lemony fresh

I love cooking with lemon juice, specifically, with fresh lemon juice. It is such a simple ingredient that can take the flavor of a dish above and beyond. While I always keep lemon juice in my fridge, when I pick up fresh lemons at the super market, I make sure I highlight them in my meal. This week, lemons inspired me to make delicious salmon and kale, both heavy on the lemon. If you didn't catch the trend by now, I absolutely love fish, and greens. And specifically, I've been on kale kick lately (and by lately, I mean the past year). If you haven't tried it, you must. Not only is it amazingly good for you (hello Vitamins K, A and C!) but it is so easy and versatile. It works wonderfully raw in a salad, steamed, or sauteed. Definitely check out my posts below with kale- I know it seems a little scary to handle, but I promise you, it is delicious!

My friend came over for dinner the other night and was kind enough to bring fresh, delicious salmon to share with my roommate and I. When creating the recipe, I let lemon take center stage (my friend also loves lemon so I knew it would be a hit) and inspire my meal. Before steaming my kale, I sauteed shallots and sunchokes, elevating the flavor level of my dish. And speaking of unfamiliar vegetables, I introduce to you, the Sunchoke. These weird little guys look almost like a mix between a finger and ginger root. They are long and tubular, and have a skin on them resembling that of a potato. Artichoke lovers, don't be fooled...these tasty little root veggies are related to the sunflower, not the artichoke. But never fear, they're just as delicious and cook more quickly than many of their root veggie cousins. The simplest way I've found, is to slice them into thin rounds, and saute (though roasting them works as well- watch out though, they will cook much more quickly than other root vegetables you might be used to roasting!). Not only are they delicious, but they're also inexpensive and abundant --people seem to shy away from these bad boys at the farmers market, which is great for me, but I'll share the wealth. Enjoy the farmer's market friendly recipes below (my all time favorite place to buy my produce, if you haven't been to Union Square on a Saturday, you must go, I promise you're in for a treat). 

 

White Wine Kale with Sunchokes and Lemon Herb Salmon

1 Shallot, chopped

5 sunchokes, peeled and cut into thin rounds

½ head of kale, taken off the stem

½ head of dinosaur kale (purple kale), taken off the stem

1 cup of grape tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp slivered almonds

½ lemon

1/4 cup white wine

Place a large, shallow pot over medium heat on your stove

Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of the pot

Add shallots and sunchokes and cook on low until they begin to soften (around 6-7 minutes)

Once these have cooked down a bit, add a splash of water, lemon juice, and next the kale

Cook on medium-low for a minute before adding the white wine, and the fresh tomatoes

Cook for one more minute covered before removing from heat

Sprinkle a last splash of lemon juice and almonds

kale, in the raw.

just added the sunchokes...

yum.

4 portions of fresh salmon

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lemon

1 tsp dill

½ tsp rosemary

½ tsp thyme

Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

Place salmon filets on a baking sheet, covered in tin foil, brushed lightly with olive oil

Drizzle remaining olive oil over filets

Squeeze the juice of ½ of the lemon over the fish

Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper, and the sprinkle herbs evenly over each of the filets 

Place lemon slices on top of fish

Cook for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, then a last 3 minutes with the oven on broil

enjoy!

perfectly cooked salmon