Salmon with beet risotto

A few weeks ago I went out to dinner and had the most amazing salmon with beet risotto, and I haven't been able to get it off my mind! So I decided to make it.
Now, at the restaurant they served it with leeks, sauteed baby bok choy, and roasted beets, then finished the dish with mint oil. I would have loved to recreate the entire meal, but my market was out of baby bok choy, and I didn't have time to roast fresh beets. So instead, I decided to keep it simple and easy, and just make salmon with beet risotto and sauteed asparagus.

Here goes....
Salmon, Arborio rice, beets (yes, they came from a can. I told you- I had no time to roast fresh ones), mint, oil, asparagus.

Start the risotto fist because it takes the longest to cook. The package should have the recipe, but basically you sautee chopped onions (I keep a bag in the freezer) in a few tablespoons of butter. Then add the rice, sautee for about 2 minutes.

Then add a cup of liquid (water or broth will do) and continue simmering until absorbed, stirring often.
The whole process takes about 35-40 minutes, so you can prep the rest of the meal while it cooks. But don't forget to keep stirring this!

Ok, while the rice cooks, you can chop the beets.
These little suckers are full of color and juice that will turn everything purple, so be careful.

Once the beets are done, it will probably be time to check the rice and add more liquid to it. So go check that, then come back and make the mint oil.
All you have to do is add put some fresh mint leaves and oil in a dish, then puree. I used a ramekin, which my hand blender fits right into, so that made this step really easy.

Ok, now check the rice again, then get a pan ready for the asparagus.
I just tossed then into a hot skillet with a couple drops of oil, then covered them to steam.
After about 5 minutes I tossed them around, put the salmon in the pan (skin side down), then covered it to let everything steam.

While the asparagus and salmon cooked I added the beets to the risotto, stirred them up until all the rice was purple, then turned off the burner and covered the pan to keep it warm.

When the fish was about done, I flipped it over, removed the skin (this is very easy once its cooked), then flipped it back over to finish. The flipping also added a nice sear to the top of the fish.

Ok, now that everything is done, it's time to plate the dish.
I used a measuring cup to scoop the rice onto the plate, so that it would be a nice, pretty little mound.

Then I placed the fish on top, put the asparagus on the plate, and drizzled the mint oil over the top.

And, voila... dinner is served!!!!

Enjoy!

Pasta dinner- simple and quick.

The name says it all- Simple and Quick. Oh, and Delicious. I forgot delicious.
You see, sometimes we just don't have enough time to prepare and cook a big meal. But that doesn't mean we should have to sacrifice for taste.
So, here is one of my quick weeknight dinners that everyone will love.
I hope to feature more of these in the near future.

Rigatoni with tomato, basil and mozzarella.

Step one- boil a pot of water for the pasta.

Step two- dice up some plum tomatoes and put them in a skillet over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil.

Next, add a spoonful of minced garlic to the tomatoes. I like to use the kind in a glass jar (you know, to keep with the whole quick and easy theme).

Next, chop some basil (as much or as little as you like) and add it to the tomatoes and garlic.

By this time your water should be boiling, so you can add the pasta to it. Make sure you set the timer and stir it!
While the pasta boils and the tomatoes cook, cut some fresh mozzarella into small pieces.

When you are done with that, if the pasta is still cooking, you can take a few minutes to clean-up and get your serving dish ready.

Once the pasta is done, drain but do not rinse it, then drizzle just a little bit of oil over it.

Now it's time to put this dish together!
Put the pasta into a serving dish, add the mozzarella, then pour the tomato sauce on top.

And voila! Dinner!
And, it only took about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

fruit and almond tart

I guess you can call this a tart.
Maybe a crostini?
I really don't know.
All I know is that I started experimenting with this type of dessert a while back, and I just can't get enough of it!
So, here is today's version- with pears, blackberries, almond paste and mascarpone cheese.

Here we go...

First, peel and slice your pears.

Then roll out your dough.
(yes, I used pre-made pie crust from the grocery store. So sue me...)

Next, put a thin layer of almond paste on top of the crust.

Top that with a layer of mascarpone cheese, then layer the pears on top.
(sorry there's no picture of the cheese layer- my hands were to dirty to snap one. And I forgot).

Next, roll the berries in a little sugar, then place them on top of the pears.
Use as little or many as you want here!

Once its done, Pop it into the oven. I cooked it at 400 for about 30 minutes.
Then I put the broiler on to brown the top.
Mostly because I have a crappy oven.
If you have a good oven, the baking should be enough.

Once it's done let it chill for a few (hot sugars do not feel good on the roof of your mount, trust me!), then enjoy. And feel free to pair this with some nice vanilla bean ice cream. I wish I had had some!!!

See you soon!
:)