Friday, November 30, 2018

Pan-Fried Grit Cakes with Caramelized Onions, Garlic, & Thyme and Spicy Smothered Green Cabbage for Cook the Books: "The Cooking Gene" by Michael W. Twitty

I'm doing my usual trick of coming in at the last minute for our Cook the Books October/November pick, The Cooking Gene, A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael W. Twitty, hosted by Simona of Briciole. Although it took me several weeks and library renewals to make my way through the book, I very much enjoyed it and the vegan take on African-American cooking that was inspired by my reading. 


The Cooking Gene is Twitty's homage to the culinary history of his ancestors originating in Africa and Europe and journeying through the Old South and the origins of Southern cooking, and it manages to be both entertaining and thought-provoking. At moments he made hungry, next making me squirm uncomfortably at the uglier moments of our not-so-distant history, then teaching me something new about food before getting me chuckling over his family moments--that while completely different from my own cultural upbringing, often ring with complete familiarity. I love books that give me information--especially when it is related to the history and origins of food and Twitty does it in such an engaging way that had me completely caught up in his journey, and even though I dipped into the book in bits and pieces over the past several weeks, he made the 400+ pages easy to digest (pun intended).  

From The Cooking Gene by Michael W. Twitty:

"The real history is not in the food, it's in the people. We are working against the loss of our cultural memory; against the consequences of institutional oppression; against indiscriminate and flagrant appropriation; and against the courts of public opinion that question our authenticity, maturity, and motives in the revolutionary act of clarifying and owning our past. It is my belief that the very reason we are hear in space and time is deliberately connected to our journey with food. The only question I've ever wanted to answer for myself was, How was my destiny shaped by the history of Southern food?" 


For my book-inspired dish,  I really wanted a lighter version of African-American cuisine as with it being in the thick of the holiday season, I have been indulging far too much already. I turned to Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen, a favorite vegan cookbook of mine that I don't cook nearly enough from. I had been meaning to make the Pan-Fried Grit Cakes with Caramelized Spring Onions, Garlic & Thyme, so I picked them (although I ended up using a Maui sweet onion instead of green onions only because I left them out of my shopping basket) as my main dish. I wanted something to accompany my grit and ended up choosing cabbage over collards (cabbages looked better/fresher at my local grocery store) for Spicy Smothered Green Cabbage. My changes are noted in red below and I've included Bryant Terry's "soundtrack" suggestions for music to cook and eat by.


Bryant Terry says, "Because the grits need to set for a few hours before you can cut them, this dish should be prepared in advance. The time invested is well worth it. I enjoy these tasty cakes as a savory dinner side or as a light meal with a green salad. You can omit the spring onions, cayenne, garlic and thyme and reduce the salt then eat these with pure maple syrup as a breakfast treat. Or you can eat them as is with maple syrup like my mom does. 

For a low-fat version, they can be baked on a lightly-greased baking sheet at 325 degrees F. until crisp, about 15 minutes each side. they can also be lightly brushed with olive oil and grilled for 10 minutes on each side."

Pan-Fried Grit Cakes with Caramelized Onions, Garlic & Thyme
Slightly Adapted from Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry
(Serves 4-6 Servings)
Sound Track: "Green Onions" by Booker T. & the MGs from Green Onions

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large bunch spring onions, trimmed & thinly sliced (I used 1 thinly sliced sweet Maui onion)
1/8 tsp cayenne
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups unflavored rice milk (I used coconut milk)
1 cup vegetable stock 
1 cup stone-ground corn grits
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh thyme (I used about 1 1/2 tsps total)

In a medium-size nonstick saute pan, combine 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil, the spring onion, and the cayenne. Turn the heat to medium-low and saute gently until well caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a medium-size saucepan, combine the milk with the stock, cover, bring to a boil, and boil for about 3 minutes. Uncover and whisk the grits into the liquid until no lumps remain.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes with a wooden spoon to prevent the grits from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Add the spring onion mixture, salt and thyme and stir well. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Pour the grits into a 2-quart rectangular baking dish or a comparable mold and spread them out with a rubber spatula (the grits should be about 1/2-inch thick). Refrigerate and allow the grits to rest until firm, about 3 hours or overnight. 

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Slice the grits into 2-inch squares. Line a couple of large plates with paper towels. In a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot, panfry the cakes for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until they are golden brown and crispy on the outside (do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan). Transfer cooked cakes to the plates to drain and then hold them in the oven until all the cakes are cooked. Serve immediately.

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Bryant Terry says, "Rather than frying this cabbage in bacon fat, I add mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, and sugar to the olive oil to add flavor."

