Salmon Croquettes over French Lentil Ragout with Horseradish Cream Sauce

It seems like “forever ago” that I was getting on a plane in sunny Florida to attend a cooking school in snow-covered West Virginia, at The Greenbrier. It was 1993 and it was February and very cold there, but I thought the “winter” time would be a nice change for me.

The hotel was incredibly large and beautiful.

One of my favorite events while staying at the hotel was tea time, which was held every afternoon at 5 pm. There was a harpist, or a pianist in the gallery where tea was served. It was a time to sit and listen and just be quiet before attending a later dinner in the beautiful Greenbrier dining room. I sure could use just one of those days this week.

During my stay at the hotel I attended a Gold Service dinner which was very formal. The Gold Service dinners are usually held for presidents, ceo’s or royalty. I remember that evening like yesterday. I was wearing an Ellen Tracy, long navy blue satin skirt that had tiny pleats and a sequined top, and matching satin shoes. I wore that same dress to an evening wedding on Long Island a few months later.

The late Walter Scheib was The Greenbrier chef at the time I was there and he sat next to me at the Gold Service dinner. In 1994, he became the White House chef. He was hired by Hillary Clinton, worked through the Clinton administration and into part of the Bush administration. I am so happy that I had the opportunity to know him, but sorry to say that he died in 2015 at age 61. I thought that he was a brilliant American chef.

The guest chef who also attended the Gold Service dinner that evening was Michael Chiarello, and I’ll save those stories and recipes of Michael cooking for us one evening at  Dorothy Draper’s Café for my next blog. I can tell you that he was as nice then as he appears to be now.

Speaking of Dorothy Draper’s Cafe, we had a wine tasting one morning with Werner Stoessel. I had more wine than I should have and by the time the morning was over, I had to go to Dorothy Draper’s Cafe and have a bowl of French onion soup for lunch. I was not the only one there, either.

The Greenbrier had then, and still does have a wonderful kitchen shop, and I took full advantage of it. I bought a French rolling pin, and many other things to take home.

Just before I arrived for my stay, The Greenbrier Cookbook was published and available, and I’ve used and enjoyed it for many years now. The recipe for the lentil ragout is from the cookbook, but I’ve used croquettes instead of fresh salmon.

There is so much more I’d like to tell you about my stay there, but I must get to the recipes, otherwise this will be a book.

Enjoy!

Salmon Croquettes

Sarah, our cook used to make these at least once a week. I love them. Every time I see these on the menu in a restaurant, which is rare these days, I order them. This truly is one of the oldest Southern foods I remember. Fresh salmon was not available in South Alabama back in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Canned salmon is available as a product of the US.

1 (14.5 ounce) can good quality red or pink salmon

1 cup crushed Club Crackers

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/4 cup finely chopped green, red or orange bell pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion

1/4 cup capers (drained) or 1/4 cup finely chopped bread and butter pickles

1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Remove any skin and bones from the salmon and discard. (Back in the “old days”, some people would leave the bones in for the calcium.) Drain half the liquid into a bowl and add the salmon and remaining ingredients. Mix well. Refrigerate until the mixture has chilled at least an hour.

Use a cast iron skillet if available. Preheat the skillet over medium heat and add enough olive or vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the skillet.

Using a regular size ice cream scoop or 1/3 cup measuring cup, make the patties. This will usually make 5-6 patties. Brown the patties on both sides, making sure the patties are cooked through, and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.

Lentil Ragout

2 slices (about 1 ounce) bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips

3/4 cup finely diced leeks (1 medium leek, white part only- I didn’t have a leek, so I used sweet onion and it worked just fine)

1/2 cup finely diced carrot (1 medium carrot)

1/4 cup finely diced celery

6 tablespoons minced shallot

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried

1 bay leaf

1 cup (6 ounces) green lentils

2 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

In a large sauté pan or skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until it is crisp and brown and has rendered its fat, 2-3 minutes (my bacon did not render enough fat so I added 2 teaspoons olive oil). Add the leeks, carrots and celery and cook until soft but not brown, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots, the garlic, white wine, thyme and bay leaf. Cook a few minutes more until the wine has evaporated.

Add the lentils and chicken stock, reduce the heat, cover and cook until the lentils are very tender and almost all the liquid is absorbed, about 35 minutes. (Add a  little more stock or liquid if the lentils get too dry during cooking.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove and discard the thyme sprig and the bay leaf. Keep warm. (The lentil ragout may be made up to a day ahead.) After the ragout cooked and I removed the thyme and bay leaf, I squeezed in about a tablespoon of lemon juice for acid. This is optional.

Horseradish Cream

3/4 cup heavy cream (or to taste)

2-3 tablespoons prepared horseradish (or to taste)

Mix cream and horseradish.

To serve. Place the lentils in the center of each plate. Put the croquettes on top of the lentils. Drizzle the horseradish cream around the edge of the plate, and top with finely chopped parsley. Serves 5, depending on size of salmon croquettes.

Anne Willian on the left facing.  A much younger me on the right.