Salmon Two Ways

One:  Roasted Salmon

1 salmon filet, about 2 pounds

1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon dried marjoram

½ teaspoon dried tarragon

Garlic salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 250.

Line a large baking sheet with foil.  Rub salmon with olive oil on both sides if it is skinless or on non-skin side if it has a skin.  Place on prepared pan.  Sprinkle top with marjoram, tarragon, garlic salt and pepper.

Bake until the salmon flakes easily with a fork, about 30 minutes.

Half of this salmon will serve 4.  Use the other pound to make salmon the patties below.

Two:  Salmon Patties

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for frying patties

½ medium-sized yellow onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound cooked salmon from recipe above

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons fat-free half-and-half

½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Lemon wedges (optional)

In a large non-stick skillet, sauté onions in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat until translucent.  Add garlic and sauté for one minute more.  Put onion mixture in a medium mixing bowl.  Break up salmon with your fingers, and add to the bowl with the Panko, eggs, half-and-half and parsley.  Stir gently to mix.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Remove salmon mix from refrigerator and preheat oven to 250.

Form mixture into 7 or 8 patties.  Heat additional olive oil in the same skillet used for the onion mixture over medium-high heat.  Fry 4 patties until golden brown on each side.  Place salmon patties on a baking sheet and keep warm oven while cooking the second batch.  Serve with lemon wedges if desired.

Serves 4



A Berry Happy Valentine's Day

For Valentine's Day, I am making the following dinner for two:

Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Sauce

Spinach Salad with Blackberries, Manchego, and Prosciutto

Uncle Ben's Long Grain & Wild Rice

Heart-shaped Poppy Seed Cookies (Transcendental Kitchen recipe from January)

Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Sauce

1 pork tenderloin

Kosher salt

Coarse ground pepper

½ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

2 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup red onion, minced

½ cup white wine

3 tablespoons blackberry fruit spread or seedless blackberry preserves

Preheat oven to 425.  Sprinkle tenderloins with salt, pepper, thyme, and allspice, and place in roasting pan.  Roast for 15-20 minutes until 150.  Cover meat with foil and prepare sauce while roast rests.

Melt butter in sauce pan over medium-high heat.  Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes.  Add wine and fruit spread and reduce by half.  Serve over pork tenderloins.

Spinach Salad with Blackberries, Manchego, and Prosciutto

4 thin slices of prosciutto

4 cups packed baby spinach leaves

6 ounces fresh blackberries

Dressing in a jar (Transcendental Kitchen recipe from January)

2 ounces Manchego cheese, thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler

Cut prosciutto crosswise into strips.  In a small pan over medium/high heat, stir prosciutto until crisp and browned, about 5 minutes.  Drain on paper towels.

In a large bowl, combine spinach, blackberries, and dressing to taste. Mix gently to coat. 

Top with prosciutto and Manchego



EatingWell's Meatloaf--It's Not Boring

This picture is from EatingWell.com and is of a great meatloaf with lots of flavor.  I really like it because I thought my meatloaf was a bit boring--this is not. 

You can find the recipe at http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/cheddar_stuffed_meatloaves.html  Even though I made the mini loafs, my suggestion is to double the recipe and make one big loaf because everyone will want seconds! Oh, by the way, I found the ground chipotle pepper at Wal-mart.

Delicious and Different Pasta

Last night, I made a delicious and different pasta dish from Food Made Fast:  Pasta by William Sonoma.  My family loved it.  The only change I made to the recipe was to use veal stew meat, which I cut into small pieces.  I served it with roasted brocolli that I sprinkled with the juice from the lemon I zested for the pasta.  Here is the link for the recipe:  http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/farfalle-with-veal-and-pine-nuts.html?cm_src=RECIPESEARCH

Buon Appetito!!!

Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pie

1 cup frozen peas, or peas and carrots

2 cooked chicken breasts, cubed

2 cups milk

2 packages chicken flavor gravy mix

1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence

¼ cup chopped Italian parsley

Pastry for two-crust pie

Preheat oven to 400.  In a large pan over medium heat, sauté onion and celery in 2 tablespoons butter until onion is translucent.  Add mushrooms and sauté 1-2 minutes more.  Remove from heat and add peas.

In a medium sauce pan, combine milk, gravy mix, Herbs de Provence, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter.  Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve gravy.  Add chicken and vegetables, return to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in parsley and place in prepared pie shell.  Cover with second crust, crimp, slit top, and bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown.

4 tablespoons butter, divided

½ large onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, sliced

3 large Baby Bella mushrooms, cut in half and sliced

Quick Cheese Puffs

Preheat oven to 400.  Mix the following ingredients in a food processor until the mixture forms a ball:

                2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

                ½ cup butter, softened

                1 cup flour

                4 chopped scallions

                ½ teaspoon garlic salt

Form dough into 1” balls.  Place on cookie sheets and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Yields 2-3 dozen.

Dressing in a Jar

In a 12-ounce jar, combine the following:

1/4 cup white balsamic pear infused vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Place lid on jar and shake well to combine.

I lightly dress a mixed green salad with this, and shake on sunflower seeds to taste.

Poppy Seed Cookies

½ cup canola oil

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup milk

¼ cup poppy seeds

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven to 375.  In a large bowl, mix oil and sugar.  Add eggs, vanilla, and milk.  Add poppy seeds.

In another bowl, mix flour and baking powder together.  Add flour mixture to batter and mix until smooth.  Roll a portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface to ¼” thick.  Cut into desired shapes.  Bake for 12 minutes or until golden on edges.

Yields 4-5 dozen.