Spicy Salmon Wraps and Bacon-Buttermilk Pasta Salad
The Spicy Salmon Wraps
Wild Alaskan Salmon filet with Holy Mole Chef Salt, Ancho Chile powder, Coriander, and Cumin and fresh-squeezed lime juice - baked at 350 to an internal temperature of 140.
1 package of Organic Cream Cheese mixed with 2 heaping spoonfuls of Crème Fraîche and 1/2 a bunch of chopped Cilantro.
2 Organic Avocados mashed with several splashes of Sriracha.
Jalepeno/Cheddar Tortillas
To assemble, spread the cream cheese/cilantro mixture on the tortilla, add a layer of the avocado mixture then the flaked salmon filet. Roll up and secure with toothpicks and slice.
The Bacon-Buttermilk Pasta Salad
Cook and drain 12 oz. tri-colored (tomato, carrot, and spinach) Penne Rigate.
Cook (steam in bag) organic peas and organic corn.
Bake bacon on foil covered cookie sheet - starting in a cold oven set to 400 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. Chop bacon and mix with pasta, peas and corn.
Mix together - 1/2 C Mayo, 1/3 C Buttermilk, 1 1/2 T Lemon Juice, 1 tsp. lemon/garlic powder, salt and cracked pepper.
Toss dressing with pasta, veggies and bacon, add a couple of tablespoons of freeze dried dill and then chill.
I plated the salad with a few sprinkles of dill and arranged 3 wraps per plate. My husband went back for seconds on the salad (so did I). :) The wraps were really tasty too. Brian rated this dish a 9.4, so I’ll definitely put this one in the book. ;-)
Tomato Salmon Bisque, Sun-dried Tomato - Feta - Tofu Patties, and Sweet Corn on the Cob
Last night’s dinner started with the homemade tomato sauce I’d made a couple of nights before. The Tomato Sauce Recipe: From our Peaceful Belly CSA share I took small finely chopped leeks, red onion, and then added minced purple garlic & sauteed those in the bottom of the stock pot in butter and olive oil. Then added chopped carrots, and the pureed tomatoes that also came from Peaceful Belly’s farm. The pile of fresh herbs that went in are: Thyme, Rosemary, Basil, and Marjoram. I also cracked some spice blend from Molly’s Mills that has a yummy assortment of flavors in it, pepper, and salt. I added 2 whole stalks of celery and 3 bay leaves (to be removed later) and simmered for 2 hours. Then I added the organic tomato paste and simmered for another 2 hours.
That tomato sauce was used to make a wonderful Tomato Salmon Bisque. I simply added heavy cream and baked Alaskan Salmon to the sauce and simmered.
The Tofu Patties recipe was something I’d been kicking around in my head for a few days. I took super firm tofu and cut it into small chunks and then crumbled it in a Ziplock bag the day before and marinated the tofu in the following for a full day in the refrigerator: Lemon Garlic Penzey spice, Kirkland’s Organic No-Salt Seasoning (kind of like Spike), a generous amount of Molly’s Mills cracked Italian spice blend (contains garlic, lemon, rosemary, tomato, sea salt, and lavender), and cracked pepper. To make the tofu patties, I took the marinated tofu and added a couple of eggs, dry bread crumbs, chopped flat leaf Italian parsley, and herbed sun-dried tomato feta. I made patties from the mixture and coated them in Panko crumbs and then refrigerated them so that they hold together nicely when fried. Once chilled, I fried them in roasted peanut oil.
For the sauce on the tofu patties, I mixed crème fraiche with Inglehoffer’s Sweet Hot Pepper Mustard. And I plated the patties on top of the sauce, with some sauce on top as well and some julienned sun-dried tomatoes & flat leaf parsley for garnish.
The sweet corn came from a veggie stand that my future mother-in-law happened to stop at on the way up to Cascade the weekend prior, and it was the perfect compliment to the meal.
Brian said that this one ranks as his 2nd favorite of all of my recipes, with the Almond Crusted Quiche that I made back in June still ranking as number one. However, he is waffling on this decision and this meal may very well hold the numero uno spot. :-)
Puff Pastry with Bacon, Cream Cheese & Rosemary, Reduction of Crushed Pineapple and Blood Orange Balsamic Vinegar, Toasted Chopped Pecans, and Grated Gruyère, plated with a dollop of Crème Fraiche and Organic Strawberry Slices
Finally taking a moment to write about this and share the pictures. Life has been even busier since hitting the 30 day mark to my wedding day. :)
I’m really pleased with how this one turned out. I’d been obsessing over it for about 4 days…thinking about what combination would work the best and how exactly I wanted to pull it together. So, the night before my Bridal Shower last weekend, I stayed up late and made this. Cut a pre-made puff pastry sheet into circles and added the following layer of yummy ingredients to the inside: Blended cream cheese with finely chopped rosemary and spread that on the pastry as the first layer, topped with bacon pieces, then toasted finely chopped pecans in butter and layered those on, the next layer consisted of a blood orange balsamic vinegar and crushed pineapple reduction, and topped it off with grated gruyère. I folded the circle of pastry around those ingredients and sealed it with water, then brushed them with an egg wash (1/2 water, 1/2 egg). I baked them at 385 for about 20 minutes until they were golden brown.
I couldn’t wait to taste this latest concoction of mine, but took my time plating it up. I plated one of the puff pastries with a dollop of crème fraiche and slices of organic strawberries, and added a sprig of rosemary.
I sat down at my end of our dining room table and gazed down at the other end where my fiancé usually sits and thought about how much I love cooking for him and wished he was there to try it with me. After the first bite, I really wished he was there! It. Melted. In. My. Mouth. I told him about it when he got home from his trip and showed him the pictures, but that’s more akin to torture. ;-) I will make this again for sure.
Plating It Up
"There’s no greater gift than being able to cook well for your family. It’s got to be one of the greatest accolades in the world." - Marco Pierre WhiteMy name is Marcy Bothwell, I'm just a home cook who finds joy in plating up pretty and yummy food. Nom, nom, nom.
