With so much on their (metaphorical) plates already, families of those battling cancer don't want to worry about what to put on their (actual) plates during mealtime. After a long day of school, work, doctors appointments and physical therapy, the gift of a home cooked, comforting meal delivered by a thoughtful friend can be just the thing to relieve the burden.
Acclaimed chefs Kirsten and Mandy Dixon of Homer's Tutka Bay Lodge, Winterlake Lodge and La Baleiene Cafe have come up with the perfect, warming ramen soup complete with Alaska salmon. The specialty ingredients they use can be found at local health or international food stores and their broth has become popular as a gift itself—allowing those following a nutritionist-advised diet to easily create their own hearty soup with an immensely flavorful base.
Lindsay Kucera, head baker at Anchorage's Rustic Goat, has just the right thing for those craving a hearty, soothing meal during the fall and winter's harsh chill with her Brown Butter Pumpkin Mac and Cheese. Overflowing with seasonal flavors in a surprisingly light cheese sauce, the dish is simple to make and can travel easily to bring to those in need of a moment of peace.
Want a better way to start the day than in front of a bowl full of cold cereal? Kucera's Spinach and Tomato Breakfast Pie is the perfect thing to whip up in the early morning and drop off to friends needing an extra boost before the day begins.
Follow these recipes and deliver a robust, home cooked meal along with a hug from a supportive friend.
Our Ramen
Courtesy of Chefs Kirsten and Mandy Dixon
To make a bowl of ramen, we heat the broth to piping hot. We place our tare (secret flavoring underneath the noodles) into the bottom of a deep-sided bowl. Next comes a nest of noodles, the hot broth, then vegetables and Alaska salmon carefully placed on top. We often serve this with a poached egg.
For the Tare (secret flavoring)
1 tablespoon white miso
1 teaspoon sake
Mix the miso and sake together and set aside.
For the Noodles
Ramen noodles are alkali noodles, meaning they are made with flour, water and an alkali substance called kansui, or lye water, that can be found in bottled form in most Asian markets. We use baked soda as our source. You don't have to make your own noodles but we enjoy this.
1 tablespoon baked baking soda (bake soda for 1 hour in the oven at 300°F.)
½ cup warm water
3 cups bread flour
½ cup cold water
Salt
Combine the baked soda and the warm water together in a medium mixing bowl. Add in the remaining water. Add in the flour and stir. The flour will change color from white to a golden yellow. Form a ball with the dough and knead it vigorously for about five minutes. Wrap the dough and let it rest in the fridge for about one hour.
Roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thick. Fold the dough into thirds. Slice thinly to create the noodles. Toss the noodles in flour to keep them from sticking.
Heat a large pot of water to boiling. Add in a small handful of salt. Reduce to a rapid simmer and drop the noodles in the water a handful at a time. Simmer for about two to three minutes. Remove the noodles with a mesh strainer.
For the Salmon Bacon
6 ounces Alaska cold-smoked salmon lox (about 10 slices)
½ pound rhubarb, washed, trimmed and chopped
½ cup honey
½ cup apple cider
½ shallot, sliced
Freshly ground coarse black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Coat the foil with spray release or with oil. Lay down each of the pieces of salmon onto the baking sheet. Set aside.
Add the rhubarb, honey, apple cider, shallot and about a teaspoon of the black pepper into a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until the rhubarb is cooked and begins to fall apart. Add a little additional apple cider if more liquid is necessary. Cook for about 30 minutes until the mixture has reduced down to a thick syrupy consistency.
Brush the salmon with the rhubarb lacquer. Place the baking sheet onto the center rack of the oven and bake for about five to six minutes or until the bacon is just crisp.
Makes about 10 slices.
For the Broth
4 cloves
½ yellow onion
2 pounds chicken wings, cut up
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
½ celery stalk, chopped
½ leek, chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
¼ cup peppercorns
2 sprigs thyme
1 (1-inch) piece kombu (an edible kelp)
1 clove star anise
1 piece Salmon Bacon
Stick the cloves into the onion. Place it and the chicken wings, carrot, celery, leek, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns and thyme into a large stockpot. Cover with 6 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for an hour. Skim any protein that accumulates on the surface. Strain the stock and place the kombu, star anise clove, and a 2-inch piece of salmon bacon into the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes. Hold the broth hot for final plating.
For the vegetables
Canola oil
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch slices
1 stock broccolini, cut into bite size pieces
1 celery stalk, washed and sliced
12 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
Light sesame oil
1 bunch cilantro, stemmed
2 scallions, sliced
2 red radishes, sliced
In a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, add in two tablespoons of canola oil and one teaspoon butter. When the oil is hot, add in the carrot and the broccolini for five minutes. Add in the celery and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in one teaspoon of sesame oil. Toss in the cilantro, scallions, and radish to the cooked vegetables.
