Poached Salmon Over Roasted Red Pepper Spread + A Side of Kale

(Forgive the ever elegant Correlle plates - I realize now they aren't the best for photographing!)

Sadly it isn’t all that practical to take a long hot shower every time I need to brainstorm ways to inject creativity into my writing, so I sit here on Day 1, Post 1 vowing (to myself) that in time I will come into my food writing voice. So, here we go.

One thing I learned quickly upon moving to NYC is that a bite-sized kitchen shared by 4 fabulous roommates does not lend itself to excess. The result: more frequent than I care to admit trips to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. However, with that said, the feature ingredient for this dish somehow survived several months of neglect in the freezer before making it to the plate. I know, freezer packed Salmon, I'm not bragging, but with the appropriate preparations, the result was quite tasty.

The inspiration for this dish comes from a recently discovered love of roasted red pepper spread (Trader Joe’s makes a killer Roasted Red Pepper and Eggplant version) as well as a SimplyRecipes tutorial on poached Salmon...might as well learn something new as part of this whole blogging adventure, right?

While this was my first foray into poaching Salmon, I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. Given that I cook for myself, I opted to use the sole piece of Salmon I had, yet kept the poaching liquid at proportions that would accommodate about 1 lb of Salmon.
The recipe:

* 1 salmon fillet
* ½ cup white wine (I had Chardonnay at my disposal)
* ½ cup water
* A few thin slices of yellow onion
* Sprig of basil, roughly chopped
* 1 heaping tsp of dried parsley
* Sprinkle of dried dill, about ¼ tsp
* Freshly ground black pepper
* Roasted red pepper spread (like the kind from Trader Joe’s)
* Large handful of chopped kale
* Garlic clove, roughly diced


Combine the wine, water, herbs and onion in a saute pan, and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Allow the liquid to simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Place the salmon fillet (skin-side down) in the pan. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the Salmon flakes. Note: cooking times may vary depending on the size of the Salmon.

While the Salmon is simmering, add the handful of kale to a pan and drizzle with some water. Allow the kale to cook over medium heat. As it begins to soften, toss in the garlic and sprinkle some pepper.

Plate the Salmon over as much Red Pepper Spread as your heart desires, add the side of kale and voila - dinner is served!