Getting Back to Basics

Yes, I’m getting the hang of this again….. now…what to make tomorrow…. I have heaps of fresh Fraser Valley blueberries….maybe salmon with a blueberry salsa….oh yes…that sounds perfect!

I’m not sure why I stopped cooking some years back. I always loved to cook, but suddenly, I more or less quit. I think it was sort of gradual… I was traveling back and forth to the Island for work and it was becoming exhausting and the concept of cooking when I got home was too much…or maybe it was when I didn’t get the position and sort of sunk into a hole for awhile…not totally sure, I only know I quit.

And I’ve sort of been missing it lately. Nothing like tossing yourself back into it full throttle. Trouble is…I don’t just like to cook…I also like to bake…and I just finished shedding those extra 12 lbs!

I made french baguettes that took the better part of two and a half days to create. Good, nice and crusty, good thick crispy crust…sort of reminiscent of what I tasted in Paris.

Today I muddled out a buttermilk potato bread and am now left trying to figure out what to make with the other 3 cups in the container of buttermilk. Why do they not make pint sized buttermilk containers? Suggestions from Facebook friends have been pancakes, biscuits, blueberry muffins….and the best… a couple of cups in the bath water with some oil of lavender and have a good soak.

Two nights ago I made a fantastic salad of spinach, roasted asparagus, green beans and tomatoes, topped with bacon strips, a freshly soft poached egg, toasted almonds, dried cranberries, goat cheese and dressed with a red wine vinaigrette. Oh yes, and a couple of slices of those baguettes.

Last night was a roasted tomato and basil soup with a few slices of those baguettes.

Tonight was fresh corn and sauteed green beans with fresh tiger prawns in an mirin based sauce. Oh yes, and that potato buttermilk hearth bread.

BBQ Salmon with Blueberry Salsa

1 salmon fillet, about 1-1/2 lbs
Blueberry Salsa
½ large pink grapefruit (sectioned with membrane removed), diced.
2 tablespoons (25 mL) red onion, finely chopped
1 chopped jalapeno pepper
1 teaspoon (5 mL) honey
1 tablespoon (15 mL) lime juice
1 cup (250 mL) blueberries, fresh or thawed
2 tablespoons (25 mL) chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Cut salmon into 4 serving portions. Prepare the barbecue and oil the grill. Barbecue salmon
skin side down over medium high heat for about 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Spoon salsa
over salmon or serve on the side.

Combine salsa ingredients just before serving. Serve over and alongside the salmon.

(Very nice served with green beans with horseradish mayonnaise)