Friends Food Family

Thyme-Rubbed Salmon with Roasted Cauliflower "Risotto"

Jeff has always enjoyed cooking in our extra large cast iron skillet. With 6 kids and in-laws next door, it has served its purpose. But as of late, the number of people eating at our house has diminished greatly. Last year, we went from having 5-6 people sitting around the kitchen island and eating dinner to 3 of us on a nightly basis. Kids have gone off to school or moved to apartments to create their own life experiences. 

When I arrived home the other day, there was a big heavy box at the door. Inside I would find a smaller cast iron frying pan with a cookbook called One Pan, Two Plates by Carla Snyder. Jeff had decided to get another frying pan so that we could make meals for the small audience of two. It's hard to get used to cooking for two people when for the past nine years we have cooked for groups of 6-8 on a regular basis. But, there are benefits to cooking big meals - you end up with additional meals that are great for lunch. 

We thumbed through the cookbook and decided to make the Thyme-Rubbed Salmon because it looked so easy with only 5 major ingredients: salmon, fresh thyme, shallots, cauliflower and heavy cream. It also had a quick prep and cook time. In 30 minutes, we could be done and enjoying our meal. After working long days and arriving home at 6 PM, it's nice to eat before 7 PM. 

As I patted down the salmon and rubbed it with thyme, I kept thinking, I hope this tastes good. There weren't a lot of ingredients or spices and I'm hungry. I chopped the shallots and cauliflower and heated the frying pan...here we go. Twenty minutes later, we had dinner in front of us and it was DELICIOUS! The salmon was moist and flavorful and the cauliflower was amazing, slightly creamy and melted in your mouth. I couldn't stop putting my fork back into the frying pan to eat a little more cauliflower.

Jeff and I were saying that some people may not like all the cream. Maybe, half cream and half chicken broth. I think there are some less fattening ways to make the dish, but right now...I like it as is!

If you are looking for some great one pan dishes for two, this is a perfect place to start. You'll probably see more of these dishes as we find new recipes to try. Maybe cooking for two isn't a bad thing!

Bon Appetit!

Thyme-Rubbed Salmon with Creamy Cauliflower "Risotto"

• (2) 6 ounce salmon fillets - skin removed (we left the bottom skin on)
• 1/2 teaspoon of freshly chopped thyme
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation

1. Pat the salmon with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Rub the chopped thyme on the salmon. Set aside.

2. Heat a 12-inch (preferably cast iron) skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil begins to shimmer and slightly smoke, add the fillets, skin side up if you didn't remove the skin. Cook for 3 minutes and turn for another 3 minutes. Make sure they have a golden crust. Remove from pan, put on a dish and cover loosely with foil. The salmon will not be completely cooked.

3. Add the shallots and cook for 30 seconds, add the cauliflower, mix well. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, some salt and pepper and toss. Now let the mixture cook for 3-4 minutes and let it begin to brown.

4. Turn the cauliflower and allow it to brown on the other side, another 3-4 minutes. Do not stir the mixture.

5. Add the heavy cream and stir. Once it is incorporated, place the salmon on top of the cauliflower mixture and cover. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the salmon is completely cooked.

6. Remove from heat and serve. Place the cauliflower on the plate, top with the salmon and add addition chopped thyme, if desired.

Enjoy!

Written by Tricia White

Boston Globe's Hake Wrapped in Proscuitto

 

This past Wednesday, the Boston Globe ran an article called "Hake goes from trash fish to treasure". The article highlighted two meals made with hake. Hake is a salt water fish or stock fish that is similar to cod. Not having had fish in a few weeks, Jeff decided to take on these recipes knowing we would make the Hake Wrapped Proscuitto the first night and the remainder would make a great chowder.

Jeff went to the store and couldn't find Hake but decided to use scrod. The recipe recommends Hake or a white flaky fish. He started the recipe by thinly slicing the yukon potatoes and layering them with olive oil, salt and pepper in a roasting pan. He placed the potatoes in the oven and prepared the fish. Jeff wrapped each of the fish pieces in two slices of proscuitto. After 30 minutes, he placed the fish on the potatoes and allowed the rest of the dish to finish cooking.

We had enough people for dinner to save the remainder for the fish chowder, which is definitely a must! The fish was very good. It was flaky and flavorful and the potatoes complemented the fish perfectly. My only suggestion would be to brush olive oil on the proscuitto before cooking the fish. My proscuitto was a little dry, but still tasty. As much as the fish was delicious, the potatoes were amazing. Between the olive oil, fish juices and proscuitto, the potatoes were what everyone fought over.

Please continue to the next blog article Boston Globe's Fish Chowder with Proscuitto where we will highlight, what we consider, the best fish chowder we have ever eaten! If you would like to make the fish chowder, save three servings of fish and potatoes from this meal.

Ingredients:

4 large yukon golden or Yellow Finn potatoes

2 1/2 pounds of skinless, boneless hake or other white fish (pollock, scrod), cut into 8 pieces

16 slices of proscuitto

2 scallions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons of fresh parsley

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Preparation:

1. Set the oven at 450 degrees. Oil a 13- to 14-inch baking dish large enough to hold the fish in one layer.

2. Using a mandoline or another hand-held slicing tool, cut the potatoes into very thin slices. Arrange them in the baking dish, sprinkling the layers with oil, salt, and pepper.

3. Roast the potatoes for 35 minutes or until they are tender and browning at the edges.

4. Meanwhile, sprinkle each piece of fish lightly with oil. Wrap each one with 2 overlapping pieces of prosciutto, tucking them under the fish. Set the fish on the potatoes in one layer. Sprinkle the prosciutto with oil.

5. Roast the fish for 15 to 20 minutes or until it is firm to the touch and cooked through. Set aside 3 pieces of fish and 1/4 of the potatoes for the chowder.

6. Use a wide metal spatula to serve each person fish and potatoes. Sprinkle with scallions and parsley.

 

Proscuitto wrapped scrod with layered potatoes and yellow summer squash.