Spicy Smothered Green Cabbage
Slightly Adapted from Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry
(Serves 4 to 6)
Sound Track" "Chicken Grease" by D'Angelo from Voodo

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 to 1/2 tsp red paper flakes
1 tsp organic coarse cane sugar
coarse sea salt
1 small green cabbage (about 2 lbs), quartered, cored, and sliced thinly
5 Tbsp water
freshly ground white pepper

In a wide heavy saute pan over medium heat, combine the olive oil, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, sugar and 1/2 tsp sea salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mustard seeds start to pop, about 4 minutes.

Immediately add the cabbage and saute, stirring occasionally, until it wilts, about 4 minutes. 

Add the water, stir to combine, cover and cook until most of the water has evaporated, about 4 minutes.

Season with white pepper to taste.


Notes/Results: The grit cakes were delicious--crisp on the outside, and creamy within and lots of flavor. I did find them a bit dangerous as they popped and shot bits of grit out randomly as they cooked. I tried patting them dry (after leaving them for two nights before I could cook them--I'm not sure if that was the reason they popped so much or not) but I almost got sizzling grits in my eye, so beware! ;-) I just cooked part of my pan and plan on trying baking the rest of them tomorrow to see what happens. I will declare that are worth a bit of physical pain and they were set off perfectly by the spicy, slightly sweet cabbage. It made a tasty dinner and I will happily cook both these recipes again.


I'm sharing this post with the Weekend Cooking event at Beth Fish Reads, a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. For more information, see the welcome post.

The Cooking Gene is my eleventh foodie book entry for the Foodies Read 2018 event. You can check out the December 2018 Foodies Read linkup, hosted by Heather at Based on a True Story, to see what everyone is reading this month.
   

 
The deadline for this round of CTB is TODAY and Simona will be rounding up the entries on the Cook the Books site soon after. If you missed this round and like food, books, and foodie books, join us for December/January when we'll be reading the Hawai'i set Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers by Sara Ackerman, hosted by yours truly, here at Kahakai Kitchen.
 

 

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

The Book Tour Stops Here: A Review of "The Secret Language of Cats" by Susanne Schotz, Served with a Recipe for Baked Salmon (with Coconut-Tomato Sauce & Without)

Getting over that middle of the week hump can be hard for both the human when it is a busy work week and the cat, left at home for long days. I don't usually have challenges interpreting the meaning of my Max's many vocalizations--the plaintive mewling when I walk in the door is both chastisement for leaving him and demand for his dinner, but if you wonder what your cat is trying to communicate, the The Secret Language of Cats by Susanne Schotz is a good primer. I'm happy to be today's TLC Book Tour stop and I am accompanying my review with a recipe for Eric Ripert's Baked Salmon with Coconut-Tomato Sauce, sharing some of the plain salmon with my feline friend as a weeknight treat.


Publisher's Blurb:

Have you ever wondered what your cat is saying?

Cats do not meow randomly, nor do they growl or hiss because they have nothing better to do. Cat sounds have a purpose, and they can carry important messages, whether for us or other cats.


Susanne Schotz is hard at work on breaking the cat code. She is a professor at Lund University in Sweden, where a long-standing research program is proving that cats do actually use vocal communication—with each other and with their human caretakers. 

Understanding the vocal strategies used in human-cat communication will have profound implications for how we communicate with our pets, and has the potential to improve the relationship between animals and humans within several fields, including animal therapy, veterinary medicine and animal sheltering.


In The Secret Language of Cats, Schotz offers a crash course in the phonetic study of cat sounds. She introduces us to the full range of feline vocalizations and explains what they can mean in different situations, and she gives practical tips to help us understand our cats better.

Hardcover: 288 Pages
Publisher: Hanover Square Press; Original edition (November 1, 2018)


My Review:

Susanne Schotz is a definite cat lover and shares her house with her husband and five cats that are her "subjects" for the book and her affection for her furry companions and passion for studying how they communicate is fully evident in The Secret Language of Cats. The book is part science, part psychology and part tribute to her pets and is an interesting and fun read for a cat lover. There are times that the science gets a little dry and I confess that the phonetic descriptions don't do much for me, however going on her website Meowsic was the perfect companion as I could listen to her cats make many of the sounds in the book and that helped me interpret the phonetic transcriptions. My cat Max found the audio to be somewhat disconcerting as he couldn't see the cats making the noises I was listening too, which brought up some questioning mews and meows from him. I also found the sound and body language descriptions in the book to be very helpful in matching Schotz's interpretations of the sounds her cats make with mine of Max's vocalizations. There are charming illustrations of the author's cats in the books as well as pictures and videos on the website which are fun to look at. A quick read with tidbits of cat knowledge that i found to be very help and engaging, I enjoyed this book and plan to share it with a few cat-loving friends.

