Salmon straight from Italy
When TV cook and restaurateur Giada De Laurentiis went back to her native Rome, it brought a host of memories of the family cooking from her childhood. Her eighth cookbook, Giada’s Italy (Clarkson Potter/ Penguin Random House, $47), offers a feast of more than 100 recipes that are both lusty and light. It also includes excellent photographs by Aubrie Pick.
The chapter called Weeknights is a gold mine of fast dinner dishes. De Laurentiis explains that when there’s no time to cook a dish slowly to develop flavour in the Italian fashion, she livens up the cuisine with such ingredients as olives, capers, anchovies, chilies, sharp cheeses and pancetta.
PAN-SEARED SALMON WITH ARTICHOKES AND WHITE WINE Serves: 4
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil 4 salmon fillets (6 oz/ 170 g each), skinless, centre cut
1 tsp (5 ml) kosher or coarse salt
2 tbsp (30 ml) unsalted butter
3 sprigs fresh oregano, plus 1 tbsp (15 ml) chopped
1 dry shallot, sliced
1 box (9 oz/256 g) frozen artichoke hearts, thawed 3/4 cup (180 ml) chopped, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup (125 ml) dry white wine
2 cups (500 ml) baby spinach leaves
1. In a medium frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt and sear, skin side up, in hot oil for three minutes or until a deep golden brown. Turn and sear the skin side for one minute, then turn back and cook another minute. Turn the fillets a final time and cook for an additional two minutes.
2. Add 1 tbsp (15 ml) of the butter and the oregano sprigs to the pan and lower heat to medium. Baste the fish with the butter mixture for an extra minute. Transfer fish and oregano to a plate to rest.
3. In the same pan over medium heat, cook shallot and artichoke hearts, stirring, until the shallot has softened and the artichokes are beginning to brown, about four minutes.
4. Add the oregano and tomatoes, stirring to combine. Add wine to deglaze the pan and cook until it is reduced by half. Stir in the remaining tablespoon (15 ml) of butter and the spinach. Cook until the spinach is just barely wilted. Place the fish over the vegetable mixture, along with any remaining sauce, and serve.