Freshwater Trout – Vlad Taltos series

“’Freshwater trout,’ announced Mihi, ‘from the Adrilankha River, stuffed with carrot slivers, fresh rosemary, salt, crushed black pepper, a sprinkling of powdered Eastern red pepper, minced garlic, and sliced lemon wedges. Accompanied by fresh goslingroot, quick-steamed in lemon butter.’ Then, wielding the serving spoons like tongs, he reverently delivered some fish and vegetable onto our plates…

I can’t tell you a lot about the trout, other than what Mihi said, except that Mr. Valabar had once let slip that it was double-wrapped in a heat-resistant parchment so that it was steam that actually cooked it. If I knew more, I’d make it myself, as best I could. A great deal of the art of Valabar’s, of course, consisted in putting astonishing amounts of effort into making sure that each ingredient was the freshest, most per-fect that could be found. It’s all in the details, just like assassination. Though with a good fish, more is at stake.“

–Dzur, by Steven Brust

Thoughts:

Delicious. Sometimes elaborate words fail me when a dish is just so wonderfully good, and this is no exception.

The fish cooks to perfection in the parchment, ending rich and tender, with not a hint of dryness. The inclusion of carrots in the stuffing threw me at first, but as usual, Brust knows his business. They, along with the rosemary, gave a bit of a textural counterpoint to the tenderness of the fish, while the lemon soaked into the whole thing, perfecting the combination of flavors. I, for one, can’t imagine a better way to enjoy trout (unless it’s wrapped in bacon…).

Recipe for Freshwater Trout

Cook’s Notes: Author Steven Brust said that he was thinking of asparagus when writing about goslingroot, so that’s what I’ve included here. I used white asparagus for the Goslingroot, since it was available, and is more visually interesting than the regular green variety (which is also tasty).

Ingredients:

2 whole trout
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
generous pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. Aleppo pepper, or paprika
1 lemon, sliced thin
1 bunch asparagus
2 Tbs. butter
juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut 2 sheets of parchment paper large enough to completely cover both fish.

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the filling except the lemon. Divide equally between the two fish, and place the lemon slices on top of the filling. Wrap the fish up: bring the ends of the parchment up over and parallel to the fish. Roll the two ends together, toward the fish, then tuck the ends underneath the packaged fish. Repeat with the second sheet of parchment, wrapping it around the first parchment. Place the wrapped fish on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes.

Cut open the parchment and serve the fish immediately.

For the asparagus: fill a large sautee pan halfway with water. Turn up to a simmer, and blanch the asparagus for about 2-3 minutes. Drain, then melt the 2 Tbs. butter in the pan. Add the asparagus back into the pan, and toss with the butter. Continue to cook gently for several more minutes until the asparagus is tender. Sprinkle with lemon juice, and serve.

Pan-fried Garlic Bread – Vlad Taltos series

“We went back into his little kitchen, and I sat on a stool at the tiny counter while he made the one thing I’ve never been able to get to come out right: It is an Eastern bread, only slightly raised, and pan-fried in a very light olive oil. I think the trick is getting the oil at exactly the right temperature, and judging when to turn the bread, which is just before it shows any obvious signs of needing to turn; the dough was pretty straightforward, unless Noish-pa was hiding something, which would be unlike him. In any case, I’ve never been able to get it right, which I regretted anew as soon as the first one hit the oil and released its aroma.”

–Dragon, by Steven Brust

Noish-Pa’s pan-fried Garlic Bread

Thoughts:

The bread is described as “a large, raised square of light brown dough”, and Vlad enjoys eating it, alternating bites of bread with bites of garlic. Since biting into a raw clove of garlic doesn’t appeal to most of us, I opted for the joy that is roasted garlic. And, just to give it a bit of that Eastern pizzazz, I sprinkled a bit of zaatar (a middle eastern spice) over the top of it.

Pure culinary bliss. Even if you aren’t enjoying your last home-cooked food before marching off with an army, this bread is wonderful. Roasted garlic, if you’ve never had the fortune of encountering it, has all those wonderful garlic flavors and aroma combined with a sweetness from the roasting process.

I sometimes eat it with a fork, straight from the bulb.

Spread out on a piece of this flatbread, with some spice and salt sprinkled over top, the roasted garlic is delicious. The bread is so soft, fluffy, beautifully seasoned, I’d happily have this for/with lunch several times a week.

Recipe for Pan-fried Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
3 1/2 cups bread flour
2 Tbs. honey
several tablespoons olive oil
Flour for dusting dough
Roasted Garlic (see below)
zaatar spice, or other of your choice- seasoned salt works well

Make the dough first: combine the water, yeast, flour, honey, and salt. You may need to add a little water or flour to get the dough just right. The consistency should be very gooey and sticky. Transfer the dough to a large clean bowl, greased with a little olive oil, and allow to rise for several hours, or overnight.

