Happy (Good) Friday everyone!
I woke up this morning incredibly grateful for one of my best friends Krystal, who is always so supportive of all of my crazy endeavors. She, herself (along with her business parter Maddy), has a blog and has been such a great source as I started Carolina à la Carte (@bambinadiaries on IG; bambinadiaries.com). Today, we’re coming together to talk about Easter and my contribution of course is food related!
During Lent, Catholics typically fast every Friday and most importantly on Good Friday (today). Thankfully, it’s not traditional fasting (aka Yom Kippur for my Jewish counterparts); just no red meat/poultry. This leaves us with seafood, carbs and veggies, but in my opinion, that still gives me tons to work with besides the standard McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish (those who grew up Catholic in Miami know what I’m talking about).
So in an effort to stay fancy today + respect the holiday, I’ll be sharing 2 of my favorite Good Friday-friendly recipes with you and the Bambina Diaries community: Pan Seared Garlic & Herb Salmon and Mushroom Parmesan Risotto. Here ya go!
PAN SEARED GARLIC & HERB SALMON
Ingredients
2 salmon filets, skin-on (size doesn’t really matter; up to you!)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 - 1 tbsp. good extra virgin olive oil
2 - 4 cloves of garlic, minced (as much as you want; the more the merrier)
2 tbsp. freshly chopped Italian parsley
A few lemon slices
Instructions
1) Season salmon with salt & pepper (to taste) & squeeze 2 tbsp. lemon juice onto filets. Rub seasoning all over fish (including skin) with fingers.
2) Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a non-stick skillet that fits both pieces of salmon. Once heated, place salmon (flesh side down) on pan and make sure the entire surface of the fish is pressed down, touching the pan. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes; surface of salmon should be golden/crispy.
3) Flip over filets onto skin side and sear for 2 or so more minutes. While cooking, add butter, garlic, 1 or so tbsp. parsley and remaining lemon juice onto the pan. Mix together around filets and spoon onto filets while they’re cooking.
4) Check the middle of a filet to make sure the salmon is cooked to your liking; keep going one minute at a time until they’re ready. Garnish with remaining parsley and lemon slices & serve!
Servings: 2
MUSHROOM PARMESAN RISOTTO
Ingredients
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
2-3 tbsp. good extra virgin olive oil
2 lbs. sliced mushrooms (could be portobello, your favorite mushroom or a combination)
1 medium onion (or 2 shallots), chopped
1.5 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (you can use cooking wine or any dry white like Pinot Grigio/Sauvignon Blanc - really whatever you’re drinking as long as it’s not red or Chardonnay)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2-3 tbsp. freshly chopped Italian parsley
2-4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/3 cup parmesan cheese (or as much as you want + more for serving)
Instructions
1) Warm chicken broth in saucepan over low heat.
2) Meanwhile, cook mushrooms in 1-2 tbsp. olive oil until soft in a separate, large sauce pan over medium-high heat; remove mushrooms with their liquid from the pan and set aside for later use.
3) Add 1 tbsp. olive oil to the pan and cook onion/shallots for about 1 minute. Then add rice and mix all together; let cook in pan for about 2 minutes. When rice turns golden, pour in wine and cook while stirring until liquid is absorbed. Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth and cook/stir until broth is absorbed. Repeat the process with chicken broth (1/2 cup at a time) until all liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked through (‘al dente’). This should take 20 or so minutes.
4) Remove the risotto from heat and mix in mushrooms, their liquid, butter, parsley & parmesan. Season with salt & freshly ground black pepper to your liking and serve with extra parmesan.
Servings: 4 if serving as a side dish; 2 or so if main course
Do you want wine with that? A dry white wine will work well here. I’ll suggest a Chenin Blanc or Pinot Gris since those have been my go-tos lately.
For more of my recipes make sure to visit https://www.carolinaalacarte.com