instead of a 2 pound side of salmon. Here is the basic recipe. Adjust it as necessary. Salmon En Croûte. Here are some photos of the cooking and prep process. Take your time and all will come out just right. Have fun with the recipe. The recipe for the Hollandaise sauce is in the recipe file on this blog. Here it is, too: Hollandaise Sauce. Cheers!

In the culinary arts, the term en croute (pronounced “on KROOT”) indicates a food that has been wrapped in pastry dough and then baked in the oven. Salmon en Croûte is a popular recipe. Pâté and brie cheese are also frequently prepared en croute.
One of the classic en croute recipes is Beef Wellington, or in French, Boeuf en Croûte.
Traditionally, the type of pastry used for making Pâté en Croûte is a simple straight pastry dough called pâte à pâté, or pâté pastry. But today, puff pastry is frequently used for most en croute recipes.[http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/glossary/g/En-Croute.htm]

The salmon packet is ready to go into the oven at 400 degrees F for about 25 minutes.

The packet is cooling after baking.

The plated Salmon En Croûte. Yum!

Awesome Braised Salmon

15 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Captain's Shack, Comfort Food, Cream Sauces, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Robin, Green Peas, Heirloom Tomatoes, Photos By: Bob Young, Rice, Salmon, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho

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copper river salmon

After an incredible two days of snow, we got close to 10″ here at the house (BSU will play San Diego State tonight in football. 21 degrees at game time; 12 degrees by the final bell. Hope San Diego can handle the cold! Game starts 8:15 MST on DirecTV 208, ESPNU.), it was time to make a super good Copper River salmon dish. Simple, but, I think, elegant. Quick and easy; a 30 minute meal. Left-Click to see the photos enlarged. Cheers!