Book Eighty-Four: Everyday Italian

by Giada De Laurentiis


                             Salmon Baked in [Parchment]

Sorry hon to have such a beautiful, tasty dinner without you; though I'm sure you yourself will be having something delicious with the boys, or maybe not...

I rode today as is the norm on Saturdays and when the hubby is not home for dinner I will just grab myself some cereal or something just as quick since I am pooped after my rides.

This evening I was craving something a bit more substantial than cereal; so to the bookshelf I went. Giada came to the rescue with something tasty and easy. I came to know (not personally unfortunately) Giada through the Food Network on television. I used to watch this station religiously. Then the show had to go all weird on me. Instead of these wonderful cooks in their kitchens teaching us how to cook which I so enjoyed until they went all "reality-like" with shows such as Cupcake Wars, Chopped, Iron Chef America, etc., not to mention the traveling shows. Food Network, please go back to having the chefs in the kitchen, I so miss watching them actually cook.

I was lucky to have most of the ingredients on-hand for this dish other than the salmon itself and the shallots called for in the recipe. I had to substitute the shallots for garlic due to the fact that I did not put one item on my grocery list that I needed for dinner. I was too engrossed in another recipe that I came across; Coffee Ice Cream - a future post - stay tuned. I made sure to write down all that was needed for that recipe! I am so easily distracted with dessert recipes.

I had extra dough in the freezer from the oasis naan I posted about previously and gave it another try. It did in fact turn out a bit better this time around. Though it was still a tad tougher than I like my naan, it has potential. I truly think my problem was adding too much flour while kneading the dough and I did not give the dough time to rest.

Giada bakes her salmon in foil. I prefer the feel and look of parchment; especially if your are serving this to company. To see how to construct the parchment packet see my post on Cooking in Parchment.

The salmon packet baking away in the oven smelled amazing. I would recommend that you use a skinless fillet so that the fish will soak up all the delicious dressing that was poured over it. I really enjoyed this and it was healthy to boot! Healthy only until I ate almost the whole piece of naan that I baked and the White Russians I made from the bottle of Kahlúa I had to buy for the coffee ice cream I'm going to make next. I am feeling the pounds piling on - Lord help me!

Success meter (1-3): 3

amazon

"en papillote "

French for "in parchment"

Ohh.. I forgot the garnish!

Salmon Baked in Foil

Serves 4

3 tomatoes, chopped, or 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice, drained

2 shallots, chopped

2 Tbl. plus 2 tsp. olive oil

2 Tbl. fresh lemon juice (from about ½ lemon)

1 ½ tsp. chopped fresh oregano or ¾ tsp. dried

1 ½ tsp. chopped fresh thyme or ¾ tsp. dried

1 tsp. salt

¾ tsp. pepper

4 salmon fillets (about 5 oz. each)

Preheat oven to 400° F. In a medium bowl, stir the tomatoes, shallots, 2 tablespoons of oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. In the center of each of four large sheets of aluminum foil, spoon ½ teaspoon of oil. Place 1 salmon fillet atop each sheet of foil and turn to coat with the oil. Sprinkle the salmon fillets with the remaining ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Spoon the tomato mixture over the salmon. Fold the sides of the foil over the fish and tomato mixture, covering completely, and seal the packets closed. Place the foil packets on a large, heavy baking sheet. (The salmon packets can be prepared up to this point 6 hours ahead. Refrigerate until ready to bake.)

Bakke until the salmon is just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Using a large metal spatula, transfer the foil packets to plates and serve. (You may want to unwrap and plate the fish in the kitchen before serving.)

Everyday Italian/Giada De Laurentiis