Curried Salmon and Veritas Ridge 2009 Alexander Valley Chardonnay
Well, I thought about it for quite some time as I tried to decide what recipe would be best to share with you as I start this blog. There were several factors that I considered. First, I wanted it to be something easy. Nothing irks me more than when I look at a recipe and it looks like the plans for NASA’s new Mars Lander. Secondly, I wanted it to be something that most of you have probably not tried. Although I have made this recipe hundreds of times for hundreds of guests, most people have probably never thought of Curried Salmon when considering a fish dish. Thirdly, I considered the health benefits. Not only is this meal light and healthy but it is rich in ever-needed Omega Fatty Acids. Next, I considered the wine I wanted to pair it with. Although this course has been paired with several of our wines including the soft, fruity well-rounded Veritas Ridge Pinot Noir and the fruit-forward, peppery Veritas Ridge North Coast Zinfandel, I decided to pair it with our Veritas Ridge 2009 Alexander Valley Chardonnay. Lastly, I considered the temperature. For those of you that do not know, I live in the Valley of the Sun, Phoenix, Arizona or as we like to call it - in July-HELL. When living in HELL, we like to eat things that do not heat us up any further. This meal can be served hot or cold. It takes on a different personality in each of those conditions.
Curried Salmon
Total prep time-20 minutes if you are a novice, less than 10 minutes if you are comfortable in the kitchen.
Total cook time-about 20 minutes no matter whether you are a novice or expert. Don’t overcook.
- 3 lb Salmon Filet. This can be either skinless or with the skin intact. Both ways have their own benefits when cooking. You can get this from your local grocery store or fish market. It can be just regular farm grown salmon or wild caught Alaskan or other Northwest variety.
- 2 tbsp good quality curry powder. Don’t get this from your local grocery store. Take a visit to an Indian grocery store or Asian market. It will be worth the effort.
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ tbsp Kosher salt, additional salt to taste
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 cups Basmati rice
- ¼ cup Grey Poupon mustard
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil
In a small mixing bowl, mix together the salt, sugar and half (1 tbsp) of the curry powder. Wash the salmon filet in cool water and pat dry with a paper towel. Prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with aluminum foil. Trust me, this will make clean-up a breeze. Spread 1 tbsp of olive oil on the cookie sheet and place the salmon filet on it skin side down (whether or not it has skin). Using a fork or pastry brush, apply the mustard to the salmon in a thin even coat. Next, spread the dry spice mixture onto the salmon to evenly coat the mustard. Cover and place the fish into the refrigerator for at least an hour. You may let it stay overnight.
When you are ready to cook, the rest of the meal can be prepared at the same time as everything takes about the same amount of time to cook. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place the salmon in the oven uncovered at the same time as you start preparation of the rice and onions.
The rice can be cooked in your usual way. I like to use 4 cups water and a tbsp of butter. Bring to a boil in a saucepan. Add rice and return to boil. Turn heat to low, cover and stir once during the cooking process. This should take about 10 minutes or so or until all the water is gone.
Slice the onion. Heat a non-stick skillet with 1tbsp of olive oil and add onions and 1 tbsp of curry powder. Add salt to taste as you carmelize the onions. This is done over medium heat stirring often. When onions are soft and a nice golden brown color, they are done.
The salmon can be checked for doneness in the very center (where it is thickest).
When you are ready to plate, spread the rice on a platter in a uniform thickness in an area about the same size as the salmon filet. Next spread the onions evenly over the rice. If the salmon was skin on, the filet should separate very easily from the skin as you place the salmon on top of the rice and onions. If it was skinless, it should also release very nicely from the aluminum foil. The entire filet should be placed on top of the rice. When serving, a spatula may be used so that with each portion you get rice, curried onions and salmon.
I like to serve this with asparagus spears prepared on the stove top with olive oil, black pepper and minced garlic.
If you prefer to serve this dish cold…and I highly recommend it, the salmon and onions may be cooked before hand and kept refrigerated. When you are ready to serve, cook the rice and place on the platter and assemble as above. Refrigerated rice is just not as good…the cooked rice will then lightly heat the onions and salmon.
Our 2009 Alexander Valley Chardonnay is likely the only un-oaked Chardonnay from the 2009 vintage. It is crisp and fruity and makes for a perfect summer wine. It is best served at around 42 degrees. With the typical conventional refrigerator (not wine fridge) set at 38 degrees, I recommend placing the wine in the fridge for a few hours before drinking. Pour with the meal service and by the time you take your first sip with a bite of food it will be around 42 degrees. Be sure to try the wine before your first bite so that you can notice the flavors that the food brings out in the wine.
