“Through trial-and-error and
observable outcomes, our
ancestors narrowed the field
of edible mushroom candidates
to just a few with remarkable,
health-supporting properties.”
~ Paul Stamets
“Through trial-and-error and
observable outcomes, our
ancestors narrowed the field
of edible mushroom candidates
to just a few with remarkable,
health-supporting properties.”
~ Paul Stamets
What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Uplifting Aromas: Wild Salmon Avocado Toast! Receiving gourmet food makes for an exciting day. I mean, name a foodie who doesn’t like yummy surprises of that nature. When I received a box of Pacific Northwest Smoked Wild Salmon from dear family members living on the opposite coast, I practically jumped up and down. Everything was fully-cooked, ready to serve, smoked, and vacuumed sealed, needing absolutely no refrigeration. I couldn’t ask for more. I am so thankful we live in a very special time when gourmet and specialty foods can be ordered online and practically delivered next day. Now there’s no reason to miss out on those fabulous items that were once restricted to geographical locations. We can have it all at the click of a button.
WILD SALMON AVOCADO TOAST
Ingredients:
2 slices baguette, toasted
1 tablespoon sea salt butter
1 small avocado, pitted and slightly mashed
1 slice red onion, roughly chopped
2 ounces smoked wild salmon, flaked
1 teaspoon capers
Everything But Bagel seasoning
Instructions:
To build-a-breakfast, place warm baguette slices on a plate. Spread each with sea salt butter. Cover each piece of toast with the slightly mashed avocado. Add the red onions. Arrange the smoked wild salmon as the next layer. Top with capers. Sprinkle Everything But Bagel seasoning over all. Serve with eggs, if desired.
What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Wild Chilean Shrimp Stuffing! You’re probably wondering what is so special about Wild Chilean Shrimp. First of all, it is a cold water shrimp, rich in nutrients, caught wild along a small band of Chile. These shrimp contain no additives, making them a simple sustainable seafood option. The quality tastes better knowing each shrimp is hand peeled. The difference, you wonder? Here again the sweet briny flavor of the sea comes out in every bite. As the shrimp is cooked, it retains its flavor, color, and texture. With any product, tasting is believing. Perhaps the next time you spot these ocean treasures, you’ll pick up a bag. Discover how shrimp-ly wonderful they are.
WILD CHILEAN SHRIMP STUFFING
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter, cubed
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
12 ounces Wild Chilean Shrimp, fully cooked, peeled, deveined, and tail off
1/4 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon pimentos, drained and diced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon chives, minced
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a one-quart casserole dish with nonstick oil. Set aside. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm butter. Add finely chopped onions, chopped celery, and chopped green pepper. Sauté until tender. Add wild Chilean shrimp; heat through. Add beef broth, diced pimentos, Worcestershire sauce, dill weed, minced chives, sea salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir occasionally to heat through. Remove from heat. Fold in soft bread crumbs. Transfer stuffing to the prepared casserole dish. Bake uncovered 20 minutes. Serve warm.
What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Here Come the Holidays: Wild Rice Sausage Stuffing! For those who really crave the taste of stuffing, here’s an idea for a meal-in-one-dish. Some people may call it a “casserole” since it contains crumbled pork sausage, mixed vegetables, bread stuffing, and wild rice grains. Either way, you’re going to want to bookmark and print this recipe. It’s that good. Of course, you can make the serving portions a little smaller and serve it as a side dish with roasted chicken, turkey, or a Cornish hen like I did. Wild Rice Sausage Stuffing can easily be made a day ahead of time and gently reheated when you need it. Leftovers can be frozen up to three months. I believe I just saw your face light up. Trust me, your family will thank you. They may even offer to load the dishwasher.
WILD RICE SAUSAGE STUFFING
Ingredients:
6-ounce package long grain and wild rice mix
1 pound bulk sausage
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
4-ounce can mushrooms, stems and pieces, drained
6-ounce package chicken stuffing cubes
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon seasoned pepper
1/8 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9”x13” baking dish with nonstick oil. Set aside. Cook wild rice according to package directions. Set aside. Brown sausage until cooked and crumbled; drain. Set aside. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm butter. Sauté onion and celery pieces until tender, 4-5 minutes. Do not burn. In a large bowl, combine wild rice, sausage crumbles, sautéed onions/celery mixture, and mushrooms. Stir well. Fold in chicken stuffing cubes. Add beaten eggs, chicken broth, seasoned pepper and poultry seasoning. Stir thoroughly. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Bake 45 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°. Serve warm.
What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Uplifting Aromas: Wild Salmon Avocado Toast! Receiving gourmet food makes for an exciting day. I mean, name a foodie who doesn’t like yummy surprises of that nature. When I received a box of Pacific Northwest Smoked Wild Salmon from dear family members living on the opposite coast, I practically jumped up and down. Everything was fully-cooked, ready to serve, smoked, and vacuumed sealed, needing absolutely no refrigeration. I couldn’t ask for more. I am so thankful we live in a very special time when gourmet and specialty foods can be ordered online and practically delivered next day. Now there’s no reason to miss out on those fabulous items that were once restricted to geographical locations. We can have it all at the click of a button.
