It’s just another day in the office. Justin is busy cooking, amazing smells are wafting out of the kitchen, Ryan is shooting away and the rest of us are trying to stay focused on our work… knowing that the minute they’re done shooting, we’ll be able to dig in.

In anticipation of wild salmon season opening, Justin picked up a new cookbook (it’s even signed!) a few months ago: Northwest Homegrown Cookbook Series Salmon by Cynthia Nims. It has heaps of information in the beginning about salmon in general which has been very helpful to both Katy and me since we’re becoming salmon experts (so we can educate the world about fishing practices, river origin, species, etc.).

And as any good cookbook is, it’s chock full of delicious sounding recipes. In my mind, the only thing it’s missing are photographs to accompany each recipe… the kind that make me obsess with delight over cookbooks. It’s a good thing we have Ryan!

On the menu for today:
Grilled Salmon Salad Nicoise
Salmon Burgers with Basil Mayonnaise
Salmon Pot au Feu

Since we had a nice stash of fresh wild salmon on hand, Justin made a little appetizer of fennel and sea salt crusted salmon (a technique he picked up from Matt Janke of Matt’s in the Market) and I managed to sneak a few bites. It was so good I could have devoured the entire thing, but I politely sat back down at my desk and went back to work studying the difference between wild and farmed salmon (FYI, farmed salmon sucks).

After Katy made two trips to the market for just the perfect olives, this salad turned out picture perfect. Being the first course, we wolfed it down.

Grilled Salmon Salad Nicoise: Sockeye Salmon with fingerling potatoes, green beans, vine-ripe tomatoes, hard boiled eggs and Nicoise olives dressed in a subtle anchovy dressing.

Next came the Copper River Salmon burger. It almost hurt to see Justin chop up the beautiful piece of fish to make it into a “burger,” but let me tell you, it far surpassed any salmon burger I’ve ever tasted. This was the epitome of all fish burgers.

Copper River Salmon Burger: Salmon burger and roasted asparagus plated on a hexagon palm leaf dinner plate.

The final course? The soup. This was kind of fun (in a heckling sort of way) to watch Ryan photograph because I knew he’d never taken soup pictures before (who has, really?).

Salmon Pot au Feu: A soup of wild Alaskan King and Sockeye salmon, fingerling potatoes, small onions, baby artichokes and tarragon.

Obviously Ryan did a good job. Since a picture speaks a 1000 words, I’ll let you decide for yourself how this turned out.

We wrote to Cynthia asking for permission to reprint her recipes. She was extremely helpful and is just waiting to get the okay from her publisher. Stay tuned. Or if you can’t wait, pick up your own copy of the cookbook.

When I left for the night, the boys were still cooking and shooting. Here’s what I missed:

Alaskan King, White King, and Copper River Sockeye: paired with English peas and a tomato, celery root and basil salad.

If you have any favorite salmon cookbooks you’d recommend, please post in the comment section.

We, here at Marx Foods, get some pretty enviable perks. We get to bring our dogs to the office (If we have them. I do not, but I am allowed a fish), we get paid to try lots of gourmet foods, and (if we are very good) we get to have a weekend getaway at Eaton Season Ranch, home to Eaton Natural Beef. And guess what! I was awarded such an honor and I am here to share the awesomeness of it all. So here we go:

The drive to Eaton Season Ranch was a good transitory exercise to prepare my fiancé and me to exit the city and enter the beautiful farm country of Eastern Washington. After going over the mountains, through some snow, and across a desert, we reached the promised land! All around us were rolling hills of grains and greenery with cows happily grazing among them and a few farmhouses scattered across the landscape. It was truly a sight to behold. My crappy camera didn’t do it justice.

Nestled in Wawawai Canyon is the ranch for Eaton Natural Beef. They have about 300 cows that wander and graze throughout their 3,000 acre ranch. These are some seriously lucky cows. The epitome of what grass-fed beef should be. They are able to eat what they want, socialize freely, and just be cows! They live in a natural, low-stress environment. They do not receive growth hormones and if a cow gets sick and needs antibiotics, it is marked on its ear tag and the Eatons won’t sell its meat.

