7-22-17 Fettuccini w Salmon and fresh corn in cream sauce

I’ve been thinking about this dish for several days, but something always seemed to thwart my plans…but not tonight. 

INGREDIENTS:

1.     Fettuccini- wanted linguine but there was none in the pasta pantry.

2.     Salmon – skin removed and diced into bite size pieces

3.     Fresh corn – nuked for 2 minutes then removed from the cob

4.     Olive oil

5.     Shallots – chopped

6.     Garlic – pressed

7.     Fresh basil and tarragon coarsely chopped

8.     Marsala wine

9.     Heavy whipping cream

PROCESS:

Cook the shallots and garlic until soft, then add the salmon and cook over med-high heat.  Follow several minutes later with the fresh herbs.  When the salmon is cooked through add the corn and a splash of wine and continue cooking over low heat.  Several minutes before the pasta is ready add the cream and mix well.  Then add the pasta and some pasta water, mix well, and serve.

COMMENTS:

In keeping with the “eclipse season” we decided the best description of tonight’s dinner would be -  “heavenly”.

I forgot to mention the pad of butter I added to the sauce along with the cream.  Hey…it’s good for you.

Accompanying the pasta was a Caprese salad.

THERE IS LIFE AFTER PASTA

One of my struggles with the plant based diet is learning to cook with a minimum of fats, processed wheat, and dairy products.  A favorite dish of mine has been pasta with salmon and asparagus in a lemony cream sauce.  I am pleased to report that tonight’s dish, with several variations, was every bit as good as the pasta dish.

INGREDIENTS;

Quinoa – Inca red

Salmon

Asparagus

Sweet potato

Olive oil

Garlic, onion

Celery

Fresh lemon juice

White wine

Fresh dill

Seedless grapes, cut cross wise into 3 or 4 pieces.

PROCESS:

Bake or nuke one sweet potato, and when cooled, slice cross-wise in ¼ inch pieces.  This can be done ahead of time and the slices reheated.

Cook the Quinoa as directed on the package.  In the meantime, cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft.  Add the asparagus (cut into 1/3 inch pieces), celery, and a bit of the finely chopped dill.  Cook for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat then add the salmon (cut into bite sized pieces) plus some white wine and lemon juice.

When everything is done, place 3 or 4 slices of the potato on the plate and add the asparagus-salmon over the potatoes, and top with the sliced grapes.  Serve the Quinoa on the side, and drizzle everything with lemon juice to your preference.

COMMENTS:

Delicious...I did not miss the pasta or the cream

2-13...Salmon - asparagus cream sauce

We ate very well tonight...Fusilli in a creamy salmon - asparagus sauce.   It has been a while since I've prepared this, but it was worth the wait.

INGREDIENTS:

Fusilli
Salmon
Asparagus
Olive oil
Garlic, shallots
Lemon juice
Butter
Dry whit wine
Heavy whipping cream
Dry dill, basil, and oregano
Fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

PROCESS:

Cook the garlic and shallots in olive oil until soft.  Cut the asparagus into 1 inch pieces and add to the pan, along with the seasoning/herbs and cook for several minutes.  Then add the wine and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes.  Add the salmon, butter, and lemon juice and continue cooking over low heat.  About 5 minutes before the pasta is ready add the cream and stir frequently.

Toss the sauce into the pasta, mix well, and enjoy.

COMMENTS:

This tasted especially good to Patience and me tonight, perhaps because we haven't had it for a while.  Or, perhaps because it was prepared with extra amounts of love, after all, tomorrow is Valentines Day and I'm "warming up".

1-16…PASTA WITH SALMON & ASPARAGUS IN A LEMON – BUTTER SAUCE

It has been a while since we’ve had this dish, typically with a cream sauce. I thought I would stay away from the cream tonight and stick with butter, lemon, and a bit of wine.

INGREDIENTS: Angel hair pasta Asparagus spears cut into 1 inch pieces Salmon fillets cut into bite sized pieces Olive oil Garlic Onion Dry Dill Fresh chopped parsley Butter Fresh lemon juice Dry white wine

PROCESS: Saute the garlic and onion in olive oil then add the asparagus with some dill and parsley. Cook for about 10 minutes before adding the salmon and butter. About 5 minutes later add the lemon juice and white wine and cook uncovered until the salmon is done. Add the pasta to the pan with some pasta water, sprinkle with parsley, and drizzle lightly with olive oil.

COMMENTS:

Patience worked today, which means we did not eat until after 8 PM, which means I was quite hungry, which means cardboard would probably taste good. BUT…this was truly good. I would rate it an 8 plus on a scale of 10. And it is an easy meal to prepare.

11-29-Fettuccini with broccoli, salmon, fresh tomatoes

It has been cold and wet for days. Last night I responded with a sea food chowder, tonight I thought we might try to capture a little bit of springtime.



INGREDIENTS:

Tomato basil fettuccine (from Tuesday mornings of all places...it’s great!
Olive oil
Garlic and shallots
Lemon
Salmon
Fresh broccoli florets
Dill and parsley
white wine
Grape tomatoes, halved

PROCESS:

Saute the garlic and shallots, add the broccoli and cook for abour 5 minutes before adding the salmon, herbs, seasoning, and white wine. Just before the pasta is done add lemon juice. Mix in the pasta, drizzle with olive oil and serve with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

COMMENTS:

I consider this a 7 or 8. I enjoyed it, but it didn’t feel like something special. I love the pasta…I’ve used it in several dishes and make special trips to Tuesday Morning just to get some.

