Copper River Salmon on Seared Garlic Greens with Herbed Oil, Sicilian Orange and Fennel Salad

Have you heard of Copper River Salmon?

Wild and sustainably caught, Copper River Salmon is one of the most sought after salmon in the world. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game monitors Copper River Salmon weekly to ensure that an abundant number of salmon reach their spawning grounds, ensuring a long-term replenishing supply of Copper River Salmon in the future.

Copper River is a 300 mile river in Alaska, the 10th longest river in the United States. It's quite a hike for these local, wild salmon to swim this long stretch of river to reach their spawning grounds, requiring the salmon to store up on those healthy omega-3 fatty acids to make the journey.

Wild Alaskan Salmon is super healthy- high in protein, more vitamin D than a glass of milk (in a 3.5 oz filet).  And those omega-3's...  they are likely to have a role in:

• Lowering chance of sudden cardiac death, risk of a first heart attack, and the chance of having a second heart attack.
• Stabilization of abnormal heart rhythms
• Reducing chance of developing degenerative conditions like Alzheimer's
• Reducing chance of development and severity of varied severe mental disorders
• Stabilization and regression of plaques (deposits that clog arteries) that could fatally rupture.
• Optimum development of the brain and eye in the womb and in young children (when integrated into pregnant womens' diets)
• and many other health benefits as well!***

What does that mean in relation to the taste of the fish?  It means Copper River Salmon is succulent.  The extra omega-3's combat the fishy flavor, making for a 'meatier' fillet of salmon (almost like cutting a steak!) This salmon is a deep red in color, and when preparing this fish, I opt for simplicity- let the quality and taste of this fish shine through. 

I simply pan seared it with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.  I had a bunch of greens I had harvested myself when working on a CSA (community supported agriculture farm), so I sauteed them all up together with some bacon and a bunch of garlic- fresh spinach, swiss chard, kale, mizuna, and the leaves from radishes and turnips (yes, you can eat those too!) Added a squeeze of lemon juice towards the end and seasoned with salt and pepper.  So good The Boyfriend even liked them.. and he hates cooked dark greens. You should have seen his face when I told him what I was making. 'I hate spinach' he said.  He didn't know what anything else was.  :)   If you know someone that doesn't like dark greens, saute them in bacon. Sure, it's not the healthiest way of preparations, but if you want all those vitamins and nutrients in your loved one's diet- bacon will do the trick.

A simple and fresh Sicilian Orange Fennel Salad accompanied the salmon and greens.  This is one of my favorite summertime side dishes- use blood oranges if you can find them, but whatever you can find will suffice. To slice the fennel thinly, use a vegetable peeler! It's so much easier and provides really thin slices of fennel, making for a delicate presentation. This makes for a great picnic/BBQ salad, by the way. 

Black olives are often added to this salad- the salty, briny olives complement the oranges really nicely. 
The Boyfriend would have left me if I tried to serve him olives, so I skipped them.

You can find Copper River Salmon at most supermarkets.  It's usually advertised heavily when it's available (mid-May to mid-June-ish).  It generally runs about $14.99/lb, and is worth the price.  

Copper River Salmon on Seared Garlic Greens,

 Sicilian Orange Fennel Salad, Herb Oil

 Serves 2

Two 7 ounce Copper River Salmon fillets 

(makes two just-over-5 ounce servings)

1 lb Fresh spinach, kale, or mixture of dark leafy greens on hand, washed and dried, stems removed

2 slices of bacon

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 oranges, peeled, segmented, and pith removed- INSTRUCTIONS FOLLOW

1/2 large fennel bulb, sliced thinly (or vegetable peeled into thin slices)

1/2 cup red onion, very thinly sliced

About 2 tbsp fresh basil (chiffonade- cut thinly)

One lemon

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper
Herb Oil Recipe follows

1. Make the Sicilian Orange Fennel Salad.  In a bowl, gently toss together the oranges, fennel slices, red onion, basil, a pinch of salt (omit of adding olives), and drizzle with 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 
2. Make the Salmon. Brush salmon with olive oil until coated and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium heat until hot (about 3 minutes).  Add the salmon to the skillet, meat side down and the skin up. Cook for 3- 4 minutes, checking to make sure salmon is not sticking to the pan and until golden in color. Flip the salmon, skin side down, and continue cooking until the salmon flakes easily with a fork- about 5-7 minutes, depending on thickness of your fillet. Slice a couple slices of lemon and serve on top of the salmon.
3. Make the Seared Garlic Greens. Add the bacon to a large, cold skillet. Turn heat on medium.  Cook bacon until crispy, flipping once. Remove bacon and set aside. Add half the greens, stirring to coat in bacon grease. Saute for a minute or two, until beginning to wilt. Add the rest of the greens and the garlic. Stir to coat. Saute another 2 minutes, until wilted. Season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of 1/4 of a lemon.