Food Inspiration:

Not much of a food presence in this book of course so I took my inspiration from the food Max enjoys most, fish, and the need to through a quick dinner on the table. Max is first and foremost a tuna fan--particularly raw ahi and will turn up his nose at raw salmon, but if I cook that salmon so that it is tender and moist, he is very much on board. I thought I could put together this Eric Ripert recipe from frozen wild salmon and cauliflower rice  (replacing the jasmine rice called for) and canned tomato sauce and coconut milk from the pantry. I'd share a little of the plain butter-baked salmon with him, then top it with the creamy coconut-tomato sauce for my own dinner.


Max was perfectly content with his dinner-time salmon treat and although not the most attractive of dishes (due to my "I'm tired, I'll just slap-it-on-a-plate" fault--not Ripert's recipe or plating suggestions) was a tasty weeknight dinner. 


Baked Salmon with Coconut-Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Eric Ripert via the New York Times
(Serves 4)

Coconut-Tomato Sauce:
1 1/2 tsp canola oil
1 Tbsp finely diced garlic
2 Tbsp finely diced onion
1/2 cup canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup coconut milk
Salt and ground black pepper

Jasmine Rice:
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup jasmine rice
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup coconut milk

Baked Salmon:
Salt and ground white pepper
2 Tbsp butter
4 (6-oz) salmon fillets
salt and ground black pepper

Make the coconut-tomato sauce: In a saucepan, heat oil and add garlic and onion. Sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add tomato sauce, coconut milk and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Make the creamy jasmine rice: In a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups water and the butter. Bring to a boil, add rice, and reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cover snugly with foil, and allow to sit for another 12 minutes.

Combine milk and coconut milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir into cooked rice, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Make the salmon: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place butter in roasting pan large enough to fit salmon fillets, and add 1/4 inch water. Place over medium heat to bring to a boil, then add salmon and cover pan snugly with foil. Place in oven and cook as desired, about 5 minutes for medium-rare. Remove fish from pan and drain on paper towels.

To serve, reheat sauce. Place an equal portion of rice in center of each of four plates. Top each with a fillet, and pour sauce around rice and salmon. Serve hot.


Notes/Results: Again, I didn't plate this the best way--making it look at bit like cat food--apropos for the book I suppose ;-) but the flavor was good with the coconut-tomato sauce rice and creamy and a compliment to the salmon.I used a bottled pasta sauce and liked the flavor and ease of that option. I would make it again and Max agreed that his salmon was tasty.

Linking up the recipe with I Heart Cooking Clubs where it is Potluck week--any recipe from any IHCC chef.


I'm also sharing this post with the Weekend Cooking event at Beth Fish Reads, a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. For more information, see the welcome post.


Note: A review copy of "The Secret Language of Cats" was provided to me by the author and the publisher via TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for this review and as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own. You can see the stops for the rest of this TLC Book Tour and what other reviewers thought about the book here.  


 

Sunday, November 25, 2018

Chickpea Rice Soup with James Beard's "Onion Rings" Sandwiches: Simple Comfort for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

I was hoping it was allergies but I think I have to admit that I have my first cold of the season. Consequently, I have been laying low over the weekend and not in the mood for much effort. I decided to throw the contents of my veggie drawer together with beans and rice from the pantry to make Chickpea & Rice Soup, a vegan take on chicken and rice soup. 


I'm pairing my soup with Ruth Reichl's take on James Beard's "Onion Rings"--little onion sandwiches that can be made vegan with the right mayo. It's simple comfort food and hopefully the alliums, specifically the onion, garlic, and leeks will work their magic on my stuffy nose.


Chickpea Rice Soup
By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen
(Makes About 6 Servings)

2 Tbsp olive or coconut oil
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
2 medium leeks, white & light green parts halved. cleaned and sliced
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 russet potato, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp caraway seed
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 bay leaf
8 cups low-sodium vegan chicken broth 
2 (15 oz) cans low-sodium chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup long grain rice
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
chopped parsley to serve

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion, leek, carrot and celery and saute for 10 minutes until veggies are softened. Add the garlic, potato, thyme, caraway seed, sage, celery seed, smoked paprika and bay leaf and saute for another 2 minutes.

Add the broth, chickpeas and rice and bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes or until rice and vegetables are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper and top with fresh parsley to serve. Enjoy alone or with the onion sandwiches below. 

