Deviled Salmon Cakes with Lemon Yogurt Sauce

My sister Joanna contributed this recipe to my cookbook "Singingirl Cooks!"  You certainly can find pretty much this same recipe in most internet searches. But I put a little twist on the original to kick it up just another notch. These are absolutely delicious, and the amazing thing is that it uses canned salmon.  Oh, I know. The groans and grossness of pulling apart that salmon in the can to remove bones, etc. It's really not that big a deal. But if you prefer you can buy a piece of salmon, poach or bake it, let it cool and then flake it yourself to make about two cups. So, here is the recipe. The slightly long list of ingredients and the little bit of prep time is well worth the effort. I found that when I did an inventory to see what I needed to buy, I already had everything except a tiny can of corn, a container of yogurt and the parsley.

DEVILED SALMON CAKES WITH LEMON YOGURT SAUCE

1 large can of salmon, drained and bones removed

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1/2 cup corn, canned or frozen

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. pickle relish

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp. paprika

2 big dashes of hot sauce

1 egg

1/2 cup cracker crumbs

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

2 Tbs. butter

2 Tbs. canola oil

Flake the salmon into a bowl. Add the onion, celery, jalapeno, corn, salt and pepper. Mix together and set aside.

In another bowl, combine the mayonnaise, egg, mustard, relish, lemon juice, Worcestershire, paprika and hot sauce. Fold these ingredients into the salmon mixture along with 1/2 cup of cracker crumbs. Place the Panko on a plate.

Form the salmon into cakes. You can make six larger ones or eight smaller. Carefully coat them with the Panko. I found that holding the salmon cake and patting the Panko on one side, then flipping it over in my hand and patting the crumbs on the other side worked better than laying the salmon cake in the dish, the reason being the salmon is soft and might tend not to keep its shape. Do whatever way works for you.

Refrigerate the cakes on a plate loosely covered with saran and chill for about an hour.

Melt the butter and oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. With your spatula, lift each salmon cake off the plate and add to the pan. Cook half of them about four minutes or so on each side, pressing down gently on them once or twice with your spatula. Turn carefully and fry the other side four minutes or so or until nicely browned.

To serve, place a big spoonful of the lemon yogurt sauce on each plate and spread it out a bit with the back of your spoon. Top with a salmon cake and garnish with parsley and lemon slice.  Enjoy!!

LIGHT LEMON YOGURT SAUCE
1 cup of plain fat free yogurt
1 tsp. freshly grated lemon peel
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped parsley
OR 1/2 tsp. tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and keep chilled until ready to serve.  You can easily double this recipe, and I suggest you do!

Easiest & Best Fresh Blueberry Pie

Oh joy.... blueberries are back in season again. An opportunity to make this pie.  This recipe came from my mother, who I believe got it from our next door neighbor many moons ago. She was an expert pie baker, our neighbor. Once you make this, you will never look at another recipe for blueberry pie. I'm serious. Just to show you how serious I am, I'm offering a money back guarantee.  Wait a minute. I'm not selling you anything. How can I offer a money back guarantee?  Listen, July 4th is around the corner. Good excuse to make this. But don't wait until then. Make one now and see for yourself. The combination of fresh and cooked berries with the slightly tart taste of lemon.....all poured into a pre-baked and cooled deep dish pie crust, then topped with toasted coconut, and chilled!  I never met a frozen pie crust that I didn't like. Of course, if you're a purist then roll out your own crust from scratch.  Fifteen or twenty minutes from start to finish (except for the chilling time), the pie serves six generously or eight not so generously.

EASIEST AND BEST FRESH BLUEBERRY PIE

3/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 Tbs. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. salt

2/3 cup water

3 cups blueberries, divided

2 Tbs. butter

1 1/2 Tbs. lemon juice (about half a lemon)

1/3 cup coconut, toasted (optional)

Spread the coconut onto a sheet of foil and toast in a 350 degree oven, stirring occasionally, until browned and sweet smelling. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Mix the sugar, cornstarch, salt, water and 1 cup of the blueberries together in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook until the berries have "popped" and the mixture is thickened, bubbly and dark purple in color. Remove from heat and stir in the butter until melted, then stir in the lemon juice and then fold in the remaining two cups of berries.

Pour into a pre-baked, cooled pie crust, one that you've slaved over yourself, or a frozen deep dish pie crust.

Sprinkle the toasted coconut over the top of the pie. Chill until firm. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Couscous Salad Greek Style

I've been having a bit of trouble typing lately because of some nasty hand surgery. So, I'm tapping this out with one hand just to get it posted in time for the holiday weekend. Make this instead of the expected potato or macaroni salad, and you'll be happy you did. Delicious flavors combine to make this an un-mayonnaisy (I know that is not a word....), better-for-you salad, and a terrific accompaniment to anything you're serving.

COUSCOUS SALAD GREEK STYLE

1 1/2 cups of water

1 cup uncooked couscous

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, well drained

1 cup diced peeled cucumber

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/3 cup black olives, sliced or halved

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1 15 oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained

1/4 cup water

3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

2 Tbs. olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil. Stir in couscous and oregano. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for about five minutes or so. Fluff with a fork and then combine with the next six ingredients. Set aside while you make the dressing with the water, lemon juice, oil and seasonings.  Mix well with a fork or whisk. Pour dressing over the couscous and toss to coat well. Chill and serve. Garnish with some slivered lemon peel and a shake of oregano.

Apple Cranberry Streusel Pie

I am never going to become famous posting to this blog once a month. Of course, I wasn't thinking about becoming famous at blogging at all. There are hundreds, no thousands, of really good food and recipe blogs out there. Nonetheless, here is another entry being humbly offered for your reading and eating enjoyment. It's a delicious twist on the great old standby - apple pie. I think I mentioned once or twice how I am trying to use that expensive jar of cardamom that I bought.  Okay, I threw some in this recipe for good measure, plus a few other ingredients to make this pie one that tastes as awesome as it looks. Try it, and please leave a comment for me to let me know you stopped by.

STREUSEL TOPPING

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

4 Tbs. cold butter

PIE FILLING

1/3 cup white sugar

2 Tbs. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cardamom

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/3 cup dried cranberries

8 or 9 apples (2 1/2" small size)

1 frozen deep dish pie crust shell

1 Tbs. butter

Prepare the streusel topping by combining the brown sugar, flour, walnuts and butter. Use a pastry cutter or your hands to mix the streusel into a crumbly mixture. Set aside.

Peel and thinly slice the apples. Place in a large bowl and add the white sugar, flour, cinnamon, cardamom, lemon juice and cranberries. Stir to coat evenly. Pour this mixture into the deep dish pie crust, packing it down a bit as you go.  Listen, if you want to make your own crust, knock your socks off. I just love those frozen crusts! Mound the mixture higher in the middle. Top evenly with the streusel, packing it down well. Dot with the Tbs. of butter. Place on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 50 to 55 minutes. Remove to a rack and let it cool before slicing.

This recipe is not part of the not so famous "Singingirl Cooks!" cookbook.  If you are interested in knowing more about owning the book, please let me know and I'll tell you how easy it is to make that happen!