(If you pull out your magnifying glass, you can see the cows grazing away and ignoring my fiancé while he tried to ‘moo’ at them.)

Upon our arrival we were heartily welcomed by the Eatons and their dog Teko. They directed us the cabin where we would be staying for the weekend. Inside it we found an array of local treats from a bottle of wine from the neighboring organic winery to handmade soap from a local artisan. And finally the coup de grâce: beef jerky from the Eaton’s grass-fed beef, which we tore into like impatient children on Christmas Day.

Once we settled in, we set out to find some cows. But we didn’t need to go far. We just stepped outside of the cabin and there were about 15 of them just hanging out and grabbing some water. However, they weren’t as curious about us as we were about them and they quickly moved on.

The next morning we were up bright and early. After a hearty pancake breakfast, we were off and hiking. There was a hill that we noticed upon arrival that seemed to be challenging us simply with its presence. We thought it was important to conquer this hill and conquer is what we did.

(See our awesome tick-prevention strategy!)

Well, maybe ‘conquer’ isn’t the right word. After much complaining to each other about how big the hill was, and how out of shape we were (*whine* “My ankles hurt.”), etc. it felt like the hill was doing more conquering than we were. But we reached the top. And it was worth it. It was like being on top of the world. And I must say that I was proud of myself. I handled the thousands of insects that were curious about us with nothing but grace and poise. Well, sort of, if by ‘grace and poise’ you think of cowering behind Geoff , then yes that is what I did. But of course after about 15 minutes of admiring the beautiful landscape we got bored and started the climb back down. (Hey, we’re city people with limited attention spans. But we’re learning!)

We were also fortunate enough to attend a catered fundraiser they were having for a local agriculture program. The chef who made the food said that he often had his culinary students do a blind taste test of all the commercial grades of beef as well as the Eaton’s grass-fed beef. He said that the results of the most recent taste test voted the Eaton’s beef as better tasting that even Prime Grade beef. After we chowed down on our food, we could see why. It was heavenly. And in case you were wondering, I had no moral quarries whatsoever with eating cows that had probably munched on the very grass I was sitting on. In fact, I thought it was great! The shortest food chain ever!

While that glorious meal was delicious and the scenery unbeatable, these were not my favorite part of our weekend at the ranch. By FAR the best part for me was when I got to feed the baby calf. He was so cute I thought about taking him home when no one was looking, but my fiancé said that he wouldn’t fit in the car.

It was a good trip. I’d be glad to go again. There was much to be explored that I did not explore. Many questions about ranching and animals that did not get answered. I will simply have to go back I think. And next time I’ll bring a bigger car to fit that calf into!

With 122 delicious recipes submitted, it was a tough decision. Because we had such a difficult job as judges, we categorized the recipes into vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes, and decided to announce TWO winners! And they are…

Mushroom, Ramp and Spinach Tart, submitted by Stephanie from Adventures in Shaw, came out on top in the vegetarian category.

Morels with Scallops and Asparagus, submitted by Albert Casciero, peaked the carnivore list

Stephanie and Albert will each receive 2 pounds of fresh morel mushrooms.

Finalists included:

• Mushrooms en Papillote from Kevin of Food Junta (#27)
• Dirty Brandy Cream Pasta from Michael Heaton (#32)
• Morel Stuffed Cornish Game Hens from George (#79)
• Sun Dried Tomato & Porcini Mushroom Vinaigrette from Roland (#112)
• Polenta/Poached Egg/ Mushroom Gravy from Barbara Greiner (#119)

Most popular submissions included recipes for morels, portobello, shiitake and a mix of wild or generic mushrooms. Popular cooking techniques included frying and sautéing; as well as several egg and ethnic dishes; and soup and salad recipes.

