Sometimes I have some ingredients that just need to be used before they go bad, so I put them together in an experimental recipe. This is what happened to the leftover smoked salmon I had here. I was inspired by reading this recipe, but made my own version of it. It’s a pretty easy recipe, but it takes a little time to make sure you reach the perfect level of doneness.
Ingredients: (2 large servings)
1 cup smoked salmon, cut into smaller pieces
1 cup medium grain rice
1/2 bottle of dry white wine (I used pinot grigio)
1 cup vegan stock (this recipe is coming soon!)
1/2 lemon (organic)
1 tbsp chopped dill
1 tbsp chopped curly parsley
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp tarragon
1/4 tsp turmeric
4 oz. arugula
1 tsp capers
2 tbsp heavy cream
3 oz. cream cheese
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 shallot
1 garlic clove
2-3 mini bell peppers
2 tbsp olive oil
black pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Sautee the shallot (chopped), bell peppers, and garlic (pressed) in the olive oil over medium heat. Add the rice after about a minute or two and keep stirring for a few minutes.
2. Add half of the wine and vegan stock and keep stirring fairly frequently. When most of the liquid seems to be absorbed (after about 5-10 minutes), add the rest of the wine and vegan stock. Add the herbs and spices at this point as well. Keep stirring frequently and add half of the arugula, capers, and the zest of the lemon plus the juice from it.
3. After about 20 minutes of cooking, add the cream and cream cheese. Keep stirring. If it starts getting dry, add some water and possibly some more lemon juice. Add most of the remaining arugula as well, but save some for decorating the plate.
4. Start checking for doneness a few minutes later. You want the rice to be a little al dente, but not hard or crunchy. If it feels like it is almost ready, add the salmon and parmesan and keep stirring until you reach the optiomal level of doneness.
5. Scoop it up on a plate and serve with some salmon and arugula on top for decor.
Variation with Shrimp
A simpler version of this recipe can be made with frozen peeled shrimp. Just follow the instructions above replacing the salmon with shrimp, but omit the thyme, arugula, capers, cream, cream cheese, and bell peppers. Make sure you thaw the shrimp beforehand and only add them just before serving.
