Fido the Yak

Here's a simple recipe for Levi, whom I am missing.

Baked Coho Salmon with Wild Rice and Asparagus for Two

Wild Rice

One hour before eating mix ½ cup of wild rice and ½ cup of long grain brown rice together in a sauce pan. Add about 1 and ¾ cups of water and bring to boil. Cover and let sit a notch above the lowest heat. Entertain yourself for about twenty minutes.

Baked Salmon Fillet

For two people you need to have bought no more than 1 lb. of salmon. Preheat the oven to about 375°. Peel a few cloves of garlic and set them aside. Spread yogurt butter on the bottom of a baking dish. If you need to bone the salmon get out a pair of needlenose pliers and do that. Cut the salmon into two fillets and skin each half. Place the salmon in the baking dish show side up. Put the garlic through a garlic press and spread the minced garlic on the salmon fillets. (If you don't have a garlic press you will have to mince the garlic with your knife or use minced garlic from a jar–or not use garlic at all.) Sometimes I spread yogurt butter with the garlic on top of the salmon, but that's not necessary. Cover the baking dish with a lid or with tinfoil. This needs to bake in the oven for about 25 minutes. Wash off your knife, your hands and cutting board with hot water and disinfectant. Kill some time.

Asparagus

Use one bunch of asparagus, about a pound. Rinse it. Snap off the stems right where it's easy to snap them, about ⅝ of the way down. You can use the bases later for a vegetable stock. Otherwise pitch them. Lay the asparagus spears in a steamer basket in a big stock pot or the like with about an inch of water on the bottom. Add some salt. Cover the pot and set on the stove, but don't turn on the heat until you have less than ten minutes before the salmon is done. Take a whole lemon (you don't need a whole lemon but it's easier to work with a whole lemon in your hand) and using a paring knife peel just the outer rind away from not quite half the lemon. Use a zester or fine multi-purpose grater to grate some zest. Kill some time by setting the table or uncorking some wine. (We tried this dish the other night with a so-called dry Riesling, which wouldn't have been my first choice, but the bottle was already open so we finished it. I think a Maryhill Viognier would have been better.) Turn on the heat and when you hear it boil let the asparagus steam for 4-7 minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears. Don't overcook the asparagus! Four minutes is most probably enough. Melt about three tablespoons of yogurt butter in a saute pan on medium high heat. Add the lemon zest and a splash of orange juice. Now take the asparagus spears out of the steamer and place them in the saute pan. Use tongs if you must. Toss the asparagus a few times. (If you can't flip things in a saute pan, practice with a towel.) Grind some pepper on the asparagus and toss some more. When the asparagus is good and coated you're ready to dish it up.

Labels: asparagus, cooking, rice, salmon

posted by Fido the Yak at 4:55 PM.