Salmon on Kale with Lemon and Thyme--One-Pan Dinner

 I'm a firm fan of the frozen salmon that comes in the individual or duo vacuum pack.  It's delicious, less expensive than fresh, and sometimes fresher than the fish in the seafood case.  I've been buying packages  all summer long at a price of about $4 and change per approximately 6 oz. serving.  (This is a quote from my blog, DINNER PLACE-- THE SOLO COOK.)

Julia Child's 100th Birthday -- Salmon Fillet en Papillote with Shallots and Tomatoes: Fast Food!

Not spending the summer in St. Paul, I don't have any of my Julia books on the shelf....And it's Julia's 100th birthday!  I shipped all of the ones I needed to work on the soup cookbook and I brought my own personal cookbook, but the whole library cannot come to Colorado.  Julia's books sit in Minnesota: 

Greek Goddess Salmon Salad

 We've gone from summer (80 degrees F) to spring (70 degrees F) and back to late winter/early spring (41 degrees F) and it's feeling odd.  I don't know what to put on.   I don't know whether to open the storm windows, close them, or install the window air conditioners.  Living in a 1915 house precludes most central air systems, though I'm sometimes tempted.  Last week would be one of them.  The lilac leaves are all budded out, the azalea bush flowers are full, the jonquils, grape hyacinths, snow drops and crocus are in bloom (all together) and the tulips are on their way.  6 weeks ahead of schedule.  The average temperature for March in St. Paul is 37 degrees.  Not sixty-something.   Not 80.

Forsythia--north end of our Wheeler block

Not only was the weather way out of whack, but my computer fritzed.  The network, too.  For days I had no internet access (we think due to hijacking from out-of-country hackers), and am perhaps only temporarily connected now.  If you are looking for my Elena Arzak  for the 50 Women Game-Changers group post from last Friday, it's gone.  If I have time to resurrect  it, I will; so far, it's not happening.  Hopefully, this Friday, I'll be on track with Elizabeth Andoh.  What's hard to take is how computer-dependent I am (we are.) 

We've been drinking our coffee and reading the paper on the porch, which usually isn't accessible for another month at least.  Music?  Just turn on phone!   Had friends over twice last week for drinks or dinner and were just happy to be there so early in the year.

 

Meantime, there was a night with a sweet salmon salad I'd share with you.  While we love salmon and it's great food, we try not to eat tremendous amounts of it.  It's good for you, but you have to watch the calories and the mercury content.  To say nothing of the expense of wild salmon.  So we eat it in moderation.   We split a portion or we each have some in salad and we're happy.  I sometimes just make an old-fashioned salmon salad (just like tuna salad) and have it for lunch with whole-wheat crackers and sliced tomatoes. 

I usually cook salmon* in one of three ways:  1.  Baked in foil. 2.  Grilled stove-top or on outdoor grill.  3.  Poached.  There's the rare time I poach it in a tomato sauce (I do that with white fish more often) or something like that, but those are the three typical methods.   This salmon was grilled stove-top, so I opened the windows (a  must), turned on the exhaust fan, and lit a kitchen candle.  While the fish grilled, I got together a bit of green salad, sauteed a few diced vegetables,  sliced a tiny piece of Irish cheddar leftover from St. Pat's Day, and pulled the Greek Goddess out of the frig.  I used Melissa Clark's Greek Goddess dip recipe (scroll down).   If you've never made this dip (it's great in summer with fresh herbs in your garden), do it soon.  You'll be so glad you did.   Here's how:

Greek Goddess Salmon Salad    serves 2

6-7oz salmon filet, cut in half
6 cups salad greens
1/4 cup each diced asparagus, sweet red bell pepper, sweet yellow bell pepper,
        sliced scallions or chopped purple onion
2 oz sliced white cheddar
1/3 cup Greek Goddess dip/dressing (see below)--Can use purchased pesto in place of dip, if desired.
4T olive oil, divided
1/2 lemon

• Heat grill pan or cast iron skillet over high heat.   Drizzle salmon with oil and dust generously with salt and pepper.  Place salmon on grill and let sit without moving for 5 minutes.  Turn and grill another three minutes.  Remove to a plate, cover with foil,  and let rest for 2-3 minutes.  Will be a bit rare and continue to cook as it rests.
• Meantime, heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat with a bit olive oil.  Add asparagus, red and yellow peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add green onions to the asparagus mixture and cook another minute.  Remove from heat and cool briefly.
• Divide salad greens between the two plates and top with cooked vegetables, cheese, and salmon.  Top salmon with Greek Goddess dip/dressing. (See below.)  Squeeze lemon over all and dust with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with remaining olive oil.