Many recipes incorporated seasonal produce including ramps, asparagus and rhubarb.

We really enjoyed reading the stories or back ground included with some of the recipes.One of our favorites was from Kevin Sullivan,

Cut the grass for a little old lady. Notice morels in side yard, pick about a gallon of them, grays, blacks and browns. Go to friend’s house Sunday afternoon, cook line-caught Halibut from another buddy’s fishing trip to Alaska, eat until nearly full. Switch to iron skillet and simmer morels in butter, garlic and lemon pepper. Feast.

Thanks to everyone who submitted their delicious mushroom recipes. Please stay tuned for our next recipe contest (Hint: It’s a seasonal product that swims). Upcoming contest details will be available on June 2.

Congratulations Stephanie and Albert!

Mushroom, Ramp and Spinach Tart
Submitted by Stephanie

1 bunch ramps
1 package portobello mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
3 cups spinach
1/4 cup fig infused vinegar
1/4 cup port
Salt and pepper to taste
2-4 cups Gruyere cheese, grated (depends on your level of cheese love)
9 sheets phyllo dough (take them out of the refrigerator to thaw)
Olive oil to brush phyllo sheets

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Chop off the ends of the ramps and dice the remaining stalk, including the leaves. Turn to the mushrooms, chop them up and set aside. Place a little olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat and sauté the ramps, mushrooms and garlic for about five minutes or until the ramps have wilted a bit.

Throw in the spinach and continue cooking until the spinach has wilted. Lower the heat a bit and add the vinegar and the port, cooking until both liquids have reduced. Add the salt and pepper to taste and remove the mixture from the heat.

While the ramp mixture cools, turn to the phyllo dough. Place a large sheet of parchment paper on a clean surface. Carefully place one sheet on the parchment paper and with a light hand, brush it with the olive oil. Place a second sheet on top of the oiled sheet (again using a light touch) and brush it with olive oil. Repeat with the third sheet. Place a line of the cheese along one of the long ends of the phyllo dough and then spoon some of the ramp mixture on top of the cheese.

Now it’s time to roll the dough (I stopped and prepared myself before continuing… how could I let dough intimidate me?). Fold in the short ends of the dough to about a 1/2 inch (thanks for the rolling tips Kevin!) and then carefully start rolling the dough lengthwise. Place the tart seam side down on a baking sheet and continue the process for the remaining pieces of phyllo dough (this recipe makes three long tarts). Bake the tarts for 10-15 minutes, or until the sheets are golden brown. Allow to cool and then cut each tart into 3 or 4 equal parts (it depends on how big you want each individual tart to be).

Morels with Scallops and Asparagus
Submitted by Albert Casciero

I prefer this early spring dish with fresh black morels, (Morchela angusticeps), which infuse a much intense flavor to the sauce. I am certain that your guests will be satisfied with other species of morels as well).

8 large fresh Scallops
36 Morels (this number depends on their size)
(Dry morels, reconstituted in water could also be used)
12 Asparagus
1 tsp of minced Shallot,
6oz heavy cream
4oz of unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Brush clean the morels, slice them length wise or leave whole depending on size. Clean the asparagus, peeling the lower part is desired. Dust the scallops lightly with flour.

Steam or boil the asparagus to “al dente” consistency. You may wish to sauté them slightly in butter before serving

On a sautéing pan, melt the butter, put in the shallot and sauté for about 1 min. Add the morels and toss to coat them well with butter, (depending on the freshness of the mushroom, you may want to add some more butter, now or at the end, to have sufficient sauce for the asparagus). Add the scallops and sauté about a minute on each side. (Make sure not to overcook them). Then add the cream, cover the pan and cook for about 4 minutes, turning the scallops once. Watch carefully not to overcook the scallops and if necessary add more cream and butter.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve on a hot plate, napping the asparagus with sauce.

Spring’s flavors at their best. Enjoy it!

