Hot Dogs & all the Trimmings!

Yup, we're going to indulge in a typical American holiday picnic. Hot dogs with sauerkraut, ketchup, mustard, potato chips, pickles, and olives. And it's all going to be low sodium thanks to some wonderful online sources and my local grocery store.

Here's my grocery list:

Hot Dogs (Abeles & Heymann Reduced Sodium Beef Franks) from SaltWatcher.

Mustard (Temeraire No Salt Added Dijon Mustard & Herlochers Dipping Mustard) from SaltWatcher.

Sauerkraut (B & G - Reduced Sodium - Sauerkraut) from HeartWise Foods

Dill Pickles (B & G - Unsalted - Low Sodium - Crunchy - Kosher Dill Pickles) from HeartWise Foods

Olives (Mario - Low Sodium - Pitted Black - Olives - Medium) from HeartWise Foods

Potato Chips Tim's Unsalted Potato Chips from Raley's, my local grocery store

Ketchup (Heinz No Salt Added Ketchup) from Raley's my local grocery store

So, was it good? Yes! The hot dogs were the most most expensive item because they were shipped over night, frozen and packed in dry ice. But, for a once a year treat, I think they were worth it. This goes to show that you can eat some so-called "forbidden" foods and still maintain a low sodium diet. Every once in a while it's good to just eat some fun food. Labor Day was a perfect time. Summer is ending, and before we know it, it'll be time for stews & soups.

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2016 Update:
Both SaltWatcher and HeartWise Foods are no longer in business. However, Healthy Heart Market is still going strong. I now order their house brand of NSA pickles, along with Lindsay loso olives, and several brands of NSA mustard. Unfortunately, I have not found good online source for loso hot dogs or sauerkraut. 

Crunchy Baked Fish

I'm Greek, so I grew up eating all kinds of fish. My dad loved fish and we ate it regularly. Every Monday a fishmonger would drive through our North Hollywood neighborhood with his refrigerated truck to sell our family fish. That was my dad's day off, so he'd select the fish for dinner that night and often get extra to make fish stew to take for his lunch.

My husband has never been a big fish eater. As a child, he was warned repeatedly of the dangers of accidentally swallowing a fish bone and possibly choking to death. He took the many warnings to heart and had little enthusiasm for eating fish at all. Little by little, over the course of our marriage, he's become more and more comfortable with fish. I've discovered that he likes firm fish, well cooked, and fillets or steaks with little or no bones. A crunchy breading makes the fish more palatable to him too.

Of course, the biggest problem with fish is finding any worth eating. I've had pretty good luck at our local grocery stores. Raley's/BelAir in Northern California prides themselves on providing fresh seafood. Trader Joe's has a good selection of frozen fish, and so does Costco. But this summer, I hit the bonanza! A true fishmonger is selling his goods at our local farmer's market. The Little Fish Company is there every Saturday selling the freshest fish I've ever tasted. So far I've gotten red snapper, lots of halibut, and some salmon. So now we're eating fresh fish every week thanks to fisherman Brand Little.

My cooking method is simple and straightforward. Nothing experimental. I want to make a dish that my husband will enjoy; I want him to continue having positive experiences with fish. Using a tweezers or needle-nosed pliers, I diligently remove any possible bones. I combine about 1 cup of homemade dried bread crumbs with either a bit of olive oil or melted butter and set the mixture aside. Sometimes I'll add a bit of grated lemon zest to the breadcrumbs. Lately I've been adding a couple of drops of lemon flavored olive oil to the crumbs too. Then I sprinkle both sides of the fish with one of the many salt-free spice blends I keep on hand, usually Cajun because my husband likes that flavoring with fish. After that I coat both sides with a mixture of 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon unsalted mustard, and 2-3 crushed garlic cloves. Finally I dip both sides of the fish into the crumbs and place the piece(s) in a baking pan that has been drizzled with olive oil. The lemon flavored olive oil is really great. I usually bake the fish in my toaster oven. About 15 minutes at 400 degrees, just until the fish flakes easily.

I make a lower sodium tartar sauce by combining equal parts mayonnaise, sour cream, and plain yogurt. I add a bit of finely chopped onion or shallots, about 1 teaspoon of dried dill weed, and a slurp of olive oil (the lemon olive oil is really good here too).

A Savory Tomato Galette!

