Ginger and Soy Salmon

Full disclosure, I took this recipe from my mother in law Hilde and I am not sorry about it at all.  She made this for Christmas dinner, the dish is super gourmet but also very simple and easy to make.  You can also prep it ahead of time and keep cool in the fridge if you are worried about the timing of cooking the fish.

Ingredients

1 lb salmon fillet
1 chunk of fresh ginger root (about 4 inches)
1 bunch of scallions
1 lemon
1 lime
1/2 cup soy sauce
salt/pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil

1. Peel ginger root and thinly slice.  Set aside.
2. Chop scallions into less than bite sized pieces
3. Thinly slice lemon and lime.
4. Clean the salmon filet and dab with paper towels.  Place in a dish with a lip so it can go straight into the oven.
5. Top the salmon with ginger root, scallions, lemon and lime.  At this point you can put the fish in the fridge until you are ready to cook and serve.
6. When ready, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
7. Pour soy sauce over fish and top with salt and pepper.
8. Cook in the oven until fork on the fish is firm but not too hard.  About 12 minutes.
9. Remove fish from oven.  Heat a small sauce pan over high heat and add oil.  When nearly smoking hot, remove from stove and carefully pour over the fish.  This is dinner theater so you can do this at the table, but just be careful of the hot oil.
10. Serve and enjoy!

Pomegranate and Gin Martini

I know that pomegranate is super trendy, but this cocktail is a perfect example of why this juice is so popular.  Additionally, pomegranate juice is surprisingly tasty mixed with gin!  This recipe also calls for Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur and I promise it is worth the investment.  This drink is perfect for a cold winter night when you want to dream about a far away tropical beach

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Makes 2 drinks

2 oz gin
2 oz ginger liquor
2 oz pomegranate juice
juice 1 one lime

1. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake very well over ice.  Pour into a chilled martini glass and enjoy immediately (with a slice of lime if you have it!).

Pizza Margherita

What better way to start the New Year than with this light and healthy pizza!  Don't worry, it is still tasty and delicious like pizza should be.  There is a lot of history behind the pizza Margherita and for good reason.  The very simple ingredients make for a quick pizza and accompanied with a salad, you have a superb and timely dinner.  If you haven't made your own pizza dough yet, please try this recipe.  I know it is hard to prep before you leave for work, but this literally takes five minutes in one bowl.  You don't even have to get your hands dirty!

Makes 1 14'' thin crust pizza

Ingredients 

Toppings:

2 small-medium on-the-vine tomatoes

2 medium bocconcini mozzarella balls

1 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

Pizza dough:

1 teaspoon yeast

pinch of sugar

2 1/2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1. Combine yeast and pinch of sugar in a 1/2 cup measuring cup.  Fill with warm water.  Let set for about  3-4 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine flour and salt in a medium bowl.  Stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate the salt.

3. Pour yeast mixture over the flour.  Fill up another 1/2 cup of warm water and pour over the flour.

4. Using your wooden spoon vigorously stir the ingredients together.  You are basically kneeding the dough with your spoon.  Mix until well combined, about 1-2 minutes.

5. Cover the bowl with a towel and let rest until doubled in size or you come home from work and want to make dinner.

6. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

7. Press out pizza dough onto parchment paper.  Trust me, it will not stick.

8. Thinly slice tomato and mozzarella.  I like to press the mozzarella in a paper towel first to get the excess water out.

9. Cover the pizza with the tomato and mozzarella.  Put in the oven to cook until crust is golden brown and mozzarella is bubbling and light brown.  This will take about 12-15 minutes but watch it carefully.

10. Remove from the oven and top with sliced basil, cracked pepper and sprinkle a touch of sea salt.

11. Serve immediately.