Tuesday - Salmon with French Green Lentils and Herb Butter

Tuesday I finally went to the store for a real shopping trip.  I had been here a week, and had managed quite easily to make meals out of what was already on hand.  Mom wanted to make Sole Meuniere, but the fish store, where I probably would have found sole, was in the opposite direction of Whole Foods, and I was feeling a little lazy.  So, Whole Foods won out - Creg will be happy about that! They did have some nice looking wild salmon, so with fish on my mind, I bought it. This is a dish that I've made often, and did once in my cooking class.  It is very easy, but also very elegant, and I've done it for dinner parties before.  You can start early and prepare the lentils ahead, and just keep them warm, or re-heat when it's time to serve.  You can also make the herb butter ahead and keep it in the fridge for a day or two, or freeze for even longer.  I like to add some swiss chard to the lentils, not only for a yummy contrast, but to sneak in greens for people who don't normally eat a lot of them (like my father).  This is for 3 people, but can be easily adjusted for more.  The amount of lentils will really feed 4 - I had leftovers for lunch the next day!

Salmon with French Green Lentils and Herb Butter

1 cup French green lentils 

4 cups water 

1 leek, rinsed well and chopped (white and pale green part only) 

1 onion, chopped 

1 rib celery, chopped 

1 bunch swiss chard (any color) 

4 tbsp butter 

1 tbsp lemon juice 

3 5-ounce skinless salmon filets 

Salt 

Pepper 

Herb butter (5 tbsp room temperature butter mixed with 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme) 

• Put lentils, water and 1 tsp salt in a large pot and bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 30-35 minutes, till lentils are tender. Remove from heat, let stand for 5 minutes, then drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. 
• Meanwhile, sauté leeks, onions and celery in about 2 tbsp butter with a bit of salt till soft, but not browned, 8-10 minutes. 
• Remove ribs from Swiss chard, wash, chop, and add to leeks. Cook till chard is wilted down and softened, about 2-3 minutes. 
• Add lentils to leeks and chard. Stir in 2 tbsp herb butter, lemon juice, salt & pepper, and some of the reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 cup at a time until it reaches desired consistency (not too runny, but not dry). Heat through, then remove from heat and cover to keep warm. 
• Pat salmon dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp butter with a bit of olive oil (so the butter doesn't burn) in a large non-stick skillet over medium high.  Having a very hot pan will ensure you get a nice sear on the fish. Sauté salmon until golden and medium rare, about 4 minutes on first side, 3 on second side. 
• Serve salmon over lentils and top each piece with a little herb butter. 

Yikes - behind already!

It's been 3 days since my last post... sounds like a confession.  Hard to fit everything in to my oh-so-busy schedule.  That's just another way of saying I got distracted.  So, I'll back up to Monday night, and a very simple, easy, satisfying dinner.  Americans generally think of eggs just for breakfast, but a frittata is a hearty dish that can easily be a meal in itself, accompanied by some good bread and a salad.  Super easy, and a great way to use up veggies that are lurking in your produce bin, waiting to be eaten.  Add anything you like - this is what I happened to have on hand.

Zucchini Frittata

Olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
2 wild boar sausages (or any other sausage you like / have on hand)
1 zucchini, cut into smallish cubes
8 eggs
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano
salt 

• Preheat oven to 375 (360 convection)
• Saute onion, fennel, and crumbled sausage in a bit of olive oil (about 1 tbsp) till veggies are beginning to soften and sausage is browned. (season with a bit of salt) Add zucchini and cook for another few minutes.

Frittata filling

• Meanwhile, beat eggs, about 1-2 tbsp of water, salt, and parm in a bowl.
• Add cooked veggie mixture to the eggs and stir to combine.
• Put a little more olive oil in the pan, and add egg mixture.
• Cook on medium heat till the bottom has started to brown and pull away from the edges of the pan.
• Place in oven and continue to cook for about 8-10 minutes, till eggs are set.

Saddle of Rabbit with Herb Polenta

Once again, we got to have a meal without buying any groceries - imagine that!  I've only been to the store once all week.  I always tell people, if there's a natural disaster (or the zombie apocalypse), come to my parents house, where there is enough food to feed an army!  We were going to have this rabbit last night, but it was still frozen, so we had some store-bought ravioli that were in the fridge with butter and sage.  By tonight, the bunnies were thawed, so we made them.  Well, mostly my mom did the rabbit, and I did the polenta.  When I was in Italy one time, about 8 years ago maybe, I bought a copper polenta pot that has a stirrer attachment.  I had to buy a converter, since Italy is on a different electrical current, but it works beautifully.  Unfortunately, that is at my house. Here, I had to stir the polenta by hand.  This is how Italian women get their muscles.  Not for the weak, but so worth the effort.  According to my mom, this is a special polenta, although I have no idea what brand it is, as it was in a glass jar in her fridge.  No, you don't have to keep polenta in the fridge, but she does.  I think it is because she is afraid of bugs getting into it - you'd have to ask her.  And I'm sure she'll comment after I post this.

For the rabbit:

3 saddles of rabbit
3-4 tbsp butter
1 sprig rosemary
salt
pepper
marsala
white wine

• Preheat the oven to 380 convection (about 395 regular)
• Place the rabbit in a baking dish.  Sprinkle the rabbit with salt and pepper, dot with butter, and put some of the rosemary on each piece.

Rabbit ready to go into the oven

• Pour some marsala (about 1/2 cup - mom, correct me if this is wrong... we don't really measure) and white wine (same amount) over and around the rabbit.
• Cook for about 45 minutes, until rabbit is done and nicely browned.

For the polenta:

1 cup polenta

4 cups water or stock

salt

1 sprig thyme

1 sprig rosemary

3-4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano

• Heat the water or stock in a pot till boiling.  Add some salt (start with about 1 tbsp).  Make a whirlpool in the water with a whisk and slowly stir in the polenta (this is so that you don't get any lumps).  Switch to a wooden spoon and stir.  As it comes back to a boil, turn the heat down so that you have a constant very low simmer - you should see some bubbles come up, but not too many.  It will begin to thicken after just a few minutes.  Continue to stir.  And stir.  And stir.  You may stir slowly, but you want to keep the polenta moving at least a bit.  Taste it and adjust the salt if needed.

The polenta at the beginning

• Meanwhile, add the herbs, smashed garlic, and cream to a small pan and heat slowly.

herbs and garlic, ready for cream

• After you have been stirring for about 35 minutes, taste for doneness.  It should be smooth and creamy.  At this point, remove from heat and strain the cream into the polenta, discarding the herbs and garlic.  Add the cheese and stir together.

Finished polenta

Serve immediately.  Any leftovers can be turned into a number of delicious dishes.  I like to spread it out into a thin layer, refrigerate, and then fry wedges in a pan.  Or, as mom just suggested since we have a lot left, use it for a polenta lasagna.  I will post that recipe when we make it.  Basically, I take thin layers of cooked polenta and alternate it with tomato sauce and meat sauce, and top it with parm.  Another great winter meal!