Basil Wine Sauce Over Grilled Salmon

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Our Growing Paynes

It’s been a very interesting week getting the new business off the ground. Aside from opening up the Etsy shop I also did a local art show called Art in the Park. It was a great experience as I was able to get advice from fellow artists and everyone was so positive. In addition to getting a few sales I also got great positive feedback which lets me know I’m not tilting at windmills.

I also upgraded this site to the business level and spent quality time with the “happiness engineers” to get a shop set up on my blog. It took several hours as I seem to have a knack to ask for stuff that require special coding. I still have a few more things to do but it’s all a go now!

Earlier this summer, when we were in Swanage, we took my in-laws out to dinner to thank them for putting us up and putting up with us. We tried an Italian restaurant in town which wasn’t too bad. The highlight of the meal was for my daughter and I as we ordered poached salmon with an amazing basil sauce. She and I raved about it. Once all the summer adventures were over I knew I needed to make this again as a treat.

I will admit, using fresh basil in it’s prime is best. Our basil in the garden is a bit past it’s prime but the flavour was still there.

Making the Basil Wine Sauce

Prep the salmon first. Season with sea salt and pepper. Slice a lemon to grill the salmon on.

Grilling over lemons gives it a great flavour.

Pick a bunch, about three handfuls. Wash and blend with a third a cup of dry white wine.

In a saucepan melt 3-4 tablespoons of butter. Add 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped, along with the basil and wine. Sauté on low to medium heat. The goal is to have a hint of the white wine come through with the basil being the highlight. If need be, add more butter to get the right balance. Sometimes the wine can be a bit harsh.

While this is cooking, grill up the salmon. I also grilled chicken for my husband and son. Do up a fresh salad and top with the salmon and the basil wine sauce.

I was hoping this meal was the swan song of the summer but the summer just won’t quit! My daughter enjoyed this and was happy I can recreate the dish for us. I think the best trips down memory lane are food related.

Grilled Salmon with Basil Wine Sauce

A delicious sauce of basil and wine drizzled over grilled salmon.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 2 people

Author Our Growing Paynes

Ingredients

Salmon

1/2 lb wild sockeye salmon
1 lemon
pinch sea salt
pinch freshly ground pepper

Sauce

1 1/2 cup fresh basil
1/3 cup dry white wine
3-4 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Instructions

Season the salmon with the sea salt and pepper. Slice the lemon about 1/4"/.6cm thick. Heat up the grill and grill the salmon on the lemon slices.
Blend the basil and wine together. Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the basil and garlic and sautè. Add more butter if needed to keep a balance of flavour with the wine.
Make a salad, top with the salmon and basil wine sauce.

Who Doesn’t Love a Tart? A White Wine Mushroom Tart…

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Our Growing Paynes

See, when tax season ends it is supposed to be spring. Normally I can get outside in the fresh air and putter about in the garden. Mother Nature did not get the memo this year! On Monday we had a two hour delay for school due to snow and ice. It’s just been cold this week. The strong winds took down a large tree in town. She is being cruel!

I really hope the warm weather shows soon because it would be nice to have a spring longer than a couple of weeks. Summer likes to show early here.

Every Tuesday night we have pizza and sometimes I buy a phyllo dough mushroom tarts with white wine. It’s been on my list to recreate it but I decided instead of fiddling round with the phyllo that I would make my short crust pastry.

In a skillet melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Finely chop shiitake mushrooms to give you a cupful. Finely chop shallots until you have about 1/3 cup. Sauté the mushrooms and shallots on medium heat. Chop up fresh thyme and rosemary, about a small handful total and add them to the skillet. After cooking for several minutes add a 1/4 cup/2oz of dry white wine.

Grate about 3/4 cup of jarlsberg and put it in a medium bowl and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350F/175C and prep the pastry. Technique to do the pastry is here. For this recipe I used 1/2 cup/70g of flour, a pinch of salt, and just under a 1/4 cup of butter. When the butter is fully incorporated into the flour gradually add cold water a bit at a time until the dough comes together. Roll out thinly.

Add the mushroom mixture to the cheese and mix well. Add a dollop to the pastry.

Pinch the dough closed and slice three vents into the top. Brush with a beaten egg.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is golden and flaky.

These are great for a cheese and wine night or if you have a potluck to go to.

Pork Loin with Mustard Garlic White Wine Sauce

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Our Growing Paynes

With this week’s nor’easter we weren’t sure if the kids would be at school to participate in the national walkout to protest the mass shootings that keep happening in this country. We had a snow day on Tuesday but only a delay yesterday. Both kids at each of their schools joined in and I couldn’t be prouder. It’s so important for people, kids in particular, to find a way to get their point across in a mindful way. May they bring about the change that is so needed.