If you’d like to try submitting your Morel Mushroom recipe again (or another favorite you may have), consider sending it to the folks over at Morel Fest. In preparation for The National Morel Mushroom Festival’s 50th Anniversary (in 2010) the mushroom lovers are putting together a morel cookbook for the event. For a chance at having your recipe published, please e-mail info@morelfest.com.

I have two recipes and I’m looking for 99 more. Please post ideas below.

The other day I ran across a recipe in the Blogosphere for wild boar sausage that answered my question of what appetizer to bring to our upcoming wine club (this was our first meeting and these people are serious foodies, so I was feeling a bit of pressure to impress!). Plus it was the PERFECT excuse to order wild boar sausage from work… there are so many products I’m dying to try, but have been doing my best to pace myself!

This appetizer was a huge hit with the winos and I’m going to use it again. I made just a few adaptations from the original recipe:

Recipe #1
Shiraz-Poached Dried Fig and Wild Boar Sausage Skewers
Recipe adapted from About.com.

Makes 32 Appetizer Size Skewers

• 1 ½ cups shiraz (I bought the cheap stuff at Trader Joe’s)
• ½ cup sugar
• Fresh cracked black pepper (about 10 turns or more to taste)
• 16 dried black mission figs, halved (I used 32 whole figs)
• 1 pound (4 links) wild boar sausage
• ½ cup watercress leaves
• ½ cup crushed walnuts (original recipe called for hazelnuts)
• Small bamboo skewers

Bring the wine, sugar and pepper to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the figs, and simmer for 15 minutes. The figs will absorb some of the wine, but won’t become too soft. Remove the figs from the wine mixture and let cool completely on a plate.

Grill or BBQ the wild boar sausage (they took about 10 minutes to cook through). Let cool to room temperature and cut each sausage into 8 pieces.

Push a skewer into a fig, then through a watercress leaf, and then into a sausage piece. Once all the skewers are ready, sprinkle the crushed nuts on a serving platter, and serve the skewers on top.

Notes: I doubled the recipe for our party and this was ideal to make ahead since it’s served at room temperature. We just popped the whole skewer in our mouths so all the flavors meshed. Next time I might throw on a cube of cheese as well and use fresh figs when they’re in season. 
 

A few nights later I was ready to serve wild boar sausage as main course.

Recipe #2
Grilled Wild Boar Sausage over Caramelized Onion, Pepper and Goat Cheese Pasta

• Penne Pasta
• Caramelized Onions
• 3 Bell Peppers (different colors)
• Goat Cheese
• Mascarpone Cheese
• Reserved pasta cooking water
• Fresh Spinach
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Sorry for the lack of measurements, but really any amounts (and veggie substitutions) will work here. I cooked 1 lb. of penne pasta al dente and reserved about a cup of the cooking water.

On the stove caramelize onions, then add bell peppers and cheeses.

Grill the wild boar sausage for 10 minutes.

Fold the veggie/cheese mixture into the pasta. Add reserved water (just for a little extra creaminess) and salt and pepper to taste. Mix in a few handfuls of fresh spinach.

Serve the sausage over the pasta (or I suppose it could be sliced and mixed into the pasta dish as well).

The dish was rich and delicious, but a little monochromatic so next time I’ll add a few more colorful veggies. 
 

I have exactly 36 wild boar links left in my freezer and I’m open to suggestions for recipes to fill up the next 99 slots on my list. Please post your ideas below:

…by Midnight on Friday, May 16 for a chance to win
2 lbs. of fresh Morel Mushrooms

With fresh morel mushrooms just coming into season, MarxFoods.com was inspired to search for delicious mushroom recipes. Please submit your favorite recipe below by Friday, May 16, 2008 (The contest will close at midnight). The recipe can incorporate any variety of wild, fresh or dried mushrooms. The creator of the winning recipe will receive two pounds of fresh, wild morel mushrooms.

This contest is not limited to morels, we’re open to recipes for all types of mushrooms—from the most simple ideas to complicated epicurean creations. Just remember, sometimes with fresh seasonal items, they should be the star of a dish and not overshadowed with other flavors.

