Healthy Honey Dishes for a Happy 2013!

Robert and I celebrated New Year's Day with a delightful dinner of Honeyed Lemon Salmon en papilotte ("in paper"--which, in our case was actually a piece of aluminum foil).  When you cook fish in a little packet of parchment paper (or aluminum foil) it steams the fish, keeping it nice and moist. The packet also helps to guard against over-cooking.

I'm also including a recipe here for a delicious and brightly-colored chopped salad, which was the hit of the Cookie Day 2012 (an annual gathering of nieces, nephews and friends to over-decorate sugar and gingerbread cookies and celebrate being together).  I wish I had a picture of the salad, folks, but it got eaten before a camera could be found.  Scroll down for some great Cookie Day 2012 photos, though! :)

Honeyed Lemon Salmon en papilotte
The original recipe comes from the Seattle Bon Vivant blog, but I made a number of changes to the recipe.

MARINADE (for 1 ~8-ounce salmon fillet)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or rosemary or tarragon)
1 clove garlic, minced

Combine all of the ingredients and pour over the salmon fillet. Cover and marinate in the fridge for about an hour.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Take the salmon out of the marinade and place on a large piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil, skin side down.  It's fine to include some of the garlic and herbs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold the paper over the salmon like you're wrapping a sandwich and securely fold down to enclose completely.  Place on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.  Carefully unfold wrapping and check that fish is done--it should flake but still be a little translucent.  It may need another five minutes.  In general, 1/2 lb of salmon serves one person--though Robert and I usually just split a small fillet.

Colorful, Delicious & Healthy Chopped Salad
The inspiration for this salad came from two recipes from Mark Bittman, the wonderful food columnist for the New York Times.  Bittman and Sam Sifton (another Times writer) took on the task of making a "feast in a day" just before the holidays and that included a chopped salad.  Bittman's book, The Best Recipes in the World also includes a chopped salad of cabbage.  This is what I made with the ingredients I had and it was fantastic!  The honey, of course, is "SteffesWood Apiary" original addition.  This salad feeds a crowd--we had 14 people here for Cookie Day (though no leftovers to take a photo of, alas.)

1 small head purple cabbage, chopped in 1/2 dice
kosher salt
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and chopped in 1/2 dice
1 sweet yellow pepper, seeded and chopped in 1/2 dice
1/2 English (seedless) cucumber, chopped in 1/2 dice
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped in 1/2 dice
3 celery stalks, chopped in 1/2 dice
1 can large ripe olives, cut in half or thirds
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Chop the cabbage, place in a colander or sieve over a bowl and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt, tossing to incorporate the salt well.  Let the cabbage sit in the colander for about an hour.  The salt will pull out some of the water from the cabbage and wilt it a bit.  Once the cabbage has wilted, rinse it thoroughly with water and drain then dry the cabbage as best you can using a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) or paper towels.  You don't want the cabbage to be wet so that the dressing will adhere to it.  Place the dry cabbage in a bowl along with all of the other vegetables, olives and parsley.  Toss to create a colorful mixture.  Drizzle the honey over the salad and toss well to incorporate the honey with the salad.  Put the lemon juice and oil in a jar with a tight fitting lid, secure the lid firmly and shake to emulsify the oil and lemon juice.  Pour over the salad and toss.  Taste and add salt and pepper.  The salad can be served immediately or covered and refrigerated for up to four hours to feed hungry cookie baker a little something nutritious. :)

Celebrity Guests at Cookie Day 2012

Halibut Cheeks Stir Fry

Robert's brother, Dan, who lives in Alaska, sent us the most amazing fish--fillets of salmon, halibut, and these halibut fish cheeks that we used in a stir fry.  We're lucky to have a sustainable source of fish.  Julie Auth of Wild Alaskan Salmon Company sells sustainable fish at the Sewickley Farmers' Market  during the summer and also does local deliveries. If wild Alaskan halibut isn't available, you could substitute farmed catfish or U.S. farmed talapia.  In that case, I'd just place the fish on top of vegetables rather than mixing it in the stir fry because the fish will be very flaky.  For more information on sustainable fish, check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium website, which includes down-loadable pocket guides for the best sustainable fish to choose.

INGREDIENTS:
peanut (or other oil) for frying
1/2 to 1 pound white fish (see above), cut in 1/2 inch cubes.
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, sliced in rings
1 bunch broccoli, cut into flowerettes (about 3 cups)
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1 red pepper, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 cup vegetable or fish broth
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 to 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Cooked rice for serving

Heat a large skillet or wok. Add oil so that it generously coats the bottom of the pan.  Heat until the oil sizzles when you place a drop of water in it.  Dredge fish in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper.  Shake off excess flour and add to hot oil. Add as much fish as you can without crowding (you may need to do this in batches).  Fry the fish until it's golden and easily releases from the pan.  Turn and fry the pieces on both sides.  Place the fish on a plate lined with paper towels and drain all but about two tablespoons of the oil.
Add the garlic and onions and stir fry for about a minute.  Add the vegetables and stir fry until the color brightens, about five minutes.  Meanwhile, combine the broth, corn starch, hoisin sauce, honey and sesame oil.  Pour onto the vegetables and cook until the sauce thickens. Turn off heat, add the fish, and cover with a lid and let sit for about five minutes (or more--depending on how soft you want the vegetables).  Serve with rice and some hot sauce if you want a spicier dish.  Makes four generous servings.