Recently Ohiomom posted a wonderful looking Peach Gallette on her blog, Cooking in Cleveland. It looked so good and the crust recipe seemed easy enough for someone like me to make. Even though I've been baking baklava, spanakopita, and various other fillo-laden dishes all my adult life, I've never tried making pie crust. It always intimidated me. But the gallette crust looked promising.

A few days later, I needed to deliver some mail to my daughter, so we decided to meet at the Sacramento year-long farmers market. While there, I bought all kinds of fruits & vegetables, including some tomatoes.

I began wondering if I could adapt the gallette to a savory tart rather than a dessert and decided to experiment. I followed Ohiomom's crust recipe but omitted both the sugar and the salt. I also used unsalted butter. To add some flavor, I included 1/4 teaspoon each of dried thyme and ground black pepper.

For the filling I layered some chopped fresh mozzarella and grated Swiss cheese (See this earlier post about low sodium cheese). I topped the cheese with some chopped fresh tomatoes. I peeled & seeded the tomatoes, then let them drain on some paper towels while I was rolling out the crust. I sprinkled the tomatoes with chopped basil and green onion. And finally I topped it all off with my special bread crumb mix. I saute a mixture of dried breadcrumbs (about 1 cup) and 2-3 cloves of minced garlic in butter for a few minutes. Then I add about a tablespoon or two of shredded Parmesan cheese. I keep this mixture in the fridge and use it as a topping for vegetables and pasta dishes. It's a low sodium alternative to straight Parmesan cheese.

Folding over the crust edges was a cinch. I baked the tart on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet that I placed directly on a preheated baking stone. We just got through eating our first piece of tomato galette, and my husband said it was the tastiest thing he had eaten in months. So, thanks Ohiomom for the inspiration. I'm sure I'll eventually get around to making a peach gallete, but this tomato tart was wonderful. The really good news is that the recipe makes enough crust for two tarts. I only made one tonight, so guess what we'll be having for dinner tomorrow night? I can hardly wait!

Galette Dough
Ohiomom/Cooking in Cleveland
(Printable Recipe)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. sugar (I omitted for savory tart)
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut up (I used unsalted)
1 egg, beaten

Combine dry ingredients, cut in butter until coarse and crumbly. Add egg and mix just until dough comes together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Divide dough in half and roll out on a floured board into 9-inch circles.

Arrange filling over dough. Fold over edges of dough. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 10 minutes, lower heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

A Summer Moussaka

I love eggplant! I ate it frequently while growing up in my Greek household. My mom often made simple, fried eggplant slices as a side dish vegetable. It's still my favorite way to eat it. And then there were those special dinners of fried eggplant, cooked whole beets, fried fish, and Skorthalia, a fresh garlic sauce. My dad & grandma used to love those meals. We'd often have Melintzanoslata, a delicious eggplant spread similar to Baba Ganoush. Of course, no self respecting Greek could ignore Moussaka. It's a sumptuous casserole of eggplant slices layered in a cinnamon perfumed tomato sauce and topped with a Parmesan flavored egg custard.

Saturday at the farmer's market I picked up three perfectly fresh eggplants, two purple beauties and one striped zebra. Yesterday I decided to fry them up. First I sliced them about 1/3 - 1/2 inch thick. I don't like thin eggplant slices because I think that by the time they're coated with either breading or sauce, the eggplant flavor is lost. I dredged the slices in flour seasoned with some garlic powder & crushed dried Greek oregano. I fried them in oil until they were nicely browned on both sides. A perfect accompaniment to our lunch of fresh tomato & sweet onion sandwiches.

There were several slices left over, so I started thinking about Moussaka. Hmmm! I had a blob of ground beef in the refrigerator that I needed to use up. I've already got fried eggplant slices. Could I possibly come up with something that didn't require a 9 x 12" casserole dish and a full hour of baking in the oven? After all, it's summer. It's hot. And I had already spent the morning baking my weekly batches of Oatmeal Scones and Bran Muffins. I wondered... Could I make Moussaka stacks, plopping everything on the individual eggplant slices? I decided to give it a try and pulled out my Moussaka recipe.

The first thing I did was make the tomato sauce. I had just about 1/3 pound of ground beef so I halved all the other sauce ingredients. I omitted salt, used a low sodium tomato paste & leftover Trader Joe's low sodium chicken broth, and added 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar for added punch. I cooked the meat sauce down until there was almost no liquid left.