WILD SALMON AVOCADO TOAST
Ingredients:
2 slices baguette, toasted
1 tablespoon sea salt butter
1 small avocado, pitted and slightly mashed
1 slice red onion, roughly chopped
2 ounces smoked wild salmon, flaked
1 teaspoon capers
Everything But Bagel seasoning
Instructions:
To build-a-breakfast, place warm baguette slices on a plate. Spread each with sea salt butter. Cover each piece of toast with the slightly mashed avocado. Add the red onions. Arrange the smoked wild salmon as the next layer. Top with capers. Sprinkle Everything But Bagel seasoning over all. Serve with eggs, if desired.
What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Elevated Edibles: Ramping Up Breakfast! For a hearty and satisfying way to jumpstart your morning, think outside the box with sautéed ramps. Prepared in minutes with hardly anytime at the stove, you’ll be serving up a “green” feast fit for a king. If you live in the country where farm fresh eggs are as plentiful as the next roadside produce stand, even better. Treat yourself to a scrumptious weekend meal on the back porch in true farmhouse style.
RAMPING UP BREAKFAST
Ingredients:
1/4 pound wild ramps
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 eggs
2 smoked sausage links
2 pieces artisan bread, toasted
Crushed oregano, for garnish
Instructions:
Wash thoroughly every crevice and leaf stem of each ramp. Cut off and discard bulb roots. Rinse again. Gently pat dry with paper towels. Set aside. Warm olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Transfer ramps to the skillet. Cook until tender and crispy, gently turning. After 10 minutes, divide ramps between two plates. Cook eggs according to personal preference. Add to each plate. Heat smoked sausage, slicing open to sear. Arrange on plates. Butter toast to complete each breakfast plate. Garnish ramps and eggs with crushed oregano. Serve immediately.
What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Table Food: Wild Ramps Charbroiled! Whether you stumble upon this coveted crop at your neighborhood Farmers Market, or are fortunate enough to forage them yourself, wild ramps are as rare as hens teeth. You better have a plan. Unless you pickle them or freeze them, the best you can hope for is a 4-5 day shelf life in the refrigerator. At that point they will begin to deteriorate, develop an offensive odor, and you will have lost your window of opportunity for the year. Practice sustainable harvest. Never take more than you intend to eat.
WILD RAMPS CHARBROILED
Ingredients:
1/2 pound wild ramps
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed oregano
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425°. Wash thoroughly every crevice and leaf stem of each ramp. Cut off and discard bulb roots. Rinse again. Gently pat dry with paper towels. Transfer ramps to a baking sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick oil. Arrange ramps in a single layer, alternating ends and extending leaves to lay flat. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and crushed oregano. Bake until bulbs are tender golden, leaves have shrunk, and several spots are charred. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Leftover ramps maybe crushed into a topping for sprinkling over Wild Ramp Bacon Chowder.*
*Follow the link for Wild Ramp Bacon Chowder
What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Table Food: Unforgettable Wild Ramp Bacon Chowder! For American hunter-gatherers, as well as European foragers of gourmet plants, wild ramps are as coveted as the elusive morel mushrooms. Since the leafy garlic bulbs are popular with curiosity seekers, in addition to critters of the woods, the quest for a fragrant “bouquet” becomes a challenge between man and beast. Who will get there first to reap the wild-growing delicacy? Perhaps both have their secret stomping grounds. I invite you to stick around awhile to sample the wide variety of ways to enjoy wild ramps.
UNFORGETTABLE WILD RAMP BACON CHOWDER
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon bacon drippings
1/2 cup ramps roughly chopped, bulbs and greens
1 potato, skin on and diced
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic and herb seasoning
1 1/4 cups coconut milk
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Crumbled bacon, for garnish
Charred ramp greens, for garnish
Instructions:
In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, sauté ramps in bacon drippings until soft. Add diced potatoes, chicken broth, seasoned salt, and garlic and herb seasoning. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked thoroughly. Reduce heat to low. Add coconut milk, cheddar cheese, and red pepper flakes. Stir well to combine. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, but do not boil. Gently heat for 30 minutes. Allow to rest for 10 minutes to thicken. Ladle into soup bowls; garnish with crumbled bacon and charred ramp greens.
What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Wild Chilean Shrimp Stuffing! You’re probably wondering what is so special about Wild Chilean Shrimp. First of all, it is a cold water shrimp, rich in nutrients, caught wild along a small band of Chile. These shrimp contain no additives, making them a simple sustainable seafood option. The quality tastes better knowing each shrimp is hand peeled. The difference, you wonder? Here again the sweet briny flavor of the sea comes out in every bite. As the shrimp is cooked, it retains its flavor, color, and texture. With any product, tasting is believing. Perhaps the next time you spot these ocean treasures, you’ll pick up a bag. Discover how shrimp-ly wonderful they are.
WILD CHILEAN SHRIMP STUFFING
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter, cubed
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
12 ounces Wild Chilean Shrimp, fully cooked, peeled, deveined, and tail off
1/4 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon pimentos, drained and diced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon chives, minced
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a one-quart casserole dish with nonstick oil. Set aside. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm butter. Add finely chopped onions, chopped celery, and chopped green pepper. Sauté until tender. Add wild Chilean shrimp; heat through. Add beef broth, diced pimentos, Worcestershire sauce, dill weed, minced chives, sea salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir occasionally to heat through. Remove from heat. Fold in soft bread crumbs. Transfer stuffing to the prepared casserole dish. Bake uncovered 20 minutes. Serve warm.