If I worked in a restaurant (or owned one), I would call this creation:
Tomato, Asparagus, and Salmon Salad
And I would describe it thus: Summer fresh tomatoes are covered with Copper River pesto-baked salmon and topped with lightly salted roasted asparagus. Add in some crumbled herb-infused goat cheese and a small amount of basil, drizzle with a balsamic reduction, and voila! perfection on a plate.
Making up these types of descriptions makes cooking more fun. Try it. Really. And furthermore, who says all those years of waitressing in restaurants to put myself through college went to waste? That’s pretty much how I learned to appreciate fine food, the people who create it, and the economic principles about using up what’s in your pantry.
And, of course, the reality is exactly that I am trying to bring our food costs down. The salmon needed to be eaten (dinner leftovers). The tomatoes were originally planned for a tomato mozzarella basil salad when I discovered some mold on the mozzarella (I don’t do mold on fresh mozzarella…not even a little bit). In desperation I found the small bit of goat cheese I had left and thought…why not? Let’s give it a go. The basil was because I picked it out of the garden for that other salad I was going to make and it seemed a shame to waste that effort.
And yeah, the balsamic reduction? I lied about that. I just drizzled some regular balsamic vinegar over it…but it sounded tasty and it really added to the description so I put it in there. If you have similar type ingredients lying around your pantry, give it a try. Personally, I’m always struggling to figure out ways to use up cooked salmon, because leftover fish is not always my favorite. Salmon is probably the easiest for me to repurpose, which is probably why it’s my go-to seafood dish. Oh yeah, and because it’s pretty easy to find fresh in Washington.
And then there is my other favorite part – waiting to see what my husband says about this new item on the menu…if anything. I’ll let you know.
crab apple musings 