This past Wednesday was a special day, my wife's and my
first wedding anniversary and the 10th anniversary of our first date. With the celebration coming on a
weeknight, we knew it would be difficult to get child care for the evening,
plus we didn't want to be out late on a 'school night', so we decided to cook a
special meal at home.
In a lot of ways, it reminded us of when we were dating. I
used to cook things deliberately to impress her. Like making whipped cream with
nothing but a bowl and a whisk. (Yes, I know professionals do this all the
time. I bet they use it to impress dates, too.) It still impresses her, but the tendonitis in my elbow isn't
very impressed by it anymore.
As I said, it was a weeknight, so while we wanted something
special for dinner, we also wanted something that would be simple to
prepare. After a long, busy day,
the last thing we wanted was to have to cook a complicated meal.
Typically we go for a nice steak on these kinds of
occasions, but since we had been grilling tri-tip almost every weekend this
summer, steak just didn't cut it this time.
Coincidentally, I had recently unearthed a piece of smoked salmon
that was in our freezer. I thought
back to a cooking class I took with our friend Marty a few years ago. That night, we learned how simple it is
to make a nice cream sauce. The
plan was formulating.
Pasta with smoked salmon cream sauce. Oh yeah. That's right.
So simple and so incredibly easy, it was all ready in about half
an hour.
First, we thawed the beautiful piece of smoked salmon we'd
purchased from our friend Shannon, proprietor and fishing boat captain of Two
if By Seafoods. She catches the
fish herself, has it smoked to her specifications (about 50% less salt and
sugar than regular cures) and then sells it to friends and at local farmers
markets. It is the best smoked
salmon I have ever eaten. (This is
hot smoked, so the fish is fully cooked, not lox-style, incidentally.) Really,
if you are local, you should get some. Check them out on Facebook.
When you have the best ingredients, simple treatments are
best way to show them off.
Pasta with Smoked
Salmon Cream Sauce - served 2 entree portions
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
(local and organic preferred...it will have a better flavor)
4 - 5 oz. northwest-style smoked
salmon (not lox)
freshly ground black
pepper
about 5 oz. dried
fettuccine or other medium-width noodle
Set a large skillet on medium high heat (I used my 12"
saute pan). Pour in the stock and
cream, stirring to combine. Let
the liquid come up to the boil, then turn the flame down to medium or medium-low
to maintain a good simmer. Where you end up setting your burner will depend on
your cooktop. Err on the side of
caution if you are nervous. A slightly lower temperature will just mean it
takes a few extra minutes for your sauce to thicken.
Let the sauce simmer, stirring occasionally, until it
thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. (What does that mean? Well, if you swish a metal spoon in
the sauce, getting the back of the spoon covered with the sauce, the sauce
should stick to the back of the spoon in a layer thick enough that when you
swipe your finger through it, it leaves a line.) It'll take about 10-20 minutes
depending on how fast your simmer is simmering.
While your sauce is simmering, cook your pasta according to
the package directions. I used a thin egg noodle, about the width of a thin
fettucine, but not as thin as linguine.
You want something for the sauce to cling to.
Drain your cooked pasta, reserving a little pasta water in
case your sauce thickens a little too much.
When your cream/stock mixture coats the back of a spoon,
toss in your flaked salmon, stir to distribute, then dump in the pasta, tossing
it with the sauce.
If you are looking to impress a date, you could do the chef
thing and toss the pasta using the skillet. If you are concerned about dinner landing on the floor, you
might want to just use tongs. I was tired and hungry that night...I used tongs.
Divide your pasta between plates, put a little shaved
parmesan on if you want (though you don't have to...there is enough salt from
the salmon and most people don't believe in cheese with fish), maybe a little
parsley for color, and you're done.
We served ours with a side of baby carrots roasted with
olive oil and agave syrup. This is
also lovely with maple syrup, just a little to help them caramelize.
Pour a couple of glasses of your favorite beverage and enjoy
a simple, impressive, romantic meal.
I have always thought that Nancy and I make a good
team. We have, since we started
dating 10 years ago, had an uncanny ability to think something that a moment
later comes out of the other's mouth.
We have built a life together by relying on each other's
strengths and working together.
This meal was no exception. The pasta dish was my idea, my
creation. The carrots were
hers. And the rosé she
randomly picked up at the store was a beautiful, bright complement to the meal.
Light, tart and fruity, just
enough punch to cut through the fat of the sauce, but not too much to overpower
the delicate smokiness of the fish.
So here's to our wonderful anniversary meal and to you, my
love. May we continue to make
beautiful meals and a beautiful life together.
Thanks for stopping by.
Enjoy a meal with someone you love.
It'll make your soul smile.
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