Before I even had dinner, the kitchen was aglow with the smell of my own cooking. To make a difference in the earth, it’s worth concentrating on who you’re treating, and who is coming in to eat that night.
I love cooking dinner for my husband, when it’s time to tell him that I’m leaving him alone to kill another two fish for dinner and a glass of fizzy wine. He immediately grumbles, “No me gent!” Usually I’m on a mission to cook a meal that I’m dying to eat and he’s one of the lucky people to eat it. Last weekend when we indulged in a special dinner for one, we couldn’t have been happier. Not only do we love to do this — we LOVE to do it. Not only do we still eat all of the good food that we grow, we tend to only cook once a week so that we can plan ahead. It works so well that last night’s dinner of fish in white wine was specifically ordered a week or so earlier. That’s only two meals a week right there.
—Melissa Clark, chef at Story in Brooklyn
Cuisine: West Coast
Entertaining tip: Invite friends over for an evening of home cooking and listening to some great music. Have delicious menu items ready and deuced to go. Open a bottle of wine.
Date night can be really fun, especially when you are planning the menu well in advance. I often highlight a favorite red wine at the end of the meal, much like my favorite recipes.
Pan-Roasted Salmon With Jalapeño
Serves 4
Ingredients
:
- 2 salmon filets
Juice of 1/2 fresh lime
- 4 fresh Jalapeño chiles, seeds removed and pared
Salsa verde, see below
Directions:
- Season your salmon filets lightly with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour the lime juice into a small bowl and add the chiles. Toss to combine and refrigerate for 15 minutes. For extra juiciness, finish with the reserved lime juice and sea salt, tossing to mix.
- Salsa verde
- Make salsa verde using your favorite salsa verde:
- 1 ripe tomato, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and pared
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 can fire roasted poblano peppers, diced
- 1 Can diced black olives
- 1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded and diced
- 1 can guajillo or pasilla peppers, diced
- 1 can roasted green chiles
- 1 can roasted red chiles
- 4 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 can tomatoes, chopped
- 1 can green chilies, chopped
- 2 large avocados, diced
- salsa verde, as directed
- Directions:
- Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
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- Share your cooking tips and ideas in the kitchen anonymous through Facebook or by email at WeeknightsWorthCooking@gmail.com.
- Related Video
- Housewife Spices Up Date Night