The Phantom

There is a story that begins, "in the dark recesses of your cellar you sense a presence, hear footsteps."  You stand still, asking, "why is it these things happen to me when I am alone?" You slowly turn, looking over your shoulder only to catch, "in the shadows, a glimpse of muddy boots and old blue jeans."  Sights of "the lurking legacies of hard work and determination left by those who have come before you."

This story is on the label of Bogle Vineyards' Phantom (2008), a blend of old vine Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and old vine Mourvèdre.  The exact blend is 51% Zinfandel, 47% Petite Sirah, 2% Mourvèdre.  The grapes were cultivated at Bogle's principal vineyard in the Clarksburg American Viticultural Area (AVA), along with its vineyards in the  Lodi and Amador AVAs. The wine is aged for two years in 1 year old, 2 year old and 3 year old American oak barrels.
 

The winemaker describes the Phantom has having "notes of boysenberry and black fruit are deepened with pipe tobacco and black pepper, with subtle clove and vanilla softly envelop the palate."  He added that the taste of the wine is "intense and luscious, the rich character opens to reveal red fruit of spirited cranberries and raspberries."

For me, the wine pours a dark crimson, with ruby hues around the edge and a center that appears nearly impenetrable to light.  The aromatic elements of the wine hint at black cherries, drawing one into the darkness.  With each sip, apparitions of dark plums, black cherries, and tobacco flavors cross the tongue.  And, just when it seems that the wine is gone, the tongue is gripped by some fairly strong tannins.

The grapes used in this wine -- Mourvèdre, Petite Sirah, and Zinfandel -- suggest that this hearty wine is best paired with roasted or grilled meats.  One could also pair this wine with earthy dishes, such as a stew or chili.

This wine is available at most wine stores and grocery stores.  The wine sells for about $23.99 a bottle.

ENJOY!

Shrimp Masala

When I recently made Masaledar Cholay, I also made a Shrimp Masala dish.  I found this dish by Aniamma Philip, which was on the Food & Wine website.  The recipe is based upon or inspired by the cuisine of Kerala. 

Kerala is a state on the Malabar Coast in southwestern India. Its cuisine has a long history, which has been affected by influences, dating back even to ancient Greece and Rome.  More recently, the Arabs and Europeans have influenced cooking in Kerala.   These influences are seen in some Keralan dishes, but, apart from this little tidbit of culinary history, what fascinates me the most about Keralan cuisine is the use of spices in the dishes, especially in its curries.  Keralan dishes feature a wide range of spices, including cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and chiles. 

According to the recipe, Keralites use tiger prawns with a complex paste of ginger, garlic and eight different spices.  Although the paste may be "complex," the dish is actually easy to make.  It is also very delicious too. 

SHRIMP MASALA

Recipe adapted from Food & Wine

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients (for the Masala):

1 1/2 teaspoons of coriander seeds

Seeds from 1 cardamom pod

1 whole clove

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 inch cinnamon stick

1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon of cider vinegar

2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

1 garlic clove minced

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Salt

Ingredients (for the Shrimp):

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

10 fresh curry leaves

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1/2 piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup canned whole tomatoes with juice

1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined

Salt.

Directions:

1.  Prepare the masala paste.  Combine the coriander, cardamom and anise seeds with the clove, crushed red pepper, cinnamon and peppercorns in a spice grinder.  Grind the ingredients to a fine powder.  Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the oil, vinegar, ginger, garlic and turmeric.  Season with salt.

2.  Prepare the masala.  Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Add the curry leaves and cook over moderately high heat until they sizzle, which should take about ten seconds.  Add the garlic, onion, and ginger. Cook for about ten minutes over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until they are softened and starting to brown.  Add the masala pasta and cook, stirring frequently, for about five minutes until it is fragrant.  Add the tomatoes and their juice, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. 

