Smoked Salmon Pasta with Scotch

While my hubby is the farthest thing from a "foodie", there is one thing his palate really appreciates, single malt scotch. He contributed some from his collection to my recipe.



INGREDIENTS (2 servings)

* 1/4 (16 ounce) package dry penne pasta
* 3/4 teaspoon olive oil
* 1/4 medium onion, finely chopped
* 1/2 cup fish stock
* 1/2 cup white wine
* 2-1/4 teaspoons Scotch whiskey
* 2 ounces chopped smoked salmon
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* freshly ground black pepper to taste
* 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese for topping
* 1/4 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place penne pasta in the pot, cook 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Pour in the fish stock and white wine, and cook until reduced by 1/2.
3. Remove the skillet from heat, and pour in the Scotch whisky. Using a long match, carefully ignite the Scotch. Once the flame had subsided, return the skillet to medium heat, and mix in the salmon. Stir in the cream, and bring the mixture to a boil. Continue to cook and stir until thickened.
4. In a large bowl, toss the cooked penne pasta with the salmon mixture. Season with pepper, and top with Parmesan cheese and parsley to serve.

This recipe does involve lighting alcohol on fire, so be sure to clear out the kids and dogs and have a lid on hand just in case! If you don't happen to have a large collection of fine scotch available, I am sure a little regular old whiskey would work and taste just as good. (just don't tell my hubby that!)

Put some water on to boil for your pasta and lets gather up some ingredients.




I didn't have fish stock so I just added some fish sauce to chicken broth. You also need some white wine.




Some onion diced up.




Delicious smoked salmon. I can eat this stuff like candy.




Some parsley from my Aerogarden.




Heavy cream.




Some Glenmorangie Scotch. This isn't a super expensive Scotch, the hubby did take the time to help me pick one that he thought would be good for the recipe. Even though he has never had smoked salmon and he doesn't eat pasta. It is the thought that counts!




Pour it out into a separate container, then pour a finger for your generous hubby who sacrificed for your culinary pursuits. Get the pasta in the water and get it cooked before you move on so you can give your total attention to the sauce.




Lets get started with the onions over medium high heat. Cook them for 3-5 minutes until they are softened.




Pour in the wine and the stock and let it simmer until it reduces by half.

Now we get to burn up some scotch! This technique is called 'flambe' and is traditionally used as a dramatic visual in the cooking process but the scotch in this meal does add a smoky flavor that is a subtle taste you can't quite place but really creates a nice complexity. One thing that is very important about this technique is you want to remove the pan from the heat for safety.




I put it on a trivet away from the stovetop. Pour in the scotch and light it up!




Since my serving was for one, the flame was not very impressive but you can see it there if you look closely.




The hubby even stopped by to see the excitement. Once the flame is out, put the pan back on the stove.




Add in the cream and the smoked salmon over medium heat.




Bring it to a boil and let it thicken.




Stir in the pasta and get it warmed through. I used egg noodles instead of penne because that is what I had.




Garnish with the parsley and some parmesan cheese and enjoy. The sauce was amazingly good. I will definitely be making this again as I certainly have plenty of Scotch from which to choose.

One more thing before I go, I have added labels to my post which appear on the side bar now. If you are looking for pasta dishes or something vegetarian, just click the label and it will bring up all the recipes that apply. I think it is very useful and interesting to see what all I have made so far as I approach one year of food blogging.

Thank you all for reading and spending a few minutes a day dining with me. I appreciate you all.

Coconut Rice with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Is it getting chilly where you are? Need something to add a little heat to your life? This is the perfect vegetarian dish to fill you up and warm you up.








I cut this recipe by 1/3. Lets gather some ingredients.




For the spicy tomato sauce you will need some brown sugar, diced tomatoes, chiles or sambal, lime and some garlic. You will also need shallots, but they were not able to make the photo, they were busy being a pain in the butt to peel.




For the rice you need rice and coconut milk. Doesn't get easier than that.