Melissa Clark's Greek Goddess Dip  (Click on Melissa's name for more of her great recipes.)


1/2 cup packed fresh dill
1/2 cup packed fresh mint
1/2 cup packed fresh parsley
1/3 cup packed fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 scallions, white and green parts, sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch kosher salt, more to taste
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise, optional
Raw chopped vegetables or pita chips, for serving.

1. Place dill, mint, parsley, basil, garlic, scallions, lemon juice and salt in a food processor and process until finely chopped.
2. With motor running, drizzle in the olive oil until incorporated. Add feta and process until smooth; pulse in yogurt. Taste dip and add more salt, if desired. If you like a creamier, richer dip, add mayonnaise and pulse to combine.
3. Serve dip immediately with vegetables or pita chips or cover and store in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.
I skip the mayo, add a bit more salt, white pepper,  and drip in some Tabasco.

*Feeling like saving some bucks and eating salmon?  Read my Dinner Place Blog this week:

Tasty and Inexpensive.  Let's not use the word "cheap."

two-dog kitchen and around the 'hood

Also seen at the feeder: male/female goldfinches, red (house) finch, and downy woodpeckers...

Pussy willow in bloom in vase in living room.

Jonquils in Pilgrim Lutheran's garden.

Pilgrim Lutheran  blue "snowdrops," better known as scilla.

Leftover Take-Out Rice Salad on Dinner Place, my "other" food blog.

Love Tucker and Gab!

Sing a new song,
Alyce

50 Women Game-Changers- #37- Ina Garten-Roasted Shrimp with Feta

how easy is that?

Ina's Roasted Shrimp with Feta from her 2010 book,  How Easy is That? served with salad.

  If I'm home in the afternoon, no one has to ask where I've disappeared to around 3.  I'm watching Ina, of course.  I'll admit that portions of the Food Network are not for me; I switch them off or tune them out.  But if Ina's on (or Tyler Florence), I'm probably watching.  It says a lot.  I'm not a tv person, with the exception of early morning political shows (love "Morning Joe"), a few minutes of TODAY, and the occasional film on the old-movie channel.  I have better fish to fry, literally.  Or I'm at the piano.  Or I'm walking Gabby and Tucker.  Loving Dave.

50 Women Game-Changers in Food - #35 - Delia Smith

Would you cook with this woman?  Meet Delia Smith.

In North America, we might argue over who taught us to cook.  While Julia really was on tv, I'm sure I learned to cook from a. my mother, b. James Beard, and c. SILVER PALATE.  (We all teach ourselves right in our kitchen, don't we?)  But in the UK, there's no question about who taught you to cook; Delia Smith, #35 in Gourmet's 50 Women Game-Changers in Food, did.  (photo courtesy BBC)

50 Women Game-Changers Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian, #32 - Sullivan's Island Shrimp Bog

 
 Big bunch of bacon. (This is good.  I'm married to someone who eats anything with bacon.)  Next:  tons of onions.  Rice. Lots of shrimp, ahhh.  All cooked together in one lovely mess called a bog.  For those of us with no real connection to the south-eastern coastal states, a bog brings to mind cranberries in Maine or Wisconsin, even.  Or being stuck at work, as in:  "I'm all bogged down writing that article."  But this bog, this "Sullivan's Island Shrimp Bog," is just what it sounds like:  mounds of steamed shrimp mixed up on top of a velvety oh-so-thick tomatoed, oniony, spicy rice--perfect for brunch or a lunch bunch.  If the words "comfort food" weren't so over-used and so inappropriate (comfort food being food you had a gazillion times as a kid...), I'd call this comfort food extraordinaire.  Comfort food x100.

