Happy to be Home (Oven Roasted Lemon/Herb Salmon & Asparagus – 5WW PPV)

Roasted Salmon and Asparagus.
Clean eating at its best.

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of airports, convention centers and meetings that were preceded by months of preparation and an intense push to the finish line. First Las Vegas. Then Barcelona. The yin and yang of convention venues. 

While I thrive on this kind of work, nothing feels better than coming home and getting back to normal. After arriving home in the wee hours of the morning, I took a mental (and physical) health day. It was wonderful to sleep in, unpack, check in with the dry cleaners and make a much needed run to Whole Foods for fish, and Harris Teeter for basic pantry and fridge supplies.  Among my purchases: the salmon and asparagus that became the perfect dinner to chase away that yicky feeling that comes from too many restaurant meals.

Barcelona was beautiful
and our meetings were successful
but there is no place like home.

Steve and a buddy escaped the cold weather for a little Florida Baseball Spring Training and golf, so I’m a solo act and hence the single dinner portion.  However, you can easily multiply the quantities to feed as many folks as you need to feed.  

As always, I encourage playing around with the herbs and other flavors – in fact, I think I’m going to do a riff on this with sea bass, cilantro, jalapeño, orange and lime tomorrow. 

Oven Roasted Lemon/Herb Salmon & Asparagus (5 WW PPV)

(Serves 1, double, triple or quadruple as needed)

Ingredients:

• 1 salmon filet, skin on if possible (4 oz = 5 WW PPV if that matters to you)  (I’ve said it a million times – if you are buying fish, buy the very best and freshest fish you can.  For me, that means Whole Foods or a local fish monger. Yes, you will pay a bit more.  If you are watching your pennies, enjoy a smaller portion, but make it the best.  Sermon over.)
• 1 TBS Lemon Juice
• 1 TBS Lemon Zest
• 2 or 3 shakes garlic powder
• 1 tsp or so of dried oregano
• 1 ½ tsp or so of dried thyme
• 1 TBS of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• Kosher Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper
• 6 to 8 stalks of Asparagus, woody end trimmed off
• Cooking Spray

Method:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees
• Line a cooking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray
• Place the fish (skin side down) and the asparagus on the tray – season liberally with salt and pepper and spray lightly with the cooking spray
• Place the tray in the oven and cook for 13 minutes
• While the fish is cooking, mix the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well to soften the dried herbs
• When the timer dings @ 13 minutes, remove the fish and asparagus from the oven and top the fish with the herb lemon mixture
• Return the fish and asparagus to the oven and continue cooking another 3 to 5 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the fish – touch it to test for doneness, you want it to just give to a light pressure and not be too soft – but equally important, you don’t want it to be hard.  (Nothing is worse than over cooked fish!)
• When the fish is done,  place the asparagus on a plate and then gently slide a spatula between the skin and the flesh, laying the fish atop the asparagus to serve. 

Enjoy!

Summer twist on a Barnett Favorite: Lemon Chicken Hits the Grill

Grilled lemon adds great flavor - and are tasty, too.

This one's a bonus blog -- had to share the yummy chicken that we served with the Farmers Market Summer Salad that I posted earlier today.  Lemon Chicken has been a Barnett go-to meal as long as I can remember.  Served up with lemon pasta, I have made it just about every time I've visited Will -- at college in Montana, and now at his city digs in Downtown LA.

Tonight, I did a grilled version - with great success.  Had to share.

Ready for a day in the 'fridge

Ingredients:

• Whole chicken cut into parts and skinned.  I like to cut the breasts in half, so you can pull the thin side off the fire before the thicker pieces.
• About a 7 or 8 inch sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped fine
• One lemon, cut into very thin slices
• Garlic powder (not garlic salt)
• 4 or 5 fresh basil leaves, chopped fine
• Olive oil
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 lemon to squeeze over the finished chicken

Method
Prep the chicken

• After you skin the chicken pieces, prep one side of each piece: sprinkled lightly with salt and pepper, then generously season with the garlic powder. 
• Top half of the pieces with a slice of lemon, drizzle with olive oil and then put seasoned side down into a shallow glass dish.
• Now do the same treatment to the other side, putting the lemon on the ones you left bare before.
• Cover with plastic wrap and
  stash in the 'fridge.  
• I let mine marinade all day - if you don't have that kind of time, a couple of hours should do it.

