When I was little and my mom was harvesting rhubarb she’d cut off all of the leaves and I’d take them and use them as doll-sized umbrellas, or make a little house for mice or fairies using the wide leaves for the roof. My mom’s rhubarb patch is over twenty years old and produces both mammoth stalks and prodigious yield. We’d happily eat rhubarb multiple times a week as most of the time it was fed to us in cobbler or pie form. In fact now that I think about it, rhubarb is one of the first things I can remember being allowed to dice up myself.
Rhubarb is a prolific Alaskan garden plant that can be grown in most northern climates. It needs plenty of rain and temperatures that consistently fall below 40°F in the winter. My mom’s secret to an impressive patch is to bury a couple of large starfish or sunstars (hopefully that you found already dead) about a foot and a half under the dirt beside the plants. This will provide fertilization for years to come. To start your own patch you will need root divisions taken from the crown of somebody else’s plant. Put them in the ground in early spring just after the ground becomes dig-able again. Once you have planted your starts, patience will be the name of the game. Don’t pick it for at least the first year (but waiting two-three years is better)!
After waiting so long harvesting can be a rewarding experience. Pull your chosen stalk away from the others and using a sharp knife cut at the base of the stalk. The ones you harvest should be between twelve and eighteen inches long and about an inch in diameter. If your stalks are thin you may not have enough nutrients in the soil. There isn’t much difference in taste between a green stalks and a ruby ones, but most people prefer red stalks for the bright pink color they add to baked goods. Remember to only take a few stalks at a time from each plant so that it will continue to grow.
It is extremely important when harvesting to know that the leaves are poisonous and should never be consumed! Among other things the leaves contain oxalic acid which is a nephrotoxin which can cause vomiting, breathing trouble, kidney failure, or a coma. One source even says to flush the area with water if it comes in contact with bare skin (it’s a wonder I survived childhood at all)!
One of my current obsessions are fruit shrubs. I have been using these for making salad dressings (which are delicious and putting them into cocktails! You can even use them simply as drinking vinegar and make refreshing drinks by adding 2 parts shrub to about 8 parts sparkling water. My favorite flavor so far is rhubarb shrub, although they can be made with just about any fruit. I have found that there are two main ways to make rhubarb shrub: the fast way and the slow way.
These rockfish tacos are perfect for a festive dinner at home with friends and family.
Over the past thirty four years of living in Southeast Alaska I’ve caught more rockfish then I care to remember. Most of the time it was done in the pouring rain, but every now and then the sun was shining. Many different types of rockfish are found in the waters around Elfin Cove and it’s versatility lends itself to many different dishes. It has always been a weekly staple at our dinner table, and finding new ways to prepare it is always a fun challenge.
Here is a recipe that was hard for me to write down since so much of my cooking is off the cuff. I’ve done my best to approximate the measurements, but I’ve always found that the best dishes come from tasting and testing as you go along.
Steven Hemenway holding a yelloweye rockfish.
Deborah Hemenway has cooked for hundreds of people at her home in Elfin Cove, Alaska. She and her husband moved to Alaska in 1981 where they raised their family. When she’s not feeding people she also enjoys perfecting the art of bread-making.
Pad Thai so good you wont need to live near a restaurant!
I have a love-hate relationship with pad thai. I feel like I’m a pretty good cook, but this dish has never turned out the way I wanted it to. Well I guess what they say is true, practice makes perfect. Finally I have found a process that works and a flavor that I love!
Ingredients:
2.5 Tbsp tamarind paste or tamarind concentrate
3 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp lime juice
4 Tbsp dark muscovado sugar
3/4 Tbsp Sambal Oelek chili paste
1/4 cup water
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
8 ounces dried rice stick noodles , ( I like the smaller width ones, think linguine)
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
8 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 large chicken breast
1 Tbsp of garlic, minced
2 medium sized carrots, julienned
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 TB)
6 Tbsp chopped roasted unsalted peanuts
2 cups of bean sprouts
2 medium scallions (or sugar pea pods) cut diagonally for garnish
Lime wedges for serving
Instructions:
First things first you’ll want to heat up about a gallon of water on the stove top. Once bubbles being to form on the bottom (but it’s not boiling) remove the water from the heat. Pour it over your noodles that you have spread out on the bottom of a cake pan. 8 ounces is usually half of a package. Allow the noodles to soak according to the package directs which should be for about 30-45 minutes. Do this ahead of time!
After that you’ll want to dice up your chicken breast into small cubes, julienne your carrots, chop your peanuts, and have your shallot and garlic all ready to go. Next put your minced shallot with about a tablespoon of oil in a very large pan (enough to hold all of the noodles). Once the shallots are are starting to brown add the minced garlic and stir continuously so that the garlic doesn’t burn. After about a minute add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and then add all of your chicken and stir to get the chicken coated with the oil, onions, and garlic.
