Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Salmon with Potatoes, Pea Vines, and Sweet Onion Relish

Salmon with Potatoes, Pea Vines, and Sweet Onion Relish at Paprika Red

Spring foods make me happy. Spring onions, peas and pea vines, fresh wild salmon, fava beans, mint, baby potatoes... all these things are so wonderfully full of flavor with vibrant colors, it's a joy to cook with these incredible ingredients. I've combined all of these into one dish that is light, vibrant, and bursting with flavor. This relish is the real standout here, with lemon, mint, and sweet onion, it's incredibly fresh and great on both the salmon and the potatoes and vegetables. You may want to make extra for other meals!

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Frittata with Leeks, Asparagus, and Serrano Ham

Leek, Asparagus, and Serrano Ham Frittata at Paprika Red
I've always been a fan of prosciutto and ham in general. But after having a truly wonderful meal at Harvest Vine in Seattle, where I experienced the out-of-this-world Iberico Serrano, I've since been a little obsessed with the Spanish cured pork. When Mother's Day came around, I made brunch as usual, and couldn't wait to use a little Serrano ham (not Iberico, unfortunately, but still quite tasty!) with some wonderful local asparagus and leeks.

This frittata makes a great main course for any meal, as far as I'm concerned. I've served it for both brunch and dinner on warm spring and early summer nights. Look for asparagus that's very thin, so that they will be easy to cut with a fork. This recipe easily scales up to serve 6 or 8.

Round out the meal with a side salad and some crusty bread--I've made a salad of baby arugula, radishes, thinly sliced zucchini, and Duchilly hazelnuts with a little salt, pepper, walnut oil, and sherry vinegar, but any salad greens with an oil and vinegar dressing would be a great pairing.