Just for fun, here's the wikipedia definition of a bog:   A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens.

Food for thought, I'd say.  Read on:

Shrimp Cobb or Starting Over in the St. Paul Kitchen

After a busy season of church, family, and travel, I'm back.  I missed blogging, but simply couldn't find a good way to do it with pictures from my ipad, which is what I take away from home. First blog must be about how we came home...

After a long drive, and a couple of weeks away from my still Christmas kitchen (I do admit it:  I was cheating with my other kitchen the whole time), we were hungry.  Friends offered one meal and we ate out another, but we needed to get back into the swing of cooking and eating at home.  Not wanting to do a serious grocery shop right away, I ran through the corner store for just a few things:

1. avocado
2. fresh greens
3. blueberries
4. cherry tomatoes
5. 4 red bell peppers
6. chicken breasts (several--on the bone, with skin)
7. whole wheat bread
8. plain Greek yogurt
9. milk

When I arrived home,  I was able to put together the Shrimp Cobb (recipe below) that night and had plenty more for a couple of breakfasts, a pot of chicken chili, and leftover chicken for snacks and sandwiches.   (Thanks to a well-stocked pantry and freezer that included shrimp and bacon.)

Let's talk chicken chili another time.  Love this stuff.  You can do beans or no beans.

Pico de Gallo Halibut on Warm Rice Salad with Bacon Pintos



Pico de Gallo Halibut on Warm Rice Salad with Bacon Pintos



   Yes, my jeans are tight.  I'm sure they shrank.   Didn't yours last month?

Whatever--I'm working on lighter meals, like this halibut, to make up for things like whole baked potatoes with butter and sour cream (Did I do that???  I did.) at MacKenzie's Chop House.

  I'm also working on a series of meals that will use each of a dozen great foods (a la Dana Jabobi's 12 BEST FOODS COOKBOOK) and do double duty--decrease my waistline and make me tres healthy.  How about you?  You could get in on it, too.

The list of the twelve best foods reads like this:

1. Broccoli
2. Black beans
3. Tomatoes
4. Salmon
5. Soy
6. Sweet potatoes
7. Oats
8. Onions
9. Blueberries
10. Walnuts
11. Spinach
12. Chocolate

We used sweet potatoes in the Potato Gratin with Rosemary Crust (last post).  One down.  

Next is tomatoes and tomatoes we have here in abundance with our halibut.  Onions is another and we've got onions in two places here.  3 down, folks.  Ok.  Let's talk fish for the halibut.  Bad joke from the Three Stooges. Yuck, yuck, yuck.

Halibut, well, it's just an incredible fish.  Meaty, bright, filling, flexible, dependable.   Currently not cheap.   Good with nearly anything.  I had (bad me) frozen two pieces that just weren't going to get cooked last week.  I also had a quart of pico de gallo (the first I've ever bought instead of made) that said, "Use within 14 days of opening."  (The 14th day was fast approaching.)  It seemed the pico and the fish were meant for one another.  Add to that I had some rice from an old favorite dish (rice with creamed pork tenderloin and mushrooms) that also needed a home and this easy, fresh  mid-week meal was born.





Warm Rice Salad in process.

If you never cooked beans, you don't know how non-descript they can look in the pot while all the while tasting scrumptious.  Definitely not my photographic skills, right?  And, yes, they take a while at altitude.   They're good in the microwave, though.  I cooked these earlier in the afternoon so they were very tender by dinner time.  You could choose canned beans, unsalted or drained and rinsed very well indeed.

The beginning of cooking the halibut--salted and peppered, it just goes into a very hot skillet with some olive oil.  Cook it for 4 minutes, turn and throw it into the oven (400 F) for about 6 minutes and it's done.

Cilantro, tomatoes and avocado for the rice salad.

When the halibut is cooked, pull it out and top with pico de gallo, thus warming the salsa.