In a separate bowl you’ll want to add your brown sugar, tamarind, lime, sambal oelek, ketchup, fish sauce, rice vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and about a 1/4 cup of water. Stir and have that read to go when you need it.
In a separate smaller frying pan I cooked all of my peeled and deveined shrimp with a little salt in about a tablespoon of oil. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side. When the shrimp are done remove them from the pan and add the two eggs that you have already scrambled with a little pinch of salt. Cooking them in the same pan lets them get a little of that shrimp flavor. Once the egg is done cooking set that aside as well.
When the chicken is cooked through, add your julienned carrots and give them about 3-4 minutes to soften up a bit. This next part is the tricky part and you’ll have to work quickly. Drain your noodles that you have been soaking. Then add your sauce into the the chicken pan. As soon as you add the sauce, also add the noodles and using a pair of large tongs begin tossing the noodles in the sauce. Keep stirring the noodles because they have a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pan very easily. The noodle will begin to absorb the sauce and start to look less stiff. If all of the liquid gets absorbed quickly you may need to add about a half a cup of water to keep the moist. It’s hard to describe how the noodles look when they are done so I would suggest to just keep tasting them until they are the doneness you desire. The will be soft and limp.
As soon as the noodles are done, toss in the bean sprouts and the scrambled egg and then remove from the heat onto a serving platter. Garnish with the chopped peanuts and either sliced green scallions or sliced sugar snap pea pods (or both).
Serves with the lime wedges so people can add a little extra tang to their pad thai. I saved the shrimp for last to garnish my pad thai with so that they wouldn’t get over cooked and everyone can have the same number of shrimp.
These delicious and impressive flatbreads are great for summer parties or a family dinner!
As I have said before my husband is an excellent baker. His ability to be precise and follow directions the same way every time means that his dough always come out light and delicious, while mine is usually dry and flat. When ever we have pizza of flatbreads I ask him to make me some dough either the night before or in the morning before he goes to work. Someone has to keep an eye on it for the first rise because it has a tendency to try to escape the bowl you but it in. After it has risen once though it can be put in the fridge where it still rises but not too much more. For this recipe we used half the dough and wrapped the other half in cling wrap and put it in the freezer where is will last for a while.
Dustin’s Pizza Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups bread flour
1 Tbsp. sugar or honey
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. instant active-dry yeast
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups room temperature water
Combine all ingredients together in a stand mixer bowl mixing thoroughly and then let it sit for 5 minutes. After it has rested use the dough hook to knead the dough on a low speed. Let the stand mixer knead the dough for about 10 minute. The dough will try to climb it’s way up the dough hook so you will have to stop a couple time and pull it down. When you are done the dough will still seem a little wet but that’s okay. Transfer it to a clean bowl that you have but a little olive oil in. Swirl the ball of dough around so it’s covered in the oil and then cover the bowl with cling wrap. Leave out on the counter out of direct sunlight and let rise for 2 hours.
BBQ Shrimp Flatbread:
10-15 medium sized shrimp, cooked
1/2 cup of BBQ sauce
1/2 bell pepper, sliced thinly
1/3 cup of red onion, sliced thinly
1 cup grated mozzarella
For this flatbread I had every thing laid out ahead of time. I cooked my shrimp earlier in the day by sauteing them in a small pan with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Try to remove them from the heat when they are just barely done because they will also get a little cooked on top of the flatbread.
I simply cut of a small chunk of Dustin’s pizza dough and rolled it out on a floured surface. I was aiming for about plate-size on these, so it was about a tennis ball sized chunk of dough.
Heat oven to 400°F and spread your dough out on a cookie sheet. Rub the top with a small drizzle of olive oil and bake until the dough looks cooked but not brown on top and just beginning to turn brown on the bottom (about 10 minutes). Remove the flat bread from the oven.
Spread the BBQ sauce on the bread (I used a “Sweet Heat” variety) and then layer your ingredients, finally topping with a light layer of cheese. Turn your oven’s broiler on ‘High’ and then place the flatbread an inch or two under the broiler so that the cheese can melt and get bubbly. For this last part you should probably sit there watching the dish broil, as it will burn the second you turn away from it.
Earthy Salmon Flatbread:
4 oz. of salmon, cooked
3/4 roasted beet, diced
3/4 cup sauteed crimini mushrooms
1/2 cup shallots, sliced
2 Tbsp. aged balsamic vinegar
1 cup mozzarella
1/2 cup creme fraiche
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. fresh dill, minced
salt and pepper
This flatbread begins the same as the first. Make sure you have your dough prepared and then begin assembling the mise en place.