3.  Cook the shrimp.  Add the shrimp to the skillet in an even layer and season with salt.  Simmer, turning once until just cooked through, about 3 minutes.  .Serve immediately.

PAIRING THIS DISH

Food & Wine recommends a Sémillon as a pairing for this dish.  Apart from a French Sémillon, there are vineyards in California and Washington who produce some great wines.  I have reviewed a Sémillon from Washington State, which would pair well with this dish:

L'Ecole No. 41 -- Columbia Valley Sémillon

100% Sémillon
Walla Walla, Washington, USA
Flavors of pear and apple.

ENJOY!

The Cocoa Mole and the Lips of Faith

Last year, I reviewed a beer called El Mole Ocho, which was New Holland Brewing Company's effort to create the eighth mole in a beer.  The beer accomplished the brewer's goal, with a chile spice up front, followed by chocolate and more chile spice.  The beer really struck a cord with someone who loves food, culinary traditions and, of course, chile peppers.  

New Belgium Brewing Company throws its hat in the ring with the Coca Mole.  The beer is brewed with Target hops, along with Pale, C-80, Chocolate and Dark Chocolate malts. New Belgium also uses cocoa, chile and cinnamon to flavor the beer.   When it comes to the peppers, the brewer uses some classic Mexican peppers. The chiles used are ancho, guajilo and chipotle peppers.  The ancho and chipotle peppers help to provide smoke to any dish ... and, in this case, any beer.  The guajillo pepper helps to add a little spice to the body of the beer. 

With the beer in the bottle, New Belgium proclaims, "say hola to a spiced up ale full of cocoa and ancho, guajillo and chipotle peppers."  The brewer adds that no one should fear the heat, because there are "plenty of caramel and chocolate malts bring a smooth, complex flavor."

The beer pours a dark brown to almost black, evoking the characteristic color of a mole negro.  There are aromatic elements of cinnamon and chile powder, although the chile aromas are more prevalent than the cinnamon.  With respect to the taste, there is a good dose of heat.  The piquancy of the peppers somewhat outshine the smokiness one would expect from ancho and chipotle peppers.  After having felt the burn, the cocoa and chocolate appear to sooth the tongue and the throat.

The Cocoa Mole is a very good beer, and, along with the El Mole Ocho, it is the start of a great new style of beers ... mole beers.  This beer is available at stores that sell New Belgium beers and a bottle sells for about $8.99 a bottle.  

ENJOY!

Masaledar Cholay (Chickpeas in Spicy Tomato Gravy)

I am not a fan of making vegetarian dishes and I often say I will eat anything that is not vegetarian.  It stems from my belief that every dish benefits from the addition of a little (or a lot) of meat.  However, I do eat vegetarian dishes.  Since I have been married to my beautiful Angel, I have begun to cook with vegetables and make dishes that I would never have made in the past.  One such dish is this recipe for Chickpeas in Spicy Tomato Gravy.  

Chickpeas in a Spicy Tomato Sauce is actually known as Masaledar Cholay, a Punjabi dish that is popular in both Pakistan and India.  A cholay is a chickpea masala.  The Pakistani version uses potatoes; however, the Indian version uses tomatoes.

The key to Masaledar Cholay is the "gravy." It begins with the processing of garlic, ginger and jalapenos into a paste, which is added with dry spices (coriander, cumin and cayenne) to the sauteeing onions.  The liquid of the gravy comes from tomatoes and water, although I will admit that I left out the water.  Many recipes call for the gravy to be "almost dry." I just used the water in the tomatoes, as they broke down, to provide the liquid for the gravy.  Although it was not "almost dry," it was very flavorful from the paste and the spices.

In the end, this is an amazing dish.  Both Clare and I really enjoyed it.   Masaledar Cholay makes a great side dish or appetizer.  It can also stand alone as a main course, served with naan or fried Indian bread such as pooris or bhatooras. 

