Tuscan Salmon with Olive and Caper Greens Over Creamy Herbed Polenta

Well I have never been to Tuscany, but as I cook this dish and serve it with a well balanced Pinot Noir I imagine I am there cooking in a little cottage on the Tuscan countryside. I have always loved to read about France and Italy, and when I say read I mean cookbooks of course! Rustic Mediterranean cooking is what really brought me the love of cooking.

Most would assume that I have been cooking in the kitchen all of my life and loving it. The reality is I used to be indifferent to cooking. I did spend a lot of time in the kitchen growing up, both of my parents love to cook, but I never had a passion for cooking. In fact when I met my husband I told him if he wanted a woman who would cook he’d better move on! Notice I said would and not could…My love of cooking was really born from a deep desire to nourish my body with healthy natural ingredients coupled with a yearning to travel abroad. When I was younger I did not have the resources to travel, but found something special in the pages of amazingly illustrated books about the rustic European country and sea sides. Almost all of the books that drew me in were actually cookbooks. Books with pictures depicting scenes that included a tranquil picnic set on a rustic wooden table among an endless field of flowers and grapevines.  On the table: an artesian loaf of bread, an amazingly vibrant platter filled with pickled and roasted vegetables and of course the pasta, glistening with extra virgin olive oil  and dotted with bright fresh green basil and red ripe tomatoes.

I knew that for me, in my early 20s I couldn’t pick up and leave school and work to travel to such a place, but I could make those beautiful dishes. That is when I started to explore the farmer’s market downtown at 8^th and W, The Sacramento Food Coop, and way before we ever saw a Whole Foods there was always Elliot’s Natural Foods, Wild Oats Market and good old Trader Joes. I should have known that something was different about me when a basket of freshly picked fava beans could literally bring tears to my eyes. I was always on the lookout for amazing, fresh whole foods that I could explore with. The act of cooking became my own escape from the crazy busy life I had. I could instantly come home from working two jobs and going to school full time and make a simple but tasty dish to satisfy my body and my mind.

This love of creating and transporting myself through cooking grows stronger all of the time. I truly enjoy preparing and sharing high quality dishes. The act of eating is also very important to me. I always set the table properly, use my favorite dishes and serve everything family style in serving dishes at the table. Rick and I have always eaten meals at a table together even prior to having kids, no couch eating! We have always made it a priority to make eating a relaxing and enjoyable escape. It may be pavlovian but I could have had the craziest day running in circles trying to get everything done, including getting dinner on the table, and always the minute I sit down to eat I feel the stress of the day escape. I hope you are able to create this kind of travel-less travel with some of the recipes I share with you!

So this salmon dish is one of my favorites, and to most people’s amazement my kids too. AND I must say not just my kids, because they are used to eating “this way,” but our good friends 3 year old daughter who is known to be picky ate two servings! I use boneless, skinless salmon fillets for this recipe and always cook 1-2 more fillets than needed for dinner as they are fabulous served cold the next day on top of a green salad for lunch! I really try to balance my meals not only according to nutritional guidelines but also for the senses. I love to pair flaky, moist and meaty salmon fillets with rich creamy polenta and top it with earthy, salty, slightly acidic greens. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do! For my vegetarian and vegan friends, and especially for my veggie loving friends whose other half is a carnivore, this dish is for you too!  Simply make the polenta with a plant based butter and milk substitute and add 14oz of garbanzo beans to the greens while braising, adding a sprinkle of pine nuts to the top at the end will give you added protein and a little more texture. Just have your carnivorous partner cook up their own salmon and marry the two dishes tableside atop the creamy polenta! Voila dinner for the plant and meat eater alike!

Salmon:

6, 4-5oz salmon fillets

½ cup of sundried tomatoes packed in oil

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

Basil (in the summer I use ½ cup fresh packed basil, in the non summer months I used about ½ tablespoon dried basil.)

Kosher salt

Black pepper

1. In a food processer; add sundried tomatoes and their oil, garlic and herbs. Pulse until a paste is formed, you may need to add a drizzle of olive oil if the paste is not wet enough.
2. Rinse and pat salmon fillets dry.
3.  Rub salmon with kosher salt and black pepper. Please do NOT skip the salt! You can use less if you are watching sodium intake, but remember that salt=flavor… rub each salmon fillet with tomato mixture and refrigerate for 20-30 min.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
5. In a large oven-proof skillet add about 2 tbsp oil. Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point like grapeseed oil. Let oil get HOT. Place salmon fillets in pan, do not over crowd the pan, use two pans if needed. Let the salmon sear until you see the color change on the side ¼ of the way up the salmon. Once the color has changed to light pink (the color salmon looks when cooked) pop the whole skillet in the oven. You are NOT turning the salmon over before you put it in the oven. Cook another 6-10 min depending on how thick the salmon is.
6. Remove from oven when cooked to desired doneness, place on a warm platter and tent with foil until dinner is ready!

Polenta:

I always use this recipe from Giada De Laurentis first cookbook “The Everyday Italian.” You can also find it at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/herbed-polenta-recipe/index.html

6 Cups water

2 Tsp salt

1 ¾ Cups course cornmeal

½- ¾ Cups grated Parmesan

½-3/4 cups milk

2-3 tbsp Unsalted butter

Herbs, optional (1 table of mixed dried herbs such as herbs de Provence, or try fresh herbs like 2 tsp each of minced rosemary and thyme and 2 tbsp of chopped Italian parsley.)

1. Bring the water to a boil in a heavy, large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt.
2. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat. Add the cheese, milk, butter, parsley, rosemary, thyme, and pepper. Stir until the butter and cheese melt.
4. Transfer the polenta to a bowl and serve.

Greens:

4 cups fresh rinsed and chopped greens (I like to use greens that keep some texture like a mix of dino kale and swiss chard, but you can use spinach too)

1 large shallot, sliced into small rings

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1- 14 oz can chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp - ¼ cup red wine vinegar

10 kalmia olives, pitted and chopped

10 green olives, pitted and chopped

1 tbsp capers, rinsed and finely chopped

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

1. Warm 1 tbsp olive oil in large sauté skillet or pot. Add shallot and garlic and sauté until translucent and fragrant about 2 min. Do not let them brown.
2. Add greens to pan and stir until covered with oil.
3. Add tomatoes and vinegar to the pan, stir to incorporate among greens and partially cover. Cook until greens are tender about 8-10 min. If there is not enough liquid from the tomatoes just add a bit of hot water about ¼ to ½ a cup.
4. Add olives and capers and cook and additional 2 min.
5. Add kosher salt and black pepper to taste. For an added kick sprinkle a little crushed red pepper flakes in.

Assembly:

Scoop one portion of polenta (about ½ cup per person) onto a warm plate, top with one salmon fillet and top salmon with ½ cup of the greens. Pour a nice glass of Pinot Noir and Enjoy!