Heat about a teaspoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

Tear off a piece of the risen dough, and toss it with flour to diminish the stickiness. At this point, you can either roll out the piece of dough, or flatten it with your fingers, like a tiny pizza. Either way, the dough should be no more than 1/4″ thick, and not larger than the bottom of the pan.

Carefully place the dough in the frying pan, and shake the pan back and forth to make sure the dough is covered with oil, and not sticking. Let this fry for around 30 seconds, or until it only gives slightly when you squeeze the sides with a pair of tongs, and before it starts to bubble up. Flip over; the dough should be a light brown color.

Let the second side cook for around the same amount of time: This part of the recipe is more art than science, but both sides should be a light brown, and the inside should be cooked through, but still soft. Remove to a plate covered with paper towels to drain off excess oil.

Spread a clove of roasted garlic on each piece of cooked flatbread, and sprinkle with spices and/or salt to taste. Serve while still warm.

Roasted Garlic Recipe

Ingredients:

1 bulb of garlic
a bit of olive oil
tin foil

Chop off the papery skin on top of the garlic bulb, so that you can see the individual cloves (see great photos here). Drizzle some olive oil in the top, and wrap the whole bulb in tin foil. Roast in a 400 degree oven for around 30-40 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft. Allow the garlic to cool enough that you don’t burn yourself before handling.

You can peel the leftover roasted cloves, place them in a jar, and cover with olive oil. Stored in the fridge, they last several months (or more), and are ready at your beck and call. What’s more, the olive oil gradually becomes infused with the garlic flavor. Win!

Klava with Honey – Vlad Taltos series

“How do you brew klava?”

“You don’t know?”

She smiled. “I can serve it with the best, but I’ve never needed to learn how to brew it.”

“You press coffee through a filter made of eggshells and wood chips with vanilla bean, then reheat it so it almost boils, then you pass it through a cloth to remove any oils brought out by the reheating.”

-Issola, by Steven Brust

Thoughts:

Not being an every day coffee drinker, I tend to think Turkish coffee is already superior to the average cup of morning joe. But put through this process, it transcends the bounds of ordinary beverages, and becomes something near ethereal. Each of the different flavors is discernible, from the earthiness of the woodchips to the sweet subtlety of the vanilla bean. The cream thickens the already dense coffee into a silky, decadent drink.

Fun Fact? The eggshells help decrease the bitterness of the coffee. See? Right there, you and I both learned something culinary and fascinating from fictional food. That’s why it’s so cool!

Don’t be intimidated by the list of below ingredients and equipment. Once you get the hang of it, it’s quite straightforward. I’ve also included a version that is french-press friendly, because more people have those than have cezves.

**Disclaimer: I’m not really a coffee drinker, but I thoroughly enjoyed Klava. However, if you are crazy for coffee, you may want to increase the strength of your own brew!**

Recipe for Klava

Prep time: about 10 minutes

Makes 1 (strong) mug-worth, or about 4 Turkish coffee cups-worth

Ingredients:

1 cup water
2 Tbs. Turkish coffee grounds
pinch of cinnamon and/or ground cardamom (optional)
1 Tbs. honey
cream, to taste

You’ll need:

1/4 cup clean eggshells
1/4 cup woodchips (hickory, cherrywood, or other would suit)
1 vanilla bean, chopped roughly and crushed

Helpful Items:

funnel
mesh straining bag/clean scrap of fabric
a cezve (pot for making Turkish coffee)
mason jar

Alright. So. In a small pot, or cezve, combine the water and coffee grounds. If also adding spices, do so at this point. Place over medium-high heat and watch carefully. Heat until it froths up, then remove from heat.

In a mesh bag, combine the eggshells, woodchips, and chopped vanilla bean. Suspend this bag in the mason jar, and pour the coffee over it. Allow to steep for five minutes. Remove the mesh bag, and pour the Klava through a funnel lined with cloth.

Klava is best served in a mug, as opposed to a glass, so it doesn’t get cold. Turkish coffee cups are also ideal serving vessels, albeit on the small side.

French Press Recipe for Klava

Makes about 2 mugs, takes about 5 minutes.

Couldn’t be easier.

I doubled the above quantities for the coffee grounds and the water, then let all the ingredients steep together in the pot before pressing down the filter. It’s a great recipe cheat for those who don’t have the cezve for making proper Turkish coffee, but are looking for a quirkier style of caffeine.