Tag: peas

Zucchini Salmon Pasta and Raspberry Parfait

zucchini salmon pasta

How do I decide on what to cook for supper today? The answer for us is straightforward. Just step out the door and see what’s ripened in the front and backyard. As summer rolls in a full swing, this is how we eat. But hey, as much as I love cooking and eating good fresh food, there are times I don’t want to bother (yes, I said it) in the heat. Today’s post is a solution for my dilemma. Keep it simple, fresh, nutritious and yet exciting! You can still entertain your guests with the following easy recipes. This is also the perfect time for us to appreciate the artistry of the local artisans after a weekend farmer’s market visit.

zucchini planttoasted baguette slices with Brie cheese and Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper JamStrawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jamzucchini salmon pastaraspberry plantraspberriesraspberry lemon yogurt parfait

Zucchini Salmon Pasta

Serves 3-4

A piece of wild salmon fillet (about 1lb)

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons grain mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon dry white wine

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped finely

2 tablespoons garlic cloves, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 cups fusilli or rotini pasta

2 green onions, finely chopped

4 baby zucchinis, thinly sliced

2 lb fresh broad beans in the pod, shelled

Good handful of shelling peas, shelled

5 turnips, thinly sliced

In a small bowl, combine the mustard, oil, wine, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir well, set aside.

Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil. Place the salmon on the sheet, sprinkle with the salt and pepper, then broil for 2 minutes.

Spoon the mustard mixture over the fillet and continue to broil for about 5 minutes until the fillet becomes flaky when tested and the top golden brown. Let cool and set aside.

Cook the pasta in well-salted boiling water till al dente. In the meantime, prepare the vegetables. Boil water in a small pan and cook shelled broad beans and peas for 2 minutes. Plunge in cold water and remove thin films from the broad beans. Drain well. Chop the green onions, and slice the zucchinis and turnips.

Rinse the pasta in cold water and drain well. In a large bowl combine the salmon, vegetables and pasta. Transfer to a large platter. Serve immediately.

 

Brie and Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam with Baguette Slices

I could not help but serve the Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam that I picked up last weekend from my farmer’s market friend Kathy of de la Bouche Specialty Foods. So here is what I did with it.

Serves 4

Half of regular baguette, thinly sliced and lightly toasted

A wheel of Brie cheese, wedged

Kathy’s Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam

Assemble all together, using generous portions. Indulge yourself with a glass of well chilled Chardonnay!

 

Raspberry Parfait

I like taking a stroll in the garden in order to forage for a dessert after eating a main dish. Summer enables me to pick food right off plants and turn it into beautiful dishes in a matter of minutes. Bake the dough ahead of time so you can assemble the parfaits together with your guests (forage if you have a raspberry patch)!

Serves 4

Spelt rhubarb squares dough, broken into fine pieces (recipe here)

A container of Liberté Méditerrantée Lemon Yogurt, well stirred

A big bowl of freshly picked raspberries, rinsed and drained well

Chill tall parfait glasses in the freezer for 15 minutes or so. Layer the spelt rhubarb squares dough, yogurt and raspberries in a tall chilled glass. Serve immediately.

raspberry lemon yogurt parfait

Broiled salmon, adapted from giada’s family dinners.

 

Official Spring Day and Arugula Pasta Dish

Arugula leaves

It is officially the first day of spring! My heart rushes when the sun peaks out through the clouds and birds start twittering in the balmy spring air. Arugula has been abundantly growing in a raised bed that I sowed under cloche at the end of last September, and I can see the young plants now, stretching all their leaves toward the sun as if they were yawning.. Early tulips are also in their prime among snowdrops and crocuses, making the garden vibrant with colour.

Tulips

On the other hand, I get impatient knowing it is warm enough for weeds to start growing and spreading in my garden. Also, while the daytime temperature feels warmer, the ground is still too wet and heavy to work at all. Normally, I wait to sow seeds until the garden dries out (until mid-April for raised beds and early May for direct sowing in the ground), but this year it seemed to have rained and hailed so much in this area that to my dismay, it might take even longer than usual for the ground to be worked. So instead of waiting, I decided to get a head start and sowed seeds for indoor growing.

Peas and lettuce seeds

There are so many plants I want to start indoors yet so little room inside of our house, so I have to do a race with one kind of vegetables after another, filling a 4 tier shelving unit with grow lights, and controlling the temperature and humidity (when possible). But most importantly, I have to protect the young plants from our four legged grazers during our absence. If you have a windowsill that receives a full day of bright light (about 8 hours), you do not need grow lights. Simply place your seedlings in a bright warm area of your house and grow them until they have a few large leaves and the temperature gets as warm as 15 C outside. I move them out to a small greenhouse or a cold frame outside when the seedlings become strong enough to survive in order to create more room for other seedlings to grow on the shelves.

Sowing seeds

Following the onion seedlings that I sowed last week, I also sowed various types of lettuce and different kinds of snap peas and snow peas. In the meantime, I made a pasta dish for lunch with a big bowl of freshly harvested arugula. I cooked the pasta in a well-salted, boiling pot of water to al dente, and drizzled good quality extra virgin olive oil on top, then tossed everything with arugula leaves and sliced rosemary ham. To finish, I used a dash of cracked pepper and salt, grated parmesan cheese generously over top and drizzled a dash of the olive oil over it all. I like the simplicity of this dish, which allows you to enjoy the tender, nutty favour of freshly harvested arugula. Toasted pine nuts would’ve made it fancier, but I didn’t have any.

Pasta with ham and arugula