Add the rice "salad" to warmed bowls or plates, top with fresh tomatoes, cilantro and avocado and lay the fish w/ salsa on top.  Spoon some beans along side and squeeze fresh lime over all.  Maybe a quick dust of black pepper?  Eat while it's hot.

Pico de Gallo Halibut with Warm Rice Salad and Bacon Pintos    serves 2

Beans:   (Follow directions below or use canned, drained and heated beans.)

1/2 # pinto beans (you'll have  alot left over for huevos or chili)

2 onions, chopped (divided--1 for the pintos and 1 for the rice)

3 cloves garlic, minced (divided--2 for the beans and 1 for the rice)

4 thick-cut pieces of bacon, diced

Fresh ground pepper

Tabasco

Kosher salt 

Warm Rice Salad:

1 T olive oil

(onion and garlic from above)

1 Medium zucchini, diced

1 Yellow squash, diced

2-3 c cooked rice

1/2 c fresh cilantro, divided

1 Roma tomato, diced

1 Avocado, ripe, diced

1 Lime, divided

Halibut:

2 T olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 pieces (4-6 oz) fresh or unthawed and patted dry halibut filets

1/2 c pico de gallo, home-made or store-bought 

Directions: 

1.   BEANS   --  In a 6 qt. kettle, place picked over and cleaned pinto beans and cover with water.  Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for two minutes.  Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for an hour.  Drain and replace beans in pot; pour in about 4 qts of water.  Add 1 chopped onion, 2 cloves of garlic minced, all of the bacon, the pepper and several drops of Tabasco (or a whole, fresh jalapeno).  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2-3 hours until beans are tender.   While beans cook, check pot regularly and add water if needed.     When done, cover and keep warm  or cool and reheat when needed.  Taste and adjust seasonings before serving.
2. WARM RICE SALAD --  In a large saute pan or skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add onions and squashes.  Cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes or so until nearly tender. Stir in garlic and continue to cook until all vegetables are tender.   Add rice, stir, and season well with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with most of the cilantro, saving a little bit for garnish at the end.  Squeeze the juice from half of the lime over the rice and stir.   Turn off heat and cover to keep warm while you cook the fish.   Add the fresh tomato, cilantro and avocado right at serving time.
3.   HALIBUT  --   Preheat oven to 400 F.  Heat a medium skillet over medium- high heat with 2 T olive oil.  Season fish well with salt and pepper and place skin side up in hot pan.  Do not disturb for 3-4 minutes until well-browned.  Turn fish over and place  skillet in oven for about 6 minutes until fish is firm and flaking.  Remove from oven and spoon salsa on top of each piece.  Let fish sit a minute or so.
4. TO SERVE:  Spoon rice onto warmed plates or large shallow bowls (pasta bowls are nice) and top with halibut and salsa.   Add the tomato, the avocado and cilantro to the top of the rice.  Spoon some beans to the other side of the rice and fish.  Squeeze the other half of the lime over all of the food in each bowl or plate.  Dust with pepper if you'd like.
5. Serve immediately while hot.   

What I'm Reading, Listening to, Working at or Doing around the 'Hood:

Had neighbors for dinner Sunday night at the spur of the  moment.

Enjoyed my husband at home...no travel this week.

Wondered about a job for me..did some work on that.

I'm reading DEVIL'S TRILL by Gerald Elias (I told you that.) and ordered DANSE MACABRE,  too.   Ah, violin mysteries.

 I also picked up, and started, THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE.  (I know--you read this in '03)

I'm still reading Barbara Brown Taylor's AN ALTAR IN THE WORLD.  Superb.
.
THE ART OF CURATING WORSHIP by Mark Pierson arrived, but I haven't started it yet.

The book club book is Isabel Allende's DAUGHTER OF FORTUNE.  Not yet, either.  Nope, I haven't begun it.

I taught piano lessons and learned alot.  I let a student choose a piece to work on and it was Bach. 

