Something Fish-y

The sauce for this today's Salmon with Dill-Mustard sounded like it was going to be one of those "kick you in the mouth" kind of sauces. In actuality, it had a wonderful mild taste, and paired extremely well with the salmon. I added a side of balsamic mushroom couscous, which wasn't really needed, but was nice to have. Couscous is such an easy item to make, I want to make it all the time now. I'll have to come up with some different recipes for it soon.

Salmon with Spinach, Tomatoes and Dill-Mustard Sauce
From the Turn Around Program

1/2 cup fat free sour cream
4 teaspoons whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 (1/4 pound) skinless salmon fillets
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves
1 pint grape tomatoes
10 oz fresh spinach

1. Combine sour cream, mustard, dill, and lemon juice in bowl. Refrigerate till service.
2. Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper. In lightly greased non-stick skillet, cook fillets over medium high heat till lightly browned on both sides and opaque in the center. Remove fillets from pan and cover to keep warm.
3. In same skillet, add shallots and garlic. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes till fragrant.
4. Add grape tomatoes to skillet, stirring for an additional 1-2 minutes till warmed.
5. Add spinach and allow to wilt.
6. Serve salmon fillets on top of the spinach and tomato mixture. Add a spoonful of the mustard mixture on top of the spinach.

I would recommend doing this one in a large skillet. The only non-stick that I have is a small pan that I usually reserve only for cooking eggs. Trying to cook all of the salmon rather than boiling in juices, and wilting the spinach is hard to do in a small pan. The overall flavour of this is very unique. Dill is something that I usually equate with pickles only. I think pickles are evil, so I typically don't eat dill. Paired with the mustard, however, it compliments the salmon nicely and you don't get to strong of a dill punch.

Given the state of the tomatoes and spinach, this isn't a "re-heat friendly" food. The salmon and the couscous, however, should be good for a second day. I guess I'll find out tomorrow!

Try it! You might like it...or maybe you'll order pizza.

Not-so Gumbo

I never thought that red peppers could be so good! Normally eating a red pepper leaves a strange carrot-y acidic taste in my mouth. Today, having the red peppers roasted and then blended into a sauce was in a word, delectable. Combined with the white wine and dijon mustard flavors on the sausage and prawns it made for a sweet and deep smoky flavor.

This was a must-have recipe for a chilly day, and was a great addition to what seems to be a "comfort-food" week. I didn't follow the recipe in full today, I embarked out on my own. Though I made some personal changes, I think that the recipe followed the overall flavour palate that the recipe originally implied. Though I've given credit to the recipe below, the directions will be how I cooked it today.



Shrimp and Sausage with Red Rice
From the Williams-Sonoma Grilling & Roasting Cookbook.

1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
16 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/3 cups long grain white rice
2 2/3 cups water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large red peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
4 green onions, separated into white and green parts
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
4 sweet italian sausages (3/4 lb)
parsley to garnish
1. In rice cooker or other vessel toast the rice then combine with water and cook till all water is absorbed. Keep warm.
2. While rice is cooking, combine butter and white parts of green onion in saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until onions soften.
3. Add red pepper to saucepan, along with chicken stock and chili powder. Allow to cook for 3-5 minutes until peppers are softened.
4. Pour ingredients of saucepan to blender and blend into smooth sauce. Return ingredients to pan and allow to simmer on the stove.
5. In small skillet, pour in white wine. Add sausages and cook till done throughout.
6. Move sausages to plate, chop, and add to red pepper sauce.
7. In same pan used for sausages, add oil, lemon juice, preserves, mustard and dash of stock or water to blend evenly. Cook shrimp in mixture till slightly opaque.
8. In bowl combine red pepper and sausage sauce with rice and shrimp. Toss in green onion tops and parsley to garnish.

An easy and filling recipe. Instead of the sweet sausages, i used the chicken and spinach sausages that we bought last weekend. I think they really added to the overall dish taste. This recipe is supposed to serve 4, but its more like 6 or 7 servings. I had more than enough for Staci and I to take for lunch tomorrow.

Try it! You might like it...or maybe you'll order pizza.

Swordfish...no, not the Halle Berry Movie

Yesterday, ah yesterday. I cooked the lamb (above) but didn't blog about it, and I learned that I need to know more about different cuts of meat. My first experience with lamb recipes was actually a rib chop, yesterday I cooked a loin chop. Loin chops are a much tougher cut of meat, not meant for quick-cooking under the broiler. I'd definitely recommend the rib chop if you're cooking the recipe.



Today was a much simpler recipe, Marinated Swordfish with Wilted Greens, Pine Nuts and Bacon. I don't typically go for seafood items, but swordfish is quite nice. I like the thickness of the meat, and how well it holds up to being cooked. It was a tasty dish, and easy to prepare. The recipe was actually meant to be cooked on the grill, so as we get closer to summer, I may try this one again. I'm sure that cooking over an open fire, instead of in a pan, would make for an even tastier meal.

The greens that I cooked tonight were a mix of Kale, Chard, Mustard Greens, Turnip Greens and Spinach. I modified the Swiss Chard with Bacon recipe from my first post to include toasted pine nuts, and some red pepper flakes for heat. Everything else remained the same. I'm not totally sure, but either the mustard greens or the turnip greens had a strange bitterness that I didn't enjoy. Overall though, I'm still impressed with the fact that Staci and I are both eating greens. They're much better than I could have imagined.

The recipe for the marinated swordfish, if you're interested, can be found here. I'd recommend it as a summer dish. The citrus flavour mixed with the dryness of the white wine really played well with the meatiness of the fish. I'm wondering if the marinade would hold up well with other types of fish. I'll have to try that another day!

Try it! You might like it...or maybe you'll order pizza.