Herb Oil:
Super simple-  Add 1/4 cup oil to a small pot, and throw in a handful of fresh herbs (I used rosemary, thyme, parsley, and a bit of oregano. Heat oil over medium low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring with a rosemary sprig. 

Use rosemary spring to brush the herb oil over the salmon.  

How to segment and remove pith from an orange:

1. Cut the top and bottom off of the orange.
2. Peel the orange.
3. Use a paring knife to slice the pith (the skin) off each orange segment. Do this gently to maintain the orange slices. Try not to break them in half. 
4. Reserve any orange juice that leaks out and add to the Sicilian Salad. 

***Information on Omega-3 fatty acids gathered here 

Red Chili Honey Butter Shrimp on Crispy Polenta Cakes

Red. Chili. Honey. Butter. Shrimp. 

Yum. 

This recipe was created very much by ingredients I happened to have on hand, which is the case of most of my recipes.  

The Boyfriend rated this meal 'pretty good,' which may not sound like a compliment but is actually the highest ranking on his scale, depending on the tone of his voice and facial expressions when he says it.  

The base of the dish is a simple roasted red pepper puree, topped with a spinach and basil salad. Crispy polenta cakes are placed on top, still hot, warming the spinach salad below, and it's all topped off with shrimp drizzled with the red chili honey butter sauce.  

I tried to get a bit of each flavor in every bite.  It's one of those dishes where you're mixing a bite of polenta in the red pepper puree, grabbing a piece of spinach soaked in the slightly spicy butter sauce.  And the shrimp.  Don't forget the shrimp!

This recipe was easy to make, and pretty fast (if you don't count the refrigeration time needed for the polenta- if you're looking to make this tonight, read through whole recipe!)

It's something I sort of whipped together  and when finished and I saw it on a plate, I thought to myself that this dish is worthy of a special occasion dinner. I thought I'd hurry up and share it with you, with Valentine's Day being tomorrow!  If you don't have a dinner planned yet, and you'll be working and want something you don't have to slave over but is still impressive.. here you go.  This is it. 

The list of ingredients seems long, but it's really just redundant since I've split up the four components of the dish.  You'll probably find most of these ingredients in your house already (as I did!).  

Red Chili Honey Butter Shrimp on 

Crispy Polenta Cakes

For the Shrimp:
24 shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp honey
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsl chopped parsley
1/2 cup white wine
3 tbls unsalted butter
salt and pepper

For the Spinach Salad:
Fresh spinach, tough stems removed
Fresh basil, leaves only
1 piece of cooked thick sliced bacon, diced (or use pancetta or prosciutto)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp red wine vinegar

For Basic Polenta:
2 cups water
3/4 cup polenta (yellow cornmeal) **Make sure it's gluten free if needed
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter

For the Roasted Red Pepper Puree:
1 Red pepper
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:


Spinach Salad:
Rough chop the spinach and basil together.  Toss together and add bacon.  In a separate bowl, combine olive oil and red wine vinegar.  Pour over salad and toss when ready to serve. 

Roasted Red Pepper Puree:
Broil the red pepper until all sides are black and charred.  Let cool until easy to handle, and peel the black skin off the pepper.  Remove the seeds and stem, and place pepper in a blender or food processor.  Puree.  Gradually drizzle a but of olive oil in and puree again.  Continue until puree reaches your desired consistency. I usually keep mine pretty thick.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

Polenta:
In a saucepot, heat water until boiling.  Add the salt, and gradually the polenta. Reduce heat to low, whisking often, and cook until polenta is tender (about 15 minutes). Turn off heat, add butter, and stir until melted.  

Polenta is ready to eat!  To continue on for crispy polenta, spread the polenta flat in a small pan or tray.  For this amount of polenta, I spread mine into a loaf pan (about 4 x 12).  Refrigerate until firm.  Once firm, remove from fridge and cut out desired sized circles with a cookie cutter.

Heat oil in a saute pan, and sauce the polenta cakes until golden crispy on all sides. 