Time to grill

• Get your grill screaming hot
• Place the pieces of chicken on the grill, putting the lemon on the side that is up.  Close the lid and cook until they have got good grill marks and are feeling firm.
• Now pull off the lemon and flip.  Replace the lemon on the top of the pieces of chicken.  (Trust me, this is worth it).
• Continue to cook and flip until the chicken is done.  It will be firm and juices will run clear.  
• When you pull from the grill, squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken and sprinkle with the basil.

Enjoy.

End of vacation dinner (Will’s lemon scented pasta)

A note from Holly:

(I was going to post the recipe for my lemon chicken – and then I realized that I’ve already posted it.  Brain Cramp. What I will share with you is the pasta that we served with the lemon chicken I made last night.  More of a method than a recipe, this one so simple yet so delicious.  And the really cool part – Will came up with it!  I guess he got the cooking gene!)

It seems like we just picked up Will at the airport and now his summer break is over.  Tomorrow at o'dark-thirty he and Steve will leave for a cross-country drive back to school. They’ve got a great itinerary planned – and will hit baseball games in Chicago and Minneapolis before fishing their way thru North Dakota and finally dropping into the Big Sky State. 

As moms are wont to do, I cooked up one of Will’s favorite dishes last night – lemon chicken.  And this time, he taught me a trick – scenting the pasta itself with lemon by putting both the juice and the juiced lemon halves into the salted pasta water right before you add the pasta.  Wow, was it good.

Lemon Scented Pasta

Ingredients

• Large pot of boiling water
• 2 – 3 Tbs of Kosher Salt
• 1 lemon, juiced
• The actual lemon that was just juiced
• 4 servings of angle hair pasta (or any shaped pasta of your choice)

Method

• Boil the water in a very large pot
• Add the salt, lemon juice and juiced lemon halves
• Add the pasta and cook according to package directions
• Drain the pasta and return to the pot you cooked it in.
• If you are serving with a dish that has a sauce, pour some of the sauce on the pasta before serving. 
• Or you can simply toss gently with
• 1 Tbs melted butter
• 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• Some chopped flat leaf parsley

To serve

• This is great with lemon pasta, but would be equally good with shrimp, fish, or even sautéed zucchini or spring peas.
• Dust with Parmesan cheese

Dig in and enjoy!

Outer Banks Escape (Herbed Cheese and Prosciutto Crostini)

Just one more day until summer is officially here. And summer in North Carolina equals The Beach.  Maybe it’s because it takes a bit of effort and involves a two to three hour drive and usually an overnight stay, but going to the beach is an iconic Carolina summer experience. In fact, lately it seems that everyone I come in contact with has just returned from the beach or is headed there in the next few days.

Not to be left out, Steve and I made our first weekend pilgrimage to the sandy shores of our new state last weekend.  I had just come off of a big project and needed a break. So we broke out Google Maps and started checking things out.  A tip from my brother charted our course – The Outer Banks. Even it’s name sounds remote and nostalgic. We couldn't wait to get on the road.

The Outer Banks is actually a thin strip of tiny islands off the North Carolina Coast, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and Alberlarle Sound and Pamlico Sound to the west.  It’s where the Wright Brothers made their historic first flight at Kitty Hawk and where the Pirate Blackbeard fought his last battle. Today, you can still find pristine beaches of fine white sand and sea grass, quaint light houses, lovely beach houses and inns, and excellent restaurants. The islands are accessible by bridge or ferry, which turns a quick getaway into more of an adventure.

One of the highlights of the trip was a fantastic dinner at The Inn on Pamlico Sound, a beautiful property with an excellent restaurant that over looks -- you got it -- the Pamlico Sound.  

