Balsamic-Glazed Salmon with Spinach, Olives, and Golden Raisins

I'm not one for technology.  Something has to pretty much become standard before I incorporate it into my life.  Had remote controls and power windows not become universal, I'm pretty sure I'd still be cranking my car windows down and getting up to turn the dial on my t.v.  That's why it shocked my husband when I said I was going to buy an Ipod Touch.  I'm not much for choosing the music we listen to.  I've never ever downloaded a song.  I'm sure he must have wondered what on earth I was going to do with an Ipod Touch.  He probably figured it was one more piece of technology he would end up having to be the tech support for.  Oh, but this is different.  I have finally found a piece of technology I LOVE.  Hand held access to the world, amazing!  All the apps that are available, incredible!  And my favorite so far (or at least a tie with Words with Friends, hee hee) is the epicurious app.  Any recipe, any time, shopping lists, sensible ways to search, reviews.  It's pretty darn amazing.  Thank you Apple, thank you epicurious, and thank you science.  I am in love, with technology...  

Now here's a tasty recipe I found using the epicurious app.:

From Bon Appetit, February 2010

Serves 2, but easily doubled

2 9-ounce bags spinach leaves
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 5-ounce salmon fillets with skin
1/3 Cup chopped shallots (I used green onions)
1/3 Cup halved pitted Kalamata olives
1/3 Cup golden raisins (I used regular raisins)
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon honey

Pour a few tablespoons water into a heavy large nonstick skillet.  Place over medium-high heat.  Add 1 bag spinach (skillet will be full).  Using 2 wooden spoons, turn and toss spinach until most of leaves are wilted, about 2 minutes.  Add remaining spinach leaves in 2 batches.  Turn and toss spinach until just wilted but still bright green,  Transfer cooked spinach to strainer set over bowl. 

Wipe skillet dry if necessary.  Add 1 tablespoon oil and heat over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper.  Place in skillet skin side up.  Sear until brown, about 3 minutes; turn fish.  Cook until just opaque in center, 3 to 4 minutes.  Transfer to plate; wipe skillet clean.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to same skillet.  Add chopped shallot, halved olives, and raisins.  Stir 1 minute.  Add spinach; toss until heated through, about 1 minute.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Mound spinach mixture on plates.  Top with salmon. 

Add balsamic vinegar and honey to skillet.  Boil until reduced to glaze, about 30 seconds.  Spoon glaze over salmon and spinach and serve. 

 

Linguine with Clam Sauce

The parsley seems to be our best growing herb in the herb garden. When we planted it I thought I'd rarely use it, but it has been surprising how many recipes call for fresh parsley. Our daughter also got to take sprigs of it to day care to feed to the class guinea pig, Rosemary. The kids loved watching her munch away at it and the teachers appreciated the treat. Rosemary spent the weekend with us once and was in guinea pig heaven with all the fresh parsley she got to eat. But then, one day, we took parsley in. I watched as the kids fed it to her, and left feeling like it was just an ordinary day. Upon picking our daughter up, we all had notes in our mailboxes that Rosemary had passed away that day. Oh dear...my first thought, could it have been the parsley?? Oh please no. Hopefully Andrew did not put down some pesticide or slug pellets the day before, yikes! I read the note and talked to the teacher. She reassured me that Rosemary's demise was a result of heat stroke and not our parsley. Phew!

We are all going to miss little Rosemary. I can't pick parsley without thinking of her. So, when I made this recipe the other night I took a moment to mentally wish her well and apologize for not bringing parsley more often!

This recipe comes from a friend's mom. It's incredibly easy and so tasty. You can make it with fresh clams and fresh pasta, or use canned clams and dry pasta. Either way, it comes out great.

Serves 4
1 pound of linguine cooked
3 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons milk
2-3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 Cup Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 10.5 ounce cans minced clams (or use fresh clams)
dash of red pepper flakes
dash of dried basil
Wondra flour

Saute garlic in butter and olive oil. Add clam juice only. Simmer 10 minutes. Then add milk, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, clams, red pepper flakes, and basil. Thicken sauce by adding more parmesan cheese and a small amount of Wondra flour. Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve immediately

Parmesan and Parsley Crusted Salmon with Arugula and Roasted Tomatoes

There is a long history of salmon fishing in my family, but I only know the stories from as far back as my grandfather.  It was a hobby, not a profession for him.  That being said, how much time does one need to spend at a hobby before we wonder if it is their profession? 

I went salmon fishing a couple of times with my Dad, my Uncle, and my Grandfather, and, to be perfectly honest, I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.  It was early in the morning.  It was cold.  It was windy.  The water was rough, and the boat was rockier than I'd prefer.  There was a lot of waiting around too.  And in the end, we came home with no fish.  How was this fun?  The men in my family tried to convince me that it was just a bad day.  I never had the patience, or desire, to sit through the number of bad days you needed before you had a great day.  So, I decided, I'd rather enjoy land and the final cooked product, whenever it arrived. 

The flavors of this dinner blend so nicely together.  The juice of the roasted tomatoes adds to the fish and serves as a salad dressing for the arugula.  Unlike other fish recipes, I'd hesitate to substitute another kind of fish.  After all, Grandpa would be so disappointed!  

