Once-Cooked = items that are generally moist and flavorful after, say, 3-4 days in the fridge. They can be shape-shifted into something extraordinary by borrowing preparation techniques and seasonings from ethnic cuisines, or something less exotic but a wholly different presentation.
MEAT
• Burgers
FISH
• Cooked halibut or
any white fish
• Cooked salmon filet
• Raw or rare tuna
VEGETABLES
• Cooked potatoes
• Cooked Thanksgiving
veggies
BURGERS
Dust off your slow cooker because you’re about to make Meat Pie Yurts out of unclaimed burgers. Frankly, you’d never want to build Yurts out of raw burgers anyway. There’d be gobs of fat to skim off but instead, with this recipe you’re working with only a bit of “gourmet fat” from bacon.
Inside the slow cooker, meat juices, plum tomatoes, chicken broth, and wine will percolate in all directions, replenishing even the most moisture-stunted burger meat. Another bonus of using a slow cooker is that dried mushrooms can be added to the mix without having to be re-hydrated first!
If you don’t have a slow cooker, a Dutch oven* is also ideal but will require stove top preparation. Much like a slow cooker, a Dutch oven won’t keep you chained to your stove. The trick is to set the flame to simmer after the entire mixture has been brought to a boil.
After a hard day’s work, you can come home to broth that has a beefy depth to it and meat that is tender and flavorful but quite unique from chili or Shepard’s pie. Needless to say, the total effect of four miniature meat pies topped with golden brown mashed potato roofs is adorable. Even better, each meat pie is a complete, self-contained meal. Paired with a salad of mixed greens, it’s a really fun meal to serve on a chilly Sunday night.
* Dutch oven is just a fancy word for any heavy weight, enamel-coated pot with a tight fitting lid.
Level 3
Meat Pie Yurts
Serves 4
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: crock pot: 6-8 hours on low, or Dutch oven: about 4 hours on simmer
Serving dishes: circular, oven-proof soup bowls
Ingredients for the yurts:
2 Tbsp. butter
4 strips raw bacon, finely chopped
1 cup chopped onion (about 2 small onions)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped mushrooms (your choice)
1 Tbsp. each: dry parsley, oregano and basil (if fresh, then finely chop)
1 14.5 oz. can peeled tomatoes, including juice
4 cooked burgers, broken into small pieces
3 cups chicken or beef broth
½ cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms or shitakes (optional) link to PP
Salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients for mashed potato roofs:
6 cooked potatoes, peeled and mashed (or 4 cups prepared potato buds)
1/2 cup half & half (or milk))
2 Tbsp. cream cheese
1 Tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 Tbsp. butter
Salt and pepper to taste
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Substitution Tip: Instant potato buds are nothing to be ashamed of as long as you tinker a bit with directions on the box. For a richer mix, decrease the amount of liquid called for by 50%, substituting half and half for the milk and water.
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Prepping Tip (for cutting bacon): Use scissors to snip bacon into little pieces, three strips at a time. It’s faster and easier.
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Cooking Tip: If using a Dutch oven, preheat oven to 275 degrees. Empty all ingredients into pot; mix well and cover tightly. Place in oven for 6-8 hours.
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Now, for the potato tops:
FISH
COOKED HALIBUT OR ANY WHITE FISH
Level 2
Halibut Cakes
from Bruce Sherman of North Pond Restaurant, Chicago
Bruce’s halibut cakes - modeled after traditional fish cakes, are born from last night’s Halibut. Blended with a variety of aromatic sautéed vegetables that can include onions, carrots, celery and herbs, the final ingredient usually is some type of binder like breadcrumbs from dried French brioche or baguettes and a beaten egg. The blended mixture is scooped into a mold, pressed down with the back of a spatula to eliminate air pockets, and then is eased into a buttered skillet using a spatula to cook to a crispy gold.
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Cookware Tip: Don’t own a mold? Rubbing a drop or two of olive oil into your palms helps you mold the fish mixture into exactly the shape you want without having the mixture stick to your hands.
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Cooking Tip: Raw or rare Tuna or any other firm-fleshed fish can always be cut into bite size pieces and slipped into potato or tomato-based soups.
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COOKED SALMON FILET
For us, cooking salmon filets to sushi-like levels is an obsession. We also like our salmon to remain as glossy and salmon-colored the day after as the day its cooked. No surprise then that we will eat an undercooked salmon as is, straight from the fridge, on a bed of greens or over cold pasta.
But assume this time you’ve been caught off guard. Your salmon’s been cooked through and the fleshy center is gone. Your only alternative is Total Transformation. Unlike slicing grilled gourmet sausages, the two-tone trick won’t fly - crispy and dark skin on the outside, lighter, speckled surface on the inside. Depending on the climate, we suggest transforming your salmon into spoonfuls of chilled salmon mousse, or a comforting salmon chowder.
Courtesy of some smoked salmon tidbits, onions, capers and horseradish, this sassy Salmon mousse tastes like Sunday brunch at The Bagel. You don’t have to limit yourself to mousse as a first course. You can also paint with it. Decorate a Belgian endive leaf and other crudités by squeezing this salmon mousse out of a pastry bag or any plastic storage bag with a corner snipped off. Trace an outline around a plated fish, hot or cold. Spoon over cold poached salmon or any poached fish served chilled. Refrigerate it overnight in a ramekin and offer it as tomorrow’s dip, plated with crackers or rounds of crispy toasted French bread.