MASALEDAR CHOLAY

(Chickpeas in Spicy Tomato Gravy)

Adapted from a recipe by Sanjeev Kapoor in Food & Wine

Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 onions, cut into 1/4 inch dice

1 cup of water

Salt

1/3 teaspoon of cayenne powder

1 tablespoon cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon of ground cumin

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 jalapeno chopped

1 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon of ground coriander

3/4 cup of canned diced tomatoes

Directions:

1.  Create a garlic/jalapeno/ginger paste.  In a food processor, process the chopped garlic, jalapenos and ginger into a paste.

2.  Saute the onions.   In a non-stick frying pan, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Add the onions and cook for three minutes.  Reduce the heat and continue to saute the onions until they are brown, about seven more minutes. 

3.  Add the spices.  Add the paste to the onions and stir until fragrant, which should take about two minutes.  Add the cumin, coriander and cayenne.  Stir and cook for an additional minute. 

4.  Add the tomatoes.  Add the tomatoes and continue to simmer over moderate heat until the mixture begins to thicken.  This should take about six minutes.

5.  Add the chickpeas.  Add the chickpeas and the water . Continue to simmer for about eight minutes or until the chickpeas are flavored with the gravy. 

6.  Plate the dish.   Season the chickpeas with salt, garnish with the cilantro and serve in small bowls.  This dish can be served with yogurt and/or naan, pooris, or bhatooras bread.

PAIRING THIS DISH

Food & Wine suggests that the best pairing for Masaledar Cholay is a fruity, Italian rosato.  Rosato wines are produced in Tuscany and Piedmont, including Banfi's Rosa Regale.   I have not reviewed any Italian rosato wines, but I have reviewed a French rosé wine from the Loire Valley, which I think could work well with this dish:

Famille Bougrier -- Rosé d'Anjou (2010)
Grolleau grapes
D'Anjou, Loire Valley, France
Flavors of fresh strawberries and raspberries 

Other French regions also produce some great rosé wines, such as Provence.  As always, Indian dishes also pair well with beers.  Indian beers, like Taj Mahal and Kingfisher, are lager beers, so I would recommend a light to medium lager beer with this dish. I think a pilsner beer, which is brewed in the lager style, could work well with this cholay.  One such pilsner beer that could work well is this beer:

Great Lakes Brewing Co. -- The Wright Pils
Pilsner
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Slight hoppiness, some malt

ENJOY!

Vale do Bomfim Douro (2009)

When it comes to wine and Portugal, one most often thinks of Port, the fortified wine from the Douro Valley.  This is probably due to the fact that the large Port houses -- like Dow -- have been successfully making the wine for centuries.  However, these same houses have also begun to use their grapes to produce both red and white wines.  One such red wine is the Douro, which has its own DOC, or Denominação de Origem Controlada.

The Douro DOC is found along the Douro River in the Trás os Montes e Alto Douro of northern Portugal.  The principal red grape varieties in this DOC include the Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz (also known as the Tempranillo grape in Spain) and Tinto Cao.  Many of these grapes are used in the production of Port; however, the Port House of Dow has taken these grapes to produce the Vale do Bomfin, a red wine that I found at a local grocery store. 

The Vale do Bomfin is produced by the Symington family.  This is the family that owns and operates the venerable Dow Port House, which has been producing Port wine since 1798.  The Val do Bonfim is named after Quinta do Bonfim, which is where the Dow House has its headquarters. This Douro wine is a blend of five grape varietals.  For this vintage, the blend is 30% Tinta Barroca, 25% Touriga Franca, 25% Touriga Nacional, 15% Tinta Roriz, and 5% Tinto Cao.  The family describes this Douro wine as reflecting "the new style of wine of wines coming from the Upper Douro valley, where it offers assertive spice aromas and delicious wild berry flavors."

This intensely garnet-hued Douro wine provides a lot of wild berry aromas and flavors, such as cherries, black cherries and a small handful of raspberries.  This Douro also has a little oak and earthiness hiding amongst all of that fruit, in the background of a this rather bold wine, providing a subtle reminder of the aging of the wine. The wine also is rather tannic, providing a certain dryness and astringency that often comes from big, bold red wines.  