I did my best to listen to myself playing and singing old standards.  Piano bar retirement plan.  You know those jars that say, "Piano Player's 401K?"  They're real.  Put something in them, please.
.
As I write, I'm listening to Patti Digh's 37 DAYS, which you can listen to, too, right on her blog of the same name. (Link on my blog)  What would you do if you had 37 days?  Patti travels and speaks...if you can get her.

We watched "Did You Hear What Happened to the Morgans?"  Glad it happened to them, though the bears are here, too-so that wasn't so funny to me.
.
I played through/listened to the new Lenten cantata from Pepper Choplin/Lorenz.  Hm.  Jury is out there.

I think I finished washing all of the linens from Christmas.

I'm looking at local hunger issues for examiner.com and figuring out a series of articles on same. 

There's a second article about where to drink just a glass of wine in Co. Springs in the works as well.

I played with the dogs every chance I had.

Today--reupping my "Y" membership.

Talked to my daughter on the phone twice and texted back and forth to Jeanne...several times.

Spent a long time on the phone with Sue..,..such a treat.  A treat to have the time and a treat to have Sue.  Prayers here and now for Sue's father-in-law, in the last stages of cancer in Virginia.   Also praying for friend, C, recovering from surgery.

Kept up with my family via fb.  My nephew is deer hunting and I wish I could get some sausage.  One of my nieces  is on the way to new health after a long New Year's hospital stay.

Went out for supper at old-time family Italian Luigi's  to share a pizza and salad with Dave in front of their fireplace.  Listened to his work stuff and was grateful my jobs don't involve that kind of stuff.  The tough ones for me are getting mah, may, me, moh, mooo right.  Or answering questions like, "I don't see any reason why we shouldn't sing that hymn this Sunday.  You tell me why?"  I get to help make people happy, healthy and wise as they sing their hearts out or cook yum food for loved ones. 

Nice work if you can get it.

Healthy... yes. 

Thanks, God.
   
Two-Dog Kitchen

 

Be well in 2001 as you sing a new song,
Alyce





Sole on Leeks with Salad

For six or seven months, I've been loving fish cooked in vegetables or with vegetables or as a part of a salad.  Maybe longer.  Just think of it.  Simple white (any color, really)  fish that absorbs the flavor of vegetables, is a complete dish (or almost) when it comes out of the pan,  and lets you eat your carbs at the other meals.  Or not.  To say nothing of getting your however many servings of vegetables.  Right there.  Right then.

I've done fish "tacos" this way,  fish salads with proscuitto, snapper in tomatoes, onions and olives, etc.  I even put sole in a spicy broth and felt naughty.  After all, sole is supposed to be...

Well, what is sole supposed to be?  I always think of meuniere when I think of sole.  And I make that fairly often.  Especially for just me.  What's easier?  While I link to Ina's recipe for it, really you can make it without a recipe, I'd think.   Very lightly  flour, salt and pepper up your sole, saute it in butter for a couple of minutes,  take it out of the pan onto a heated plate.  Add another tablespoon of butter into the pan, melt, and squeeze in a lemon.  Pour that over the fish on the plate and scatter some chopped parsley on top.  I like another dusting of salt and pepper.  If you have some greens on your plate, the sole and lemon butter will create your dressing.  Et voila, dinner is served in... how many minutes?  And how much sole do you need?  How hungry are you?  1/4 of a pound is ample.  If you buy a half pound, cook it all and eat the rest cold the next day with some green beans or tomatoes.

This sole, however, was a dream before I cooked it.  Fish cooked on leeks and just a smidge of garlic.  Nestled in some greens and a little tomato and yellow pepper for color.  No dressing that's made ahead  per se, but a dressing is definitely made, once again, by lemon and olive oil.  Quick and healthy and lovely for a hot night.  Add a little Sauvignon Blanc, maybe a bite of bread and butter or cheese,  and there you are!

Sole on Leeks with Salad  serves 2

1t butter
2T olive oil, divided
6 leeks, whites and light green only, trimmed, washed very well, and sliced thinly
1 garlic clove, minced finely
1/4 c fresh parsley, divided
2T fresh chives, chopped, divided
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 # sliced fresh Dover sole
1 lemon, halved
1/4 c white wine or chicken stock
3c salad greens
1 tomato, chopped finely
1/4 yellow sweet pepper, chopped medium

In a large skillet, heat butter and 1T of the olive oil over medium heat.  Add leeks and cook about 10 minutes, stirring often.  Add garlic, 2T of the parsley and 1T of the chives.  Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  Cook another minute or so until vegetables are very wilted and beginning to brown.

