PC Blog Post #2: Italian Salmon with Jasmine Rice and Fresh Greens

Italian Salmon with Jasmine Rice and Fresh Greens:

Last night I made a hearty meal that was healthy as well as satisfying to the common palette. Personally I find salmon to be a total comfort food. What is comfort food? Comfort food is food that humans consume or create because it provides warmth and contentment along with the normal satisfaction associated with a meal. The most common comfort foods are chocolate, cookies, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, ice cream, pasta, rice, and soup. Another great thing about salmon is that it satifys Health Organizations and the National Department of Agriculture's suggestion that people consume two servings of fatty fish per week. Salmon is full of healthy fats, vitamins, proteins, and various minerals as noted in this link.

To many people, salmon may not seem comforting or simple, but it is one of my favorite dishes to prepare, and fairly simple to make. When buying the items needed to prepare this dish, it is important to buy a larger fillet of salmon, one that is fairly fresh and has a healthy pinkish orange tint to it. Depending on how many people the chef is intending to cook for, it is straightforward to accurately judge how much salmon is needed. Unlike certain foods, when cooked in this particular fashion, the Salmon does not reduce in size after being cooked. Any type of rice can be purchased to compliment this meal. Some people prefer brown rice or wild rice, my preference is to gravitate towards plain white jasmine rice. The seasoning and dressing we will be adding to the salmon provides delicate flavor such that no extra seasoning needs to be put in the rice. I would recommend against wild rice because it is crucial that when choosing a type of rice, it has consistent texture. Brown rice or white rice are the two different types I recommend. There are many different sides that can accompany the salmon and rice. For my particular meal I picked fresh lettuce with tomatoes and fresh sliced avocado. My favorite side to accompany the two other foods is asparagus. Salmon, rice and asparagus all complement each other perfectly, and asparagus can easily be steamed right on top of the rice. If asparagus isn’t a favorite of the chef or the meal’s consumers, any form of salad or garden vegetable is satisfactory as well.

Ingredients:
1 Fillet of Salmon (Size dependent on number of consumers)
2 cups of Rice (brown or white)
2 cups of water
1 Bushel of Asparagus (Or assorted Greens)
1 Bottle of Newman’s Own Italian Dressing
1 ½ Cups of Butter
            The first step in creating this simple meal is to turn on the rice cooker and heat the oven to 425. Put two cups of rice into the rice cooker along with two cups of water. Set the rice cooker mode to “steam”. If choosing to prepare Asparagus instead of greens, place the asparagus in a tray above the rice and steam as well. The next step is to prepare the dish for the salmon. Choose a large baking sheet and set on the counter. Obtain tin foil and lay out a large sheet on the baking sheet, repeat this step so that there are two layers of tin foil. Lay the salmon on the tin foil, place 3/4^th of a stick of butter onto the salmon in squares spread evenly along the top. Bring the sides of the tin foil up and pinch together over the top of the salmon, thus creating a cocoon shape. Make sure that the salmon is completely sealed inside the tin foil, with all of the edges pinched and curled together. Once the seal has been fortified, open a part of the seal and pour in 3/4ths of the bottle of Newman’s own Italian dressing, if a larger fillet of salmon guarantee that the dressing covers the entire salmon. Once the preparation of the salmon is done, place it in the oven to cook for 25 to 30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking the salmon, prepare any greens and vegetables. Once the timer completes, set the salmon on the counter still wrapped in tin foil. Do not open the tin foil seal until the rice is completely finished steaming. After the rice is done steaming, place the remainder of butter over the rice. Once all the components are ready, place all three on a plate. Spoon the salmon marinade onto the rice as needed. The hearty salmon, rice and greens meal is now ready to be served!