Spaghetti with Salmon & Asparagus

This recipe was inspired by a dish served at my local Nordstrom Cafe, Angel Hair Pasta with Salmon and Asparagus. My adaptation of it uses spaghetti in place of angel hair, but either one is totally fine. This dish is easy to throw together, provided you have the ingredients at hand. You'll need fresh salmon, asparagus, parmesan cheese, chives, and a lemon. What I like about this dish is that it tastes really light and fresh, but is also satisfying.  

Some of the ingredients.

Ingredients:

(Yields 2 servings)

• 1/2 lb spaghetti or angel hair pasta
• 2 fillets of salmon, cut into large bite-size pieces
• 2 tablespoons of chives, finely chopped
• 10 spears of asparagus, cut into 2-inch lengths
• zest of a lemon
• 3 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

Instructions:

• Prepare the pasta according to the directions on the package
• Saute the salmon pieces (after seasoning with salt and pepper) in a skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat until they are just cooked, slightly pink in the center. 
• Remove the salmon from the skillet and set aside.
• Add the asparagus pieces to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes, tossing occasionally. 
• Add the cooked pasta to the skillet along with the salmon and toss everything together. 
• Turn off the heat under the skillet and add the chives, lemon zest, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper.
• Toss to combine, I recommend using a tongs in order to keep everything in the skillet.  

The finished product. 

If you try out this recipe, be sure to let me know how it turns out! 

Couscous-Stuffed Bell Peppers

Since I decided to become a vegetarian a couple of months ago, I've been looking for some new and exciting dinner recipes. When I saw this recipe on an episode of Giada At Home, I knew I had to try it. These Moroccan-inspired stuffed peppers are very easy to make and the result is absolutely delicious. You can find the recipe here. The only alteration I made to the original recipe was to substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock, and I don't think it lessened the flavor at all. I'm definitely planning to make these stuffed peppers again soon. I think they would be great to bring to a pot luck because the bright color of the bell peppers contrasted with the golden couscous stuffing makes for a wonderful presentation, and they really taste great. I hope you'll give this recipe a try, and be pleasantly surprised by how flavorful vegetarian dishes can be!

Step 1: Hollow out your bell peppers.

Step 2: Prepare your couscous and use a fork to fluff it up.

Step 3: Combine all the ingredients to make your filling.

Step 4: Stuff your peppers and bake them at 400F for 55 minutes.

Step 5: Enjoy your delicious vegetarian dinner! 

Boxty: Irish potato pancakes

Boxty is a regional dish from the county of Leitrim in the West of Ireland, where my Mom is from. It requires a few basic ingredients: potatoes, buttermilk, flour, baking powder and salt. The result is a crisp, savory pancake with a tangy flavor (from the buttermilk) that can be served for breakfast or dinner. Boxty is an integral part of Leitrim culture, exemplified by the rhyme: "Boxty on the griddle, boxty on the pan, if you don't like boxty, you're not a Leitrim man". It is easy to make, and I think it makes for an excellent comfort food dish. 

Ingredients:

• 6 large potatoes (Russet or Yukon Gold) peeled and sliced into eighths
• 1 cup buttermilk**
• 1 1/2 cups flour**
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

** These measurements are guesstimates, boxty-making is not an exact science. The way to make it is to add a small amount, combine and add more if necessary.

Here's what the batter should look like after it has been blended.

Instructions:

• Place the potato slices in a blender, along with buttermilk. Do this in batches so as not to overload your blender. I add buttermilk until it comes about 1/4 of the way up to the potatoes in the blender. 
• Blend until you have a smooth mixture.
• Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl. 
• Slowly add the flour, whisking to combine. When the batter has reached a consistency similar to pancake batter, you have added enough flour. My mom's trick is to let the batter drip from the whisk on to the batter in the bowl and form a figure eight. If the figure eight sits on top of the batter without dissolving right away, it is thick enough. 
• Add the salt and baking powder.
• Pour the batter (about a large soup ladle full) into a hot frying pan, greased with vegetable oil. 
• When the pancake has bubbles throughout, it is ready to turn. It takes about 5 minutes total.
• To serve, spread with butter.

This pancake is ready to flip.

This recipe makes roughly 12 pancakes. If you don't plan on using them all on the first day, let them cool on wire racks. Place them in an airtight container (they will keep for several days), and reheat in a frying pan with oil or butter. I prefer them on the second day, as reheating them makes them crispier. 

Traditionally, boxty is served as part of a full Irish breakfast. That means alongside Irish rasher (bacon) and sausage, a fried egg and possibly some Heinz baked beans. All of the Irish ingredients can be found in Irish or British import stores, or in the import aisle of some grocery stores. It makes for a very filling meal. I hope you'll try it out, and that when you do you'll like boxty as much as I do! 

Roasted Pepper Pesto

I was really stuck the other night, trying to decide what I wanted for dinner. So, I turned to tastespotting in search of inspiration. I came across this recipe for Roasted Red Pepper Pesto, and made a few changes based on what I had in the kitchen. The original recipe is for a vegan pesto, and while it sounded interesting, I like cheese too much to leave it out of pesto. 