Pan sear your salmon starting flesh side down and then flip it over and finish it skin side down. Cook until just barely done and set aside and allow to cool.
Earlier in the day (or the day before) peel, slice in half, and roast your beets. One small-medium sized beet is all you will need for one flatbread (about 3/4 of a cup) but roasted beets are delicious and handy to have around for salads so you should roast up a few when you do it.
Next slice one large shallot very thinly and add to a small saute pan, cook with a little butter and salt until the shallots begin to brown and then deglaze the pan with a little over a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Stir the shallots so that the vinegar doesn’t burn and all the liquid should cook off or be absorbed almost immediately. Remove the shallots from the pan and set aside.
Dice your crimini mushrooms and also saute them with a small amount of butter and salt, cook for about 5 minutes.
In a small bowl add your half cup of creme fraiche with a pinch of salt and some fresh ground pepper. Add 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice and about a tablespoon of finely minced fresh dill.
Once again roll out your dough on a floured surface and then transfer to a cookie sheet. Top with olive oil and then cook for about 10 minutes until the top is cooked and the bottom is beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and layer the beets and mushrooms on the bottom, and then sprinkle the pickled onion on top of that.
Flake the salmon over everything else and then finally top with the grated mozzarella, not a lot, just enough to cover everything.
Broil on high for an additional 3-4 minutes until the edge of the crust gets darker and the cheese is bubbly. Remove the flatbread from the oven and once it has cooled for about 5 minutes then drizzle the dill sauce over the flatbread.
(Note: I purposefully did not call these “pizzas” because they lack tomato sauce, and are a little free-form. I feel like whereas pizza needs sauce, toppings, and cheese, you can put whatever you want on a flatbread. In the summer I’ve made them with grilled peaches and brie, topped with arugula and drizzled with vinaigrette. Seriously. Put whatever takes your fancy on them. Also they can be made on the barbecue too which is equally fun and delicious.)
These simple crab cakes are sure to please the whole family!
These crab cakes are my basic go-to recipe. No frills, not trying to impress anyone, I just want fried crab in my mouth-crab cakes.
Crab Cakes:
2 cups Crab, Dungeness or Tanner (Snow Crab), shelled
3/4 cup crushed butter crackers (such as Ritz)
1 large egg
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 cup of onion, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. salt
a pinch of fresh ground pepper
1 cup panko bread crumbs
First start out by sauteing your onions that you have minced fine in about a 1/2 tablespoon of butter or oil with a pinch of salt to draw out the moisture. Once they have cooked for about 7-10 minutes set them aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl combine your crab (that you have previously cooked and shelled) with the mayonnaise, egg, paprika, salt and pepper. When your onions are cooled add those as well. Stir to combine.
Empty out about one sleeve of Ritz crackers (or generic butter crackers) into a large zip-top freezer bag and begin smashing them with either the smooth side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin. Continue to crush until the crackers are a fine powder.
Add the crackers to the blended crab mixture and incorporate thoroughly. Allow the crab cake mix to sit for 5 minutes to allow the crumbs to absorb some of the moisture. After you have let it rest you may need to adjust the recipe. If the mixture seems too wet, more cracker crumbs should be added. If it it too dry and will not stick together to form a patty you may need to add a little more mayonnaise.
Form balls about the size of a racquetball (about 2 inches in diameter) and smash them slightly so that they form a medium sized patty. Have your panko bread crumbs ready in a shallow bowl and once you have formed the patty coat each side gently with the panko. Place the patty onto a cookie sheet and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes. They are much easier to fry if they are slightly firm.
To cook simply add enough cooking oil to just barely coat the whole bottom of the pan and cook for about 3-5 minutes on either side until they are golden brown. Try not to crowd them and add more oil to the pan if necessary between batches.
Enjoy!
Optional Tartar Sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
About 1/2 cup of bread and butter pickles, minced
1 Tbsp. of the bread and butter pickle juice
1 Tbsp. of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of ground white pepper
This is the quick tartar sauce that I usually make to go with my salmon/crab cakes. I REALLY love bread and butter pickles (especially my mom’s homemade ones) and I think the sweet tanginess really goes with the salty crab cakes.
We are both born and raised in Alaska, land of the midnight sun and fishing at 2am. We love to find new ways to use fresh ingredients or put a modern spin on an old Alaskan classic. We hope you will enjoy tasting Alaska.
We are both born and raised in Alaska, land of the midnight sun and fishing at 2am. We love to find new ways to use fresh ingredients or put a modern spin on an old Alaskan classic. We hope you will enjoy tasting Alaska.