wild alaska salmon with chimichurri & roasted root vegetables

I'm a bit salmon obsessed of late, and for good reason.  You see, after an extremely successful fishing trip in Valdez's Prince William Sound, I'm a bit salmon-heavy at my house.  And frankly, that's putting it lightly.  It comes down to this: if I don't eat all this salmon, I can't fit anything else in my freezer.  No ice cream.  No frozen pizza (Newman's Own Pepperoni- my favorite!)  None of those frozen balls of cookie dough I buy from every kid's fundraiser (delicious frozen little balls of dough...why bother baking them?) And no room for any wild Alaska game that I beg, borrow, and steal from friends and coworkers to round out my food supply for the winter.

Yes, I KNOW there's a Fred Meyers around the corner from my house.  That's not the point. 

I just like having a lot of food IN my house.  It's hard-wired in my DNA.

So when my friend David from Alaska Public Media contacted me about another interview for public radio, I knew exactly what to make.  Our conversation went something like this:

David: "I'm thinking of a fall theme.  How about soup?"

Heidi: "Great!  But we're going to have salmon."

David: "Pot roast is great, too.  But I love soup."

Heidi:  "Awesome.  Salmon it is!"

Good thing David's a good sport, and loves salmon. 

We traveled to a local farmers' market to gather up beautiful, freshly-harvested vegetables for roasting along with the salmon.  The market was spotted with jewel-colored carrots, beets, and potatoes.  I said to David, "You eat with your eyes first!" and gathered up my colorful crop.

Back at my house, I scrubbed, sliced, and seasoned away in my tiny little kitchen, while chatting with David and cursing at Milo for constantly squeaking his toy at David's feet.  By the time we finally sat down to eat what I had concocted, I had forgotten the mic was even there.  Three hours after we meet at the farmer's market, I sent David home with dinner for his wife. 

It was really fun.

And you know what's the kicker?  This just may be one of the best salmon meals I've ever made.  The salmon and the veggies are delicious on their own, but the chimichurri sauce added an intense burst of flavor, while also tying the entire dish together.  And for me, nothing says fall like a pile of sweet, tender, carmelized roasted root vegetables, at the peak of their freshness when the thermostat starts dipping and the leaves begin to fall.   

(You can listen to Chena Girl on the radio here!)

Alaska Salmon with Chimichurri Sauce

Serves 4

For the chimichurri sauce:
(Adapted from Simply Recipes)

1 cup (packed) fresh flat leaf Italian parsley, stems removed
3-4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons fresh Oregano leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
a few grinds of black pepper 

For the salmon:
(Adapted from Barefoot Contessa)

Four wild Alaskan salmon fillets, skin and pin bones removed (about 4-6 ounces each)
olive oil
kosher salt
a few grinds of pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Place all ingredients for the chimichurri sauce in a food processor and pulse until just combined- you still want the sauce to retain a "chunky" look.  If you don't have a food processor, finely mince the herbs and garlic and toss with the other ingredients.  Set aside while salmon is cooking.

Heat a dry oven-proof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Rub each of the salmon fillets with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  When the pan is hot, place the salmon presentation-side down (usually the top of the fillet) and let sear without moving them for two minutes.  Turn the fillets over and place the pan in the oven for 4-5 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked but still a little pink inside.  DO NOT OVERCOOK THE SALMON.  Best to err on the side of rare!

Top each salmon fillet with a little chimichurri sauce and serve.

Roasted Root Vegetables

Serves 4

8-10 small carrots
2 medium beets of any variety, peeled and sliced into 8 wedges
4-6 small red and yellow waxy potatoes

This recipe is more of a method than an exact science.  You can use any combination of root vegetables.  I particularly love using sweet potatoes and parsnips, and will often throw in butternut squash as well. 

Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees. 

Scrub veggies well.  Peel the beets and slice into 8 wedges each.  Leave the skins of the carrots and potatoes on if you prefer- I certainly do.  Cut stems and roots of carrots and leave whole if they are small, cut in half if they are big.  Cut potatoes into rough 1 inch cubes. 

