Tis the Season for Asparagus!

Normally when I cook, most of my energy goes into the protein. It's all about coming up with different preparations, sauces, presentations, etc. And then I'll add on some white rice from the rice cooker and some steamed broccoli or something. But last night, I decided to do something different, and focus my energy on the "sides" so to speak. I had decided on the Asparagus Pesto with Tiny Potatoes and Pasta from the Tra Vigne Cookbook by Michael Chiarello. I figured it would give me the opportunity to try something new and take advantage of the fresh aspargus of the Spring.

Pesto is one of those flavors that I quite enjoy, but I've never taken the time to make it myself. Usually it's just been grabbing a package of Knorr's seasoning, adding some olive oil, and calling it good. So, I was excited to learn how to make it myself, and it turns out it's pretty darn easy. For the pesto, the prep consisted of simply chopping some basil and garlic, toasting some pine nuts, and cooking some asparagus. All of this is then thrown into a food processor and combined. Then I add in some olive oil slowly while it is processing to try and get to the consistency of mayo, then some parmesan cheese to finish it off. What resulted was a beautiful green, and delicious pesto. It probably took me a total of 15 minutes and most of that was waiting for the water to come to a boil.

But making the pesto was only the first part. The next step was to make the potatoes and pasta. Not that making potatoes and pasta is difficult. I wasn't able to find the tiny potatoes, so instead I used baby reds that I cut up into small pieces. I then boiled them, using my brand new Calphalon pot (so excited about my Calphalon cookware) and then sauteed them in some olive oil. This double cooking technique is something that has been pretty new for me, but something that really enhances the flavors. The pasta (from a box) was cooked in the asparagus water that had been salted, which really did add some additional flavor to the pasta. I mixed with a cup of the pesto, added some cheese, and was ready to go.

To accompany this beautiful pesto dish, I decided to do a very traditional Pacific Northwest protein, Sockeye Salmon. The preparation is one that I learned from a salmon cooking expert in Alaska.

You simply melt about a table spoon of butter over medium-high heat in a skillet. While the butter is melting, season the salmon with salt and pepper. Lay the piece of salmon in the butter and pour a little bit of water around the outside. This will create steam. Put the lid on the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let steam for about 5-7 minutes. At that time, remove it from the heat, but leave the lid on for about 3 more minutes. Then, open the lid, and serve. The times will vary depending on the thickness, and definitely takes some practice to get just right. There is a pretty fine line between beautifully cooked and overcooked. To finish the dish, I sauteed the remaining asparagus in a little bit of butter and olive oil, with some salt and pepper.

The overall meal turned out pretty good. I say pretty good because I was so focused on making sure that I got my pesto dish correct that I wasn't paying attention to the salmon and overcooked it by about 2-3 minutes. I actually feel a little embarassed because I've been cooking salmon this way for 3 or 4 years now, and totally blew it. It wasn't inedible, but it definitely wasn't the succulent salmon that I've made before. Oh well. The pesto was delicious (and I added it to the salmon for a little additional moisture), and I learned a valuable lesson; pay attention to everything that you are cooking.