Dutch Oven Salmon with Potatoes and Asparagus

OK, I did it. I cooked asparagus, and I even liked it. Yes, there I admitted it. I even called my Mom and told her and Dad about it. They thought that was pretty funny. Dad said I was finally growing up.

I also learned something about my "dry-roasting" cooking technique. I first tried it when I did the jerk chicken , and again when I did the pseudo-Indian chicken. The basic idea is that a dutch oven cooks by trapping the steam and the heat. The heavy lid traps all the moisture in. That's great with almost everything you cook, but once in a while, you want to cook something that's a bit dryer, something that sets seasonings in a glaze or something like that. You don't want to trap the moisture. I don't know what to call it, so I'm calling it "dry-roasting".

To make it work, you put something under the lid to lift it up. I found a thin metal grill that I could place under the lid. It lifted the lid, but not much. That way, the moisture escaped. I found, however, that a lot of the heat did, too. I'm sure that the fact that it was a windy and cold day today didn't help much, either.

But in order to make it work, you have to up the coals SIGNIFICANTLY. I put a thermometer in the bottom of the dutch oven while I was cooking the potatoes, and found that I needed to almost double the coals in order to get the kind of heat needed. I liked the results of cooking that way. It does lose a lot of heat that would have normally been trapped, however.

Dutch Oven Salmon with Potatoes and Asparagus

12" dutch oven

In the dry-roasting phase: 25 + coals each above and below
In the final baking phase: 10-12 coals below, 18-20 coals above.

• 4-5 medium to large potatoes
• Olive oil
• parsley
• salt
• Pepper
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

• Fresh Asparagus, about 4-5 sprigs per serving
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Lemon pepper or lemon zest and pepper

• 1 fresh Salmon fillet
• 1 bundle green onions, chopped
• dill
• 1 lemon, sliced

I started out by lighting up the fire. That was a bit of a challenge as windy as it was, but eventually I had coals getting white. While those got ready, I got to cleaning the potatoes. The original recipe I drew this from called for baby potatoes. That would have been yummy. But I didn't have any. So, I used regular potatoes, quartered and then sliced in the cube-like chunks.

I put them in a bowl, and dashed over some olive oil, then all of the other seasonings and flavorings. I shook it in the bowl and mixed them all up.

Then I went out and put the oven on the coals to pre-heat some. I spritzed a little extra oil in the bottom. I don't know that I needed to, but I did. Once the oven was a bit hot, I put in the potatoes. I let those cook for a while, using the dry-roasting technique described above, until they got good and seared on all sides, and the seasonings were clinging to them. Since I was playing with the temperature, it took a little longer, but I think in normal conditions, it should take about 30 minutes or so, with a couple of stirrings.

While that was happening, I was preparing the asparagus and the salmon.

The asparagus was easy enough. I cut off about the bottom third of the asparagus, 'cause I remembered the bottom being the nastiest part when I was a kid. I put the sprigs into a bag with just a splash of oil and the salt and lemon stuff. I didn't have any lemons today, so I just used lemon pepper. I shook it up to coat the asparagus sprigs.

Then, I cut the salmon fillet into four big pieces (that's how many would be eating). I sprinkled on the dill, scattered over the chopped green onions, and put a lemon slice on each one. Actually, today I used lime slices, 'cause that's what I had handy instead.

I took all that out to the ovens. I took off the lid and the grill separator, and added the asparagus to the now delicious looking potatoes. and stirred them together. I laid the salmon fillet pieces in on top of those, and put the lid on solid. I readjusted the coals as above, and began baking the salmon and asparagus with the potatoes.

Because it's still quite hot, it didn't take long to cook the salmon, maybe only about 15-20 more minutes or so. At that point the asparagus was "al dente", as my Dad said. It was definitely cooked, but it wasn't wilted. It was still a bit cruncy, resisting your teeth a bit. The oil had kept the seasonings tight to the stalks, and tight to the potatoes, so those were quite yummy, and the salmon was delicious, too.

This meal really turned out four-star, if I do say so myself.

Alert the media

OK.

I did it.

I did the deed.

I am forever changed.

I went to Smith's Grocery Store. I walked in. And I actually paid my own good, hard earned money for a bundle of asparagus. What is this world coming to?!

Pleeeeease, please. Don't tell my mom!

Foods I Hated

In 1990 President George Bush (the first one) raised up a big row by declaring to the world that he hated broccoli. He said, in essence, that he'd always hated it as a child, and now that he's the president, he wasn't going to eat it any more.

It was one of the few idealogies that he and I shared.

There were actually quite a few foods that I grew up hating. Broccoli was one. Squash was another. My mom is actually an excellent cook. But this was one dish she served up that was horror on a plate. Her squash was this boiled, puree'd glop of orange and it tasted gross and had a texture that was like melted modeling clay.

Liver was another one I couldn't stand.

Asparagus and I were bitter enemies, however. I loathed the slimy sticks of bitterness. They could fill my soul with ugliness like no other vegetable could. I hated them so much that one day I was possessed to actually trample my mother's asparagus patch. Many years later she and I could laugh about it. Not on that day, however.

Mom and Dad had devised a deal they offered us. We could pick one food, one item that for the whole next year, we didn't have to eat. No matter how often it was cooked for us, we didn't have to touch it. The tradeoff, however, was that we were obliged to eat everything else with dignified and calm acceptance.

I almost always chose asparagus. And I have a very hard time believing that I ate everything else with dignity and calm.

So, why am I bringing this up?

Well, the last week or so, I've been contemplating my now-annual Mother's Day feast. I've been thinking about what to cook for it. For the meat/main dish, I've been seriously considering a pork crown roast. I mean, for sheer "Wow", there's not much that will beat a crown roast. And in one of my dutch oven cookbooks, there's a recipe for one with this mushroom and asparagus side dish.

Everything looks just great, except for those blasted asparagus.

But, you know, when it comes to making a plate look high-class, there are few veggies that will dress it up like asparagus.

But can I do it?

In the years, I've managed to make peace with broccoli. I don't mind it, now. I still don't like liver and squash. Sweet potatoes, not so much, either.

Everyone tells me that good asparagus relies on the method of cooking. But see, my mom was a great cook, and I have a hard time believing she'd done it wrong all those years. I mean, Dad loved it, and even my sister grew to love it. What's wrong with me?

So, should I swallow my pride and swallow the asparagus?

And while you're contemplating that one, tell me about your most hated foods as a child. Did you ever grow up to like them?


PS. In other news, I've been asked by our Ward Relief Society (the Women's organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), to do a dutch oven cooking demo. I'm pretty excited, and so is Brendon. I think we're going to do my Chicken/Onions/Potatoes meal.