10-18 Salmon ravioli in creamy lemon asparagus sauce

Our friend Crystal from northern Illinois will be our guest tonight. So, for the sake of our guest, my wife, and myself, I’m making Salmon filled ravioli to be served in cream-asparagus-lemon-butter sauce.



THE FILLING:

Salmon fillet, coarsely chopped
Ricotta cheese
Mascarpone cheese
Fresh dill
Lemon zest

Mix all ingredients loosely in a bowl, then transfer to food processor and pulse to an almost creamy consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

THE SAUCE:

Olive oil
Butter
Garlic
Fresh dill
Fresh lemon juice
Asparagus

Cut the asparagus into 1-1 ½ pieces and cook in olive oil w garlic and butter. Add lemon juice, fresh dill, and continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Add cream and butter and stir until slightly thickened. I needed to add a bit of roux to get the thickness I wanted. I also added a bit of mascarpone cheese.

COMMENTS:

Oh my….this was so good. You cannot go wrong with dill and lemon plus butter.

Salmon-asparagus and pasta 8-21

I cannot walk through the produce section without buying asparagus; it calls out to me…”hey Bill…over here. I’m waiting for you to nuke me, drizzle me with olive oil and fresh lemon juice and…well…you know the rest”, and of course I do, a scrumptious lunch with fresh tomato slices, mozzarella cheese, and basil.



Why am I telling you all of this? Because it’s time to think about tonight’s pasta dinner and I have asparagus that must be used. The challenge is avoiding the usual routine…asparagus and salmon in a lemon cream sauce. I plan to borrow shamelessly from our friend Paul who recently served us a pasta dish where a chicken breast with a light sauce was served on the same plate as the pasta, but on the side, not incorporated into it as a sauce. Instead of chicken I’ll use a salmon fillet under a bed of asparagus in a lemon butter sauce. The pasta will be in a simple olive oil and lemon sauce with a bit of garlic and black pepper.



INGREDIENTS:

Salmon fillets
Asparagus
Shallots, garlic
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Fresh basil, dill, and parsley
Butter
White wine

PROCESS:

I got a little stressed out trying to establish the timing on this meal…I tend to do that so I prepared all the ingredients in advance. After placing the pasta in the pasta water I sautéed the garlic and shallots, and quickly added the asparagus, herbs, butter, and a splash of white wine. After 4-5 minutes I added the salmon and lemon juice. When the pasta was cooked (al dente) I placed it in a bowl and added finely chopped garlic, parsley, olive oil, and fresh lemon juice and black pepper.

COMMENTS:

This was great. Believe it or not, I’ve never prepared the pasta this way…it was basically Aglio Olio with lemon. This opens the door to an entirely new genre of dishes…. Thanks Paul.

LINGUINI WITH SALMON-ASPARAGUS-SQUASH 8-13

Feeling less than well I find myself facing the dinner hour with less than maximum enthusiasm tonight. This of course translates into something tried and true, and that means salmon, asparagus, lemon, a little white wine and some cream. As a token push of the envelope I’ll add some yellow squash (we have tons of it on hand.).



INGREDIENTS:

Linguini
Asparagus, cut into 1-2” pieces
Salmon, skinless, cut into bite size pieces
Dill
Garlic, shallots
Olive oil
Yellow squash, diced
White wine
Parsley, coarsely chopped.
Lemon
Butter
Heavy whipping cream

PROCESS:

While waiting for the pasta water to boil sauté the garlic and shallots until soft, add the squash and asparagus plus lemon juice and herbs and cook over low heat until cooked through. Then add the salmon and white wine and cook uncovered. After placing the pasta in the water add the cream and butter and stir frequently. If a thicker sauce is desired add about ¾ tsp of corn starch. Add the pasta to the pan and mix well. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

COMMENTS:

After eating this dinner I feel the best that I have felt all day. Of course the wine has had nothing to do with this.

Seriously, as my grandson William says (ad nauseum), this is a great dish. I especially like the texture that the squash added.

PASTA QUEST DAY...week 3...DAY 14

Tonight I had the pleasure of sharing our table (OK...counter!) with out dear friends Aynex, who is visiting from Maryland, Nikki, who is visiting from Park Avenue, and Julie from 7th St. three very sophisticated diners. After just the tiniest bit of thought I decided we would have our pasta with salmon, asparagus and baby broccoli in a light lemon/butter cream sauce.

5-16-11



Pasta w salmon, asparagus and broccoli

INGREDIENTS:

Pasta
Salmon
Shallots & garlic (pressed)
fresh dill
Asparagus cut into 1” pieces
Broccoli timed to bite sized pieces
1/3 cup of heavy cream
Olive oil, salt, pepper. Red pepper flakes
Lemon juice
White wine
Butter

PROCESS:

While the pasta cooks, sauté shallots, red pepper flakes, and garlic in olive oil. Add the asparagus and broccoli and cook for 5-6 minutes before adding the salmon with a splash of white wine and lemon juice. When the salmon appears cooked through add the cream, stirring constantly.



COMMENTS:

Aynex, who is VERY critical, gave this a 7, Nikki, and Julie gave it a 8.9, and I would give it a 9. Everyone gave it a thumbs up. Aynex thought the sauce was too thin, and that there could have been more salmon…and I consider this a valid observation. Nikki would have preferred the salmon rarer (she is a big fan of sushi.)

The pasta was good…the company was better.