Salmon with Green Lentil Ragout

Yes, salmon again. We got a rather large package of it at Costco awhile back, some of which I put in the freezer, so it makes an appearance again. And it will be making another one tomorrow night. It's just a salmon kind of time I guess. But, I'm actually glad to be having so much of it lately because I always feel like I don't eat enough fish. And salmon is oh-so-wonderfully good for you with all its vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids!

Lentils are great with salmon. And this dish made for great leftovers the next day. I did learn one lesson though: always dice vegetables to size according to what the recipe calls for. Also, it's preferable to chop them uniformly. An occasional not-so-cooked-all-the-way potato is not so great. But really, this vegetable combination with the lentils was simple, but really tasty. And the crust on the salmon was incredible...

Cook lentils until tender. Boil and reduce some chicken stock over high heat, then remove. Warm a bit of the concentrated stock in a skillet over medium-high heat. Mix in finely chopped shallot, carrot, and potato, cooking until the liquid has almost evaporated. Pour in remaining stock, add cooked lentils, and simmer until potato is tender. Stir in kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Remove from heat.

In another skillet over medium-high heat, warm some canola oil. Season salmon fillet pieces with salt and pepper. Place them in the pan, cooking until crisp and well-browned. Serve on top of the green lentil ragout. Yum.

Red Chard, Potato, and White Bean Ragout

Ragout. A French main-dish stew cooked for a long time over low heat. Low heat. I'll remember that next time I'm trying to keep a ragout at a simmer. Apparently, letting the heat elevate too quickly can turn some of your ingredients (a.k.a. potatoes and beans) into mush. So yesterday, my ragout really turned into a sort of chowder. But, it was actually delicious! Maybe it's okay for some ragout contents to get a little soft, because in turn, you end up with a very thick and luxurious broth.

How did I find this recipe? I googled "red chard recipes." And I found: Red Chard, Potato, and White Bean Ragout from The New York Times online. Recipes for Health. Perfect. And a perfect way to use my red chard. Heck, I'm even going to throw my romanesco into that. I don't know about you, but I had never heard of romanesco in my life until it showed up in our vegetable box. So I googled it (like I do most things) and voila! Roman cauliflower. That'll do.

Romanesco.

All in all, this recipe was really good. It asks you to basically make your own broth with bay leaf, fresh thyme, and a Parmesan rind. You leave that simmering in water and the beans for an hour before adding anything else. Red chard (stems and leaves), onion, garlic, Yukon gold potatoes, and more thyme (plus, romanesco if you're fancy). It was so hearty. And even though it did fall apart a little, it was still tasty. The red chard is slightly bitter, but it's balanced out by the smooth potatoes, beans, a wonderful herb content. I think the Parmesan rind added a sort of creaminess to the stew also.

Delicious, comforting, and perfect with some fresh Trader Joe's wheat sourdough bread. Ahh, it's fall.