Add sole in a single layer over the leek mixture.  Add a little more parsley and chives, along with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Add wine carefully.  Squeeze lemon over all and cover.  Cook for 3-4 minutes until fish is opaque, but still quite tender. 

 Meantime, on a large platter, scatter salad greens and top with chopped tomatoes and peppers.  Season with salt and pepper.  When fish is done, slowly, using a large flat spatula, remove vegetables and fish onto or in the middle of the greens.  Season with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, drizzled over the fish and salad.  Squeeze the other lemon half over the entire platter.  Finally, dust with a last pouf of fresh ground pepper.

Serve with a little seeded bread and salted butter, as well as a few slices of cheese.  A light white wine, particularly Sauvignon Blanc, would be the perfect accompaniment.  But I said that already.

Bon appetit!

Note:  the herbs are all from my garden...  Quite fun to wander around outside, hoping nothing burning on the stove, while I decide which herbs go in which part of what dish.  Some things I just love about summer.

Two-Dog Kitchen and Around the 'Hood

 

Thursday night dinner guests:  Froncie, Julie and Teresa for Grilled Chicken Caprese (another post.)

Froncie is an old college friend; Julie and Teresa are her sisters.  Wow.  What an evening outdoors.

How cool to see an old friend....

We babysit Moss.

He likes it.

Sunbird for brunch.

Someone else cooked!

Why I have goldens.

Summer in the front garden.

Russian sage...bees love it...

Still waiting...

What's on my counter and in the frig?

counter:

Sweet potatoes for a frittata

Fresh mint in a small watering can--for tea

Big gladiolas

Onions

Shallots

Garlic

Tomatoes

New potatoes

Apples

Sea salt

new Le Creuset pan; Dave burned up my old 3 qt one:):(

frig:

Big hunk of Gouda

Goat's Cheese

Ricotta

Lemons and Limes

Zucchini

Peppers

Jalapenos

Side of salmon (friends for dinner)

Chuck steak (testing chili for Cooks' Illustrated)

Oregon chardonnay

Blueberries (making blueberry frozen yogurt)

Melons

Pelligrino

3 qts of iced tea

Sing a new song; cook some fish,

Alyce

Catch-up

Leaving Seattle.  Obviously on vacation.....

Seems like I've had no time at all since we got home from Alaska...  We've had house guests twice and Dave has traveled a lot.  I've played big catch-up in the yard...and have a new herb garden in on the north side.  I've been busy with physical therapy (regaining some upper-body strength) and added hearing aids to my wardrobe. 

Summer in the hood is hot this year.  It's our second week of mostly 90's and I don't remember that ever.   I've spent a really lot of time watering... and watering.  Some pots have needed watering twice a day.  Who could have figured?

Meantime, I thought I'd use this blogpost for some pics so you can see what's been up around the 2-dog kitchen and other places:

Right:  My French class came to dinner...

I've been trying to get a good loaf of rye bread.  Still working on it.

Another try at a leftover fish salad.  This one was with cold grilled tuna and a mustard vinaigrette. Yum.

Here are a few from the trip:

With the fish at Pike Place Market in Seattle---Veggies, too.

Going to dinner...

Someone else was cookin'

Me and the glacier....

Fishing for crab...

And eating it.

Leftovers..

This spruce pic taken during a macro-photography class in the rain forest.

Edible spruce tips...

I ate some.  Guide said she makes sorbet from them.  Hmmm.

Taken during a photography class in a small boat on the ocean...   ah, whales.

We clean up well.

More later...  2-Dog Kitchen under signature....

Be patient; I've got some great summer recipes. 

Tonight I grilled some wahoo on lemon slices and topped it with homemade "pickles"...

Sing a new song,

Alyce