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James Beard's "Onion Rings"
From My Kitchen Year & RuthReichl.com

Ruth Says: "I made James Beard’s “onion rings” the other night for the first time in a while. Now’s the perfect moment for them – farmers’ markets are filled with sweet onions just pulled from the earth, and this is the best way I know to showcase that compelling flavor. On top of that, this is the moment when all the parsley in the garden is proud and full.
 
Start with a loaf of sturdy white bread. Or traditional Pepperidge Farm sandwich white.  

Using a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter, cut circles out of the bread. Slather them with good commercial mayonnaise and sprinkle them with salt.
 
Slice your onions very thinly.
 
Chop a good amount of parsley as finely as you like.
 
Put a slice of onion on a circle of bread and sandwich it with another circle of bread.
Spread mayonnaise on the edge of each sandwich and roll it in chopped parsley. 

These keep surprisingly well; I just ate the last of the two-day old sandwiches. It made a perfect 10 a.m. snack."


Notes/Results: A simple, savory and tasty soup, full of good flavor from the herbs and garlic and texture from the chickpeas and vegetables. I packed mine with rice, to make it thick and satisfying, so if you want, you can add less for a brothier soup. For the Onion Rings sandwiches I used a sweet Maui onion and Just Mayo vegan mayonnaise and I really enjoyed the little sandwiches-although I would probably buy a loaf of thinner white bread rather than use the sourdough that I had on hand. I'll let you know if the soup (and those onion sandwiches) help kick my cold. ;-)


Linking up the tasty little sandwiches at I Heart Cooking Clubs where our theme this week is Bread Basket--Ruth Reichl recipes for or featuring bread.


Let's take a look into the Souper Sundays kitchen:


Tina of Squirrel Head Manor is here with a soup and sandwich combo of Chicken Salad on Croissant and Loaded Baked Potato Soup. She says, "This isn't homemade but it is inspiration for me to duplicate this soup. Hopefully I can do that and post in an upcoming Souper Sundays. Doug met me for lunch one day this past week and we did the easy thing - went to a restaurant so we could eat, talk and then run a few errands. ... This soup was such a hearty bowl of comfort food on a chilly day. I need to make a version that isn't so heavy on the bacon but just as creamy and cheesy. Certainly there are other folks who enjoy duplicating a recipe and tweaking it to their taste, it's a cool challenge and so rewarding when it turns out well. So, coming up I hope to share a loaded potato soup recipe that's all homemade!"


Mahalo to Tina for joining in this week!
 
About Souper Sundays:


Souper Sundays (going since 2008) now has a format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches at any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following week.

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...


To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:
  • Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up her in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
and 

On your entry post (on your blog):
  • Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to it on your post, it will be removed.)
  • You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (optional).




Have a happy, healthy week!
 

Friday, November 23, 2018

The Book Tour Stops Here: A Review of "The Spite Game" by Anna Snoekstra, Served with a Recipe for Fish-and-Chips with Caper Mayo

Happy Friday! I know many people go shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving, but I never venture out to the stores on that day and this year, I spent my Black Friday at work. I would have rather been hiding out, curled up at home with a book so I bring you the next best thing, a review of The Spite Game, a new psychological thriller by Anna Snoekstra for TLC Book Tours. Accompanying my book tour review is a simple and delicious Fish and Chips with Caper Mayo, inspired by my reading. 


Publisher's Blurb:

Everyone does bad things when no one is watching
Mercilessly bullied in high school, Ava knows she needs to put the past behind her and move on, but she can’t—not until she’s exacted precise, catastrophic revenge on the people who hurt her the most.
 
First, she watches Saanvi. Flawlessly chic and working hard at a top architectural firm, Saanvi has it all together on the surface. But everyone does bad things when they think no one is watching and Ava only wants what’s fair—to destroy Saanvi’s life the way her own was destroyed.
 
Next, she watches Cass. She’s there as Cass tries on wedding dresses, she’s there when Cass picks out a cake, she’s there when Cass betrays her fiancé. She’s the reason Cass’s entire future comes crashing down.

Finally, Ava watches Mel. Mel was always the ringleader and if anyone has to pay, it’s her. But one tiny slipup and Ava realizes the truth: Mel knows she’s being watched, and she’s ready to play Ava’s games to the bitter end.

