Ohhh Weeeeee…this was a HOT one! I once prided myself as being able to eat some pretty hot stuff so diving right into the “Spicy like Me” chapter of Legendary Patti LaBelle’s Recipes for the Good Life cookbook happened without the least bit of caution. But baybaeeeee, this songbird put me in my place….stagehand. lol Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious!!!! However, it got to the point that I was picking out the minced pieces of jalepeno and habanero peppers with my fingers (at the dinner table) to get the tiniest bit of relief. It didn’t work. It was insufferable and my diners, Greg and Tera, shared my sentiment. lol I definitely recommend this dish………….MINUS 2/3′s of the peppers. TRUST ME! A Fiercefodie is ALWAYS HOT but panting and gagging is NEVER sexy….well, unless you’re into that I guess. lol

(Below, the recipe I believe will work next time with 1/3 of the heat)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (I used Yukon Gold instead, since that’s what I had in the house–it was fine)

2 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut, crosswise, into thick slices

1 medium onion, peeled and sliced

1 large red bell pepper, well-washed, cored, seeded, membrane removed, and sliced

1/3 habanero chile, trimmed and sliced, or to taste

1/3 jalapeno chile, trimmed and sliced, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 medium head green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, or water

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (I’m not really a big cilantro fan so I skipped this, but I bet it helps to cool off and balance the heat from the peppers.)

Instructions

1. Place a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. When just hot, add the oil.

2. When the oil is hot, add the potatoes, carrots, onion, bell pepper, chiles and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or just until very fragrant and beginning to soften. Add the cabbage, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook, stirring, for 4 minutes.

3. Add the broth, stirring to blend. Lower the heat and cook, tossing and stirring, for about 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have blended.

4. Remove from the heat, stir in the cilantro, and serve.

The original recipe called for smoking my own salmon or something and that wasn’t happening…waaaay too many steps for breakfast when I KNOW the canned Salmon would work JUST fine- and it did.

These cakes get their moistness from the mayo, eggs, lemon juice, and simply not being overpowered by flour. The bread crumbs don’t fight the moistness like flour. You may want to add a little more. My cakes were very fragile but we like the flavors of the capers (kinda vinegary…yeah I said “vinegary” lol) lemon with the fish and veggies without too much “cake”. To each his own but more play with the recipe, they can pull of a lot of flavor….like someone else you know hunh? ; ) (ME! )

Ingredients

• unsalted butter
• olive oil
• 1 cup small-diced red onion (1 med. onion)
• 1 1/2 cups small-diced celery (4 stalks)
• 1 cup small-diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)
• 1 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)
• 1/3 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1/2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 can smoked salmon
• 1 cup plain breadcrumbs (or panko, Japanese bread crumbs)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used Hellman’s Light…don’t tell Greg) 
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
• Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

Place 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of oil, the onion, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, parsley, capers, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, and peppers in a large saute pan over medium-low heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Empty salmon into a bowl by itself standing in the shape retained from the can. Gently separate the fish from the sides to expose the full spine of the fish. Try to remove it whole. If you are unsuccessful, no biggie, take your (of course well cleaned) hands and pick through it for any wayward pieces of bone. Add the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, and eggs and toss lightly.

Add the cooled cooked veggies and mix well. (Whenever you’re working with raw eggs, you want to be sure to not scramble the eggs by adding them to anything hot) Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Shape into salmon cakes, 2 1/2 to 3 ounces each.

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the salmon cakes and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until browned. Drain on paper towels; keep them warm in a 250 degree F oven and serve hot.

*Salmon cakes can be shaped and stored overnight in the fridge on baking sheets wrapped in plastic; fry just before serving.

RECIPE REGRETS: Not having some sort of dipping sauce or a mango salsa to accompany this dish. I tried, unsuccessfully to mix a little mayo, ketchup and lemon juice. It was edible but not the sauce I was going for.  

As I told you, I’ve exhausted my Fiercefoodie budget for the month (or until Greg forgets) yesterday on my Patron. Nevermind the fact that he ate 2 cupcakes.  Ummmhmmm…. Anyway, I noticed that I have no breakfast contributions on the site so I decided to try to get some daylight shots for a change (supposedly a key factor in food photography) and scramble some eggs.  Plus, I was in no hurry to dirty my recently cleaned kitchen, so a one-pot dish was ideal.  After a check around the fridge, I found a couple slices of oven roasted deli turkey, deli Muenster cheese, a little white cheddar, a shallot, sundried roasted tomatoes and a little heavy cream.

Of course, you can use ANYTHING for the scramble. Scrambles are quick and more forgiving than trying to fold your eggs over into an omelette. I can do it though (very slowly however) so don’t sleep on my skills. : ) But with the scramble, you get to stuff it with a lot more goodies that otherwise wouldn’t fit in that thin little envelope. Usually, I use leftover mushrooms, onions and peppers but apparently I haven’t cooked anything lately (if you let Mr. Ungrateful tell it, lol) Hey! Birthday girls eat out.