Sockeye Salmon, Charred Zucchini, Shrimp & English Pea Cream Sauce

Wild caught Sockeye Salmon is at top of the chart on omegas and simultaneously tastes amazing. This feeds two people, costs $40 and takes 1 hour.

Olive Oil Roasted Sockeye Salmon
2 6oz fillets of sockeye salmon, sliced into 6 pieces
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and white pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Start a medium saute pan on medium high and add olive oil. Once very hot add all the fish, skin side down. Immediately place the whole pan in the oven and let cook for 7-10 minutes or until fish is no longer raw on top. Remove and let stand 4 minutes.

Pea, Pancetta and Shrimp Cream Sauce
2 jumbo shrimp, diced, shells reserved
1 cup fresh English peas, blanched
2 tablespoons diced pancetta
1.5 cups vegetable stock
1/8 cup heavy cream

Start and medium saucepan on medium low. Add pancetta and let render for 10 minutes. Turn up to med and add veg stock and shrimp bodies. Let cook until reduced to 1/2 a cup of liquid. Strain sauce and add cream. Let reduce to half, about 1/4 cup of liquid. Add diced shrimp and peas. Season to taste.

Charred Baby Zucchini with Red Onions
1/2 lb baby zucchini, halved
1 organic red onion, sliced

Preheat oven to 400. Brush a sheet pan with olive salt and pepper and place zucchini cut side down. Brush tops with olive oil, salt and pepper and topped with sliced onions. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until onions are soft andn zucchini are browned.

I have to thanks my friend Suzy for the inspiration in creating the dish and the help with eating it all as well, good times! Buon Apetitio!!

Curried Carrot Soup

I had accidentally bought a new bag a of carrots last time I went to the grocery store when I already had a bunch so I had to do something with them. Carrot soup was what I decided on. I have a lot of spices so I made my own curry style seasoning mix. This easy recipe cost $10, makes 10-12 servings and takes 45 minutes or less.

Organic Curried Carrot Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 organic leek, rough chopped
1 organic white onion, rough chopped
2 lb organic baby carrots
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup water
-Curry Seasoning Mix-
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Start a large (5-8qt) sauce pot on medium and add oil. Add onions and leeks and let cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add curry seasoning mix and toss. Add carrots and toss with onions and leeks. Add broth, cream and water and turn to medium low (3.5 of 10). Let cook about 25 minutes or until the carrots are fork tender. Add to a blender in batches and puree until smooth. Add puree mixture back to the sauce pot. Add water to get desired texture and let cook for 10 minutes. Add some yogurt or heavy cream for garnish. I also threw in some fresh thyme leaves from my garden to add freshness.

This can be done with store bought curry powder or you can skip the curry all together. It turned out very tasty and not too "carroty" tasting with a little heat on the end. Enjoy!

Ricotta Gnocchi with Gorgonzola-Red Pepper Cream Sauce

Gnocchi are usually made with either potato or ricotta cheese. I chose to go with ricotta cheese because its faster and much less work then doing potato gnocchi. I had a few friends over for dinner and they all helped in making the dinner a success. The gnocchi with sauce cost about $20, feeds 5 (with leftovers) and takes about 1.5 hours total.

Ricotta Gnocchi
1 lb of whole milk ricotta, strained and drained for 1 hour
2 cups semolina flour (you can use AP flour)
4 eggs
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons garlic oil with fine chopped garlic pieces

Start a large pot of heavily salted boiling water. For the garlic oil start a small saute pan on low and add 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh garlic and three teaspoons of oil. Let it cook until garlic is softened, about 15 minutes and let cool. Mix all of the ingredients very well in a large bowl. You should have a very soft dough. Scoop out little balls with a spoon and place on a well floured baking sheet. It is easier to work with the dough if your hands are a little wet. Once portioned, roll each piece into a round ball. You can mark them with a fork or just put a little indent into them to give them some design. Place then in the boiling water for about 5 minutes or until tender. Serve immediately and top with the Gorgonzola red pepper sauce.

Gorgonzola - Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
3 oz Gongonzola cheese, chunked
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 roasted red pepper, diced
salt and pepper

In a small Sauce pan add chicken stock on medium and let reduce to half. Add the cream and turn the heat down to medium low. Let that cook for 10 minutes. Add the two cheeses and whisk that into the cream mixture until smooth. Now add the red peppers with some salt and pepper. Let that cook ten more minutes and serve on top of the gnocchi. Top it with some fresh thyme.

Thanks to Dana, Shawn, Brett and Gerri for the wine, help and company. Dana made a great scallop, arugula, lemon and caper salad to compliment the rich gnocchi. We served broccoli rabe as a side dish and we also made some garlic bread with the leftover garlic oil which was perfect for soaking up the Gorgonzola cheese sauce. All in all it was a great meal with great friends. Buon Appetito!