Hoisin and Orange Salmon

I wanted to make this salmon for quite some time, the orange, ginger and hoisin combo seemed quite tasty, and while packets of fish may not be things that normal people think about for days, well, I have never claimed to be normal... Anyways, when I finally got to make these, the fish did not disappoint, although I did discover that I don't really care for bok choy. I have since made these packets with tilapia instead of salmon and spinach instead of bok choy and that combo was good too, but the spinach does cook down to basically a single forkful despite the fact that I piled the spinach onto the tinfoil and made spinach mountain. There is something about the packets (I should probably look up the fancy french name so that it sounds more appealing and less like something you would get when you register for a conference or something) that I love, perhaps it has to do with the fact that I never really fully embraced sharing as a child combined with getting to unwrap it like a present.

Start by mixing up the sauce. The recipe was for 2 packets and I made 3, but I doubled the sauce instead of one and halving it, but I like things saucy.

Then take your baby bok choy (one for each packet) and cut into sixths.

Take a big square of tin foil for each packet and put one baby bok choy in the middle of each.

Put a piece of salmon on top of the bed of bok choy.

Pour a third of the sauce over each piece of fish, then sprinkle with coriander and salt.

Grab a bunch of cilantro. Have someone else wash and chop a bit more than a quarter of a cup (I hate prepping fresh herbs).

Split the cilantro between the packets.

Then seal them up so as to trap all the steam and the good flavors in.

Bake for about 15 minutes, then serve.

Puttanesca

According to a very reputable source (wikipedia), puttanesca was actually invented by Italian prostitutes. They couldn't make it to the market every day and so they made this pasta out of things that would keep well in the pantry. I have no idea if this is actually true, but I kind of like the story, and I think my mom does too, she calls me a whore when I make it (in the most loving way of course). I know I say a lot of things are easy, but this one really is. The sauce only takes as long to cook as the pasta does, and there isn't much prep, especially if you get pitted kalamata olives (which I never seem to be able to find for some reason). This recipe is from Food Network Magazine, I got a subscription for my birthday and my parents are really reaping the benefits of that gift in the form of delicious dinners. You can find the recipe here.

Start by getting your ingredients ready for the sauce, basically slicing some garlic, chopping some olives, and rinsing some capers and put the pasta water on to boil.

Next, saute the garlic and a some red pepper flakes in a bit of olive oil (I use less red pepper flakes because I am not a big fan of too much heat).

After a few minutes add the capers and olives.

Then crush the tomatoes into the pan with your hands, add all rest of the juices from the can and then the tuna, oil and all. Let simmer until the linguine is done cooking.

Once the pasta is done, save 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drain the rest and put the pasta back into the pot and dump the sauce in with it. Toss it together with a bit of the water.

Pile it up on a plate and devour while thanking the Italian whores for their culinary creativity.

Sunday Shrimp Sister Pasta

Sunday night dinners have always been an event at our house. My dad always makes something delicious that no one would want to tackle during the week, like stew or pot roast or chicken paprika. This past sunday, in honor of his birthday my sister and I took over sunday night dinner. My dad gave us a category of food (italian) and we made this decadent shrimp alfredo (although not as decadent as it could have been, some people use an entire stick of butter and heavy cream in the sauce). We sort of made it up as we went along and combined recipes and didn't measure anything, which explains why the recipe is not very exact, but it was fun to cook with my sister. This recipe is a good one to make with someone, I took care of the alfredo sauce while Caitlin was in charge of the shrimp and veggies. Next time we want to make a spanish dish with white wine and garlic and shrimp, yummy!

For the shrimp and veggie portion of the meal, heat up about a tablespoon of butter and a clove of chopped garlic in a big skillet. Add the red peppers, then the mushrooms.

Meanwhile, start a roux with about 2 tablespoons of butter and an equal amount of flour but also add some grated garlic, about half a clove.

Now it's time to add the cream, we used light cream because we are o so healthy here, clearly. Whisk the cream in slowly, it helps to have one person pour and one whisk, or to be less spastic than I am and able to do the two different things with two different hands. We ended up using about half a quart. Then cheese time, I love cheese. And wine, we added some of that too, just a bit from Caitlin's glass.

At this point, the veggies should be pretty tender and you can add the shrimp, and also start cooking the pasta. It looks like a lot of shrimp because it is, we used a lot, we happened to have a lot on hand, but you don't have to use quite that much.

When the shrimp is just about done add the spinach, an entire bag. Cook until it's nicely wilted down. There was a lot of liquid in the bottom of the pan, which we removed, wouldn't want shrimp/spinach juice diluting our sauce. Add the shrimp and veggie mix to the pasta.

Take the alfredo sauce, which at this point should be nice and thick and cheesy and salted and peppered.....

....and pour it over everything. Toss and enjoy.

Shrimp and Veggie Alfredo

1 1/2 cloves of garlic, one chopped, 1/2 grated

3 tablespoon butter, divided

about 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 red pepper, in small strips

1 lb. shrimp, peeled

1 bag of spinach

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 quart light cream

4 oz. parmesan cheese, grated

Splash white wine

Saute the clove of chopped garlic in a tablespoon of butter. Add the red pepper, then a few minutes later add the mushrooms. When tender, add the shrimp and cook until done, about 10 minutes. Add the spinach at the very end and let it cook, it will not take very long at all. Drain excess liquid.

Meanwhile, melt the rest of the butter and add the grated garlic. Stir in the flour and cook for a few minutes until lightly golden. Whisk in the cream slowly to make a smooth sauce. Add a splash of white wine. Grate in the parmesan cheese, stopping to whisk it in occasionally, if your cheese is already grated, add it in several additions. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook a box of fettuccine or linguine (although in a pinch you could use any pasta you have on hand). Top the pasta with the shrimp and veggie mixture and pour the alfredo over everything. Toss together and serve hot.