Last Nights Dinner Brought To You By: Bacon & Mustard

Sorry, no pics. I was flying solo because on Mondays La is in class until 5-ish. I was going to do cedar plank roasted salmon but decided to save that for another night (I really was just dragging ass, in my 24 hour Monday fog).

Here was the menu...Mustard Greens (with bacon), Mustard Baked Salmon (with bacon) & Parsnip Puree'.

I cooked the mustard greens in the pressure cooker & guess what....it didn't explode in my face like I was expecting. There was a few sketchy moments though, but I tamed the beast. Here is how it went down: I washed the greens & dried them in the salad spinner then threw them into the pot, along with 2 strips of bacon, 1 cup of H2O & a handful of mustard seeds (totally unnecessary thinking back, but the added occasional crunch & spicy explosion was nice). They cooked, hissed & threatened me while magically cooking in the pot of volatility for 5 minutes. They were cooked to perfection.

For the salmon...I rubbed salt, white pepper & some whole grain brown mustard all over the fillet & then covered each piece with a strip of bacon & cooked in a 400° oven for about 12 minutes.

To finish our Monday night dinner off I made a household favorite, Parsnip puree'.

I got the original recipe from the Abstract Gourmet & it has slowly evolved into the creation we had last night. First, I cut the parsnips into small slices (<1/4 inch) along with a shallot. I then sauteed them both in some butter until they shallots were tender. After that, I de-glazed the pan with half a can of chicken stock & let it simmer with the lid on until most of the liquid was gone, when I then added some minced, fresh-from-the-garden Mexican Tarragon. Finally the puree' part comes in. I threw it in our blender & pureed the mixture (actually La was home at this point & she handled the blender quite skillfully, I might add since our blender is slowly dying). It might have been the best batch yet. The Mexican Tarragon made the dish with its sweet, lemony, fresh anise flavor.

The wines poured were a Smoking Loon Viognier & I enjoyed the last glass of Luccarelli Primitivo. Both were good but the Primitivo paired better. The Viognier was just too delicate to stand up to the meal but was outstanding on its own. We have never tried a Viognier & we loved it. It was so delicate, floral & beautiful. We will definitely be trying more of this varietal. It is the first white wine to really make an impression on me.

It was great way to end the worst day of the week...Monday.