Paperback: 336 Pages
Publisher: MIRA; Original Edition (November 1, 2018)

My Review:

I like the premise of The Spite Game--a girl bullied in high school who years later, seeks revenge on the "friends" who betrayed her. I also read the author's Only Daughter a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. Overall, Anna Snoekstra delivers an absorbing and suspenseful story as Ava thinks back on what happened in high school and after graduation, while waiting in the local police station to confess her role in the disappearance of the former head of a Mean Girls-like high school clique. I did find the story a bit disjointed at times with the intersecting past and present timelines and relying on Ava's perspective and memories, as well as some events that were mentioned but not fully explored. Ava is a complex character--sympathetic but not all together likable, she considers herself to be broken and wonders if the "psycho" taunt of her classmates is perhaps accurate. The Australia setting is interesting--with the exception of some of the language and small details, it could be set in the U.S. and it's somewhat depressing to realize that bullying and high school torment looks the same on the other side of the world. I don't want to give too much away in terms of the twists and turns the story takes, but it had me anxious to see how it all played out. I will read more from this author.

-----

Author Notes: Anna Snoekstra was born in Canberra, Australia to two civil servants. At the age of seventeen she decided to avoid a full time job and a steady wage to move to Melbourne and become a writer. She studied Creative Writing and Cinema at The University of Melbourne, followed by Screenwriting at RMIT University.

After finishing university, Anna wrote for independent films and fringe theatre, and directed music videos. During this time, she worked as a Christmas elf, cheesemonger, a waitress, a barista, a nanny, a receptionist, a cinema attendant and a film reviewer.

-----

Although it was not not filled with food descriptions, there was food mentioned in The Spite Game including tea, spicy curry with garlic and chili, Chiko rolls (an Australian snack somewhat like an egg roll) kebabs, pasta and red wine, beer, coffee drinks--espresso and soy latte, Thai takeaway, ginger and pumpkin soup, milk, cheese, bread, pasta, tomatoes, cereal, tacos, guacamole and margaritas. croissants, sherry, fresh bread and thick cheese, cheese and tomato crepe, miniature green pears, peppermint tea, stir-fry for one, champagne, cheese, fruits and cold meats, and eggs.


Ultimately it was the memory of takeaway fish and chips that Ava has when she and her sister are exploring a local shopping center that gave me my book-inspired dish. They talk about having fish and chips every Sunday night and how much they miss it and those times.

"I remembered sitting in the car, the box wrapped in white paper on my knees. After a while it would burn my thighs, but I didn't mind. That was a part of it. We'd park the car outside our house and I'd hand the box over to my mum, carefully, like there was a small animal asleep inside. There would be a pink rectangle left on my legs, still warm to the touch, and it would take a full ten minutes to fade away. When we opened the box it was like pulling the wrapping off a present. We'd sit in front of the TV and eat and no one would even be thinking of the week to come.


Since the book is set in Australia, I picked a fish and chip recipe from Australian chef and restaurateur Bill Granger and accompanied the fish with Ore-Ida's "Fast Food-Style" French Fries and a tarter-sauce-style Caper Mayo. I didn't have a proper paper takeaway box so I used a square lunch container to capture a similar vibe.

Fish and Chips
Slightly Adapted from Bill Granger's Bill's Basics
(Serves 4)

75 g (about 2.65 oz) flour
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
sea salt and black pepper
2 eggs lightly beaten
80 g (about 3 oz) panko bread crumbs
500 g (about 18 oz) firm white fish fillets, cut into thick strips (I used cod)
2 Tbsp olive oil + extra, just in case
2 Tbsp butter + extra just in case

Mix the flour, paprika and cumin with sea salt and ground black pepper in a bowl. Season the breadcrumbs well with sea salt and black pepper and put in another bowl. Put the eggs in a third bowl.

Dip each piece of fish in the flour, then the egg, then in the breadcrumbs.


Heat the olive oil and butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the fish strips, in batches, for about 2 minutes on each side until lightly golden, adding a little more butter and oil to the pan if needed.


Serve with oven-baked chips, caper mayo (recipe below) and lemon wedges.


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Caper Mayo
By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen
(Makes 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup mayo, yogurt or sour cream
1 heaping Tbsp capers, drained
2 tsp chopped fresh dill
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 tsp vinegar of choice (I used tarragon vinegar)
lemon juice to taste
freshly-ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly.


Notes/Results: There's just something about fish and chips, not exactly healthy but nostalgic and so good. I liked the hint of cumin and paprika (I used smoked paprika) in these. The panko adds such a nice crispy crust that houses the moist and flaky fish inside. A friend told me that she always adds vinegar to her tarter sauce and I really liked it here in the caper mayonnaise. Homemade fried would be better, but sometimes you just need the speedy store-bought kind. A tasty dinner, I would happily make it again.


I'm sharing this post with the Weekend Cooking event at Beth Fish Reads, a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. For more information, see the welcome post.


Note: A review copy of "The Spite Game" was provided to me by the author and the publisher via TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for this review and as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own. You can see the stops for the rest of this TLC Book Tour and what other reviewers thought about the book here.