Canned Salmon Patties

As canned salmon goes, these delicate patties are the best I've had and the recipe is easily halved. The corn gives just the right amount of sweetness. I used canned "pink" salmon.

• 2 cans (7.5 oz. each) salmon, drained.
• 1/2 cup finely-diced celery
• 1/2 cup finely-diced onion
• 1/2 cup corn kernels, canned or frozen
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon drained pickle relish (squeeze on paper towel) and don't omit
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 dashes Tabasco sauce
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups crushed cracker crumbs (saltines)*
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons corn oil or light olive oil
• Salt/pepper to taste
• 
  

Carefully pick over salmon and place in bowl along with onion, celery, corn, salt and pepper. Fold together with rubber spatula.

In a small bowl, combine the mayo, mustard, drained pickle relish, lemon juice, Worcesteshire and Tabasco sauces, paprika. Gently fold into salmon mixture.

Lightly beat the egg. Using the rubber spatula, fold into the salmon mixture along with 1/2 cup of the cracker crumbs. Place remaining crumbs on sheet of waxed paper or large plate.

Form the salmon mixture into 8, 3-inch patties. Carefully coat them with the cracker crumbs. Refrigerate, loosely covered, for one hour.

Melt the butter/oil mixture in a 10-inch non-stick or clean stainless-steel skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties four at a time, 3-4 minutes per side, pressing down slightly on them with the back of the spatula and adding more butter or oil if necessary. Remove and drain on paper towel.

Serve with lemon wedges. 




*If using salted crackers, go easy on the salt.

Notes: Yes, it is important to drain the pickle relish. These don't freeze well.

White Sangria

Temperatures here in the South are approaching the century mark. What to drink on such hot days? How about a white Sangria? Choose fruit that is not overly ripe--such as mushy--but firmly ripened.

• 2 small white nectarines or white peaches


• 1 small green pear or green apple


• 1 small navel orange


• 1 bottle cava, moscato d'Asti or other sparkling wine


• 1 3/4 cups apple juice


• 1 1/3 cups Cointreau


• 1 cup club soda

Slice fruit into thin bite-sized pieces. Place in large pitcher. Pour in sparkling wine, apple juice and Cointreau. If possible, refrigerate an hour ot two to draw out sweetness and floral aromas of fruit. Add club soda, and stir. Spoon some fruit pieces into glasses filled with ice, and pour. Hint: Freeze some fresh grapes and add with the ice.

Corn and Chive Sautee

An alternative to corn-on-the-cob is corn-off-the-cob. It's less messy and a great way to take advantage of the sweet kernels.

• 
  
  2 husked and cleaned ears of corn
  1-2 tablespoons freshly diced chives
  1 tablespoon butter
  1 tablespoon light olive oil
  
  
• 
  
  Melt the butter in a medium frying pan along with the olive oil.
  
  Remove the corn from the cob with a sharp knife. Place in frying pan over medium heat and cook and stir until heated through. It won't take long. If needed, add a bit more butter. Sprinkle with the fresh chives and serve.

One-Pot Rice and Chicken (Easy Risotto)

This one-pot meal is really like a creamy risotto
but without all the stirring and standing over the stove.
You'll keep going back "for just a bit more."

I've made this several times now and I'm hooked. Do not attempt to prepare this with regular, long-grain rice. Why? It will turn out "mushy" opposed to "creamy." The Arborio rice gives it an unctuous, risotto-like consistency. To make it more frugal, I buy skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs and de-bone and skin them myself saving the scraps to the freezer for use in soup stock later. A heavy-bottomed pan will ensure that the rice doesn't scorch. I use an enamel-lined, cast-iron Dutch oven. this recipe is not time consuming and one could cut the veggies and chicken the night before to make things go even faster.

I do recommend using your own homemade chicken/turkey stock and using a quality cheese you grate yourself.

• 1 large carrot, roughly cut
• 1 celery rib, roughly cut
• Shallots equivalent to about a 1/2 medium onion, roughly cut
• 1-2 cloves garlic, roughly cut

Place the above four ingredients in a small food processor and pulse just until chopped. You don't want a paste. You want one cup. A bit more is just fine. I leave some carrots in slices just for presentation.

• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 3 cubed, skinned and deboned raw chicken thighs, cut into chunks, about one cup or 8 ounces.
• 1 heaping cup raw Arborio rice
• 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
• 2 1/2  - 3 cups chicken stock

• 1/2 cup dry white wine (don't omit)
• 1/2 cup or more grated Parmessan cheese or similar
• 3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter (not margarine)
• Freshly chopped parsley

Add the chicken stock in a 3-4 cup measuring cup. Place in microwave and nuke until hot, about 5 minutes. 

Heat a bit of olive oil in a heavy pan. And the vegetable mixture and chopped mushrooms and sautee until softened and steam begins to dissipate. Push to one side in the pan and add the cubed chicken. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. After a few minutes, mix with the vegetable mixture until all is caramelized and meat begins to brown. It doesn't have to cook through at this stage.

Add the white wine. Stir and allow to reduce a bit. Add the HOT chicken stock. stir. Add the dried onion flakes and stir. Now add the rice. Bring back to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and allow to cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. How easy and fast what that?!

If too much liquid remains, remove cover and allow to simmer. But you want some liquid because Arborio rice absorbs quite a bit of liquid even after it's done. When a flat-bottomed wooden spoon leaves a visible path when scraped along the bottom of the pan, it's usually done.

Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Remove from heat. Add butter and stir until melted. Now add the grated cheese.

If you want it creamier, just add a bit more of the reserved chicken stock.

Mix. Sprinkle with the parsley and mix. Serve with more cheese if desired.

NOTES: I've made with yellow onion but prefer the shallots. I've made it without the dried onion but prefer to add it for extra taste. This reheats very well and is even better the next day. If you've allowed it to get too thick, no problem--just add a bit more stock. Arborio rice is very forgiving. It's like a sponge.