Serves 2 (but easily doubled)

For the tomatoes:

2 whole tomatoes, halved
olive oil
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
parmesan cheese, grated

For the fish: (fish topping recipe adapted from BBC Good Food, http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/)

2 1-1.5-inch thick pieces of salmon
1/2 Cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
Juice of half a lemon
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 Cup grated parmesan cheese

Large handful of arugula

Preheat the over to 400 degrees.  Prepare the tomatoes on a baking tray or cookie sheet.  Salt and pepper the tomatoes, cut side up, and top with a little parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.  Put in the oven to bake while you prepare the fish (10-15 minutes).

Stir or blend together the breadcrumbs, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, and parmesan cheese.  (I did this in a little food processer.)  It should be moist, but still crumbly.  Place salmon on a greased baking tray.  Cover salmon with breadcrumb mixture.  Place in the oven with the tomatoes and bake 10-12 minutes or until cooked through and breadcrumbs golden.  Remove fish from oven, turn the oven up to broil and move the tomatoes up to one of the top racks.  Broil until tops become golden or tomatoes seem soft and cooked through (2-4 minutes).  Place fish and tomatoes on a plate of arugula.  Serve immediately.     

  

Lemon Feta Halibut with Roasted Corn Polenta

We moved into our house two and a half years ago. The back yard was ugly, to say the least. There was painted green cement everywhere, gravel, and some paving stones that were laid out in a design fit for the bottom of a swimming pool. We had maybe one or two nice flowers, but mostly the yard screamed "LOW MAINTENANCE"! At the time, we were preparing the house to welcome our daughter who was to be born in just a few months, so the yard was the least of our concern. But as she grew older, we started to want somewhere for her to play and we both hinted to each other our secret desire to grow our own fruits and vegetables. Hence, the backyard redo project was born. Andrew dug 40 tons of dirt (seriously, 40 tons of dirt) out of the back hill. We terraced with beautiful stone work, planted grass, and sectioned off an area for vegetables. The entire backyard was gutted, and we had a clean slate, except for our one lone lemon tree. It seemed an odd choice to keep as we had to redesign the retaining walls to go around it, but there was something special about this tree. Our aging neighbor begged us to keep it as apparently this is how he had been getting his quota of vitamin C! Another neighbor said she'd be heartbroken if we took that tree out as the woman who lived in our house before us used to bake delicious lemon bars which she shared with the whole street. So, we found ourselves struggling to give this tree up. Thankfully, we kept it, and it is now a highlight of the back yard. It's incredibly prolific, so we are always looking for 'lemon something' recipes. I came across this one and thought, "Great, I might be able to use up two whole lemons!" Regardless, it's worth a try. The flavors blend so well together, it's pretty easy to do, and it comes out looking oh so gourmet!

I used halibut, but any white fish would do. Also, the polenta expands, so use a big pot!

From http://www.sproutedkitchen.com/

Serves 3-4 people

For the polenta:

1 Cup dry polenta

4 Cups organic low sodium vegetable or chicken stock

1/2 Cup feta cheese

1/4 Cup half and half

2 Ears of corn (use white corn if available)

1 Large onion, sliced thin

1/2 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

Handful of fresh chives, chopped

Salt and pepper

For the fish:

2 or 3 6 oz. pieces of halibut (or whatever is available near you)

1/4 Cup feta cheese

3 Tbsps. lowfat Greek yogurt (sour cream or mayo would work as well)

1/3 Cup chopped parsley, divided

1 Lemon, sliced very thin and a bit of juice

Fresh pepper

Turn on oven to 475 degrees.

1) Peel back the husk and silk of the corn and discard. Grill on the barbecue for ten minutes or so, rotating often. Remove to cool. Cut the kernels off.

2) Heat 1/2 tbsp. olive oil. Add sliced onion and saute over medium heat for 15 minutes or until brown in color. Turn off heat.

3) Prepare the fish topping. In a small bowl, combine the feta, yogurt, garlic salt, lots of pepper, little bit of lemon juice, and 2 tbsp of chopped parsley.

4) Coat a baking tray with cooking spray and put the fish skin side down onto the tray.

5) Season fish with a little salt and pepper. Then top with the feta-yogurt mixture. Lay a few thin pieces of lemon on top and drizzle with a little olive oil. Put in the top rack and keep an eye on it while you proceed with the polenta. Fish should take about 12-15 minutes, depending on thickness.

6) Continue with the polenta while fish is baking. Bring stock and half and half to a boil. (The first time I made this I forgot to put in the half and half and it still came out great, so feel free to delete if you want to save a few calories!) Slowly pour in the polenta and stir until it begins to thicken, 5-8 minutes. Take off the heat. Gently fold in the caramelized onions, grilled corn kernels, lemon juice, chives, and salt and pepper to taste. Lastly, fold in the 1/2 cup of feta cheese.

7) To serve, put a good portion of polenta on the plate and top with lemon fish and a sprinkle of parsley. Serve immediately. Excellent with a green salad on the side.