Like those big bold wines, the Val do Bonfim is best paired with red meats, whether grilled, broiled or pan seared.  This wine would also pair well with flatbreads or pizzas that have red sauces, sausage, and mushrooms.  And, speaking of sausage, this wine would also pair well with the iconic Portuguese sausage ... linguiça, along with chourico (or chorizo). 

I found this wine at a local grocery store.  It sells for about $9.99 for one bottle. 

ENJOY!

Saffron Infused Lobster, Roasted Peppers, Arugula

Recently, my beautiful Angel, Clare, wanted me to make her a salad.  I wanted to try something different.  The result is this dish.  It is an experiment with different ingredients ... saffron, lobster, peppers, onions, arugula and pecorino romano.  I decided to combine the first two, using the saffron to flavor the lobster.  With respect to onions, I decided to let them soak in some red wine vinegar.  The peppers were roasted.  The arugula and pecorino romano were left alone.

As with most Chef Bolek originals, I posted this dish after the first attempt at making it.  I think it is visually appealing, with a good contrast in colors .. the yellow, saffron-infused lobster, the orange roasted peppers, the pinkish onions, and the green arugula.  The dish tasted good as well.  The saffron obviously flavored the lobster, which contrasted well with the peppery arugula and the roasted flavors of the peppers.

Although I have a hard time getting back to making dishes a second time (there is so many recipes and so little time), I will revisit this recipe and work on this dish. I will also update the recipe based upon what I learn and how I improve it. 

SAFFRON INFUSED LOBSTER, ROASTED PEPPERS, ARUGULA

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 2

Ingredients:

3 to 4 four ounce lobster tails, shelled and cut into 

     bite sized pieces

1 green bell pepper, roasted and diced

1 red bell pepper, roasted and diced

1 medium shallot, finely diced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar

3 cups of baby arugula

1 pinch of saffron

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Pecorino Toscano or Pecorino Romao, shaved

Sea salt, to taste

Directions:

1.  Marinate the lobster and onions.  Rehydrate the saffron in warm water for fifteen minutes in a medium sized bowl.  Once the water has cooled, add the lobster and let it sit for about four to five minutes.  In a separate bowl, pour 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.  Remove the lobster from the saffron water and place the lobster (with as many saffron threads as possible, in the separate bowl.  Refrigerate for at least fifteen minutes.  In a separate bowl, add the red onions and the red wine vinegar.  Mix to make sure that the vinegar covers all of the onions.

2.  Saute the shallots.  Heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add the shallots and saute until translucent.  

3.  Saute the lobster.  Add the lobster and saute the lobster until opaque, about eight minutes.  Make sure to stir the lobster and make sure that all sides of the lobster are cooked.  Add the roasted peppers to warm them again.

4.  Plate the dish.  Plate the arugula in the center of the dish.  Add some of the onions on top of the arugula.  Add some of the lobster on top of the onions, along with some shaved Pecorino.

PAIRING THIS DISH

This dish is best paired with a white wine.  A range of white wines could work, although I would stick with a lighter, fruiter white wine.  A wine such as a Pinot Gris or Sémillon would work well, such as one of these:

Lemelson Vineyards -- Tikka's Run Pinot Gris
100% Pinot Gris
Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
Flavors of apricot, melon and fennel

L'Ecole No. 41 -- Columbia Valley Sémillon
100% Sémillon
 Columbia Valley, Washington, USA
Flavors of pear and apple

Although white wines would work with this dish, I would steer clear from Chardonnays, especially oaked wines.

ENJOY!

The Devil's Saddler

Roughly tranlsated, "Sella del Diavolo" means "The Devil's Saddler" or "Seat of the Devil."  It is one of the beers from Birrificio Barley or "Barley.""  Barley is a small craft brewer based in Maracalagonis, a town on the island of Sardinia.  Barley produces three year round beers, including the Sella del Diavolo.