Then I made the bechamel sauce. I halved its ingredients too. Since I was planning on topping individual slices of eggplant, I figured the custard mixture needed to be thicker than what I usually poured over the casserole top. Instead of adding whole eggs to the cream sauce, I just added two egg yolks. I also omitted salt and used about two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese.

Finally, I put everything together. I used four eggplant slices. I covered each slice with the meat sauce and then the cream sauce custard mixture. Popped the slices into my toaster oven for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Then I broiled them for a couple of minutes to brown the tops. Perfect! They tasted great AND the house was still cool.

I had a bit of the cream sauce mixture left over and,of course, the two egg whites. I'm planning on using them today in an omelet lunch. All in all, I think the experiment was a success. A casserole full of Moussaka is an impressive dish for guests but a little too much for just a simple evening meal for two. This method worked out really well, and I know I'll be making it more often. Especially now that eggplants are showing up in the farmer's markets.

Moussaka: Greek Eggplant Casserole

 (Printable Recipe)

A classic Greek dish, famous throughout the world, and a favorite at Greek restaurants and festivals. Delicious eggplant layered with a spicy tomato sauce and topped off with a Parmesan flavored egg custard. A feast for the eyes and the palate!

Meat Sauce:

1 pound lean ground beef or lamb

2 large onions, finely chopped

2 – 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 6-ounce can.tomato paste

¾-1 cup water or NSA broth (may substitute up to ½ cup wine for water or broth)

⅛ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon Greek oregano

Salt & pepper to taste

Eggplant:

3 large eggplants

Vegetable oil

Flour (optional)

Egg (optional)

Cream Sauce:

½ cup flour

½ cup butter

2 cups warmed milk

4 eggs, beaten

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Dash nutmeg

Meat Sauce Preparation:

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent; do not brown. In separate pan, brown ground beef or lamb; drain well. Add browned ground meat, tomato paste, water, broth, or wine, nutmeg, allspice cinnamon, and oregano to onion mixture.

Simmer about 20 minutes over medium heat; sauce will not be juicy. 

Cream Sauce Preparation:

Melt butter and stir in flour. Cook over medium/low heat, stirring until mixture is well blended and bubbling. Off heat, add warmed milk slowly and stir continuously until sauce is well blended and thickened. Sauce will be quite thick. Allow sauce to cool. Add beaten eggs to sauce; stir until all sauce is blended with eggs. Stir in ¼ cup Parmesan cheese and dash nutmeg.

Eggplant Preparation:

If desired, peel eggplant. Slice into 1/3 - 1/2 inch rounds. Choose a browning method for eggplant:

Baked – Brush eggplant slices with oil and bake in 425° oven, turning once, until both sides are golden brown (about 10 minutes per side); do not overcook.

Broiled – Brush eggplant slices with oil and broil, turning once, until both sides are golden brown (about 5-7 minutes per side); do not overcook.

Fried – Coat the eggplant pieces generously with flour (if desired, dip slices in egg wash and flour a second time); heat oil in a skillet and fry eggplant, turning once, until golden brown; do not overcook; drain well on paper towels.

Moussaka Assembly:

Brush bottom and sides of deep 13 x 9 inch baking dish with olive oil. Place ½ of eggplant slices onto bottom of pan; cut slices to fit so that the entire surface is completely covered with eggplant. Spoon meat mixture over eggplant. Top with remaining eggplant slices; cut slices to fit so that the entire surface is completely covered with eggplant. Pour cream sauce over all; spread evenly to completely cover all the eggplant.

Bake at 350° for 60 minutes (the top should be set, slightly puffy, and nicely browned). Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting into serving pieces.

Variations:

Potato:

For easier serving and a firmer texture, potatoes may be substituted for part or for all of the eggplant. Peel and cut potatoes lengthwise into ⅓-½ inch thick slices; sauté  slices lightly in olive oil. Potato slices may also be brushed lightly with olive oil and baked. If using a combination of eggplant and potatoes, place potato layer on bottom of casserole.

Summer Squash:

Summer squash (zucchini, crookneck, pattypan, etc.)  may be substituted for part or for all of the eggplant. Cut squash lengthwise into ⅓-½ inch thick slices and either bake, broil, or fry as the eggplant before assembling the casserole. Do not overcook squash, and do not use overgrown squash with large seeds.