Italian Finishing Salt

(pictured: herbs used in the Italian finishing salt)

A few years ago in cooking class we learned how to make seasoned salt. Which is salt and pepper with herbs. That mixture was mostly salt with some herbs and a little garlic. Being the flavor junkie that I am I had to include many more herbs and garlic. I would not suggest you use this on everything, but it works really well on Italian food. It also makes a nice homemade Christmas present for friends that like to cook. Here is how I make it.


(pictured: Italian Finishing Salt, just out of the food processor)

Italian Finishing Salt
Makes about 1 ¼ cups

Ingredients:

4 – 10 inch stems rosemary (about ¼ cup of leaves)
4 – 10 inch stems fresh oregano (about ¼ cup of leaves)
1 small bundle of fresh thyme (about 2 tablespoons of leaves)
8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 tablespoons Tellicherry peppercorns
1 cup sea salt

Directions:

Remove the leaves from the stems and place in your food processor. Add the garlic cloves to the processor and pulse to begin to break up the herbs and garlic. Smash the peppercorns with a skillet, or the side of your chef knife and add to the food processor. Add ¼ cup of sea salt to the processor and puree to break everything into smaller pieces. Add the remaining sea salt and pulse to combine.

Pour the seasoned salt into a container with a lid. The initial texture will resemble damp sand. Allow the mixture to stand uncovered for a few days so the herbs and garlic will dry out. When the mixture is dry put a lid on it and store it on your counter.

This can be used in any Italian dish as you would use salt. It is also a nice finishing salt for Italian dishes.

Comments:

I didn’t include nutritional information as it is essence salt. I use this to finish dishes, or when I am making anything Italian. During the holidays this makes a nice present for friends that cook. You need to make it a few days ahead of time so the herbs and garlic can dry out. But it is a quick present that most people enjoy. The aroma of this salt is really strong and inviting. It smells like an Italian restaurant to me.

Coffee Rubbed Seitan with Zucchini Salad and Sprouted Flat Bread

Dinner tonight was my vegan take on a traditional protein, vegetable and starch meal. I decided to make a coffee spice rub today and use it on my pressure-cooked seitan cutlets. The spice rub worked well on seitan and imparted a faint coffee taste that no one could identify even after I told them what was in the rub. The spice rub imparted a complex flavor that we enjoyed.

The zucchini salad is a cold counterpoint to the hot seitan cutlets. If you don’t have zucchini, you could use cucumbers instead. Red bell peppers would also be good in this salad if you had them on hand. The flat bread was included to scoop up the salad/salsa.

Coffee Spice Rubbed Seitan Cutlets
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon of espresso powder (or cocoa powder if you prefer)
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon oregano, dried
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon of paprika
4 pressure-cooked seitan cutlets
pan spray

Directions:

Combine the espresso, salt, oregano, garlic, and paprika and mix to combine. Dust the cutlets with the spice rub on both sides. There will be very little if any spice rub leftover when you are finished.

Heat a heavy skillet and spray it with canola oil (pan spray). Sear the cutlets on both sides. If you find the cutlets are sticking you can add a little water to the pan to encourage them to release. Serve hot.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 188.77
Calories From Fat (12%) - 21.91

Total Fat - 2.48g
Saturated Fat - 0.24g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 860.67mg
Potassium - 351.26mg
Total Carbohydrates - 12.22g
Fiber - 0.93g
Sugar - 0.79g
Protein - 29.92g

Grilled Zucchini Salad with Corn, Tomatoes and Avocado
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 zucchinis, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into small dice
1 cup of corn kernels
½ cup of cilantro, minced
½ teaspoon of oregano, dried
1 avocado, cut into small dice
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Grill the zucchini slices and cool. Cut the zucchini into bite size pieces. Add the tomatoes, corn, cilantro, and oregano to the zucchini and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Add the avocado just before you are ready to serve. Stir to incorporate the avocado. Taste for salt and pepper and season as you desire and serve cold.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 134.55
Calories From Fat (45%) - 61.12

Total Fat - 7.29g
Saturated Fat - 1.01g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 189.69mg
Potassium - 763.02mg
Total Carbohydrates - 17.76g
Fiber - 6.03g
Sugar - 4.96g
Protein - 3.81g

Sprouted Wheat Flat Bread
Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 cups of sprouted wheat flour
1 tablespoon of canola oil
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
¾ cup of water

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients and knead. All the water should be incorporated into the dough. If all your flour does not incorporate add a little water, 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to knead until the flour is fully incorporated.

Wrap the dough completely with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.

Heat a cast iron pan or griddle with a little oil over medium high heat.

Cut the dough into 8 pieces and roll each piece into a ball the size of a golf ball. Take the ball and flatten it with your fingers to form a disk. Flour your board and rolling pin and roll the dough into a flat disk approximately 8 inches round.