Level 2
Smoked Salmon Mousse
Yields approximately 2 cups
1 cup cooked salmon filet, flaked (skin and bones removed)
½ cup chopped smoked salmon (tidbits or cut strips)
1 tsp. chopped onion
2 tsp. nearly expired capers
2 tsp. lemon juice (or more for added tartness)
4 oz. cream cheese cut into cubes
½ cup heavy cream
2 tsp. fresh horseradish
1 tsp. chopped dill, fresh or dried (optional)
Salt and white pepper to taste
Salmon as the basis for salmon chowder is out of this world. The smoked salmon just bellows, intensifying the flavor of this pretty pink and dill-flecked chowder. This creation is the most creamy salmon-infused broth you’ve ever tasted, enhanced by intermingling layers of salmon, potatoes, onions, celery, and leeks.
Level 2
Smoked Salmon Chowder
Serves 4
3 Tbsp. salted butter
½ cup chopped celery
2 cups finely chopped leeks, white and green parts
½ cup finely chopped medium onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 medium size cooked potatoes, peeled and cubed
½ cup dry white wine
5 cups chicken broth (approximately 2 cans)
½ cup half and half
1 cup cooked salmon, flaked
1/2 cup chopped smoked salmon (package of tidbits or strips), chopped
1 tsp. dried dill
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: sprigs of fresh dill, chopped chives, a dollop of sour cream
RAW OR RARE TUNA
If you enjoy ultra-fresh fish, there are two options: a melt-in-your-mouth sushi or high heat searing. The day after, though, your choices narrow. So w hat interesting things can be done with sushi or pink-centered fish?
Level 2
Oil-Poached Tuna Salad with Capers & Shallots
from Erick Williams of mk, Chicago
Erick suggests taking raw or rare Tuna and poaching it in enough extra virgin olive oil to cover over a low flame (not past a simmer). He adds hard herbs like fresh or dried rosemary, thyme, basil, and a few cloves of crushed garlic.
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Prepping Tip: Smack-n-cracking garlic with the back of a wooden spoon helps release the chemical perfume inside the garlic.
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Erick simmers the oil very slowly until the fish flakes easily when poked with a fork. He puts the fish aside on a platter lined with greens, discarding the herbs and garlic. In the remaining oil, he drops a tablespoon of capers, give or take some finely chopped fresh shallots, rosemary and a dollop of whole grain mustard. He whisks the mixture together just before drizzling it over the Tuna. Garnished with chopped parsley or chives, this “fruit-flavored salad” (as in the olive fruit of the oil) you could swear the Tuna tastes fresh all over again – a far cry from the canned stuff.
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Flavoring Tip: When choosing dressings to complement your creations, remember the operative word - complement. Think of dressings as a kind of sauce for salads, enhancing without over-powering. And remember this simple rule of thumb; the more flavorful the fish, the more it can support a fuller-bodied dressing. Delicate fish often does best with something simple and light, for instance Tarragon and olive oil vinaigrettes.
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Level 2
Water-Poached Tuna Salad with Dijon Dressing
As an alternative to poaching in oil, Erick poaches raw or rare Tuna or other firm-fleshed fish in water with a pinch of celery salt. Erick suggests setting the fish aside to cool after it’s poached. He strains the poaching liquid, returns it to a mixing bowl and adds freshly chopped garlic, Dijon mustard, chopped celery, chives, fresh shallots and garlic. Mix well, folding in a tablespoon or two of mayonnaise. The effect is a spicy sweet touch that in Erick’s words, “really pushes the flavor forward.”
Seared fish can be enjoyed straight up by slicing and arranging slices of the fish on top of a bed of delicate greens, with any dressing of your choice.
VEGETABLES
COOKED POTATOES
Level 1
Tinted Mashed Potatoes
Here’s a fun way to refresh cooked potatoes: tint half of them orange and the other half green. Mash the potatoes with a wide serving fork or a potato masher. Add 1 cup whipping cream. In a food processor, purée with leftover vegetables, keeping the orange ones (such as carrots) separate from the green (such as broccoli or peas). Pour the vegetable purée into a re-sealable plastic bag that has one corner snipped. Experiment with decorative patterns. Add salt and pepper to taste. For a more daring taste, try adding a dash of Tabasco sauce.
COOKED THANKSGIVING VEGGIES
If your Thanksgiving guests picked the turkey clean, but left you with turkey stock and six containers of uneaten assorted veggies, you’ll love this recipe. A designer soup, Turkey-less Leftovers Soup comes in green and orange, depending on available ingredients.
Sauté fresh leeks or green onions sliced at an angle in 2 tablespoons butter. Add leftover Thanksgiving veggies (such as roasted carrots and cooked winter squash) and cover with leftover turkey stock, canned chicken broth or miso*. Season with finely chopped fresh sage, hot chili pepper, garlic or ginger. Finely purée in a food processor or leave chunky. Garnish with coarsely chopped green onions, cilantro or parsley. Serve immediately.
*an instant broth made from soybean paste and water found in the Oriental section of specialty supermarkets, and is available in white, brown or red.
© 2004-2007 Expendable Edibles Last updated: January 2007