The winning recipe will be judged by the Marx Foods staff on deliciousness and originality. Results will be announced on Monday, May 19.

To Enter.
Submit your mushroom recipe to our blog below.

Information about Morel Mushrooms

Contest Rules & Regulations

Submit your recipe here!

UPDATE: The winning recipes have been announced, but every recipe submitted sounds delicious, so please be sure to browse all our entries! Here is a guide to each recipe by mushroom variety.

The number next to the recipe name corresponds to the comment # including the recipe below.

INDEX

Button
Red Wine Mushroom Sauce #4
Killer Crab Stuffed Mushroom #7
Cream of Mushroom Sauce #45

Mushroom Polenta #110
Meat-Free Vegan Tacos #115

Chanterelle
Beef Tenderloin w/ Chanterelle Sauce #63

Cremini
Mushroom Egg Scramble #1
Blue Cheese Cremini Buttons #10
Mushroom Triangles with Truffle Oil #15
Stuffed Mushrooms #38
Poached Egg on Sautéed Mushrooms and Pea Shoots #64
Mushroom-Yogurt Tart #68
Gorgonzola Cheese and Mushroom Fettuccini #107

General (Using any mushroom Variety)
Potato, Eggs and Mushrooms #3
Stuffed Mushrooms Diane #9
Wild Duck stuffed mushrooms with apples and brandy #26
Mushrooms made simple #31
Mushroom Pate w/ Almonds #34
Mushroom Sauce for pasta, rice, polenta or steak #37
Mushroom Calzone #41
Mushroom Carbonara #53
Beef Tenderloin Stroganoff #57
Sautéed mushrooms with butter #59
Mushroom Cutlets #75
Mushroom Sauté #82
Mushroom Pate #90
Kim’s Chicken Quesadillas #92
Vegan Mushroom Alfredo Sauce #94
Warm Mushroom Salad #98
Mushroom Soup #102
Eggplant with Mushrooms #118

Hedgehog
Hedgehog Mushrooms and Asparagus in Tarragon Sauce #66

Lobster
Dungeness Crab and Mushroom Dumplings #6

Maitake
Maitake Mushroom Risotto #22

Morel
Cauliflower stuffed with Pistachios and Morel mushrooms #2<
Dungeness Crab and Mushroom Dumplings #6
Scrambled Eggs #8
Morel (Wild Missouri Mushroom) Quiche #11
Pancetta stuffed morels with truffle foam, parmesan oil, leek puree, and bacon powder #12
Fried Morel Salad #13
Morels #17
Croute Aux Morilles #19
Mushrooms en Papillote #27
Morel Flan with Citrus Saffron Beurre Blanc and Mushroom Tarragon Confit #28
Cognac Morels #35
Morels Stuffed With Smoked Ham & Fresh Shrimp #36
Bacon Wrapped Morels with Goat Cheese #40
Chicken Canzanese with Morels #42
Ricotta stuffed Morels #43
Morels in Cream #44
Morel-Cornbread Pudding #46
Whole-grain Mediterranean Pilaf with Morels and Pine Nuts #47
Wild Duck & Morels #56
Fresh Morels Salad with herbed Chevre crostini and sweetbread croutons #67
Deep Fried Fresh Morels #69
Exquisite Blue Cheese Morels #70
A Midwestern Delicacy #71
Morel Pasta Supreme #77
Morel-Stuffed Cornish Hens #79
Keep it simple Scrambled Eggs #83
Asparagus stuffed Morels #84
Springtime Eggs and Morels #85
Braised Chicken Thighs with Morels and Ramps in a White Wine Cream Sauce #86
Fried Fresh Morels Mushrooms #87
Rustic Lamb & Mushroom Stew #88
Potato and Morel Gratin #89
Morel Mushrooms - Kansas Style #95
Cod and Morels #96
Chicken and Sourdough Dumplings with Morels and Belgian Endive #97
Aunt Carries Chestnuts and Mushrooms #99
Naturally Wild Stroganoff #100
Morel Poppers #101
Morels #109
Morels with Scallops and asparagus #111
Morel and Hazelnut Soup #113
Morels n’ Cream #116
Polenta, Poached Egg and Mushroom Gravy #119
Morels and MORE over Pasta #123
Crock Pot Swiss Steak with Morel Mushrooms #124
Savory Rhubarb Morel Tart #125

