Avoid the County Fair: Make Kettle Corn at Home!

Anyone who's ever lived with me knows that I am addicted to popcorn. And I like all its derivatives: caramel corn, kettle corn, cheesy corn, rosemary corn, brewer's yeast parmesan corn, corn seasoned like Chex mix, and even the commercial riff-raff like Cracker Jack and Fiddle Faddle. But no microwave popcorn for me; I do have my limits. So today I had a craving for kettle corn, that pleasantly salty, lightly sugared stuff you find at carnivals and mall outlets. Maybe it was subconscious because the county fair opened today. At any rate, I made my own and avoided the crowds. It's easy with only 4 simple ingredients:

1/4 cup popcorn kernels
1/8 cup sugar
1/8 cup oil
salt

Put the oil in a pan that has a lid, add 3 popcorn kernels, and place it over medium heat. When the 3 kernels pop, quickly stir the sugar into the hot oil. Add the rest of the popcorn kernels.  Put on the lid.  Shake the pan around on the burner every so often while listening for the kernels to start popping. When you hear the kernels begin to pop, lift the pan from the stove and shake to keep the popcorn from burning. Return it to the burner after several seconds and listen for more popping. Repeat the process until it's all popped. Pour into a bowl and salt to taste.

I ate mine while watching the movie They Live. 

Where are you going to eat yours?

Tea Smoked Salmon

I recently read about tea smoking, an ancient Chinese culinary technique.  Sounded intriguing! I'm not sure if the old-time Chinese people had salmon, 
but this style of cooking really compliments this fish!  I'm not an expert with 
the barbecue, but this was quite easy.  

First I put my salmon in a marinade for an hour or so: 

• 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce 
• 1 tablespoon sugar 
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange or lemon zest 
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Then I started a fire with briquettes in my barbecue. While waiting for the 
coals to form, I prepared the smoking ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup mixed whole leaf oolong and jasmine tea 
• 1/4 cup white rice 
• 1/4 cup brown sugar 
• 8 whole star anise 
• 2 tablespoons crushed cinnamon stick
• 5 whole allspice 

I put the smoking ingredients in a few layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil and formed an open packet. 

Smoking ingredients mixed in a foil packet:
The tea and spices infuse the fish with a subtle, slightly bitter taste.
The brown sugar sweetens up the fish and adds a caramel color and undertone.
The rice acts as a fuel to keep the aromatics smoking.

When the coals are white hot, place the foil packet of smoking ingredients directly on them.  Put the grill in place above the coals, and shut the 
barbecue lid. Partially close the barbecue's air vent.  When you see 
smoke rising from the vent, it's time to cook! My coals were quite hot, 
and smoke appeared in just a few minutes. 

Remove the salmon from the marinade and pat it dry. Brush it lightly with 

oil. I used a mixture of sesame and peanut oil. You can place the salmon 

on a pre-soaked cedar plank, but I'm not that fancy. I used a nonstick grill 

basket that I bought  for a few dollars. Put the salmon skin side up (if it has 

skin) and put the cedar plank or grill basket on the grill. Close the lid and 

the air vent. Let the salmon smoke for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how 

thick your fillet is. Flip the fish once and smoke again to medium doneness.  

Usually this requires another 3 to 5 minutes. I bought salmon trimmings 

that were quite thin, so I smoked it a scant 3 minutes per side.  

My experiment was a success!  I think this was the most delicious salmon I have ever eaten.  Next I think I'll try this technique with shrimp laid directly 

on the grill.

Inexpensive salmon trimmings smoked to perfection in 6 minutes!