Salmon w/ Leeks, Moroccan Lemon Chicken and More!

Salmon & Leeks with Rosemary-Dijon Butter

Sally found this in a Better Homes & Gardens magazine. The original was done on a grill; but we don't have one, so I used the upside down grill called the broiler.

2 Leeks

1 sprig fresh Rosemary

2 Salmon fillets, 4-6 oz, skin on, 3/4” thick or so

1/4cup unsalted butter, softened

2 tsp Dijon Mustard

EVOO as needed

S&P TT

Trim ends from leeks and halve lengthwise. Keep the leaves together as you wash and dry them. Brush with EVOO and give them some salt and pepper.

Grill the rosemary sprig 1-2 minutes until lightly charred; reserve while you grill the leeks 5-7 minutes until tender, turning occasionally. Remove and keep warm.

Season the salmon with salt & pepper, and brush with EVOO. Grill the skin side 4 minutes, then turn and grill the other side 2 minutes or until the meat flakes easily.

Strip the leaves from the rosemary sprig and chop them fine. Stir 1 tsp of chopped leaves together with the butter and mustard. Spread the compound butter on the hot fish and leeks, and when plated, dust with the remaining rosemary.

That compound butter is killer!  I've chilled the leftover butter and will use it on green beans next week!

Citrus Pudding Do-Over

Doing it the “right” way made this pudding a lot more airy with fine bubbles rising to the surface and giving it a lighter texture and color. It also made the pudding twice as deep in the pan. 

 Same great taste either way, so take your pick of techniques. This version was much creamier, less cake-y in texture, but the crust wasn't as crusty because the zest was 'pureed' along with the other ingredients and did not rise to the top.

Conclusion??  Either way you make this you've got a really tasty "just lemony enough" dessert to surprise your guests with!

Roasted Root Veg

In our Produce box last week we go a nice selection of root vegetables – parsnips, large carrots, yellow beets – plus more celery than you could shake a stick at. So I tossed them with a bit of EVOO and some Old Bay tm seasoning, and roasted them for 45 minutes or so.

Served them up with a basic pork chop.

Strawberry Grapefruit Marmalade!

Another happy “accident”. I was multi-tasking one day, making a batch of grapefruit marmalade and slicing up a couple boxes of strawberries. The grapefruit I'd gotten was not particularly pink, nor particularly sweet after I'd taken it for a spin. I standing there looking at the fruit puree and the strawberries in their box. Something made me pick up three large strawberries, hull them, mash them and stir them into the grapefruit puree. After the usual trip in the microwave, I tasted the combination. 

Heavenly – you could taste the strawberry sweetness over what should be overwhelming grapefruit tartness! What a GREAT combination! I'll be making this many, many more times.

Moroccan Lemon Chicken

I did a dinner party for four on Friday night, over in St. James City on Pine Island; it was one of my charity donations to the Matlacha Hookers ladies fishing club and fundraising group. After some deliberation the hosts chose my Moroccan Lemon Chicken as the main course for their dinner for four.

I hadn't made the dish in quite some time. First I had to make Preserved Lemons. Quarter two or three lemons. Put a layer in a screw-top jar, and cover it with Kosher salt. Repeat with the remaining lemons. Now take a few more lemons, juice them, and fill the jar to the top with the lemon juice. Seal the jar and put it away in a dark place for at least two weeks to ferment. The lemons will last 6 months un-refrigerated, inyour pantry – make a couple jars!

Then I had to make some Ras el Hanut. The name means “best of the shop” which sounds pretty elegant. 

The blend was unique to each shop, created when the frugal spice merchants swept their countertops into a special container after each sale of an individual spice. The resulting melange of spices was labeled Ras el Hanut and sold as a special preparation!

Almost anything goes, but here's a reasonable start:

2 tsp ground Cumin

2 tsp ground Ginger

3 tsp Kosher or Sea Salt

2 tsp fresh ground Black Pepper

2 tsp ground Cinnamon

1 tsp ground Coriander

1 tsp Allspice

1 tsp Saffron (or Turmeric)

Stir everything together in a bowl and store in an airtight container.

For the Main dish:

4 Chicken Breasts

1 jar Kalamata olives, drained

1 jar Green Olives, drained

1 large Tomato, diced

1 large and one regular can Garbanzos (or cook up a large batch if you have a spare hour)

4 quarters Preserved Lemon

1-2 Tbsp Ras el Hanut spice mix

Large pearl Israeli Couscous for four

In a large, deep skillet (or the special Moroccan pot called a tagine, if you have one), brown the chicken on both sides, 4-5 minutes per side. Add the garbanzos and their liquid, then add the olives and tomato, the ras el hanut, and the preserved lemon. Cut each breast in half width-wise. Simmer everything together 30 minutes or so to marry the flavors, until the chicken is cooked through. Serve on a bed of couscous.