It came together slowly whilst I was pruning dead raspberry canes and enabled by my latest cooking guru, Nigel Slater. This man is a genius. I often judge a cook/writer by the number of books that I own. So Deborah Madison and Dorrie Greenspan rank highly. I still have several Mollie Katzen books, but look at them less these days. Rising above all of them is Nigel, the author of several well known books. What has appealed to me lately are his duet of Kitchen Diaries and Notes From the Larder, two books that are both diaries of a year of cooking and gardening (beginning with January and so on) and peppered with method, recipes, musings. It makes for great reading (at least I think so!) and great inspiration. I am actually limiting my reading to the month at hand. This helps to keep my culinary energies in check, and seasonally apropos.
Back to dinner: a simple affair of salmon and cabbage. But the seasonings and method make the meal. I failed to photograph this meal, and it would be in the lousy light of my kitchen, it would have been a mediocre photo at best anyway. Thus you will have to use your imagination and then just break down and make this meal. I say that, as it was grubbin' good.
So the cabbage was Nigel's inspiration. One January entry was for steamed cabbage tossed with bacon and a splash of vinegar. This was what hit me as I was being scratched by the raspberries.
I love cabbage. While steaming it might have worked fine, it smacked of too many pots for my taste. So this was actually simplified by browning the bacon, and then removing it, but leaving the fat behind. Then I sautéed said cabbage with salt and pepper until bright green and lightly browned on the edges. Toss in the reserved bacon and the aforementioned splash of vinegar and there you go.
To make the salmon coordinate with this dish, I went with mustard. My sister does this frequently with halibut, but it works just as well with salmon: You make a simple glaze of mustard and mayonnaise (or sour cream) and bake the fish. The mayonnaise keeps the salmon moist. The mustard goes with the salmon AND with the cabbage.
That's it! This meal could have accommodated a starch, but I didn't bother. And the salty bacon and mustard made for a meal that brightened up the winter darkness. Anything that can do that is worth repeating, in my book....
Honey Mustard Salmon
serves 2
1 salmon filet, approx 3/4 - l lb.
salt
equal parts Mayo or sour cream and mustard. I used honey mustard
If using dijon mustard, add 2tsp honey
Preheat oven to 425F. Pat the salmon dry, and sprinkle with salt.
Mix mayonnaise and mustard (+/- the honey). Spread generously on the salmon
Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on 1. the thickness of the salmon and 2. how done you like it. I tend to like it on the BARELY done side, so go for the 10 minute version, for a filet that is about 1" thick.
Cabbage Sauteer with Bacon
serves 2-3
adapted from Nigel Slater
2-3 slices bacon, sliced 1/4" thick
4-5c sliced cabbage, I sliced about 1/4" thick and cut into pieces approx 2-3" long
salt and pepper
2t white balsamic vinegar (another light colored vinegar would work here too)
Brown the bacon, and remove to a plate. In the reserved fat, saute the cabbage until just green and barely translucent, lightly browned. While sautéing, sprinkle lightly with salt and generously with pepper. In the last 1-2 minutes of cooking, add the bacon. When finished, sprinkle with vinegar.
Enjoy!
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