Hi all - apologies for the hiatus here - I was back East spending time in New York for Thanksgiving. I am proud to report however, that I am still a vegetarian (technically pescetarian). I'll admit it was extremely difficult to eat out every night in the city and not order meat - especially at my favorite spots, such as Dos Caminos (the chicken and carnitas tacos are great, I like them extra spicy too). But I stayed away from those and ordered plantain empenadas and fish tacos - both delicious. Since coming home, I have continued to force my family into pescetarianism as well, by cooking the following dinner meals.
Pasta with Zucchini, Edamame, and Basil Pesto Sauce
To Make:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Heat the sunflower oil in saucepan over medium heat. Fry the zucchini slices in batches for 3 minutes until golden brown on bothe sides. Turn once. As they are cooked, transfer to a colander to drain. Tip zucchini slices in a bowl, pour over the vinegar, stir and set aside.
Blanch the edamame for 3 min in blioing water, drain, refresh under running cold water and set aside.
Combine half the basil, all of the parsley and the olive oil in a food processor, salt/pepper. Blitz to smooth.
Cook pasta until al dente, drain, rinse under stream on cold water. Return to pan.
Pour zucchini and juices over pasta. Add edamame, basil sauce,lemon zest,capers,and mozzarella. Stir gently together. Salt/pepper. Before serving, stir in basil.
Pastries from Lovejoy Bakers in Portland
Thought I would throw these in here. The pastries are great for a lazy Sunday. My family goes to Lovejoy Bakers frequently - they have great sandwiches and salads (which I have been veering more towards lately in my meat-less days).
Spice Rubbed Salmon with Herb and Pomegranate Raita
*Note this recipe calls for 4-6 hours refigeration time.
This dish great in that the spice in the salmon was offset by the cool yogurt in the raita. I usually love spicy, but the sweetness of the yogurt mixture soothed the intense taste of the salmon.
To make:
In a skillet, toast caraway and cumin seeds over moderate heat, shaking pan until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder and cool completely. Add the chile and garlic powders and grind to a powder.
Arrange salmon fillets skin side down on rimmed baking sheeds. Spread spice mix on the salmon, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 406 hours.
Preheat ovent o 425 and position racks in upper and lower thirs of oven. Drizzle with olive oil and rub it into the spice mixture to make a paste. Rub on fish and roast for 25 mins.
Meanwhile in a bowl, mix yogurt with pomegranate seeds, chopped cilantro, chopped mint, minced scallions and lemon juice.
Serve salmon with pomegranate raita.
Orechiette with Arugula, Artichokes and the Leftover Spiced Salmon
To make:
In a large pot, boil water and cook the pasta.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil and add the sliced artichoke hearts. Cook until tender.
Add the chopped leftover salmon, capers, and green olives.
Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and stir in the arugula.
Serve with salt & pepper.
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| All photographs by Britta Lokting. |
