My wife just left with the kids, and she won’t return (without the kids) for about 7 or 8 hours and I’ve decided to make us a nice dinner. The problem is we have been married so long she pretty much knows the usual things I would make. I’m a pretty good cook and have a well equipped kitchen (and outdoor grill) I just need some new interesting ideas. I went to the farmer’s market this morning and the only thing that jumped out at me were some nice tomatoes. I know where I can get some good fresh mozarella and basil so I think my salad is a given.
So what ideas does anyone have? Obviously long marinates etc won’t work but I’m game for most things. Personally I’m fine with a big steak tossed on the grill, but my wife likes lighter things like chicken and seafood.
Well I knew Sat during the day wouldn’t be the best time, but I thought I’d get some ideas.
Anyway, while I was at the shop getting the mozarella they had some good looking Columbia River King Salmon so I got a couple of pieces of that. I’ve got some cedar planks so that is probably how I’ll do them. I also picked up a couple of crab cakes that I know are delicious and I have a roasted yellow pepper “drizzle” to top them with.
Any ideas other than lemon and pepper on the salmon and also a side veggie. I suppose I’ll also want a desert of some sort (I don’t have a sweet tooth, but my wife does).
I’m going to grill some asparagus with steaks tonight. I’ll marinade the asparagus with sesame oil and garlic for a bit, make a raft with skewers and brush some oil on them as they cook. Please let me know how the salmon turns out. I hate it, Mrs. Plant loves it, I’m always looking for a way to prepare it that suits us both.
I can stand grilled salmon if I dry rub it with this “All Natural Seafood Spice Rub” from Wildoats. Contents: Sea Salt, Dill Weed, parsley, lemon zest, black pepper, garlic, white pepper, orange est, natural lemon flavor.
‘Butter’ a slice of prosciutto (pref. about the thickness of a quarter or so) with room temperature chèvre cheese. A little salt and pepper optional. Wrap a stalk of freshly washed asparagus in it on the diagonal. Grill for about 6 minutes. Optional - drizzle a tiny amount of balsamic vineagar on it as it grills.
Here’s a recipe I just posted in another thread, since it’s what I’m cooking right now:
Put some smallish chicken pieces (I generally chop up some chicken legs) in a marinade of yoghurt, salt, pepper and ground cumin* for half an hour or more, then shake off excess marinade and fry, then stew until done**. Great with salads, or couscous, or rice, or fried potatoes.
optional: mint, cardamom.
** The yoghurt sticking to the meat tends to give more than enough fluids to stew the chicken in. I usually let it stew on low heat for about an hour or a little more.
Thanks… I’ve made the asparagus except without the cheese. I think I’ll try that another night soon (the kids are gone until Wed). The chicken also sounds good except I’ve already got the salmon now. Here is what I have now. I know how to make dishes I like, but I’m not always the best at what fits together so if something clashes let me know.
Snacks while cooking… Havarti on Sundried Tomatoe and Basil crackers with Chardonay.
First… Crab cakes with fresh taragon and roasted yellow pepper drizzle.
Next… Tomatoes with Fresh Mozarella and Basil drizzled with roasted garlic infused oil and Balsamic Vinegar.
Main… King Salmon smoked on an Alder plank (found one with my cedar). I plan to rub the salmon with Dijon mustard and sprinkle with brown sugar before cooking.
Side… Sugar Snap Peas and slivered almonds sauteed in Toasted Sesame oil.
Bread… I picked up a mini loaf of good harvest grain that I can heat and serve.
Put the salmon filets skin-side down on a foil-covered baking sheet. (Foil, because I don’t like washing up and I can just toss the foil and skin away.) Season with kosher salt and freshly-chopped dill. Put into a 325º oven to bake.
Melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. (I use a heavy one-quart stainless steel one.) Chop a bit of onion and sweat them (not sauté) with a bit of kosher salt. When the onions are tender, mix the same amount of flour as there is butter to make a roux. Toast lightly – enough to attenuate the floury taste, but not dark since this will be a white sauce. Stir in milk a little at a time, making sure there are no lumps (except for the onion bits, of course) until you have a thin sauce. Simmer, stirring frequently, until it starts to thicken. Add a good bit of freshly-chopped dill and a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice. (The thickened sauce shouldn’t curdle. At least, it didn’t for me. I added the dill first, and then let the sauce thicken some more before I added the lemon juice.) The sauce should be done about the same time as the salmon filets.
Serve the salmon on plates with steamed fresh asparagus, with the sauce over both.