The Sella del Diavolo is brewed in the style of a Bière de Garde.  This style is a farmhouse ale typically brewed in northern France.  The name, "Bière de Garde," translates roughly into "beer that has been kept or lagered."  Traditionally, the beer is brewed in early spring and then kept in cold cellars until the summertime. 

According to the Beer Judge Certification Program, a Bière de Garde can be blond, amber or brown in color, with a malty sweet aroma and a taste that features toffee or caramel.  A Bière de Garde draws more from the malts used to produce the beer than the hops.  Indeed, there is usually little to no hop flavor in this style of beer. 

The brewer, Barley, describes the Sella del Diavolo as having a "[w]inking amber color with orange reflections plus cream colored and persistent foam [that] reveals ... [the] torrified malts promising biscuit and roasted flavors."  This description is largely accurate, with the beer's amber color having dark copper or rust tones.  

As for the taste of the Sella del Diavolo, the brewer describes the beer as a  "cohabitation" between "caramel and fruity (plums and morello cherry) notes and peppery and herbal notes coming from a long-sighted use of aromatic hops."  The brewer adds, "[w]arm and vinuous in the palate with an appropriate dryness giving it a good between the sweet fruity, roasted, slightly smoked notes and a long, dry, very bitter aftertaste."  For me, the beer definitely had a caramel flavor, but the supporting flavors were not so much fruit, but bready, biscuity flavors.  There was a warmness, but the beer did not have the roasted, smoky notes.  This may be due to the age of the beer, because I am not sure how long it sat on the shelves before I bought it and it was in our basement for a few months.  

The brewer recommends pairing this beer with roast lamb or piglet which is slowly cooked over a fire, as well as medium but not to salty cheeses.  Those suggestions are definitely spot on for this beer,although you do not need to roast an entire animal.  The beer goes will with grilled or broiled steaks, lamb chops, and/or pork chops.    

This beer is hard to find in beer stores.  We found this beer at State Line Liquors in Elkton, Maryland, where, if I recall correctly, it sold for about $20.00 a bottle.

ENJOY!

Saffron Tagliatelle, Blue Crab, Cardamom Cream Sauce

Every once in a while, I have the urge to make pasta.  The urge is necessary because I have a rule against buying pasta that I can make my self.  My most recent urge was to try to make saffron pasta.  This is a lot harder than I thought.  The first batch did not work at all.  I was a little dispirited, but, I decided I would try again.  After all, I was making dinner for my beautiful wife, who volunteers to try some of the unusual things that I make.  

While saffron pasta may seem out of the ordinary, this dish falls within the category of "unusual dishes" because of the sauce.  I did not want to do a red sauce or a white sauce.  I wanted to do something different.  As ingredients raced through my head, there was one that caught my attention .... cardamom.  I thought that cardamom would match well with the saffron in the pasta.  So, it was decided.  I would make a cardamom cream sauce.

The sauce probably needs some work and refinement.  The major components are heavy cream, citrus (lemon and lime) and cardamom.  I used ground cardamom, but you could easily buy a few pods (green cardamom pods work best), toast them and grind them into powder.  Finally, I added some crab, using both lump and backfin, so that there would be different sized pieces of crabmeat in the sauce.  

The sauce turned out a little lighter than I expected, but this is probably because I am not a big fan of thick, white sauces.  I could not bring myself to make an alfredo-type sauce, so I ended up with a lighter sauce that, while covering the noodles, did not really show though in the pasta.

Even though the sauce did not work out like I wanted, I am still fascinated by the saffron-cardamom pairing.  I am definitely going to make this sauce again and I will update this post with each effort.