One of the highlights of our meal was a great herbed cheese and prosciutto crostini appetizer. Crostini means “little toasts” in Italian. They can be topped with just about anything, but this version’s light and fresh flavors of herbs and lemon were a perfect complement to a crisp sauvignon blanc and a warm summer night. 

As often happens when we are in a restaurant, I vowed to duplicate the dish when we got home. Yesterday I put together the recipe below and took it to a neighborhood get-together last night. I must say, I think I nailed it.  I hope you give it a try.

Herbed Cheese and Prosciutto Crostini

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 package Snofrisk (This is a mild spreadable cheese that is 80% cows milk and 20% goat milk. Look for this in the specialty cheese section of your grocer.  Whole Foods carries it.)
• 2 Tbs chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 Tbs finely minced chives
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 5 grinds black pepper
• 12 thin slices of ciabatta bread
• 12 thin slices of parma prosciutto (Get the real deal if you can.  It’s pricy, but you only need 12 slices.  Have the butcher or deli person slice it ultra thin)
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 handfuls of arugula

Method

Herbed Cheese:

• Mix the cheese, thyme, chives, lemon zest and pepper in a small bowl
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors meld.  You can make this the day before.

Crostini Toasts:

• On a grill pan or outside grill, toast the bread slices

Balsamic syrup:

• In a small saucepan, heat the balsamic vinegar and sugar over very low heat until it has reduced by half and creates a thick syrup.  You won’t end up with much, but you only need a very small amount
• Set aside

To assemble

• Spread a thin layer of the cheese mixture on each piece of toast
• Top with a piece of the prosciutto
• Heap the arugula onto a serving platter
• Place the crostinis on top of the arugula
• Using a teaspoon and lightly drizzle the balsamic vinegar syrup over the toasts and arugula

To eat, you can place a piece or two of arugula atop the crostini. 

Enjoy!

Smile (Lemon Chicken Pasta)

Nothing guarantees a smile outta me like a text or email from our son, Will who has been attending college in Helena, Montana for the past three years. Anyone who has had a child go off to college knows the feeling. You devote 18 years of your life getting them ready to leave the nest. And then they do. Thank goodness for the Internet.

I got one of those emails the other day while we were driving cross-country. He was cooking dinner for a friend and wanted to know if I had any ideas. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree and Will knows his way around the kitchen, which is a good thing when you are an athlete.

So I tapped out my response – a lemon chicken pasta that I felt was sure to please. Turns out, he fixed something else (which is totally OK, and I want the recipe for the salad he made!). But tonight, after unpacking boxes for 9 hours I found myself walking down to Weaver Street Market to pick up the fixin’s.

And when Steve walked in the door after spending 9 hours of supervising (and helping) our moving crew as they transferred our all our worldly possessions into storage, I saw a smile on his face, too.

Here it is… give it a try… and hope you smile as well.

Lemon Chicken Pasta

(Serves 2 - usually with leftovers for lunch the next day. Scales well to serve 4 or 6)

Ingredients

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 Tbs flour
• 1 1/2 to 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil or butter (enough to coat the pan)
• ½ medium sized onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• 3 large or 6 small mushrooms, sliced
• 1 Tbs fresh thyme
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 Tbs capers, drained
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• ½ box penne pasta, cooked
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley to garnish (optional)

Method

• Put a large pot of water on to boil, season with salt
• Add pasta, cook until al dente (about 8 minutes) then drain. Set aside.

While the pasta is boiling:

• Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then toss with the flour
• Melt the butter or warm the olive oil in a medium sized skillet over medium/high heat.
• Brown the chicken, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• Add the onion to the pan. Cook until soft.
• Lower the heat… Add the mushrooms, garlic and thyme. Cook another 5 – 7 minutes, or until soft.
• Add the chicken back into the pan.
• Stir in the broth, scraping up any browned bits.
• Add the capers
• Now add the drained pasta

At this point you can turn the heat off and cover to keep warm.

• When you are ready to serve, heat the mixture up, add the lemon zest and juice. Continue heating until everything is warmed through.
• A bit of fresh parsley and Parmesan is a nice garnish.

Enjoy!