Easy And Quick Holiday Cooking

Festive, but uncomplicated dishes make holiday dinners easy for the cook as well as the guests. Unlike other Seasonal Chef columns, the recipes are not necessarily for the same meal. In fact, the sheet pan roast salmon is complete by itself. I’d add spinach salad with slices of red onion and oranges topped with vinaigrette made with orange juice to complete the menu.

Holiday Yukon gold potatoes are unpeeled, sliced, drizzled with olive oil and dusted with your favorite dried spices and herbs plus Parmesan cheese. Potatoes never get better than this! Think thick potato chips crunchy on the outside with pizazz. They are the perfect accompaniment for sautéed chicken breasts, grilled steak, or pork chops.

Peeling the stems of thick broccoli rabe before cooking makes all the difference in the taste. The bright green hue makes this a brief but spectacular vegetable stand out during the winter holiday entertaining season.

Season’s Greetings, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from my kitchen to you! Bon appetit!

Sheet Pan Roast Salmon with Garlic and Lemon, Purple Peruvian Potatoes, Leeks and Tomatoes

(Serves 6)

2 to 2 1/2 pounds fresh salmon fillet, center cut, (2-inches thick)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 to 5 large cloves garlic or more to taste, chopped

4 large lemons (2 lemons, zest grated and juice squeezed and 2 lemons, cut into wedges for garnish)

About 30 to 35 purple Peruvian potatoes, scrubbed (number of potatoes depends on the size, if large, cut into even sized pieces)

4 large leeks, greens removed and white portion cut into 1-inch thick round slices

20 to 24 cherry tomatoes, washed and stemmed

1 small bunch parsley, chopped – for garnish

To prepare:

Preheat oven 400 degree F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil the sheet.

In a small saucepan, add all the oil and heat until simmering. Add the garlic, reduce the heat and simmer until aromatic and almost tender but not brown. Immediately strain off the oil and reserve garlic and oil separately.

Rinse salmon under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into serving sized portions sprinkle with salt, pepper and drizzle with a few drops of lemon juice. Spread chopped garlic over the surface and drizzle with reserved oil. Set aside on a plate.

Scrub potatoes, lightly coat them with oil and spread the potatoes on the baking sheet. Bake until they are nearly half tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the leeks into rounds and drizzle with oil. Scatter leeks around the potatoes and sprinkle with remaining chopped garlic, salt and pepper to taste and bake about 5 minutes.

Remove the sheet pan from the oven and push the potatoes and leeks over to one side. Add the salmon to the sheet pan, leaving space between each piece add few slices of lemon, a few drops of oil and return the pan to the oven. Roast for 5 minutes, add tomatoes to the pan, drizzle with remaining oil and roast until the salmon is done according to personal preference. Rule of thumb is 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Taste a potato or leek and adjust the seasonings. If necessary, quickly run the fish under the broiler until the garlic is browned.

Transfer the salmon, potatoes, leeks, and tomatoes onto a warm platter or individual plates, garnish with lemon wedges and chopped parsley.

Holiday Yukon Gold Potatoes

(Serves 6)

8 medium Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed, halved and cut into ¼- to 1/3- inch thick slices

1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

About 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or more to taste

2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 to 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning mixture with garlic

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To prepare:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and lightly drizzle oil on the bottom.

Scrub and cut the potatoes into even slices. Toss slices into a bowl and drizzle with enough oil to coat the potatoes and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. Scatter Parmesan cheese, parsley and red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper over the potatoes. Use more or less amounts according to personal preference.

Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees F. Rotate the pan, but do not turn potatoes over. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and nicely browned. Turn off the heat and leave in oven about 15 minutes or until serving time. Can be done ahead and reheated.

Winter Broccoli Rabe

(Serves 6)

About 12 large bunch of broccoli rabe, bottom of stem trimmed, thick stalks peeled, washed

Extra virgin olive oil or unsalted butter

1 or 2 drops sesame oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To prepare:

Cut about a thin slice off the bottom of broccoli rabe. With a vegetable peeler, peel the skin off the outside stems. Wash under cold running water.

In a large pot with a lid over high heat, add about two inches of water to the bottom of the pan. Set a rack or steamer over the water, place broccoli rabe in the steamer, cover, and steam until crunch tender (test with the point of a sharp knife.) About 5 to 10 minutes, the cooking time will depend on the thickness of the broccoli rabe. Immediately drop into ice water to stop the cooking process and drain well. Can be done ahead.

To reheat and serve: In a skillet over moderate high heat, coat the bottom with oil or butter, add sesame oil, add broccoli rabe, turn rabe over several times to coat with oil and reheat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a warm platter and serve at once.