Salmon, Kale, and Mascarpone Spaghetti by Heather

I haven't gone grocery shopping yet this week, so this dish came together by combining whatever I had left in the fridge.  Yesterday, I had a delicious salmon and creme fraiche tartine at Tartinery, which just opened up inside Hudson Eats.  I love the combination of anything creamy with salmon, and I had just picked up from Gravlax from my neighborhood bagel shop.  I also happened to have some mascarpone in the fridge- so an idea popped into my head to make a pasta dish inspired by that tartine!  I apologize that I didn't take any pictures of this dish while I was making it, but it comes together so quickly and easily, I don't think you'll need the pics!

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup white wine vinegar (white wine is preferable if you have it)

zest and juice of 2 lemons

4 or 5 basil leaves, roughly torn

1/2 package spaghetti or linguine

3/4 cup mascarpone cheese

3/4 cup Greek yogurt

2-3 slices Gravlax (smoked salmon)

1 cup of pasta water (reserve after the pasta is cooked and add to the pasta at the end if you need more moisture in the sauce)

4-5 tbs. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Shiitake and Pea Shoot Salmon En Papillote by Heather

"En Papillote" is just a fancy French way to say that something was cooked within parchment paper.  The parchment paper is shaped into a little sealed bag to hold the salmon, which essentially steams it in the oven, so the end result is a flavored, juicy piece of salmon!  I served this dish with Rachel's bok choy recipe, which you can access here.



Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 6-8 oz. salmon filets
carton of fresh pea shoots (you only need about 8 shoots per fish)
1/2 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
1 tbs. grated ginger
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. honey
2 dashes red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. olive oil
parchment paper

Green Tea Poached Salmon with Soba by Heather

On days when I want to eat healthy, but want to feel indulgent, I turn to this recipe.  I make salmon at least once a week and I love its versatility.  Don't be worried about poaching the salmon here.  It's actually quite easy.

This recipe was adapted from Sprouted Kitchen, and I've made only minor tweaks to the recipe.

Ingredients:

For the sauce:
2 tbs. sesame oil
2 tbs. tahini
2 tbs. honey
Juice and zest of 1 lime
3 tbs. soy sauce
1 inch piece of ginger, grated

For the salmon:
3 bags green tea
1 tbs. whole black peppercorns
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 8 oz. salmon filet

1 package soba noodles
1 bunch broccolini or broccoli, chopped
2 tbs. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced

Garnish:
2 green onions, cut on the diagonal
black or white sesame seeds
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk sauce ingredients into a bowl and set aside.

Combine broccolini, garlic, and olive oil on baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes at 425 degrees.  If you are in a hurry and need to save time, you can also microwave the broccoli in a microwave safe bowl with lid for 2 minutes.

In a medium sized sauce pan, bring 1 cup of water to a simmer.  Turn heat down to low and add tea bags and peppercorns, steep for 3 minutes, then remove and discard tea bags.  Add rice vinegar to the poaching liquid, then slide in the salmon, skin-side down.  Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, until salmon is just barely cooked in the middle.  Remove the salmon and set on a plate, and flake it into pieces with a fork.

Meanwhile, cook the soba according to package instructions.  Once the soba has been drained, divide the soba into individual bowls.  Top with sauce, broccolini, and salmon, then garnish.