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SAFFRON TAGLIATELLE, BLUE CRAB, CARDAMOM CREAM SAUCE

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 3-4

Ingredients (for the pasta):

2 eggs, beaten

1 pinch of saffron

4 cups of all purpose flour

Ingredients (for the sauce):

1 pound crab meat (preferably jumbo lump meat, but
     you can also use backfin meat or a combination)

1 cup of heavy cream

1 tablespoon of ground cardamom

1 teaspoon of ground cloves

Freshly grated nutmeg

Zest from 1 lemon and juice from 1/2 lemon

Zest from 1 lime and juice from 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon of sugar

Directions:

1.  Make the dough.   Make a mound with the flour and a well in the middle of the mound.  Reinforce each side of the mound with the back side of a spoon.  Add the egg and saffron to the well.  Add a little flour at a time into the egg, stirring the flour into the egg with a fork.  Continue stirring and adding flour until the dough begins to form.  This may take a little while.  Always be mindful of the sides of the well and make sure that there are no cracks where the egg can escape. 

2.  Knead the dough.  Once the dough has formed enough to pick up (it may still be a little runny), scoop up the dough into one of your hands and cover it with flour.  Continue to work the dough into a ball in your hands by adding flour until there is no more "liquid."  Return the dough to a floured surface and begin to kneed the dough with the palm of your hand and your fingers.  Continue to kneed the dough for about ten minutes or until the dough no longer seems "wet."  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for a few hours.

3.  Make the pasta.  Follow the directions on your hand-crank machine, running the dough on the widest setting and working toward the narrow setting. Sprinkle flour onto the dough if you feel any "wet" spots.  Let the dough sit for a couple of minutes.  Then use the attachment for whatever type of pasta you would like to make. As you cut the pasta using the attachment, make sure that the pasta noodles are separated from one another by either hanging the noodles on a pasta rack or arranging the noodles in a way that will prevent them from sticking together as they dry.  You should also sprinkle flour over the noodles, which will help to keep the noodles separate.

4.  Make the sauce.  Heat the heavy cream in a sauce pan.  Add the lemon zest, lime zest and cardamom.  Stir well.  Add the lemon juice and lime juice, continuing to stir.  Bring to a low simmer and reduce by about one third, about seven to eight minutes.  Add the crab meat and stir gently. 

5.  Cook the noodles.  Heat a pot of water to boiling.  Cook for about two to three minutes and drain.

6.  Finish the dish.  Add the pasta to the sauce and stir until the sauce covers the noodles. 

ENJOY!

Hops on the Rampage

"Wading through the jungle of beers on the shelf can be daunting, even mind numbing," reads the label.  "Session beers have their place," the label adds, "but this is not your normal sitting beer."  An Imperial India Pale Ale can never be mistaken for a session beer, with aromas and tastes thick with citrus and pine.  "Sort of like the big fella on the front," the possessed elephant, "he's been called ... Nothing but a massive thundering rampage of hops will do...."

Imperial India Pale Ales beckon a history of beer where brewers produced beer for the crews of vessels with names such as Atlas, Bengal, Hercules, and Sovereign, as they traveled thousands of miles to reach ports where, once they were ashore, they could see ... among other things, elephants.

A little closer to home, Black Diamond Brewing Company produces the Rampage Imperial IPA from its brewery in Concord, California.  The brewery gets its name from the nearby coal mines, where miners hauled black diamonds from the Earth. 

The Rampage pours copperish gold in color, which approximates the ideal color of an Imperial India Pale Ale.  A thin foam rests along the surface of the beer, which slowly recedes toward the edges, leaving a palette of foam resembling the clouds in the sky.  

As one would expect, the aromatic elements of the Rampage foreshadows what is to come.  The aroma features a range of citrus, principally grapefruit, with a little hint of grass. The taste is grapefruit first and foremost, with tastes of resin and pine following the citrus flavor. The bready flavors of the malt linger around the edges of the beer. 

