Thursday - Giada's Salmon

Thursday.

Things got off to a late start tonight due to storms and tornadoes in the Memphis area that hit right at rush hour. And I believe it is a law that you have to sit and watch Dave Brown's non-stop weather coverage when there are storms. As a matter of fact, he's still on.

And since I was grilling salmon for tonight's meal, I had to wait at least until the tornadoes passed so that I could open up the garage. (That's where I grill.)

Tonight's menu was courtesy of Giada, she of the famous cleavage: Salmon with Lemon, Capers and Rosemary, brown rice, English peas and for dessert, Watermelon & Cantaloupe Salad with Mint Vinaigrette. Salmon is a favorite of Elijah's, has been for years.

Salmon with Lemon, Capers & Rosemary

INGREDIENTS

• 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 8 lemon slices (about 2 lemons)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• 1/2 cup Marsala wine (or white wine)
• 4 teaspoons capers
• 4 pieces of aluminum foil

DIRECTIONS

Brush top and bottom of salmon fillets with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Place each piece of seasoned salmon on a piece of foil large enough to fold over and seal. Top the each piece of salmon with 2 lemon slices, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of wine (I used 1 tablespoon because of the vinegar comment earlier in the week), and 1 teaspoon of capers. Wrap up salmon tightly in the foil packets.

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Place the foil packets on the hot grill and cook for 10 minutes for a 1-inch thick piece of salmon. Serve in the foil packets.

Fuck-up Factor: Very low. I am pleased to report I did not fuck up this recipe at all.
Messy Kitchen Factor: Low. (No pan, even.)

The salmon was fine, nothing special. It tasted good. It didn't knock my socks off. But then salmon isn't my favorite. Salmon would have to come with a Gucci handbag to knock my socks off.

Watermelon & Cantaloupe Salad with Mint Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch fresh mint, chopped
• 1/4 cup lemon juice, from about 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup simple syrup, recipe follows
• 1/8 teaspoon amaretto (omitted)
  
• 2 cups watermelon balls, from about half a watermelon
• 2 cups cantaloupe balls, from about 1 cantaloupe

DIRECTIONS

In a blender, combine mint, lemon juice, simple syrup, and amaretto. Blend until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine the watermelon and the cantaloupe. Add the vinaigrette and toss. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Simple Syrup:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup sugar

In a saucepan, combine water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. Take pan off heat and cool the syrup. Any extra cooled syrup can be saved in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

I thought this would make a wonderful summertime dessert. My family was all, "What'd you put the mint on it for?" Haters.

I prepared the mint vinaigrette first, while watching storm coverage on TV and waiting for it to be safe to go outside and grill the salmon. I pulled out the fresh mint that I had bought at the store, but then I didn't know if I should chop it up stems and all or if I was supposed to pull the leaves off and just chop them. Luckily, I have a professional foodie that I can text to answer these questions for me. (The answer was "pull the stems off. They don't taste that good.")

FYI, I took some stalks of mint and stuffed them in a bottle with the leftover simple syrup. I will use it later to make sweet tea. And it will be sooooo goooood.

I give tonight's dinner an A. Everything was good. Everything was right. And I thought the mint syrup fruit was yummy.

I know I said that I was going to cook at home every night this week, but tonight was actually my last night. I leave tomorrow for Nashville for the weekend. So today is my Friday basically.

Those of you following along at home are probably wondering if I will continue to cook at home. No. I won't.

I probably would have if my family had been the least bit appreciative of my efforts, but they didn't really seem to care either way. I would have to ask them, "Is it good?" "Do you like it?" Never once did anyone make an effort to set the table. Or to clear it. Or to wash the dishes. Or to empty the dishwasher. Every night Elijah was instructed to empty the dishwasher before I came home from work the next day. Not once was it done.

They probably don't really want me to keep cooking. The food maybe hasn't been all that good. I can admit it. Four days later, I've kinda forgotten why I was doing this. To prove something? To save money? IDK. It was fun. But on to the next thing now. Whatever that may be.