By Paul Main

For this edition of Code 7, I wanted to take time to honor moms, especially those working in public safety. Recently, I talked to five working moms from fire, EMS, and law enforcement about their favorite Mother’s Day dish. While each had a different take on the ideal Mother’s Day meal, they all shared a desire for a great meal that they did not have to prepare or clean up after. Good choice, ladies!

• Two-year firefighter Amber Treece of Cal-Fire is a mother of two. Her favorite Mother’s Day meal is salmon or tuna sashimi.
• Tulare County Sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Douglas has been in the business for eleven years. She’s a mother of two and her ideal meal is anything that goes with fried potatoes.
• Stephanie Owen is a mother of three who is a six-year veteran of emergency response. She’s a dispatch supervisor at Tulare County Consolidated Ambulance Dispatch, and she loves a hearty Italian dinner—with spaghetti—for Mother’s Day.
• Paramedic Eve Price works at American Ambulance of Visalia and has been in the business for nine years. Her three kids should know that she’d love anything barbecued for Mother’s Day.
• Visalia Fire Department Capt. Teresa Lovero, who has been with the department for twenty years, has two children and her favorite Mother’s Day meal is chile verde.

I challenge all the husbands, boyfriends, and coworkers out there to find out what meal the moms on-duty or off-duty want on their special day. Then find a recipe that will guide you in preparing it or use the recipe below to help make their day. Don’t forget to provide the clean-up!

Potato Encrusted Salmon Napoleon with Ginger-Caper Aioli

This recipe may look intimidating, but it is easy to prepare, and you can impress your mom, friends, family, and coworkers with an awesome presentation where you build height to the main dish. If you don’t want the potatoes, use a shredded parsnip or zucchini to make the “crusted” portion of the dish. You can also do just a single layer, of the salmon and potato. The goal is to enjoy the flavors and have fun with your food.

Makes 4 Servings

Salmon

Ingredients:
1 ½-2 lbs. salmon fillet (not the steak), skin and pin bones removed
salt and black pepper (you can also add a pinch of white pepper to each salmon piece)
cooking spray or 1-2 tablespoons of olive or canola oil

Method:
Cut the salmon into eight equal portions, lightly salt and pepper both sides. Place a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, pull the pan away from the heat and generously spray the skillet with cooking spray or spread a small amount of olive or canola oil to the pan to prevent sticking. Place pan back over the heat source and place the salmon in the skillet. Be sure not to overcrowd the pan. Do not move the salmon for at least 2 minutes. If you turn the salmon too soon, it will stick. Allow it to sear, and it will easily come away from the bottom of the pan. Cook the salmon for 3-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the salmon. The fish is done when the inner flesh no longer appears translucent. You’ll serve two pieces of salmon per portion.

Potatoes (Hash Brown-Style Discs)

You’ll make these shredded potatoes into 12 round discs to stack with the salmon and the aioli for dramatic height when you present this dish.

Ingredients:
2-3 large potatoes (Russet or any baking potato will do), peeled, cleaned, and shredded
¼ cup canola or vegetable oil for crisp frying
salt and pepper

Method:
Peel the potatoes and shred them into a large bowl. Dry the potatoes thoroughly by squeezing them in a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. You should have about 1 ½ cups of shredded potatoes. Place half of the oil in a heavy large skillet or even a non-stick skillet and heat until sizzling. Add the potatoes in 3-inch rounds. The layer should be thin, so it will cook quickly and be crispy. Use a spatula or other kitchen tool to help spread out the potatoes. Make two to three discs at a time in the skillet, depending on the space in the pan. When the potatoes are golden brown on the bottom, use a spatula and turn to cook the other side. Each side should take 3-4 minutes to cook. Remove the hash browns to a plate; season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Keep them warm in a 250-degree oven, until you need them for plating. Add additional oil to the pan as needed.

Ginger-Caper Aioli

Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons capers, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (use more or less to your taste)
4 teaspoons ginger, minced fine (jarred or fresh)
Pinch Cayenne pepper or two dashes of hot sauce or pepper sauce
zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Place all ingredients into a small mixing bowl and combine. Taste to adjust for lemon, salt, and pepper.

Plating

To build the presentation, start with a small dab (teaspoon or less) of aioli, spread on the center of the plate. Place one of the potato discs on the aioli. Put a dab of the aioli on the potato and place a piece of salmon on top. Use another dab of aioli on the center of the salmon. Place another potato disc on the aioli. Add another dab of aioli and put the second piece of salmon on the aioli. Top with one more teaspoon of aioli and a potato disc. Put one more small portion of the aioli on the potato disc, and then add some fresh arugula, spring mix, or sprigs of chive. Serve with your favorite vegetable or salad and enjoy.

Cooking Safety Tip:

This edition’s safety tip centers on protecting children and expectant mothers from food-borne illnesses.

If you are pregnant, you are at high risk for food borne illness as your body’s immune system is weakened during pregnancy. This is a natural condition and helps you and your baby get along with each other during the pregnancy. The down side to a weakened immune system is that it is harder for your body to fight off harmful food borne microorganisms.

Your unborn baby is also at high risk because the baby’s immune system is not developed enough to fight off harmful food borne microorganisms. Harmful food borne microorganisms or some metals in food can cross the placenta and infect the developing fetus, causing health problems, and possibly death. Infants and young children produce less stomach acid making it easier for harmful microorganisms to passed along through the digestive system and invade their bodies.

You can find more information on food safety at HYPERLINK “http://www.foodsafety.gov” www.foodsafety.gov, HYPERLINK “http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~pregnant/whilill.html” http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~pregnant/whilill.html or at the FDA’s Food Information Line at: 1-888-SAFE-FOOD.

Keep safe and keep cooking! More recipes will be available soon at HYPERLINK “http://www.valleyresponsemagazine.com” www.valleyresponsemagazine.com.

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