Oyster
Fettuccine with Oyster Mushrooms, Sweet Garlic and Arugula #51
Morels with Garlic and Butter #52
Heirloom Carrot Salad with Seared Oyster Mushrooms on Toast #78

Pine
Pine Mushroom Stuffed Phyllo #72

Porcini
Grilled Veal Tenderloin with a Truffled porcini Mushroom Sauce #65
Sun Dried Tomato & Porcini Mushroom Vinaigrette #112

Portobello
Mushroom, Ramp and Spinach Tart #5
Mushrooms Burger #21
Portobello Parmesan Layered Casserole #29
Dirty Brandy Cream Pasta #32
Stuffed Mushrooms #33
Grilled Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Portobello’s #39
Portabella Pizza #93
Portobello Milano #103
Warm Mushroom Dip #105
Grilled Chicken and Portobello Mushrooms on Arugula #117
Zucchini Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms #122

Shiitake
Dungeness Crab and Mushroom Dumplings #6
Stir Fry #16
Shiitake Mac n’ Cheese #20
Spring Triad with Dryads #23
Quinoa & Mushroom Stuffed Peppers #24
Shiitake Cashew Soup #30
Tilapia Tacos with Shiitake and Bell Pepper #48
Mushroom Bisque #49
Grilled pizza with Shiitakes #50
Narrow Noodles w/ Shiitake, Shrimp, Ham & Oyster Sauce #60

Wild Mushroom Mix
Smoky Chicken & Wild Mushroom Paella #14
Wild Mushroom Bruschetta #25
Divine wild mushroom pâté #54
Mushroom Bruschetta #55
Hemingway’s Risotto with Wild Mushrooms #58
Wild Mushroom Napoleon #61
Savory Mushroom Oatmeal #74
Wild Mushroom cheesecake with a walnut crust #76
Magic Balkan Mushroom Soup #80
Mushroom Lovers’ Dream Risotto #81
Fresh wild mushroom ragout with sautéed polenta #104
China Long Bean with Shrimp and Mushrooms in a Black Bean Garlic Sauce #106
Mushroom Emerald Curry #114
Mushroom – Wild Rice Soup (Vegan) #120
Beer-battered Squash Blossoms with Wild Mushroom Stuffing #121
Pan Seared Filet Mignon with Wild Mushrooms #126

MarxFoods.com is a new service. Until November, you could only buy from us if you were a high-end restaurant. With over 5,000 extremely-hard-to-find items, I knew that we would be giving home chefs access to a whole new stable of products.

In terms of which products our new home chef customers would buy, I had only guesses (which were wrong) and hopes (which are yet unfulfilled).

I just thought I’d share with you, dear readers, what our customers are busy snapping up. We’ve sold a little bit from almost every category, but here’s our most popular product categories over the last six months in no particular order:

Turtle Meat, Alligator Meat & Frog Legs*
Camelina Oil & Camelina Seeds**
Palm Leaf Plates
Frozen Huckleberries
Kobe Burgers
Pheasant
Truffle & Truffle Products

*Let’s just say that I’m bewildered…we must be the only webstore in the US that sells this stuff. I have no other explanation, other than that there might be some silent food movement toward eating amphibians and reptiles.

**I think it is just the beginning. This is the next most-popular-salad-oil-you’ve-never-heard-of. It is fantastic, healthy, and you can’t get it anywhere else.

If anyone has some insight as to why people aren’t buying the more traditional items in greater quantities…please let me know.