Keld's Cookin' » capers

Ghetto lox and cream cheese spread

jonizaak — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:15:17 +0000

Maybe “ghetto” is a bad choice of words. “Ghetto” was originally a term that referred to the portion of Venice that Jews were compelled to live during the Middle Ages. Lox, of course, is slices of cured salmon served with cream cheese and bagels that is a staple of an Ashkenazi Jewish diet. Lox also is used to refer to smoked salmon, though this is technically incorrect; lox refers to cured, unsmoked salmon in the strictest sense. But, since this is my dear Jewish mother’s recipe, and she used “lox” to refer to smoked salmon, and Mom always knew best, this is what I am calling it. Mom loved smoked salmon with cream cheese and bagels, but we were too poor to afford the expensive smoked salmon when I was a kid, so this was her ingenious substitute.

1 – 15 1/2 oz. can pink salmon, bones and skin picked out (unless you like these)
2 packages cream cheese, softened
1-2 tsp. liquid smoke

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and spread on toasted bagels.

Here are some additional ingredients that I have added over the years, which I think enhance the experience:

2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 tbsp. minced capers
1/2 c. grated or finely diced red onion OR diced green onion
2 tbsp. minced fresh or 1 tbsp. dried parsley
salt and black pepper (freshly ground) to taste

Of course, if you want to make a non-ghetto version, use a small fillet of natural smoked salmon.

Es gezunterhayt! (Yiddish for “bon appétit”)

june salad

keldwud — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:16:51 +0000

Vinaigrette:

1 part olive oil
3/4 part red wine vinegar
Pinch of salt
Dash of dried basil leaves
Pinch of black pepper
Drops of sesame seed oil
Pinch of garlic powder

With the oil in a bowl, add your dry ingredients first and allow a few minutes for the oil to infuse. Add the pure sesame seed oil and then whisk in the red wine vinegar with a fork until the color is uniform.

June Salad:

1 part chard
1 part romaine lettuce
4 radishes
Sprigs of parsley
Capers
Dash of paprika

Rinse the vegetables well. Pull apart, by hand, the chard, lettuce and parsley. Layer in your bowl if you are only serving one and wish to skip the tossing stage. Slice the radishes and arrange on top of the salad. Top with capers, drizzle vinaigrette and sprinkle with paprika.

Eat.

salsa verde

keldwud — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 22:54:26 +0000

I promised to share the recipe I used for salsa verde which I topped the Vermouth Seared Scallops with from last week’s meal.

1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley
zest from 2 small lemons or one large
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped capers
dash of salt
olive oil (enough to just barely cover the whole mixture)

This doesn’t require much preparation other than letting the mixture sit for a few moments before serving. Chilling it in the fridge before serving definitely helps with the flavor.

Just chop everything up coarsely, and mix together. That’s about it. I borrowed this recipe from Alice Waters once again except she makes hers slightly different. I just eyeball the recipe and above are the approximate amounts for how much I use when I make this.