Went to Mocambo last night where Tanis MacDonald and Elizabeth Bachinsky were on the bill. She’s touring the east with a pair of poets, Michael V. Smith and Jennica Harper, who also made an appearance, as did local and seldom seen poet/novelist Steve Noyes.
Meanwhile I had been meditating on how to use up some of my smoked salmon, left over from the great smoked salmon cheesecake enterprise of ’06. I settled on smoked salmon quiche, and last night’s Smoked Salmon Penne with Pepper Vodka which I made with cresta di gallo instead of penne, because I think it’s a pasta of much greater character. Right up there with my favourite, the aptly named radiatore. Here’s a low-ish fat version of that quasi-Russian pasta dish:
3 cups penne
1-1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup shallots, minced
3 tbsp white wine
1 c fish stock
6 tbsp low fat sour cream
6 oz smoked salmon, flaked or chopped
1 c cooked asparagus or sugar snap peas, in 1-2″ pieces
1-2 tbsp pepper vodka
Cook the penne until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse and drain again.
Meanwhile, cook the shallots in olive oil until soft but not brown, about two minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the broth, sour cream and some ground pepper; bring to the boil and then reduce, stirring constantly, until it has a thick, gravy-like consistency. Add the smoked salmon and simmer a couple of minutes. Add the vegetables and heat through. Remove from the heat, stir in pepper vodka and season to taste. Mix in the penne, heat gently and then serve.
Great photos, gorgeous place, but fuddle-duddle, R, I can’t read the PDF file.
Looks wonderful. Congrats on your launch–wish I could’ve been there.
Bummer, B. Should work fine with your Acrobat reader but here it is in text:
Lasagna with Eggplant Caviar & Grilled Sweet Red Peppers
By Ricardo Larrivée
Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour & 30 minutes
Not so long ago, all lasagna were the same. Nowadays, layer still follows layer, but they’re
always different. Neither are they as thick as before, and they’re more varied and subtle. In my
recipe, everything is easy to prepare. Of course, you must take the time to cook the eggplants
and grill the sweet peppers. Grilled peppers bought in jars, especially when out-of-season
peppers are expensive, can replace the fresh ones.
Ingredients:
3 sweet red peppers
2 eggplants
salt and pepper
4 cups (1 L) tomato sauce, homemade or store-bought
9 lasagna noodles, cooked
½ cup (125 mL) fresh basil, minced
6 ½ oz (200 g) mozzarella, sliced
Method:
Place rack in top of oven. Preheat oven to broil.
Cut peppers in half, seed and place on cookie sheet, skin side up. Grill peppers under broiler
until skin darkens. Place peppers in an airtight container and cool. Remove skin and set aside.
Place rack in centre of oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C). Prick eggplants with a fork and place
on a cookie sheet. Cook in oven for about 1 hour. Cool and cut in half, lengthwise. Using a
spoon, remove flesh and mash in blender or with a potato masher. Season with salt and pepper.
Set aside.
To make the lasagna, cover bottom of an 11×7 inch (28×18 cm) pan with half of the tomato
sauce. Lay three pasta strips on top of the sauce. Cover with sweet peppers and basil. Place
three more strips and cover with the eggplant caviar. Place last three strips on caviar and top
with the remaining tomato sauce. Cover with cheese.
Cook in oven for about 20 minutes at 350°F. Brown under broiler.
What to drink?
A red Italian from the Friuli region will make a tasty companion.
From: Weekend Cooking by Ricardo
Published by Whitecap Books, 2006
Re-printed with permission
Broadcast on CBC Radio’s North by Northwest Cooking Club
http://www.cbc.ca/bc/cookingclub
Thanks, R! Looks grande!
No problema B. And Tracy, I wish you coulda been there too. Though there was a distinct dearth of both chocolate cakes and cupcakes, which I infer are important features of Saskatchewan’s literary events.
Saskatchewan literary types are known to bring cake. I wish I could’ve been there, too. Looks like it was lovely.