Spaghetti and Smoked Salmon in Mushroom Sauce
The other day, Dinah gave me two boxes of smoked salmon as one of her Christmas gifts. I have never cooked smoked salmon before, so I started reading recipes using smoked salmon in pasta in the Web. I found hundreds of recipes of pasta and smoked salmon in various sauces.
I was looking for a recipe that is easy and simple. The following two recipes are my own creation inspired by the availability and abundance of fresh mushrooms in our local grocery store and the can of cream of mushroom soup and spaghetti pasta that I found in our pantry. Other kinds of pasta may be used. Garnishing with chopped green onions or parsley is optional.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2/3 cup (160ml) dry white wine or vermouth
1/4 cup jicama (Mexican turnips or sincamas) finely chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup diluted in 1 cup of water
4 big fresh white mushrooms chopped to about 1/4 inch
8-10oz (250-300g) smoked salmon, cut in 1/2-inch (1cm) pieces
garlic salt, to taste
1/4 lb. spaghetti( or other pasta such as linguine, farfalle etc)
parsley or green onions for garnishing (optional)
Procedure
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onions until golden and starting to caramelize, about 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté just until it loses its raw edge, about one minute more. Then add the chopped jicama. Saute until cooked (5 minutes). Add the chopped fresh mushrooms. Saute for 5 minutes. Then add the can of cream of mushrooms soup diluted with 1 cup of hot water. Pour in the wine and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat slightly and stir in the smoked salmon. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 more minutes, until the sauce is quite thick. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
Cook the spaghetti in the boiling salted water until just al dente. Drain the spaghetti and let it cool. Pour the sauce into the spaghetti and served immediately.
Garnished, if you like, with parsley or chopped green onions. Delicious and savory!
My Own Recipe-Ampalaya with Smoked Salmon
One of the most healthy Filipino dish if you are a diabetic is the Ampalaya or bitter melon with shrimps. In the Philippines a variation of the dish is to use pork instead of the shrimps. In some recipes both shrimps and pork are used in equal proportions. This recipe is almost a weekly fare in our menu when we are in the Philippines because of the abundance of the bitter melon.
As a personal variation to the recipe, I have created my own recipe using smoked salmon instead of prawns, shrimps and/or pork. The recipe was inspired by a smoked salmon -one of my Christmas gift this year. I shredded the smoked salmon prior to adding it to the sauteed ampalaya dish mixture.
Ingredients
4 medium ampalaya or bitter melon (cut lengthwise)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 lb smoked salmon, shredded
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 cup water
6 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
soy sauce or fish sauce(patis)optional) to taste. I do not like patis since I am not a true-blooded Tagalog but an Ilonggo.
Procedure
1. Cut ampalaya lengthwise and scrape off seeds and white pith. Slice thinly and place in a bowl, covered in cold water with a little salt* until needed.
2. In a wide skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, until tender. Add in tomatoes and cook until softened, regularly mashing with back of spoon.
3.* Add the squeezed and debittered ampalaya* to pan and gently mix it into the dish. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until tender yet crisp.
4. Add the smoked salmon and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until salmon is thoroughly incorporated in the dish.(The soy sauce or patis could be added at this point(optional in my recipe).
5. In a thin stream, add the beaten eggs and gently stir to distribute. Continue to cook for about 1 minute or until eggs have set. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
* Ampalaya is very bitter. To remove most of its bitterness, the slice melon is soak in cold salted water for at least 30 minutes and then drained prior to cooking. This soaking and draining process may be repeated if you want to remove most of the bitterness in the ampalaya. I personally drained my ampalaya 3 times before I used it in my recipe above.
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