For the salmon
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
6 (6-ounce) fillets red salmon, skinned and boned
Salt and pepper
Canola oil
Rinse the salmon and pat it completely dry. Season the salmon with salt and pepper to taste. Pan-sear the salmon in a small amount of the canola oil, presentation side down first, until a light brown crust forms. Place the pan in the oven until the salmon is cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes.
To assemble
Add a small ball of tare to the bottom of six deep-sided 32-ounce ramen bowls. Add one cup of the noodles to each of the bowls. Add a quarter-cup of vegetables to each bowl. Pour over some of the piping hot broth into each bowl. Arrange a piece of salmon onto the top of each bowl. Serve hot.
Makes 6 servings
Browned Butter Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Courtesy of Lindsay Kucera, Head Baker, Rustic Goat
This first dish was actually given to my family during a tough time in our lives, by my father's office manager. After I tried it, I asked her for the recipe. I was willing to beg, but she gave it happily. This is one of those super-indulgent recipes that you can rely on again and again. It's simple, rich and extremely adaptable. It's easy to prepare, to give and to eat.
Yields 6 small portions, or 4 generous portions
8 ounces dry penne pasta
1 ounce unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup unsweetened canned pumpkin
3/4 cup shredded aged white cheddar cheese, plus 2 Tbsp for topping
Dash nutmeg
Salt and pepper, to taste
Unseasoned breadcrumbs for topping
Optional Add-ins: Bacon, Caramelized Onions, Cherry Tomatoes, Spinach
Directions
Preheat oven to 350?. Lightly butter an 11"x13" baking pan, or four ramekins.
Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions.
While pasta cooks, start the roux for the cheese sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepot over medium heat. As soon as it begins to lightly brown (it will have darker brown flecks and smell nutty), add the flour and whisk until you have a very sticky dough.
Add the milk in a steady stream while whisking constantly to form a creamy white sauce.
Continue whisking as you add the pumpkin and 1/2 cup of the white cheddar. You should have a very creamy, light orange sauce. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. (Add mustard, red pepper flakes or sriracha at this point as well, if you want some heat.)
Drain the pasta and return it to its pot. Use a rubber spatula to scrape all of the sauce over the pasta and stir to coat the pasta evenly. Stir in any add-ins desired at this point.
Scrape the sauced pasta into the prepared pan(s) and top with the breadcrumbs, reserved cheddar plus more salt and pepper. (Additionally drizzle some olive oil over it all, no more than a tablespoon.)
Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the cheese is very bubbly and lightly browned on top. If wanting a crispy top, put the dish under the broiler, on high, for a few seconds until it's bubbling away. Serve hot.
Spinach & Tomato Breakfast Pie
When we bring gifts of comfort food to friends, family and coworkers, we often overlook breakfast foods in favor of big dinner dishes. But breakfast is important too, especially when facing a potentially daunting day. This dish is essentially an easy quiche, with hash brown potatoes for the crust. You can make your own shredded potatoes, or use frozen. If you do use fresh, be sure to squeeze as much liquid as you can out of them, otherwise they will not cook correctly, and mix in some melted butter, salt and pepper to taste. If you use frozen, be sure to thaw it slightly before using, or it won't bake properly.
Yields one 9-inch pie
2 cups shredded hash brown potatoes
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
¼ cup cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups fresh spinach
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes
4 eggs
¼ cup milk
salt and pepper, to taste
red pepper flakes, optional
Directions
Preheat oven to 375?.
Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray; press the potatoes into an even layer in the pan. The potatoes should come up the sides of the pan, like a normal pie crust.
Bake for 8-10 minutes; remove from oven. Top with the 1/4-cup shredded mozzarella and the cheddar cheese, set aside.
In a skillet on medium high heat, add olive oil. Add spinach and tomatoes; cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until spinach is wilted. (If you want to add bacon or breakfast sausage to this dish, crisp them in the pan with the tomatoes and spinach.)
Add garlic and continue to cook for an additional minute.
Remove from heat and spread the vegetables evenly over the potatoes.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper, and the red pepper flakes, if adding them. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
Pour egg mixture over the spinach and tomatoes.
Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the pie.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
For a list of breast cancer resources and support in Alaska click here.
A version of this article first appeared in the 2015 edition of Alaska Pulse magazine. Contact Pulse editor Jamie Gonzales at jgonzales@alaskadispatch.com.