I’d love to say that this storm was the last but we’re not going to be that lucky. Another one coming next week! So over this winter.

I wanted to treat the family to a nice Saturday meal this past weekend that would have a side of Brussel sprouts as it’s a treat for my husband. I was puttering about on the Pinterest site and I saw many recipes for mustard and garlic pork and then white wine garlic pork and I thought, why not do it all?

A couple of hours before dinner I did up the marinade for the pork loin. In a bowl that would fit the loin add a 1/3 cup of olive oil and 1/4 cup of white wine. Finely chop 4-5 cloves of garlic and a healthy handful of fresh thyme. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Score the pork loin, season with sea salt and pepper and add it to the bowl and make sure the marinade coats the pork well. Set aside in the fridge for a couple of hours.

When it was time to cook everything up I prepped the potatoes and parsnips for roasting. I really like them cut into disks. I find I get a lovely golden roast on the veg. Brush them with olive oil and season, again!, with sea salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Take the pork out of the fridge and put on a sheet to roast. Mix 2 tablespoons each of brown sugar and brown mustard and brush it onto the pork.

Pop it into the oven along with the potatoes and parsnips. In a skillet add the remaining marinade and mustard mix.

Bring to a low simmer and add a cup/8oz of chicken stock. Simmer slowly while the the pork cooks. As it reduces add more chicken stock if needed to balance out the flavours and to make sure you have enough sauce. You don’t want a watery sauce but you want enough to go round!

As I mentioned my husband loves Brussel sprouts so I pan seared a bunch for him and our daughter. Our son and I don’t like them so I did up some green beans for us.

When the pork is done let it rest for several minutes then slice and layer over the potatoes. Spoon the sauce over the pork and serve with veg and parsnips.

This had so many delicious flavours that worked together. We all really enjoyed this meal.

Bacon and Chicken White Bean Soup and We Have a Houdini

Posted on February 1, 2018 by Our Growing Paynes

Our puppy boys aren’t actually puppies, they are 11 and 8. We call them puppies as they like to act like that and occasionally they teach themselves new tricks. Guinness, our 11 year old, decided to channel Houdini this morning. Because we’re still having work done on the house we put the dogs safely in a room. It usually works. Only this morning Guinness figured out how to open our sliding doors. It got a little hairy as we corralled him. It was bit bit like a comedy of people going in and out of rooms but no one could see anyone else.

Murphy has been taking this in stride but Guinness has taken to muttering at the intrusions. Definitely put out! Fortunately it will be over soon and he’ll soon get his room back. Silly sausage.

With the cacophony going on, comfort food hits the spot. Bacon chicken white bean soup fits the bill. I added bacon and chicken to this soup because they needed to be used up. Necessity being the mother of invention and all that.

In a saucepan add a half chicken breast that has been cubed and 3-4 rashers of streaky bacon that has been chopped. Sauté on medium heat.

Slice 2-3 mushrooms and chop 4-6 cloves of garlic. Once the bacon has rendered a bit add the veg to the saucepan.

Add 3 cups/24 ounces of chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Next add 2 cans of 15 ounce cans of white beans after rinsing them. Continue to simmer until the beans are cooked through. Season with se salt and pepper. A healthy splash of white wine, ahandful of fresh parsley and 4 ounces of freshly grated Parmesan finishes off the soup.

Fresh baked crusty bread with butter is a perfect companion to this soup.

I really enjoyed this hearty soup. A nice break from all the upheaval.

Seafood Chowdah

Posted on October 15, 2016 by Our Growing Paynes

Years ago, when my family had a small manufacturing company, my dad would make a fish chowder for the Christmas party. Once he made it, that was it, I don’t think he was allowed to make anything else. His dish was guaranteed to disappear. I found his recipe that he used because I wanted to make a treat for my visiting in-laws.

Of course I couldn’t leave it alone! I had to make it my own. Good thing my dad is used to these kind of shenanigans. It doesn’t mean I wouldn’t scarf down a bowl of his if it magically appeared before me. It would not have a chance to get cold!

This is a very easy dish to put together, just make sure you have good quality ingredients. No skimping!

I found lovely cuts of salmon and cod at the co-op. You want firm fish for this chowder. I cubed three red skin potatoes and covered with water. Bring the water to a boil and while the potatoes are cooking prep the other ingredients. I chopped half an onion and a couple of cloves of garlic. In a skillet heat up a tablespoon or so of olive oil and begin cooking the onion. Once the onion is translucent add the garlic. I couldn’t find salt pork so I chose to use pancetta instead. If you find salt pork you do not need a lot otherwise you can overpower the chowder. I chopped about 1/2 a cup of pancetta and added it to the skillet.