Lets get cooking. get the rice and the coconut milk in a pan over high heat. Now we can concentrate on the sauce.




mince up some garlic.




Here are our shallots all peeled and quartered.




Add some peanut oil to a pan and get it going over medium-high heat.




I used Sambal Oelek instead of regular chiles. This stuff is spiiicy, so be careful if you are not used to spicy foods.




Stir it in the pan with the shallots and garlic. The recipe wants you to add it later but I put it in first to really infuse the flavor in the shallots.




After 3-4 minutes zest the lime into the pan.




Add the tomatoes, lime juice and brown sugar to the pan and give it a stir. Cover and reduce heat to low, simmer for about 20 minutes. Your rice should be boiling too so drop that down to a simmer and pour yourself a TALL glass of water for this meal.




See you guys in 20!




This was spicy and so flavorful. I loved the subtle flavor of the rice with the bold and spicy flavor of the tomato sauce. This sauce would be delicious over chicken as well, but this vegetarian dish is filling enough as it is.

Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup

Back when I first started this blog in December of 2007 I made a Tomato soup that was very good. But I am extremely excited that I have been able to greatly improve upon that effort with two very key ingredients that I will discuss in this post.




Here is the simple recipe from www.allrecipes.com Lets start gathering some ingredients.




Shallots, back to these wonderful little guys. My local stores have been out of them for a while which makes me very sad!




Some real butter.




Canned tomatoes, because the fresh ones I get here taste like nothing.




some chicken broth and heavy cream.




Secret ingredient number 1, Pine Nuts. I am a fan of the Roma Tomato Basil soup at Nordstrom's and someone once told me the secret ingredient are these little guys. I think they are on to something because they add such a unique flavor to the soup. The soup I made last year was good, but this just made it even better. I am all about taking something good and doing that extra little something that makes you go, WOW.

Now it is time for secret ingredient number two...




No, it is not an alien spacecraft, it is an Aerogarden. I am not endorsing this product as part of any ad campaign or getting any benefits in any way from talking about this little wonder. I am simply talking about it because I LOVE it. I live in the desert, do not like dirt and I cook for one person. These 3 things combined mean that, 1. I cannot grow my own herbs outside or inside in dirt because I am extremely negligent to my plants and I am a terrible plant Mommy. 2. If I use fresh herbs I buy them, use them once, forget they are in the fridge and they die. Again, the bad plant Mommy thing. So when I got this thing I had unnaturally high hopes for it, and in just 7 weeks it has exceeded my wildest dreams...


I have fresh herbs growing like a JUNGLE in my husband's 'dude room'. The kitchen was a bit too hot for them, so he agreed to give up space in his 'man cave' for my little project. I am telling you, this is gardening for goofs, cultivation for cretins, horticulture for half-wits...ok I think you get it. This thing is fool-proof and claims I will have herbs for 4 weeks at least. To say I am excited is an understatement. That is why this thing is secret ingredient 2...








Because it provided me with this gorgeous and delicious basil. It makes all the difference in this soup. The Holiday Season is coming up and I am betting you may be able to find an Aerogarden on sale, I think it is totally worth it.

Ok, back to cooking!




Get your shallots in the butter and add some olive oil as well.




Once the shallots have softened add in the tomatoes and basil.




Add in your pine nuts and broth and give it a stir. Don't forget to season with some salt and pepper as well. Reduce the heat and let this simmer for at least 15 minutes.




After you let it simmer for a while it is time to blend it up. I have a hand held immersion blender, but you can use a regular blender also, just be careful as the soup is hot!




I love my hand held blender and it is perfect for stuff like this. As you can see the soup already looks creamy, this is from the pine nuts. You can actually skip the cream if you want and just eat it like this, but I sure do like cream.




So once it is a texture you are happy with, put it back on the stove and let it heat through, then stir in your cream.




I can't believe how much difference the fresh basil made. I had always been curious about the Aerogardens but I am a believer now.

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