During our meat-free meal week, we happened to catch an episode of Good Eats where the theme was ‘pouch cookery’. This inspired us to create our own version of a ‘pouch meal’, similar to one made on the show. By sprinkling some anise-flavored liquor such as Ricard, Duval or Pernod, the result is a sweet ’sauce’ that mixes perfectly with the salmon meat. I really hope you try this quick, easy, cheap and nutritious meal. Plus, it’s the easiest cleanup ever!

SWEET ANISE-FLAVORED SALMON AND VEGETABLES IN A POUCH (salmon en papillote – serves 1)

Ingredients

• 1 piece of salmon (cut to serve one person)
• various sliced vegetables (we used carrots sliced in ’sticks’, cherry tomatoes sliced in half and thinly sliced onion – fennel and asparagus would be nice as well)
• 1 tablespoon anise-flavored liquor (Ricard, Duval or Pernod -maybe even Sambuca could work?)
• Slices of Lemon
• Parchment Paper or Tin Foil
• Rock Salt
• Pepper
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

What to do:

1. Lay your salmon skin side down on the parchment paper. Scatter your veggies around it.
2. Sprinkle some rock salt and freshly ground pepper all over your fish and veggies.
3. Squeeze a bit of lemon on top and drizzle about 1 – 2 tablespoons of your anise-flavored liquor over the salmon and veggies.
4. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil on top of everything.
5. Top your salmon with 2 or 3 thinly slices pieces of lemon
6. Make your pouch by taking the two ends together and fold over a few times until there’s about 1 inch of room on top of the salmon. Pinch the other ends in and then fold towards the center seam to create a closed, tight “pouch”. (SEE PICTURE BELOW).
7. Put in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove, open pouch and voila – dinner’s ready! Eat along side some boiled potatoes (boiled long enough that they still have a bit of ‘give’ in them) topped with some rocksalt olive oil and chives.

PLUS PLUS
PLUS
EQUALS

CHECK OUT SOME OF OUR OTHER SUPER QUICK RECIPES:

• GROUND LAMB KABOBS (Lamb Kubideh)
• PASTA WITH LEEKS, ASPARAGUS, MUSHROOMS AND GRUYERE, TOPPED WITH A FRIED EGG
• ORECCHIETTE WITH SAUSAGE AND KALE
• TORTILLA SOUP
• PASTA WITH TUNA (Pasta Con Tonno)
• CHORIZO, CHICKPEA AND POTATO SOUP
• CREAMY LEMON PASTA

During a brief, but animated, post-lunch discussion of the various Food Network “stars” with several of my work colleagues today, it was posited that Alton Brown’s show “Good Eats” is popular with men, and men only, because it’s a show about gadgets.

For me, Alton Brown is one of the few non-annoying characters on the Food Network, combining, as he does, witticisms with interesting facts and anecdotes, creative explanatory methods with geekiness, and delivering it all in a humble, non-offensive manner, and because of this he is by some distance my favorite presenter. Being the best of a bad bunch however, is flattery with scant praise, and it’s a fact that there isn’t much competition for him on the network with likable characters at an increasingly high premium. (Do we really need one more non-professional, white-bread, middle-American housewife making weekday meals in a spotless kitchen? That’s right, I’m thinking of what’s her face, that thin-nosed, freckly-faced, boney slag who won the next food network star – now “The Gourmet Next Door” – ugh) But is Alton only likable to men? And, is “Good Eats” really a gadget show?

The fact that it’s not just another stand and stir show in which the host tells aggravatingly sacharine stories of how her father (who’s Sicilian – and therefore, implicitly, knows everything there is to know about food) used to make his own pizzelles or whatever, or how her nephew (insert peculiar unisex mid-Western name of your choice here) always likes to eat these tasty treats after an afternoon chasing the hog-skin around, makes it unusual in the Food Network schedule, and something unusual on such a sickeningly homogenous channel is like finding a dildo in your pocket. It’s kind of cool and exciting, but it’s also rather worrying and throws you off balance.

So, what do you think — is Good Eats only for men? Do you like Alton Brown? Should he be the next rat to jump the sinking ship that is TFN?

CHECK OUT SOME OTHER INTERESTING POSTS:

• NOOOOO! Could it Be? (Mario Gets Fired?)
• Sara Moulton Leaving Food Network for PBS
• Rachel Ray – Maybe Hate is a Strong Word?
• Diversity Finally Comes to The Food Network