Be my Valentine? - Pasta with Smoked Salmon

Italians make this pasta on Valentine's Day but it is too good to confine to one day of the year.

Pasta with Smoked Salmon

1/2 pound of Pasta, linguine or penne
1/4 to 1/3 of a pound of Smoked Salmon, thinly sliced and cut into shreds
1 Shallot, slice thin
2 tablespoons Butter, preferably unsalted
1/2 cup of heavy Cream
1 tablespoon minced Parsley
1 tablespoon Whiskey, Brandy, Vodka
Salt and Pepper

This is how I do it. Cook pasta according to the directions on the box. This sauce is speedy (about 5-7 minutes) so do the preparation work first and do not overcook the sauce or the pasta. Start the sauce after you put the pasta in the boiling water.

Saute the Shallot in Butter until it is transparent. Do not brown. Add the shreds of Salmon, cook a moment until the Salmon changes color, add the liquor and saute until the liquor evaporates. Very gently stir in the cream. Check the seasoning. Add the Parsley. Add the drained pasta to the pan sauce and gently turn the contents until the sauce covers all the pasta. Serve promptly. Ideally diners are already seated and salivating. This is Italian fast food. Whole operation takes 25 minutes start to finish.

Serves two to four depending upon whether you serve as dinner or a first course. Yes, I put grated cheese on the table for those who like it on all pasta. Like me.

Gumbo Verde Louisiana

This Gumbo works nicely in a crockpot. Serve in soup bowls with Rice and Louisiana style Hot Sauce. Easy to do and tastes fine. Nearly impossible to overcook it. Just gets thicker and richer. 

Throw it together and let it simmer for hours. Yes, you can do it on the top of the stove, but why? This is more you-have-to-cook-dinner-365-days-a-year cooking. EASY to do. Tastes good. 

Forgive the brevity and lack of direction - sometimes I get these recipes written down on the backs of envelopes. The Greens are the best part of this Gumbo for my taste. I double the amount.  

Gumbo Verde

1 pound smoked or garlic Sausage, sliced in bite size pieces

2 cans of Navy Beans

1 can Beef Consomme with 2 cups Water

1 package frozen chopped Mustard Greens (10 ounces)

1 Onion, chopped

1 Bell Pepper, chopped

2 clove Garlic, chopped (optional)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Saute the Sausage with Onion, Bell Pepper and Garlic. Combine Sausage mixture with the Consomme and Water, Beans, Greens. Add Salt and Pepper to taste. Simmer slowly until the Beans become very soft and the Gumbo is thickened thereby.

Feel free to substitute cannellini or pink beans. You can use turnip greens or collards. I like frozen Turnip or Mustard Greens. I can only find them frozen in ethnic markets. So worth searching for. 

Poor Man's Turkey

“People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.” ― Abraham Lincoln

This recipe comes from Karen Rock and Recipes of the Liberty Bell Chapter #266 - Vietnam Veterans of America.

This might taste awfully good on those days when you are sick of leftover Turkey and you have some stuffing left. I never have any stuffing left. And I hate Turkey. Might have to improvise.

I suppose you could make some stuffing just for this dish. Might be yummy. I like the whole idea.

Poor Man's Turkey

1 pound Ground Beef
1/2 cup Bread Crumbs
1 Egg
1 small Onion, chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 cup cooked Stuffing
1 slice raw Bacon (optional)

Combine first five ingredients and form into one loaf. Cut in half lengthwise and insert Stuffing into the middle of the loaf. Put back into shape and bake one hour at 375 degrees. Place strip of Bacon on top of meatloaf to keep it from drying out. Serves 4.

Sauce for Roast Beast or Ducking the Turkey

We are having Thanksgiving Roast Duck. I know I am out of step. I just do not like Turkey all that much.  The children love it, so I have dutifully served it for years. The Viper Girls have become a little less traditional now in their Terrible Thirties. So I am ducking the Turkey. I love puns.

I decided I would try a new Relish to complement the richness of Roast Duck. I went looking in some of my regional cookbooks and found the recipe below. I reproduce it here in case you want to do something NEW too.

Pickle Nut Salad

2 packets Knox Gelatin
2 cups cold Water
2 cups Sugar
1 cup Vinegar
1 and 1/2 cups cubed sweet midget Pickles
1 cup chopped English Walnuts

Dissolve Knox gelatin in cold water. Boil sugar and vinegar to 250 degrees or until it spins a thread. Pour sugar syrup into gelatin water, stir. Pour into 9 inch square container and add pickles and nuts, stir. Serve when set.