I found this beer at a local market.  A 22-ounce bottle sells for about $8.99.  And, as the brewer says, "[b]ecause you can't really tame the beast, but you can definitely make it happy."

ENJOY!

Savage Boleks' Steelhead Sliders

Followers of this blog may recall that my beautiful Angel provided a guest blog post about the Salmon Burgers that she made.  When we were preparing for our Super Bowl party, I decided that we should make slider versions of those amazing burgers.  We went to a local warehouse store, looking for pounds of sustainable salmon.  (This is a challenge, which is best left for another day.)  We looked at the salmon there, but we were not impressed with the fillets.  There were discolorations and imperfections that, as someone who has cooked a lot of fish and seafood, left me very uneasy. The store also had fillets of  Steelhead.   Those fillets looked a lot better, so we bought a couple to make our sliders. 

Steelhead are sometimes referred to as salmon; however, they  are not salmon.  Steelhead are rainbow trout that share a lot in common with salmon.  Born in freshwater, the steelhead migrate to the oceans to grow and mature.  Once they are ready to reproduce, they return up the rivers to where they were born.  The one significant difference is that, while salmon die after reproducing, steelhead usually continue to live and reproduce.  This makes steelhead more sustainable, because they are able to reproduce up to several times before they die.  Today, most steelhead are farmed like Atlantic Salmon and conservation watchdogs, like the Monterrey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch, list steelhead as a "best choice."  

This recipe follows Clare's salmon burger recipe very closely.  We served the burgers with a choice of dill yogurt or ancho guacamole condiments.   These are great sliders, which can also be made with actual salmon (whether sockeye, coho or king salmon).

SAVAGE BOLEKS' STEELHEAD SLIDERS

A Chef Bolek Collaboration with Clare Bolek

Serves 12-18

Ingredients:
2 pounds of fresh steelhead fillets
3/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoons of prepared mustard

1 medium Vidalia onion, diced
1 cup of dried mushrooms, ground into powder

3 cups Panko bread crumbs

2 beaten eggs

3 cloves garlic, diced finely

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Salt, to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup of Greek yogurt or guacamole
1 tablespoon of fresh dill (if you use yogurt)

Directions:

1.  Prepare the salmon mixture.  Cutting the salmon into even pieces.  Place the salmon pieces in a food processor and process until the salmon is broken up.  Add the salmon to a bowl and add the onion, garlic, cilantro, paprika and lemon juice.  Mix thoroughly and then add the Panko bread crumbs, eggs and olive oil. Continue to mix thoroughly.

2.  Make the slider patties.  Make patties by taking a handful of the salmon mixture.  You should get about a dozen patties.  Place the patties on a sheet of wax paper.  Once all of the patties are formed, place them in the freezer for about one half of an hour.

3.  Cook the patties.   Let the burgers cook for about three to four minutes and then flip them.  Continue to cook the burgers for about three more.  Remove the burgers from the heat.

Serve the salmon sliders on toasted or grilled buns.  You can use whatever toppings you like, such as lettuce, tomato, red onion or ... guacamole.  If you use yogurt, chop the dill very finely and mix it into the yogurt.  Spoon a little yogurt onto the bottom of the bun and place the slider on top.

PAIRING THIS RECIPE

When one thinks of salmon, especially in the Pacific Northwest, the thoughts turn to Pinot Noir.  Oregon has many great Pinot Noir wines (some of which I have reviewed on this blog).  A couple of suggestions include the following:

Privé Vineyard -- Le Nord (2008)

100% Pinot Noir

Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA

Flavors of cherries and spice

Sokol Blosser -- Estate Cuvee Pinot Noir (2006)

100% Pinot Noir

Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA

Flavors of dark berries and mocha

If you would like to pair these sliders with a beer, an American Pale Ale or a regular Pale Ale would pair well.  These beers have a moderate hop flavor that should not be too piney, bitter or resinous.  I would advise against an India Pale Ale, which would probably be too bitter for this dish.

ENJOY!