Add a handful of fresh thyme and a 1/2 cup of dry white wine. Cook for a few minutes. Once the potatoes begin to soften add the contents of the skillet to the pot. Cube the fish and add that as well.

Add enough water to cover the fish. Don’t bring it to a boil! Slowly cook the fish at a low simmer. It will gradually begin to flake without becoming tough.

Season with sea salt and pepper. Add a bit more wine to taste if you need to. Wait until you are ready to serve before you add a cup of cream and two tablespoons of salted butter. Warm through and serve.

My husband made some homemade bread to go with this dish. So good with butter! And it holds up as leftovers.

White Wine and Sage for Pork

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Our Growing Paynes

It was a fantastic weekend. It just felt really productive and it was fun to hang out with the kids after our holiday. The meds for the fibro have started to work so I feel like I’m on a roll now. And gathering steam!

The weather was perfect and no forecast of frost so it was time to clear out the house of the multitude of seedlings we have growing. It can be hard to time when to start them because we have no idea when the danger of frost has past. It can be the beginning of April or the end of May. We got most of it planted and we’re just left with the tomatoes. I was playing it safe in case the weather people were wrong. Which never happens. Ahem.

I was also in crazy baking mode. I found some burratta at the shops and wanted to do an Italian night with the kids so I made ciabatta and chopped up fresh tomatoes to go with the burratta as a starter. I also made brioche and shortbread which I’ll be posting about soon.

I flipped through the cookery book that I have by Marcella Hazan and she had a recipe with white wine and sage for pork ribs. I used it as an inspiration though the only two ingredients I used was the white wine and the sage. I had a pork loin to cook for this.

We have discovered that my son, who hates mushrooms, is ok with oyster mushrooms. So we found some nice fresh mushrooms to pair with the fresh sage. I chopped enough mushrooms to make up a cups’ worth. I also finely chopped 3-4 cloves of garlic and a handful of fresh sage.

In a skillet heat up a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Season the pork with sea salt and pepper. Brown all sides.

Finish it off in the oven at 350F/175C. In the skillet add a bit more olive oil and the mushrooms. Saute for a few minutes then add the garlic.

Once the mushrooms have browned a bit add 3/4 cup of dry white wine and 1/2 a cup of chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and add the sage. After the sauce has reduced by a third season to taste with sea salt and pepper.

I also made a mash with potato and parsnip. To dish up add the mash and topped with sliced pork and the sauce.

I felt the sage was a strong flavour so I would back off the sage a bit for myself but my family all thought different. Funny how taste buds work!

Garlic Butter Chicken and Finding Peace

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Our Growing Paynes

A few weeks ago I got to the bank before it opened and was waiting in the foyer with an older gentleman. As we were waiting one of the employees came through and kind of just looked at us without saying anything and closed the door firmly. I get they have to be careful with security but I commented it would have been nice if she was friendly or said hi.

The older gentleman just said it was ok and she may be having a bad day. He chooses to not let the negativity to affect him. And then he just smiled. This is how I’d like to be. Not letting the negativity round me become internalised. He seemed to have found his inner peace and he seemed to be enjoying life. Have to admit I was a bit envious with that.

I hope I can find that balance! I definitely enjoy life but it would be nice to not let myself be affected by outside forces so much. I’m getting there. 🙂

For those of you that have followed my blog for awhile you won’t be surprised when I say one of my favourite ingredients is garlic. We also love breaded pan fried chicken.

To bread the chicken dip it a beaten egg then panko bread crumbs. Brown in a skillet with butter.

I slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise. One because it keeps the portions sane and two it cooks more evenly. Once cooked remove from the skillet and keep warm.

Melt a few tablespoons of butter and add 4-5 cloves of garlic that are coarsely chopped. Saute for a couple of minutes on medium heat. You don’t want the garlic to get browned or burnt. Add a 1/2 cup or so of chicken stock and a 1/4 cup of dry white wine, bring to a simmer. Add a handful of chopped fresh parsley. Season with sea salt and pepper.

While this part was cooking I cooked up some potatoes and parsnips to mash. Serve with the chicken over the potatoes and spoon the sauce over the top.

This is lovely with a glass of pinot grigio. I don’t know what it is about panko encrusted chicken but I love it.

Chicken Leek Flaky Pies

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Our Growing Paynes

This is just crazy. Every single year that I’ve been doing taxes I get sick or I fall just as the office opens. I thought not this year! The office opens tomorrow and I’m sick. Seriously? What kind of “rain” dance can I do to break this streak? So I’m trying to be very good today so it goes away and I’ll be fine for tomorrow.