Place all the veggies on a baking sheet.  Make sure you only have enough veggies to cover a single layer without overlap- this way the veggies roast instead of steam. Toss all veggies with one to two tablespoons of olive oil, a heavy pinch of kosher salt (about 1/2 teaspoon) and several grinds of fresh black pepper.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, turning once about halfway through.  Finish with a final dash of salt (I love sel gris!) if you prefer, and serve HOT!

Enjoy!
xo H

roasted vegetable & kale salad with honey vinaigrette



Here's what I think. When you make something this healthy that tastes this good, it is your responsibility as a human being to share it with the world. And by world, I really mean with all my girlfriends. Because who needs a tofu popscicle or dairy-free/wheat-free/vegan/bilingual/yoga-enthusiast green smoothie when you can eat something that tastes DELICIOUS and probably cures cancer at the same time?!

 

(*NOTE: this salad has not been proven to cure cancer.)

I made this salad for my friend Ann a few weeks ago, and she raved about how lip-smackingly good it was.  It typically serves 4, but we polished off all the greens and veggies between the two of us.  That alone should tell me it's worthy of a blog mention.

 

But what REALLY told me it was a great dish was when she texted me the next morning: "I dreamed about your salad.  That's how good it was."

 

It made my day.

 

This recipe also outs me as a kale groupie.  Is there such a thing?  I think so.  The interwebs are chock full of recipes for kale smoothies, kale chips, kale pasta, kale quesadillas, kale pesto, and even kale ice cream.  (For the record, I think that sounds totally gross.  But I'd probably try it.)

 

Americans have gone a little kale nutso of late. 

 

But when a vegetable this nutritious tastes as good as it does, it's worthy of jumping on the kale bandwagon.  And one of the best things about it is that it grows particularly well in cooler climates, which is perfect for our Alaska gardens.  I can't wait for summer!

 

 

Kale is a tougher green, so I toss it with a little vinaigrette and let it sit for a bit to tenderize.  This calls for a lot of roasted veggies, and I ended up using two baking sheets to give all of the vegetables enough room to roast instead of steam.

 

I think this salad is the perfect example of how a salad can be a main course.  If you're looking to slim down for swimsuit season, or want to increase your intake of vegetables without dreading it, this is an ideal meal to kickstart your plan.  Delicious and filling, you'll feel totally satisfied after you've cleaned your plate (and I swear you won't miss the absence of meat, although it's equally wonderful served with a fillet of simply grilled wild Alaska salmon).

 

The vegetables I used are merely a guideline.  Use what looks best at the grocery store or farmers market.  Think eggplant, zucchini, sweet potatoes, or cauliflower.  All would work equally well in place of the ones I use. 

 

Cook what you love- a guideline for this salad and a motto to live by.

 

Roasted Vegetable & Kale Salad with Honey Vinaigrette

 

Adapted from Sunset Magazine

 

Serves 4 hearty Alaskan appetites

 

For the salad:

1 bunch kale (about 8 ounces or 4 cups), stems removed and chopped into ribbons

4 small or 2 large beets, peeled and cut roughly into 1 inch pieces

1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces

1 small red onion, sliced into 8 wedges

1 medium fennel bulb, sliced into 8 wedges

1 red pepper, chopped into 1 inch pieces

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

3/4 teaspoons salt

several grinds of fresh ground pepper

2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

 

For the vinaigrette:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

several grinds of pepper

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Toss vegetables with the oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl, and place on one or two large baking sheets.  (If you use two, put the beets and red onion together so that the beets don't "bleed" purple all over the rest of the veggies.)  Roast for about 40 minutes or so, turning once (and rotating baking sheets from top to bottom if you're using two), until tender with crispy golden edges.  Ten minutes before you pull the veggies out of the oven, sprinkle the walnuts on the baking sheet with the veggies to toast them.

 

2. Whisk vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, honey, and Dijon mustard.  Toss kale with 2-3 tablespoons of the dressing in a large bowl.  Let the kale sit in the dressing for 5-10 minutes before assembling the salad.  Place kale on the salad plates

 

3. After the vegetables have cooled for 5-10 minutes, using the same large bowl used for the kale, toss the veggies and walnuts with 2-3 tablespoons (or more) of the dressing.

 

4. Top the kale with the veggies and walnuts, and top with crumbled goat cheese.  Serve with the dressing on the side.

 

Enjoy!

 

xo H



Eat Your Beets (trust me, you'll like 'em!)

