Irish Salmon With Cider And Cream Sauce

 

     So for this Saint Patrick's Day Celebration a few weeks ago, I decided to make a great Irish meal for my mother and father, especially since my father is the Irish one. Funny thing is he came dressed for the part. He had on a nice sweater, button up shirt with a nice tie underneath, and even wore one of those newsboy/Sheppard’s cap you would stereotypically see in some cliché way of an Irishman walking the stony path of some picturesque village in the green hills of Ireland. Anyways, I digress; I received a great Irish pub cookbook for Christmas and decided to try a new recipe. I served this great Salmon dish along with some new potatoes, mushy peas, and an apple bread pudding with Irish cream sauce. Irish Salmon with Cider and Cream Sauce.

 

Ingredients:

• 4 Salmon filets
• 1 Leek sliced in strips
• Small bunch parsley chopped
• 4 small Bay leaves
• 1 lemon sliced
• 1 cup hard cider
• 1 cup cream
• 2 tbs dill
• 3 tabs butter
• Salt/pepper

 

1. In a large baking pan lined with tinfoil, lay the salmon filets down.

2. Top with the strips of leek, chopped parsley, bay leaves, sliced lemon, and dill. Spread out all the ingredients so that each filet is covered with each item.

3. Top each salmon with a tab of butter.

4. Pour in the cider around the salmon. Cover with tinfoil and bake in 350 degree oven for roughly 15-20 minutes until salmon is flakey.

5. Remove juices that have accumulated and place in a pot on stove. Bring to simmer over high heat and pour in cream. Simmer until thickens.

6. Place salmon on platter, (without the leeks, parsley, etc.), and drizzle the cider cream sauce over and serve.

 

This salmon dish was so light, fresh, and delicious that even my mother who is not a fan "fish" fan loved it.

 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Serves: 4

 

Riomaggiore Lasagne

 

     This dish was inspired by the great seafood lasagne my brother had and I sampled while vacationing in Riomaggiore, Italy a few years back. There was just something about this pasta dish that was amazing. First off, it was the first time we had seen a lasagne that wasn't the typical layered dish we are use to in America. Even being first generation in America, our grandmother always made the layered baked version. It was just the lasagna noodle tossed and thrown on the plate. Second, this dish was light and had a distinct flavor of something you wouldn't expect from a pasta dish. It had that tomato flavor but there was just something else. Delving farther into this dish you find that those small hidden flavors are the simplest of additions. The coast of Italy is famous for it's use of bountiful basil and lemon. Chop up some fresh basil leaves and add a few zests of hearty lemons and viola, a simple yet delicious seafood lasagne packed full of flavor. This was amazing. Riomaggiore Lasagne.

 

Ingredients:

• Fresh lasagne noodles
• 2 filets of white fish (any kind you like) cubed
• 10 shrimp
• 6 anchovy filets (they are also famous on the coast)
• 1 large shallot diced
• 2 cloves garlic diced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 can tomato puree
• A handful fresh basil chopped
• Zest from 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup cream
• Salt/pepper

 

1. In a large skillet over medium heat drizzle some olive oil and saute diced shallots.

 

2. Next toss in the anchovy filets and saute. (They will begin to melt away).

 

3. Stir in chopped garlic until fragrant.

 

4. Stir in the white wine and reduce.

 

5. Now pour in the tomato puree, chopped basil, and lemon zest. Stir to incorporate.

 

6. Stir in the cubed white fish and fresh shrimp.

 

7. Mix in the cream, turn heat down to low, and simmer for roughly 5 minutes until the fish is tender

and the shrimp cooked through.

 

8. Toss on a plate with the fresh lasagne noodles.

 

This dish, according to my brother now, tasted just like the original he had sitting on the little patio facing the ocean that warm evening in Riomaggiore.

 

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 2-4

 

 



Salmon Cakes With A Wasabi Mayo

      I was craving some type of fish dish this week and since it is Lent and as a good Catholic I must abide by eating no meat on Friday's, I chose to make a simple salmon cake entrée. I have posted this simple salmon cake before, however it was in a sandwich. So today I am re-posting the actual recipe along with a simple yet flavorful sauce to accompany these delicious easy patties.  Salmon Cakes With Wasabi Mayo.

 

Ingredients:

• 16 oz can pink salmon
• 3 tbs pimentos
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup Breadcrumbs
• 1 Egg
• 1 tbs wasabi paste
• 4 tbs mayo
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• Zest from half lemon
• Butter

 

1. Combine the salmon, pimentos, diced onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, and egg in a large bowl and mix with your hands. Form into patties.


2. In a large saute pan fry the salmon cakes in some butter for roughly 2 minutes each side.


3. Combine the mayo, lemon juice, zest, and wasabi paste in another bowl until able to drizzle over each cake.

 

Easy, quick, full of flavor, and delicious. Perfect for any good Catholic or anyone at all. (insert laugh from a fallen away Catholic)

 

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 3+



BEANS and Cornbread: A Country Staple

 

 

 

     I have published the cornbread recipe on here before and briefly explained how to make the soup beans.  Since I was craving this dish again this winter I decided to give you one of the ways to make the beans for this dish.  Whether using a stockpot or crockpot, this dish cannot be any easier. Soup Beans

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Northern White Beans
• 1/4 white onion diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper diced
• Some ham or hamhock
• 1 tsp thyme
• Salt/pepper

 

1. Place beans in the crockpot and soak in water overnight.

2. Rinse and remove water from night before.

3. Dice up the onion, pepper, and ham and throw in the crockpot.

4. Cover with enough water to be about an inch above the bean mixture.

5. Turn on to low and let cook for up to 8 hours.

I like to once the mixture is done, take a masher and mash up some of the beans in order to make a thicker souper mixture.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Inactive Time: 6-8 hours

Cook Time: 7-8 hours

Serves: 4+

This is one of those simple, yet delicious country staples for any family. You will love it.

 

 

You can find the cornbread recipe here: http://recipesiliveby.blogspot.com/search/label/Cornbread