Salmon Asparagus Pasta; Beef and Napa Cabbage Salad
As I was putting together a blog directory, I noticed posts were thin in the culinary category, so here are two recipes I made up a couple of years ago. They’re very easy to throw together and are a nice change of pace from usual holiday fare:
Salmon and Asparagus Pasta for Two
Topping:
Dice one to three cloves of garlic; sauté in a little olive oil.
Add bite-sized nuggets of wild salmon (about 4 – 6 ounces); drizzle with the juice from a fresh lemon.
Add few drops of White Worcester Sauce.
Add a small handful of capers.
Add a handful of pine nuts.
Cook 6 ounces of your favorite pasta, al dente.
When done, pour a little extra virgin olive oil on it and toss.
Steam 8 ounces of asparagus in a little bit of salted water, no more than 3 ½ minutes. (If asparagus is hard to come by, substitute broccoli florets.)
Chop into bite-sized pieces.
Add the veggies to individual servings of pasta on plates or shallow bowls.
Add the topping.
Sprinkle salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
Put a little grated Parmesan on top;
And some chopped fresh Italian parsley
To make a larger batch, simply increase the amount of all ingredients in the same proportions.
Beef and Napa Cabbage Salad
Chop one-half of a Napa cabbage.
Dice ¼ cup of sweet onion (or less, to taste).
Take one pint of grape tomatoes and cut them in halves.
Add a generous handful of salted, roasted peanuts.
Add ¼ to ½ cup chopped artichoke hearts.
Slice ¼ cup Greek olives with pimento into rings.
Slice strips of cooked steak or tri-tip, about a half-pound.
Mix all together.
Toss with scant amounts of:
Rice vinegar
Reduced sodium tamari
Sesame oil
Canola oil
Above: Our Thanksgiving pies! Looking at them makes me feel very happy :) Many, many thanks to Kathleen, the chef of the hour!
Monday, December 14, 2009