I spent last week in Las Vegas at my Union convention.  Don't get me wrong- I had a great time.  It's just that a week in Vegas feels like a month anywhere else.  Late nights, long receptions, plenty of cocktails, late nights, delicious rich food, late nights.  It's exhausting.  I woke up Saturday morning in my own bed and committed myself to trying to stave off the lung cancer I'm pretty sure I developed by spending a week in smoky Vegas casinos.  I got 9 hours of sleep, went straight to the gym, ate a fully-vegan lunch, bought a bunch of beautiful veggies at the farmers' market, and breathed in as much fresh Alaskan air as I could.

I almost feel whole again.

Spending time at my local farmers' market instantly makes me feel better.  I'm pretty sure that just by staring at the vegetables, my LDL cholesterol levels drop.  I think I've mentioned this before, but the farmers market is a dangerous place for a girl like me.  I go there for onions and kale, and come home with enough produce to stock my neighborhood grocery store.  I'm not exaggerating.  See Exhibit A:

From a single farmers' market trip last summer.

Go big or go home, right? 

Right before I left on my trip, I started a little beet kick.  Truthfully, I started this kick when I lived in Fairbanks the year after law school.  My mom and I would hit the Tanana Valley Farmers' Market almost every Saturday, and on one of these trips a woman had prepared some pickled beets as a way to entice people to buy some of her crop.  I was instantly skeptical.  I'd had beets before.  They had what hoity-toity, elitest TV chefs (whom I watch obsessively) call that "earthy" flavor (transl:  tastes a little like dirt).  But I tried them, and I was SOLD.  The beets were delicious- soft, but with a little bite to them, tangy and slightly sweet.  After that, I ate beets all summer.



Look how beautiful these beets are!

In Alaska this time of year, the market is full of beautiful beets- purple, golden, and my favorite, chioggia.  Lovely red and white candy cane striped beets that are beautiful for this simple, delicious fall dish:  roasted beet and goat cheese salad.  I've been eating this dish for three weeks straight, so I thought I'd better share it if I can't get enough of it!

To start, scrub four large beets or 8 small ones, chop off their root tails and any greens that are left.  Tear off two large pieces of aluminum foil.  Place half of the beets on one of the pieces of aluminum foil, and repeat with the other. Rub the beets with a little olive oil and sprinkling generously with salt and pepper.  Wrap each package of beets tightly and roast them in a 400 degree oven for about an hour. 

While the beets are roasting, make a simple vinaigrette of olive oil, champagne vinegar (white wine vinegar should work too), dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper.

Once you remove the beets from the oven, open the foil and let them cool enough to handle.  Next, take each beet in one or two paper towels and rub the skin off the cooked beets.  Works like magic!  (This trick is a dream for those of us who are too lazy to peel anything the old fashioned way.)   

Slice the beets into bite sized pieces and toss with a sprinkling of salt and enough dressing to your liking while they're still warm (they soak up more vinaigrette that way).  Just before serving, toss with the chopped tarragon and top with the crumbled goat cheese.

It's almost too pretty to eat.  Almost.  Trust me, grab a fork and dig in!

Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese

2 lb. beets (about 4 large, or 8 small)

1 T. olive oil (first amount)

1 t. salt

2 T. chopped tarragon (or parsley, optional)

2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

For the vinaigrette:

1/4 c. olive oil (second amount)

1/4 c. champagne or white wine vinegar

2 t. dijon mustard

1 T. honey

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Scrub the beets, removing any greens and the tail.  Tear two large pieces of aluminum foil and place half of the beets on each of the foil pieces on a large sheet tray.  Rub the beets with 2 teaspoons of olive oil (more or less- just to cover the beets) and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt.  Wrap each into a foil package and place the sheet tray in the oven for 1 hour.

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the second amount of olive oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.

When the beets are done, remove from the oven and open the foil packages to allow the beets to cool a bit before handling.  While still warm, rub each of the beets with a paper towel to remove the skin.  Slice the beets and place in a large bowl.  While they're still warm, sprinkle the beets with a little salt and toss with enough of the vinaigrette to coat the beets (you probably will not need to use all of it).  Toss in the chopped tarragon and right before serving, sprinkle the crumbled goat cheese on top.  Your heart will thank you!

Enjoy! xo H