Recipe
I had to write down a few recipes for my daughter's school cookbook. Easy right? Wrong. Hats off to the folks who can knock out a good cookbook with consistent, workable and most importantly, repeatable recipes. It's not easy. It's amazing how much of cooking is by eye and feel. Often when cooking with someone else and they ask me how much of an ingredient to put in, I reply 'enough'. Not trying to be snarky, it's a truthful answer. For certain things I use a measure (baking, always) but if following a recipe I always take measurements with a grain of kosher salt.
So here are my VERY approximate recipes. The first is incredibly good and easy. The second, which I mentioned in the last post is harder but rewarding. Bon Appetit!
Roasted Onion Spaghetti
This pasta dish is simple, light, super easy and incredibly flavorful. Also, really kid friendly.
4 large yellow or Maui onions
2 cloves garlic
Pecorino Romano cheese- grated
Olive oil
Crushed red pepper flakes salt and pepper
Salt and pepper
Finely Chopped Italian parsley.
1 lb spaghetti (De Cecco or Barrlla is best)
Preheat the oven to 375. Peel and quarter the onions and place in a baking dish with garlic cloves. Drizzle and toss with EV olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven until the onions are well caramelized and brown (not black.) Remove and let cool.
Transfer onions to food processor and blend. Add 1 tbl spn olive oil and enough Romano cheese to make the mixture semi-solid (not too liquidy) I do this by eye but it is usually 3/4 to 1 cup of cheese. Add a sprinkle of chili flakes and re-blend. This can be done ahead of time and left at room temperature.
Boil pasta water in a large pot. When it is boiling add two handfuls of kosher salt and taste the water. It should taste like the sea. If not, add more salt. Boil pasta until al dente. Before straining the pasta retain a cup or so of pasta water. Strain pasta and return to pot. Stir in the onion puree and adjust consistency by adding pasta water in small amounts until it is creamy. Drizzle with olive oil, add a handful more Romano and serve. Garnish with shredded basil or chopped flat leaf parsley.
Basil Crusted Salmon with Saffron Beurre Blanc, Parsnip Mash and Tomato Coulis
This takes some prep but it is really delicious and a very elegant presentation.
2 lb.s center cut salmon filet, skin off
1 cup basil
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 large parsnips
1 cup milk
3 tbl spns Italian parsley
1 tbl spn canola oil
Lemon juice
2 medium tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
2 tbl spns Olive oil
1.5 cups low salt chicken stock (Trader Joes is best for low salt content and good flavor)
Pinch of saffron
1/2 cup fish stock (Knorr is fine)
6 tablespoons of unsalted butter
I like to butcher my salmon into 2 to 2 1/2 “ very thick rounds for this dish but it isn’t essential.
For the tomato coulis, slice garlic and put it in a small saucepan in the olive oil. Bring up heat to med. low for one minute. Quarter and seed tomatoes and add to garlic. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock and raise heat to med. Let simmer for 30-40 minutes until it is thickened and reduced. Let cool and then puree in a food processor. Strain mixture into a bowl and reserve. This can be made well ahead and stored.
For crust, add basil, parlsey and a splash of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice to food processor and blend until chopped. Set aside. This can also be made in advance.
For parsnip mash, peel and chop into one inch pieces. Boil water in a large pot and salt heavily. Boil the parsnips until tender, strain and cool. Put parsnips through a ricer, or use a masher. Add to pot. Heat on high while stirring for a minute to remove some of the moisture. Gradually add butter and milk over med heat. Season to taste. Can be refrigerated until needed.
In a small sauce pan add one tablespoon of water over high heat. When it bubbles whisk in 4 tbl spns butter, one tablespoon at a time and reduce heat to low. Whisk until the butter emulsifies slightly and remove from heat. Keep in a warm place.
Put mash in a pot and heat over med low. Add more milk if too dry.
Preheat oven to 350. Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for one minute. Season salmon on both sides with salt and pepper. Add canola oil to pan and place salmon in pan. Press gently to ensure the flesh is making even contact with the heat. Sauté for one minute without disturbing to get a good crust. Turn and sauté for one more minute or until brown. Remove and place salmon in a baking dish. When it has cooled slightly, spoon basil puree over the fish and then dust with panko bread crumbs. Place in oven for 7-8 minutes.
Heat the sauté pan that the salmon was cooked in until very hot. Deglaze with one cup chicken stock and the fish stock. Whisk pan bottom to scrape up all the brown bits and reduce. When the stock has reduced by half, strain and add to a small pot. Season with salt, pepper and saffron. Whish in the butter mixture slowly over low heat and continue to reduce until it is thickened and glossy.
Place a small amount of mash in the center of a plate. Add the butter/saffron sauce around the mash. Place the salmon on top of the mash. Using a squeeze bottle or drips from a spoon dot the butter sauce with the tomato coulis. Garnish the salmon with a chive tip.