Bullistic Dungeness Crab Salad With a Blood Orange Vinaigrette

I used live dungeness crab, which I cooked for this dish, and it turned out absolutely fantastic!

Please note:  If you live in Friday Harbor, the fish barge -- Friday Harbor Seafood Company -- down on the main dock is open until the end of this month, then they close for the winter.  This is the only place you can get live or fresh crab...

Recipe for two:

2 small live dungeness crabs or one pound of crab meat

2 big handfuls of baby spinach

1 big handful of arugula

Juice of one blood orange

2 blood oranges peeled and segmented

1 pinch both salt and pepper

3 T olive oil (extra virgin)

1/4 c finely sliced red onion

A splash of red wine vinegar

Fill a large pot with salted water, and bring to a boil.  When the water is really boiling hard, add the crab upside down (poor little buggers).  When the water starts to boil again, set the timer for 20 minutes.  Fill a sink or bucket with iced water and add the crab when they're done, and allow to cool.  This process will help release the meat from the shell.  When cool enough, clean the crab under running water, then crack and pick out the meat, and place in the refrigerator to cool.

In a large stainless steel bowl add all the ingredients except the greens, crab and the orange segments, and mix.  Now add the crab, greens and orange, and gently toss with your HANDS!  Don't use tongs or spoons, they just bruise the salad greens.  Plate onto chilled plates...

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Sweet Potato Cake With A Christmas Saute

Made this for breakfast a while back, using leftover mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Recipe for two:
1 c leftover mash formed into two cakes
1 small red onion chopped or sliced
1/2 c sweet potato diced into small cubes
1 c cherry tomatoes cut in half
1 T coconut oil
1 c spinach chopped
1 c chard chopped
1 three finger pinch sea salt and pepper
1 t paprika
1 t fresh rosemary finely chopped
2 t butter

In a pan melt the butter with heat on low-medium.  When the butter has melted add the cakes.  You want to cook these slowly so they heat though but not get too much color.  When you're sure the first side is done, flip the cakes using a steel spatula.

In saute pan over medium-high heat, add the coconut oil.  When the oil is good and hot add the onion and sweet potato, and cook until soft.  When done, season with salt, pepper, rosemary, paprika and stir.  Now lower the heat and add tomatoes and greens.  Just warm the tomatoes though and melt the greens, if you cook this too much the tomatoes turn to mush...

Serve on warmed plates with the cake on top.

Bon Appetit!

Chard and Spinach = Oxallic Acid

All greens are loaded with minerals and vitamins.  They're also loaded with oxalic acid.  Especially chard and spinach.  These greens should be avoided being eaten raw.  Two of my friends were helping me pick greens this summer, later that day they cooked some chard and spinach, al' dente, and about 45 minutes later they both had throat irritations!

So I did some research, and found that chard and spinach are loaded with oxallic acid.  It turns out the only way to neutralize the acid is to cook it or dress it with an acid!  That's why we put vinegar on salad greens.

I also found out that spinach is full of iron, but the body can only absorb the minerals if it's cooked with tomatoes.  And guess what, tomatoes are an acid!

This is how I cook chard when I don't have tomatoes.  After washing a bunch of organic chard, take the stems off and chop them up into fine dice.  I like to use a little onion or leek in this dish, so chop a little of either.  Now chop up the leaves and set aside.  Heat a saute pan up over medium heat, and melt butter or coconut oil.  When it's good and hot add the onion or leek and the chard stems and a little salt and pepper, and cook until caramelized.  When done add the greens and cook until just melted. Then add a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar to neutralize the oxallic acid.

Bon Appetit!

Potato, Sweet Potato Cakes, With a Vegetable Saute

This is a fun little breakfast (or dinner) idea, and a good way to use up leftover mash!

Recipe for two:
1 cup leftover mash
1 small red onion chopped
1 small apple chopped
1/2 cup sweet potato chopped
1/2 cup Madeira wine
1 large handful spinach or other greens chopped
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp coconut oil

Divide your potato into two equal balls, and form into cakes.  Place butter in a saute pan, and heat over low heat, place cakes into pan when butter has melted.  What you're doing here is warming the cakes through and giving them a little color as well.

While cakes are cooking, prep all the other ingredients.  After turning your cakes, add coconut oil to a saute pan over med-high heat.  When oil is hot, add onion, sweet potato and apple and cook, turning so not to brown.  When they're almost soft add the Madeira wine.  Cook until almost all the wine has evaporated, then add the greens and melt.


Bon Appetit!

Sherried Mushrooms With Spinach and a Baked Egg...

What a fantastic Sunday morning breakfast!

Recipe for 1:
1 shallot or 1/4 red onion finely chopped
6 brown mushrooms sliced
handful spinach chopped
1/4 cup sherry
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon parmesan cheese

Over medium high heat melt butter in a saute pan. When butter is hot add mushrooms and brown. Then add shallot or onion and soften.  Pour in the sherry and reduce until all of the liquid has gone.   Add cream and spinach. Reduce cream a bit and wilt the spinach.

Transfer mixture to a ramekin and crack open an egg, and put it on top. Now sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese, and bake in a hot oven set at 350* for 15-20 minutes. When the egg is cooked add a pinch of nutmeg and serve.

Bon Appetit!

Sexy King Salmon, with White Bean Puree'

Don't let this dish scare you, it's easy and quick...

Recipe for two:
1/4 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 handfull chard leaves, chopped course
1 handfull spinach, chopped course
2 good pinches each salt (Eden is the best) and pepper
1 tablespoon butter
2 king salmon fillets around 1/3 pound each, skin and bones removed and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 can organic (Eden) beans, pureed course

First stick two plates in a warm oven, then open a small can of white beans and place in a blender and puree course. Add beans to a small saucepan with a lid and warm over low heat; when beans are warm, then saute onion in a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. When onions are soft (1-2 minutes)  add the garlic and lower heat. In another saute pan over high heat, add the butter; when butter has melted and foaming add seasoned salmon presentation/"pretty" side down, cooking until brown on that side (about 2 minutes) then turn and cook the other side. It is important only to turn fish once! When salmon is almost done, remove from heat and place in an oven dish and place in the oven.

Turn the heat up to medium and add chard and spinach to the onions and melt greens. When greens are done, remove plates and salmon from oven, ladle some of the bean puree onto the middle of each plate and then place some of the greens on top of the beans, then place salmon on top of that. If you like you can drizzle any remaining butter from the pan you cooked the salmon in over the fish. It is really important to use salt on this dish, because the beans will make everything seem bland if you don't.

Bon Appetit!