Wild Rice

Wild ricing time in Mn on Platte Lake. Never done it, but hope to wet a paddle and a push pole this coming week, mostly out of curiousity. Need a partner. My ten year old daughter?
We have got to get the cream of mushroom soup out of the wild rice casseroles. My favorite is as a pilaf w/ plenty of onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms. What about beans and rice( green beans and rice?), or beans and rice as in red or black w/ some spice. Sweet works w/ wild w/ green onions, peppers, grapes - a fruit salsa stirred in w/ mayonnaise as I did at my restaurant. Sweet and hot?...which mnstns accept as a tolerable level of spice.as long as it is sweet.
Months since I have written. I'll let you know if I just do it.

A rhubarb about rhubarb

First I wanna tell you that bass(largemouth) is better eating than walleye. You can actually taste it -a just this side of mushroom flavor with a little frogleg muddled in.
Rhubarb is the main topic. A week ago the startribune published a rhubarb custard pie recipe, which included 6 cups of chopped rhubarb, a quarter cup of flour, AND ONLY TWO EGGS. DON'T SOUND LIKE CUSTARD TO ME.And with a lattice top(a lattice top on a custard?) I have a recipe for rhubarb custard pie that includes 6 eggs, 4 cups chopped rhubarb, 2 cups sugar( 2 tblsp flour) that is so good and creme brule like that you don't know whether to tell the neighbors or eat. Take my advice. First eat. Then tell.

Mother's Day Feast

Mother's day buffets are are as numerous as minnows in the bait tanks at Tutt's in Garrison.I can't tell you about most of them, because I ate at only one. Prairie Bay in Brainerd. Chef Matt and staff produce a consistently excellent feast, and usually manage to exceed expectations in one way or another. I did not expect sushi at a mother's day buffet in Brainerd, but there it was.If I had known more, I might have expected it, as they recently have been serving Sushi on tuesday evenings. The only sushi in the lake country that I am aware of. I guffed and snorted like a north country buck as the wasabi did it's work on my nose. You sure know that you are eating when you are eating that kind of heat.
Favorites? Banana walnut caramel on vanilla cheesecake. Tilapia. A tip to use at the ubiquitous omelet station at any breakfast buffet. Forgo the ingredients at the station; browse the buffet for ingredients that you like, such as salmon and roasted vegetables, present them to the omelette guy(girl), and request that he incorporate cream cheese or sour cream in your very own custom omelette.You get to create it, and someone else cooks it. Does it get any better than that?
The Meadow Lark Combo in Genola(S side of Pierz) was my other choice. Jamie's grandma pan frys and roasts chicken in the homestyle way - roll in seasoned flour, brown, finish in oven, covered(curious). It is fallapart tender. She serves it w/ real mashed potatoes, dressing, and pan gravy.Cole slaw and a jellow salad are accompaniments. Chocolate brownies and a simple lemon cake are dessert.If you want old fashioned and real, this is it . $7.95 includes coffee and tax. Wow!

Walleye opener and a recipe

It is the walleye ( northern pike too) fishing opener today. When I had a restaurant and bar on Mille Lacs( Headquarters Lodge), it was the most important day of the year. It was busy of course, but also the beginning of the tourist season. Heady times, beery and boozy too, especially in the early days when it was still OK to drink and fish and drive.It was definitely a guy thing back then, all guys.
After they fished and drank, and drank and drank, and ate and drank they would chase girls and drink. A schooling, spawning mass of men would fill the Blue Goose and there would be about ten Garrison Girls to chase and 2 or 3 hundred men. The girls loved it.
One of my alltime favorite fish recipes is from Chef Glenn D'Amour from the old Fitgers Building Italian restaurant in Duluth, also Grandma's in Duluth and Izaty's on Mille Lacs. He knew you had to serve walleye on Mille Lacs of course, and also that everyone in Mn served it fried, fried, or fried. So he did a classic French preparation variation.
Dredge fillet in seasoned flour and saute in half clarified butter and olive oil. Add garlic and baby vegetables( zucchini, summer squash, small or baby anything). Brown fillet on both sides, remove from pan, pour off excess oil, add white wine, fresh tarragon, and reduce by half over high heat; swirl in a few pats of cold butter, add more chopped fresh tarragon and parsley, and pour over fish. Serve over garlicy saute'ed spinach. This is unlike any walleye you've ever had. You will crave it. I made it for Bud Grant once at Izaty's and he loved it but wondered what the green stuff was( spinach).Remember that a general rule of thumb is 7 minutes per inch of thickness when cooking fish. Beer or chardonnay would be good with this.The butter and herbs and garlic will stand up to it. Terve' tuloa( come again).

Golf, deli sandwiches, and leftover cheese

First day of golfing this season. At the 9 hole course in Pierz. Afterwords I craved a real deli sandwich like pastrami and provolone on rye with tangy mustard. Nope. Not in Pierz.
Thielen's Meat Market, whose bacon has been written up in the NY Times has some really good Italian beef salami.
Chef Jacque Pepin does a recipe for asst leftover cheeses in your fridge - you know, the kind you save because they are so small you don't know what to do with them, and then you finally throw them away. Cut into chunks and put into blender. Add chopped fresh garlic, black pepper and white wine. Blend.Serve on cracker of choice, crostinis, etc. This is a refreshing alternative to the usual mayonnaisse based spreads.I will try it and make observations.
The Captain

toe in the soup

I sure know more about cooking than I do about blogging. My son Alex J Stenback has a very successful real estate blog - behindthemortgage - and he suggested I go this route to begin food blogging.
I have recently done an article for Compass mag of the Mille Lacs Messenger about re-inventing shore lunch. Fried fish is good, but 7 days in a row when you are 17 hours north and fishing in Canada? The great advantage of deep frying fish is that the oil seals the breading(or batter) and thus the fish which keeps it moist. It is somewhat idiot proof. Actually almost any method of cooking fish will result in moist fish if you do not overcook it.
The recipes in the article will be tested in actual Canadian Conditions from the 2nd thru the ninth of June(07).
I will provide the best of the best after I return.
Eat bkfst at the Spotlite Cafe in Garrison - french toast and/or pancakes.
Morey's fishouse has closed... a sad day tho' they had not been as good as they had been.
Prairie Bay in Brainerd is recommended
I want to try the new Iven's, as well as The Landing on Lake Alexandria.
Will let you know.