Feast your eyes on this!

As we were shopping last week, i picked up a can of salmon. My husband was incredulous! He complained about how much he hates canned food and "why can't we get the frozen stuff instead?". I insisted that i wanted to only spend €2 instead of €5 and maybe it didn't matter in the long run, but we're short on money now. Too much "college shopping" maybe.
I did have something in mind, and i told him he'd never had guessed that it was canned salmon... he remained skeptical. That is, until dinner later that week. heh!
First of all, the can of salmon was "Super Value" brand, but was stamped "Alaska USA" on the top... i dunno. It seemed to have traveled a long way, so i was also fairly concerned about the hype i had created. Salmon is my favorite food ever, and i could eat it every day - I hoped this measured up.

My plan was for Salmon patties! I found a recipe online, but halfway through gathering my supplies, discovered that we were out of some things, so i improvised. I must say that it really turned out better than i had imagined.

The recipe called for:

• 1 (14.75 ounce) can salmon, drained and flaked (i had half that)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup garlic and herb seasoned dry bread crumbs (none of these. Only plain and homemade)
• 1/4 cup dry potato flakes (fresh out of potatoes too)
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed (chose not to use because of the sauce, which will contain much dill)
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt (nope. dont have this)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

A couple years ago, i would have been discouraged at not having every single item that was called for on the list. Now i just use most recipes as a guideline for something better.

So! First things first. I made "italian breadcrumbs". What exactly goes into Italian style breadcrumbs, i have no idea. But i DO know what goes into Italian style dishes, and decided that was a good place to start. Since i was out of potatoes, which i assume soak up some of the wetness of the recipe, i put an entire cup of breadcrumbs into this recipe. In a medium bowl, i mixed:

• 1 Cup plain breadcrumbs (which i made over time by using the heels and leftover bread that was too dry to eat, dried it completely, and ran it through the food processor)
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground colored peppercorns

Smelled Italian to me :)
I then added both eggs to the breadcrumbs and beat with a whisk for about a minute, after which i added the salmon and mashed it all together with a potato masher.  I also decided that since i didn't have enough salmon, i left the oils and everything in it too.

In the mean time, as a substitute for the potatoes (or flakes) i shredded about a cup of Celeriac that we had left over in the fridge from the soup last week. I placed the shredded Celeriac into a boiling pot of slightly salted water and let nature run its course. When the Celeriac was nice and tender, i poured it into a sieve and pressed the water out with my hands:

then added it to the salmon mix. Since Celeriac tastes reminiscent of celery, that takes care of the whole "celery salt" thing. In went a pinch of sea salt, too. By this time, the mixture is a mushy bowl of yum. It's malleable but doesn't fall apart.

I warmed the olive oil on the skillet, and created two "patties" with my hands and placed them on the hot oil. 

Fried on both sides. I was careful not to have too high of heat so the patties would cook all the way through, and still be brown on the outside. 

For the sauce, a friend of mine usually makes hers with just sour cream and dill. While this is good, i wanted it to have a little *something* extra. So i mixed:

• 1/2 Cup sour cream
• 1 Tbs Dijon mustard with seeds
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 Tbs fresh dill

To go on the side, i boiled some broccoli. Never broiled broccoli before? No problem.

Cut your broccoli into edible pieces, place into boiling water until just tender. Expect about 4-5 minutes. 

Preheat your broiler and set your rack 7 or so inches below the coils.

Once your broccoli is done boiling, drain, and place into a shallow baking dish- like a casserole dish or the like, and sprinkle with the topping of your choice.

I put freshly ground colored pepper and sea salt with a dash of garlic powder and a couple other seasonings.

Place into the oven under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned.

Altogether it was a great meal and V admitted he was wrong about canned salmon. I'll definitely be making this more often.

In other news, i've been a busy bee lately. I made a very cool crocheted rag rug for the first time!

And i think it really brightens up the room! It measures about 4 feet in diameter and was made from 6 pillow cases, and 3 double sized duvet covers. I really love the way it turned out and the way it feels under my bare feet. V loves it too! A few weeks ago, i posted briefly about the project here. The balls of fabric on the very right edge were used in this rug, and then some.
Hopefully, i'll find a couple more duvet covers/ sheets/ whatever at the second hand shops so i can work on my purple one. It really adds a touch of "homeyness" and warmth to our cold little cottage.
I love it!!

well, i must go contemplate dinner... in the mean time, i shall dodge these little (big) monsters. EEK!