I love the flavour combination of chicken and leek and I wanted to do a variation on the chicken and leek pies with phyllo dough. This time I wanted to use a short crust for the pie.

I made the pastry about an hour before making the dinner to allow it to chill in the fridge. Cut in 3/4 cup of cold butter into 2 1/2 cups of flour and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt. When the mixture is crumbly and sticks together add a tablespoon of cold water at a time until the pastry comes together in a ball. Cover with cling film and chill.

You need to make enough filling to fill the amount of pastry you have. The above recipe is enough for 2 9″ pie shells. Which was enough to make four pies. The ratio of ingredients is equal amounts for everything but the garlic. That was just 3-4 cloves. Everything gets chopped up into small pieces. You don’t want large chunks so everything cooks evenly.

In a large skillet start rendering the streaky bacon on medium. You don’t want the skillet too hot because you don’t want the bacon to catch. After about 5 minutes add the garlic. Then add the leeks and mushrooms.

Normally you start the chicken at the beginning but for this the chicken needs to complete cooking in the oven. You don’t want the chicken dry and tough. After the leeks and mushrooms have cooked for a couple of minutes add about a third of a cup of dry white wine. Add the chicken and a bit of fresh thyme.

Roll out the pastry. I rolled to a thickness of about a 1/4″/6mm. I used a 6″ plate to cut round.

Spoon the filling onto one half of the pastry. I used a slotted spoon because I didn’t want the filling to be too wet. Grate some jarlesberg over the filling.

Brush a beaten egg round the edge of the pastry. Fold the pastry in half and use a fork to crimp round the edge. Slice the top with three slits. Brush the pie with the beaten egg.

Bake in the oven set at 425F/220C for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden and flaky.

Serve immediately. The kids loved it and it is a very easy dish to put together. And a great way to use up some ingredients in the fridge.

Greek Lemon Dill Chicken

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Our Growing Paynes

Is it rude to want to lick the plate? Probably, so I showed great restraint with this meal. I got up as much as I could with the fork though. 🙂

I have a cookery book called “The Foods of the Greek Islands” by Aglaia Kremezi. All sorts of wonderful recipes to try.

This is my version of the dish. I didn’t vary to far from the recipe but I also wasn’t in the mood to use any blender. And I changed the amounts of the ingredients for the balance I wanted.

In a skillet, heat up about a 1/4 cup of olive oil. Season the chicken legs with sea salt and pepper. Brown both sides of the chicken.

Remove from the heat. In the scallions add about 1/2 cup of chopped scallions. Cook to they are wilted.

Add the chicken back to the skillet. Add a cup of dry white wine and a cup of chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook for another 10 minutes.

Remove the chicken again. Add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and about 4 tablespoons of chopped dill. Stir well and bring it back to a simmer. Add the chicken once more, cover, and cook until the chicken is cooked.

To serve, cut up the chicken and serve with the sauce spooned over it. We also served this with roasted potatoes and corn.

This has to be one of my favourite sauces I’ve made to date. Very flavourful and bright.

Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Our Growing Paynes

Summer, at least in relation to school, is coming to an end. Tomorrow my daughter has her orientation for high school tomorrow and my son has his meet and greet at the middle school. So we’ve had fun the past couple of days playing games and letting them be lazy. Because after today we are off and running with a new year. And back to doing the school lunches. Though with the days starting earlier as they move up schools I’ll have to do them in the evenings but that’s ok. I’ll survive. 🙂

I’m just thrilled they are still into board games and such. I hope they don’t outgrow that. We have so much fun with family time.

Given that all that went on last week, quick meals were the thing. This dish couldn’t be simpler. But it has a lot of flavours and falls into the comfort food category.

It’s hard to go wrong when you have sundried tomatoes and garlic. We also had on hand some apple smoked chicken sausages. These are fully cooked so this was added at the end. If you start with raw sausages, brown them first and set aside to cook off near the end. In a skillet melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add a few cloves of garlic that have been chopped. Also, add several chopped sundried tomatoes.

Chop up a few mushrooms and slice the sausages and add that to the skillet. One of the towns we went on our honeymoon was San Gimignano which is famous for the towers. It also has very good white wine. I wanted to use this for the sauce.

Add about 1/2 a cup of a good white wine to the skillet. Bring to a simmer.

While this is cooking prepare the spaghetti. Near the end of cooking add 1/2 a cup of cream and 1/2 a cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Mix well.

Add the spaghetti and a handful of fresh basil. Toss well and serve.

Quick and easy comfort food. When it’s a tough week, it’s perfect. In fact I did a similar dish at the end with tomatoes from our garden. Seems to be my go to flavour profile!

Our Growing Paynes

A journey about cooking, traveling, gardening, and crafting.

Tag Archives: white wine