Shrimp:
Toss the shrimp in a bit of salt and pepper.  Heat a few drizzles of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat.  Add the shrimp.  Saute for a minute and add 1 tbsp of the butter.  Saute for a few minutes longer until shrimp is golden on both sides.  Reduce heat to medium and add the red pepper flakes, parsley, and garlic. Stir to coat. Pour in the wine and allow to reduce by half.  Remove the shrimp to serving platter, leaving the sauce in pan. Add the remaining 2 tbsp butter to the pan and the honey.  Stir until butter is melted.  Pour sauce over shrimp, allowing it to drizzle a bit on the polenta and spinach. 

To Assemble:
Spread roasted red pepper puree on base of plate.  Place handfuls of spinach salad in the middle, allowing the puree to hold the spinach in place. Place polenta cakes directly on top of spinach, and top with shrimp and Red Chili Honey Butter Sauce.  Enjoy!

A couple other favorite recipes:
Chicken Salad with Pecans, Grape, and Green Pepper

Wensleydale Apple Cranberry Tartlets with Thyme Shortbread Crust and Bourbon Glaze

Spinach, Feta, and Fresh Mint Pastries

Filo dough it one of the greatest things, if you ask me.

So flaky, so shapeable to savory or sweet recipes.

I was looking for a most delicious appetizer to serve for a holiday meal, and this was a winner.  

This is pretty much a recipe for Spanakopita, a classic Greek pastry.  I do love Greek food, and these little flaky triangles can be made 3 (yes 3!) days in advance.  (Cover, refrigerate, and bake as directed when ready)

If you've never worked with filo dough before, I must say it requires a bit of patience, understanding, and finesse.  These thinner-than-paper sheets can get the best of you if you're in a rush, so set aside some time and read through the instructions carefully first.

I don't want to scare you off, I actually find filo dough very easy to work with, but some unfamiliar with it and pressed for time... well.. they wind up of that TV show Snapped. 

The secret is lots of butter and keeping the filo dough moist.  When not using the pile of filo dough, you must place a damp rag on top to keep the moisture in.  If you don't the sheets crack and are flaky and IMPOSSIBLE to handle. 

Follow those steps and it'll be a breeze.  

Spinach, Feta, and Fresh Mint Pastries

Makes 30 triangles

1 1/2 lbs spinach, tough stems removed
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 lb filo dough (20 sheets), thawed if frozen
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

In a large stockpot, heat a few drizzles of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the spinach, and saute until wilted.  Pour into a colander and let cool.  Squeeze out as much liquid as you can and place on cutting board.  Chop spinach and place in a large bowl.  Add all cheese, eggs, mint, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well. 

Preheat oven to 375.

Lightly butter a baking sheet.  Have the melted and cooled butter in a bowl or pot, and the spinach mixture in a bowl nearby. Cut the filo dough lengthwise into thirds, so you have 3 long strips.  Get a rag moist and cover the filo until ready to use.  Place a large piece of parchment paper on your countertop.  Using a pastry brush, coat the parchment paper with a layer of butter.  Remove one of the 3 stacks of filo dough from underneath the rag.  Place one piece of the paper thin filo dough on your buttered parchment paper.  Use the pastry brush to cover that piece with butter, paying special attention to the edges and corners. Place another sheet of filo directly on top, and coat with butter. In the top corner of the filo sheet, place a teaspoon of the spinach mixture.  Fold one corner over the the filling on the diagonal to form a triangle.  Fold down again, keeping the triangle shape.  Continue folding until you've reached the bottom and you have a triangle shaped pastry.  Place on baking sheet and repeat.  Don't worry if a sheet rips, the butter will reattach it.  

Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.  Can be served hot, warm, or at room temp.

Butternut Squash Lasagna with Italian Sausage, Spinach, and Sage

 I asked The Boyfriend to describe this dish for me, and he said it was good.  I pressed him for more details, and he said 'I dunno.. it was cheesy?'

In his defense I'm asking him while he's half asleep on the couch.

I pressed him a bit further... he said it didn't feel like he 'rubbed it all over his face.' 

Yes, that's a direct quote.  

'It wasn't greasy and overly heavy, it was lighter and healthier than traditional lasagna. Therefore I did not feel like I rubbed it all over my face.' 

I get what he's saying.  It wasn't so loaded with cheese that I felt like I gained 110 lbs just by eating it.  The butternut squash and sage combination gave it a really delicate flavor, and sausage pairs beautifully with the squash, complementing it's sweetness.  

The white sauce made with mascarpone, parmigiana, mozzarella, and ricotta was not heavy or overbearing.  It really lets the flavors shine through. 

