The Objective

Food is a hobby for me. It is not just fuel. It can be art and it can be flavor. It can make my day and, many days, is the highlight. As with anything, you can't get better without practicing and reflection.

We don't always know how well a recipe or idea will turn out. In my opinion, cooking is as much about the experience as the food. Exploring techniques and ingredients makes our culinary experiences interesting. My expectation is to report on recipes I try. The collection of magazine recipes (Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, Everyday Food, etc.) and cookbooks has grown over the past several months without using any of them. I would be remiss if I did not give them the opportunity to wow me. That said, the objective of this blog is simple: to cook food -at least 1 recipe per week. The complexity of the recipes reviewed in this blog will range and, at times, seem completely random.

Although my objective is plain, I hope to change the pace now and then with adding a few "special features" related to food or food events.

I welcome your comments and critiques and hope you enjoy my experience as much as I do.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Tuscan Salmon with Rosemary Orzo

Date Prepared: 04/13/11

Sourcehttp://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Tuscan-Salmon-with-Rosemary-Orzo-364531


Tuscan Salmon with Rosemary Orzo and Tomato and Olive Saute
 *Recipe:

6 ounces orzo
2 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
4 salmon fillets (5 ounces each), skin on
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 

To Serve:

Cook orzo as directed on package until al dente.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook 1/2 cup onion and rosemary until onion softens, 9 minutes. Combine with orzo in a bowl.

Season salmon with 1 tablespoon basil, salt and pepper. Heat same skillet over medium-high heat. Cook salmon until golden, 5 minutes per side, flesh side down first; set aside.

Add garlic and remaining 1 cup onion to skillet; cook until soft, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and olives; cook until tomatoes break up, 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; stir in parsley and remaining 1/4 cup basil. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve fish over orzo and top with tomato mixture.  
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Difficulty: Easy - The techniques required for this preparation are relatively basic. The preparation of the fish is the most difficult task to complete. Even so, the fish is difficult to ruin. Salmon can be cooked medium or more done as desired. The worst case scenario is that the salmon is flaky and well done, which is how I prefer salmon (for now).

AccessibilityCommon to Limited Specialty - The ingredients in this preparation should be available at a basic grocery store. It seems most grocery stores I've been to lately offer fresh Atlantic Salmon. Many larger grocery stores have an olive bar but kalamata olives can be purchased in a jar, too.

Visual Appeal:  The salmon was the most enticing part of this dish. As the fillets were cooked in the non-stick skillet with a little olive oil, they developed a nice golden color flecked with the green of the basil. The Cooked tomatoes, olive, and onion mixture does darken the dish some; the tomatoes would have provided some "crispness" is left in the raw form. The orzo was sparsely seasoned with the rosemary but offered some effect in the way of contrast to the golden color of the fish and olive/tomato mixture.

Overall Taste: Care was taken not to overseason the fish, orzo, or garnish. For my preference, the seasoning was well balanced. I rarely use fresh herbs due to the cost but splurged on this recipe. The aroma and flavor from the basil and rosemary are subtle and not overwhelming. The onion and olives do almost overwhelm the salmon but the moderate flavor of the fish is still distinguishable. Overall the lack of "crunchy" elements was noted but does not necessarily detract from the overall taste of the element.

Overall Experience: This was one of my first experiences cooking orzo and salmon and was concerned with not cooking them to the appropriate temperature and texture. Fortunately, the pasta was cooked al dente, as desired, and the salmon was cooked all the way through. This preparation was an exciting alternative to my typical palette of proteins and was agreed to be a recipe that deserves a repeat performance.

Additional Notes: 5oz. fillets of Atlantic salmon were used as recommended by the recipe. This recipe required a few different fresh herbs. Fortuitously, whole herb plants were virtually the same price as packaged fresh parsley, basil, and rosemary. As a result, I purchased potted plants of each herb variety and  now have the opportunity to use fresh herbs for a few additional recipes, or until I manage to kill my small new herb garden.

*The recipe and instructions for this recipe have been reported to maintain the original instruction and is not an original recipe and belongs to the source indicated. This post has been prepared as a review only and with no intention to take credit for this recipe. This recipe has been reviewed without instruction or influence by the parties or companies mentioned therein.

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