Ingredients:

• A handful of basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons of pine nuts (or walnuts)
• 2 tablespoons of sun roasted tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese (grated)
• 2 roasted peppers (skin and seeds removed, I used orange peppers)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil (Extra virgin in best)
• salt and pepper to taste

**These measurements are estimates, you can really add as much or as little as you like and taste as you go along.

Instructions:

• To roast the peppers, place them whole on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil. Roast at 450F for 20 minutes, turning occasionally so that they char on all sides. Then, cover them with foil and leave them for 10-15 minutes until the have cooled slightly. This makes it much easier to remove the skins. 
• Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until well combined. 
• Add more oil to achieve the consistency you like. 

This is what it should look like once you've blended it. 

I cooked some whole wheat fusilli pasta and tossed it with the pesto. I also added sliced tomatoes and parmesan cheese. This pesto is sweeter than the traditional basil pesto, and the roasted peppers give it a slightly smokey flavor. I think it would also be great as a dressing for a cold pasta salad. 

Coconut Bread

I had a bag of shredded coconut (sweetened) lying around, and decided to look for some recipes to use it up. I didn't feel like going out to the store to purchase any extra ingredients, so I limited myself to recipes with ingredients I already had. I came across this recipe for Coconut Bread on allrecipes.com and made a couple alterations. It needed a bit longer in the oven then the recommended 50-55 minutes. My loaf spent closer to 60-65 minutes in the oven before a toothpick came out clean after being inserted into the center of the bread. I also didn't have almond extract, so I substituted an extra 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup flaked coconut **

** I used shredded coconut, I'm not really sure what the difference is.

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixer.
• Add the egg and vanilla and almond extracts.
• Add the flour in thirds, alternating with the cup of milk. 
• Fold in the coconut.
• Pour the batter into a greased loaf tin.
• Bake 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
• Place the loaf on a wire tray to cool before serving.

The bread turned out to be moist and sweet, an ideal accompaniment for a cup of coffee or tea. 

I plan on trying this recipe again, with the almond extract because I love anything almond.

Pear Salad

I mentioned this salad in a previous post, but I hadn't taken any photos to accompany the recipe. So, here it is. This salad was inspired by a salad I had at Park Chow, a great restaurant in the Inner Sunset. Normally, I don't like dried fruit like raisins, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the currants in this salad. I think the combination of sweet and salty in this salad strikes the perfect balance. I could eat it every day, and have whenever I have ripe pears around. 

Ingredients:

• 1 pear, thinly sliced
• Baby spinach or spring mix leaves
• Crumbled feta cheese
• Dried currants
• Pecans, chopped

Instructions:

• Combine the ingredients, in the amounts that you prefer. 

Dressing Ingredients:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar (mine is from The Olive Press)

Instructions:

• Combine roughly equal parts oil to vinegar in a jar or bottle, pour over salad. 

I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do. I think it's an unusual mix of ingredients that turn out to be unexpectedly good together. I recommend bringing this salad to a pot luck or gathering, it's guaranteed to take people by surprise and be a big hit. 

Golden Syrup Cake

I came across the recipe for this cake through a photo posted on Matchbook Magazine's tumblr, and it looked so good I just had to try it. After reading through the original blog entry here, I noticed that something appeared to be missing in the recipe - there was no baking soda or baking powder. Quite a few people posted disappointed comments because they had followed the instructions and their cakes didn't rise. Luckily, some commenters recommended substituting self-raising flour for all purpose flour, as well as doubling the original recipe because the resulting batter was a fairly small amount. So, taking their suggestions on board, I made the cake you see above. It's a pretty basic cake recipe, but I think the use of golden syrup makes it a bit more exciting. Golden syrup is similar to molasses, but much lighter both in color and flavor. It can be found in British import stores, or the international aisles of most grocery stores. I bought mine at Cost Plus.

Ingredients:

• 150 grams (g) butter 
• 100 g sugar
• 4 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 eggs
• 300 g self-raising flour **
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp milk

**If you don't have self-raising flour, you can make your own by combining 1 cup of all-purpose flour with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp baking powder.

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350F. 
• Grease a 9" round cake pan.
• Cream butter, sugar, and golden syrup in a bowl.
• Add eggs.
• Stir in flour, then add the vanilla and milk. **
• Pour batter into pan and bake 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. 

** I found the batter for this cake so thick and sticky that it was difficult to pour into the tin, so I added about a tablespoon of milk to loosen it up a bit.

The cake, and the golden syrup. It comes in plastic bottles like mine, as well as more ornate cans.

Frosting Ingredients:

• 250 g powdered sugar (sifted)
• 75 g butter
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

• Combine the all the ingredients until smooth, and cover the cake. 

The cake is crumbly but moist, and the frosting is sweet, but not too sweet.