This recipe is a winner, and a really nice option for a make-ahead meal.  I made this for an upcoming ski weekend and froze it.  

Then I just took it out of the freezer, let it thaw all day while skiing, and popped it in the oven at night.  

Also a nice vegetarian option- simply skip the sausage and replace chicken stock with vegetable stock.  Don't skip the stock though, it thins out the cheese a bit so you don't feel like you 'rubbed it on your face.'

Savory Sausage and Spinach Cannelloni

With fall approaching, I can't stop thinking about winter comfort foods. I may be jumping the gun, but I've already made Honey Spice Bread (which is similar to a gingerbread), and have been craving anything that has mounds of melted cheese (brought on by the best macaroni and cheese ever at Casellula in NYC).

So while looking to satisfy that hearty comfort food craving, but in a healthier way, I made this Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Cannelloni.  

This was so good, so warm and filling, and pretty healthy!

  The cannelloni filling is part spicy sausage and part turkey sausage that was sauteed and cooked down with onions and thyme.  The meat then was combined with sauteed garlicky spinach for a hearty, flavorful filling.  The cannelloni's were then placed on a bed of  a very quick raw tomato 'sauce', and topped with bechamel and parmesean cheese.

The cannelloni could easily be made ahead if you're planning on making it for guests or will be short on time.  You could also use jarred tomato sauce to save time.nThe whole thing can be assembled and refrigerated overnight, and then just popped it the oven when your ready!

The best part is the variations are endless! Have leftover chicken? Or even turkey?  Cut into cubes, add some broccoli, and you've got a variation of chicken and broccoli alfredo.  

             You could do sundried tomato, artichokes, and chicken.  Add a little ricotta if you desire..

You could do a caprese style cannelloni- fresh diced tomato, basil, and mozzarella.. maybe add some sauteed pancetta...  and top the whole think with more mozzarella.

I could go on..... but I think you get it ;)

Zucchini Spaghetti with Spring Vegetables

    This dish... is awesome.  So fresh, so simple, so healthy.  You will need to buy a julienne peeler if you don't already have one (under $10, can find at Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc with vegetable peelers). 

    I used fresh produce I had lying around in the fridge.  You can easily add or substitute whatever you may have lying around.  My vegetable measurements here are approximate- add as little or as much as you prefer!  I served this with grilled chicken and leftover slider buns that I made into mini garlic breads (obviously if you are gluten free you will skip that part)!

Zucchini Spaghetti with Spring Vegetables

Serves 3-4

 You will need:

2 zucchini

10 mini sweet peppers, seeds removed and cut in fours

1/2 red pepper, cut into large dice

2 roma tomatoes, diced

About 12 grape tomatos, cut in half

2 large handfuls of fresh spinach, chopped

1/2 white onion, thinly sliced

4 anchovy fillets (used as a seasoning, you won't even know it's in there!)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

7 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper

Use the julienne peeler to make the spaghetti.

Place the zucchini spaghetti in a colander.  When you are finished making the spaghetti, put the colander in the sink and toss a couple pinches of salt on the zucchini.  Leave it sit while you prepare the rest of the meal.  (This step draws out some of the liquid so you don't have mushy spaghetti).  

Next heat water to steam the sweet and red peppers until still a bit crisp.  If you don't have a steamer, you can simply boil them for about 5 minutes.  The key here is to soften them a little bit, but to leave them with a little snap.

While the peppers are steaming/boiling, heat about 4 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over med-med high heat (heads up-this needs to be large, the zucchini and ALL veggies will wind up in here). Add the garlic, onion, and anchovies to the pan and saute, breaking up the anchovies until they melt away with your spoon (this should only take about 2 minutes... watch the heat of the stove- you don't want to burn the garlic!)

Once the anchovies have been incorporated with the garlic and oil, add the zucchini, gently tossing to combine.  Season with a little salt and pepper. Add the peppers and roma tomatoes, stir to incorporate.  Cook the zucchini  spaghetti about 3 more minutes.  Finally add the spinach and grape tomatoes.  Stir to combine well, and serve!

Slider Bun Garlic Bread

To make garlic bread out of slider buns, I simply minced a clove garlic and rubbed 1/2  on both sides of 2 slider buns ( a total of 4 pieces).  Then I melted 2 tbsp of butter in microwave until soft but NOT RUNNY.  I added the other 1/2 of the garlic clove, a pinch of salt, stirred until it was a thick buttery garlic paste, and buttered the buns.  Put into toaster oven until slightly golden, and voila!