Place the flat bread on the lightly oiled grill and cook until it begins to puff up (this should happen in 3 minutes). If you bread doesn’t puff flip it over and check to see if it is beginning to brown. Cook on the other side and move to a wire rack.

You can hold this bread in a 200-degree oven for an hour if necessary.

To serve cut the bread into triangles like tortilla chips.

If you have any leftover bread it can be sprayed lightly with water and reheated in a foil pouch in a 350-degree oven.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 105.47
Calories From Fat (40%) - 42.65

Total Fat - 6.75g
Saturated Fat - 0.13g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 240.67mg
Potassium - 0.22mg
Total Carbohydrates - 22g
Fiber - 6g
Sugar - 1g
Protein - 4g

Comments:

Tonight’s dinner was more mild and traditional than most I make. The coffee rubbed seitan idea came from a coffee rubbed pork we did in cooking class a few weeks ago. The zucchini salad was something that I tossed together based on what I had in the refrigerator and it turned out really well. The sprouted wheat flat bread is best eaten warm. The bread becomes harder as it cools and is not as good so be sure to serve it straight from the griddle or oven warm.

Fresh Basil Salt

At the farmers’ market on Sunday we purchased so much lettuce from a new vendor that they gave us a free container of basil. We had to accept the basil, who would say no to a nice gesture. The only problem is that I grow my own basil so I didn’t need it. I stared at the basil today and couldn’t decide what to do with it. Then I remembered that I had wanted to make fresh basil salt but never got around to it. It would have been nice to have a recipe, but that never stopped me before so I jumped right in. What is the worst thing that could happen? Surely making basil salt had to be similar to making truffle salt, which was ridiculously easy.

I tossed the basil in the food processor and added kosher salt and turned on the processor. I had to pulse the processor a few times at the end but the basil did give up and become fully ground and incorporated into the salt. The salt became the most beautiful shade of emerald green. I tasted the salt and it was definitely both “basily” (new word I just made up) and “salty”. The only issue was that the salt was a little too damp. Not knowing what else to do I spread that salt out on a silpat lined half sheet pan and put the tray into the oven on low (150 degrees). Within 5 minutes of putting the salt in the oven the most wonderful basil smell came wafting out of the kitchen. I knew immediately something good was happening in the oven.

I waited an hour to check the salt for dampness, because it was like wet sand going in to the oven. I checked again at the two hour mark and it wasn’t quite dry, but it was close. But it was 11 pm so it was time for bed. I turned off the oven and went to bed. In the morning when I got up the salt had miraculously dried out completely. The beautiful emerald green had turned to an army green, but the smell was still intoxicating. I used the silpat to funnel the little salt clumps into a mortar and pestle and within 15 second most of the lumps were gone. Now all I need to find in a shaker top jar to put the salt in.

Basil Salt

makes about 1/3 of a cup

Ingredients:

1 cup of fresh packed basil
1/3 cup of kosher salt

Directions:

Process the basil and salt in your food processor until the basil is thoroughly ground. The resulting salt will be a bright vibrant green. Place the salt on a silpat lined baking sheet and cook in your oven at 150 degrees for at least an hour. After an hour test for to see if the salt has lost all its moisture or it if needs additional time in the oven. If it is still moist continue to cook until it is dry. My salt was in the oven on 150 degrees for 2 hours and then overnight in the oven that was turned off. If the salt dries in a clump break it up in your food processor or a mortar and pestle and store in an airtight jar.

Comments:

The aroma from the salt is fantastic. It reminds me of a basil version of celery salt. I used this salt this morning on my fresh tomatoes and enjoyed the nice basil aroma without having to go out into the yard for the fresh leaves. Making this fresh herb salt was so easy I will definitely be making more versions of salt while my garden is still so abundant with herbs.

Homemade Truffle Salt

Have you looked at the price of truffle salt lately? I can’t believe how much they charge for the stuff. I started to wonder if you could make it yourself. After all, I make my own cumin salt, fennel salt, porcini salt and vanilla salt why should truffle salt be any different.

I received fresh truffles from Earthy Delights for a present this past Christmas. When you shave fresh truffles you always end up with little ends that are too small to shave that you don’t want to throw away. I took my finest microplane grater and grated the ends of the truffles and mixed it with fine sea salt. I have kept this homemade truffle salt in the refrigerator for the last four months and it has stored beautifully. The aroma of truffle has become deeper as the salt was stored. It takes very little finishing salt to create a nice heady aroma of truffle to a finished dish.

I happen to love anything related to mushrooms and particularly truffles. I use truffle salt to finish any mushroom dish where I would use truffle oil. Sometimes I use both truffle salt and truffle oil. I use both truffle salt and oil when the flavor of the dish is predominantly that of mushroom.

I will post other salt recipes in the future. For now, enjoy the truffle salt.