Mushroom and Carmelized Onion Flatbread
So the average high temperature in Phoenix this weekend is 112 degrees while the average low at night is a shade over 90. And that isn’t even the definition of a scorcher in this area of the country! So, in keeping with the need for cooler foods and wines, I would like to share my recipe for a mushroom and carmelized onion flatbread to pair with our crisp and fruit laden Sauvignon Blanc.
We start with the dough for the flatbread. For those of you following my recipes closely, you know that I am quite proud of my pizza dough recipe. This is the recipe I use for my flatbread. This recipe can be found on the website under Pizza and Wine Pairings but I will repeat here for completeness. This Pizza dough recipe makes four one pound dough rounds. A one pound round can be stretched into a 16 inch diameter pizza. For individual sized flatbreads, each one pound round may be divided into four equal smaller rounds. The recipe below can be halved or quartered as needed.
6 ½ cups Unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tbsp (2 packets) dry active yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 ½ tbsp kosher salt
¼ cup olive oil
2 ¾ cups lukewarm water
Mix the yeast, sugar, salt and oil with the water in a large mixer bowl. Place on mixer with dough hook and set speed to 2. Add flour slowly and continue mixing until all flour is incorporated. You may stop the mixer periodically to scrape flour off the edges of the bowl. When mixing is complete, remove and let stand for 2 hours until dough rises and collapses or flattens out. The dough may be used immediately or refrigerated for up to 12 days.
Place the small round of dough on your prep surface that has been lightly dusted with flour and use your hands to flatten and stretch it our. Keep in mind that you are not trying to make a mini-pizza so it does not have to be completely round. As a matter of fact, try for different shapes. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees and allow your pizza stone to heat for an additional 20 minutes. If you don’t have a pizza stone, you may place the flatbreads on a cookie sheet. When the flatbread is cooked, it will no longer stick to the pizza stone. You can flip it if you like, but I usually don’t. Remove the flatbread from the oven and let stand while you prepare the toppings.
If you have never carmelized onions, you are missing out on a great ingredient for many dishes. We have to fix that. Cut a large onion in half and slice into slices approximately ¼ inch thick. Place into a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add a half tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Slowly turn the onions occasionally as they start to take on a deep golden color. Lower the heat to a level where the onions do not burn or stick to the skillet. This should be a slow process. When the onions reach the deep golden color, they are done. Remove the onions from the skillet and place into a container for later use.
In the same skillet, place 4 ounces each of mushrooms and oyster mushrooms sliced with a half tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Heat over medium heat to cook the mushrooms. Add ½ teaspoon each of garlic powder and black pepper. Salt to taste. Once the mushrooms are cooked, remove from heat and place into a container for later use.
The cheese to be used on this flatbread will be fontina cheese. Slice the wedge of fontina into strips 1 inch wide. Brush the flatbread lightly with white truffle oil. This will give the flatbread a wonderful fragrance when cooked. Place fontina slices on the flatbread spaced evenly. You are not trying to cover the entire flatbread with cheese. As the cheese melts, it will spread. Next place mushrooms on the flatbread, as much as you would like. Lastly, pile on the onions. I have done this recipe many times for various groups of guests. We have used lots of mushroom and onions and also just enough to cover the flatbread. Both were well-received.
Place the flatbread back into the oven for 3 minutes or until the cheese melts. This can be done on a pizza stone or under the broiler. If using the broiler, place flatbread on the middle rack and only leave in for a minute or so. Remove flatbread and cut into pieces to serve.
The mushroom and onion flatbread can be enjoyed with our Veritas Ridge Sauvignon Blanc. The lemon-lime and peach bouquet of this wine pairs well with the aromas of white truffle oil, carmelized onions and the mushrooms.
By Appointment Only
Here we are in the month of December and the holidays are upon us. If you follow us on facebook, you have seen a huge influx of holiday spirit infused in our page. We are hoping that Santa comes and fill or Toys for Tots box as next Wednesday as the last day for this season. I know everyone is busy, but a Random Act of Kindness can be planned. Bring a toy in today for a boy or girl who may not receive one otherwise. In this month where we get busy with the commercial aspect of the season, I am trying to Pay It Forward with my community. If we do one thing for one person, each one of us, we can have a lasting effect that will be felt through out our city. We can touch the lives of each other and those around us.
As of mid week, In Vino Veritas will be changing it's hours to BY APPOINTMENT ONLY to better serve our customers. We can do private pourings for you in the tasting room. We can go to your hotel, restaurant or bed and breakfast or other venue. Our first outside pouring will be at Franco's in Santa Rosa. Dates to be announced.
Our next event will e Suzannes Leslie's Art Reception on January 15th. I will update you soon with the details...
