Salmon With Smoked Cashew Romesco Food

SMOKY ROMESCO

Steps:

• Set up your favorite smoker and add a handful of hardwood chunks. If you have heat control, set it to whatever position will give you moderate heat: 180 to 200 degrees F. Allow the wood to smoke for approximately 30 minutes before adding food.
• While the smoker is heating, position an oven rack 5-inches below the broiler and set the broiler to high.
• Halve the peppers lengthwise, discard the seeds, place cut side-down on a sheet pan, then broil, rotating the pan halfway through, until the skins are charred, about 10 minutes. (Or you can char them over your gas cooktop burners if you have them. It's a little messy but darned efficient and fun in a medieval kind of way.)
• Transfer the peppers to a large bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes, then slip the charred skins off the peppers with your hands. (Doing this under running water helps.)
• Spread the tomato paste into a thin layer on piece of parchment paper and place on a baking rack along with the peppers and garlic. Smoke for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat a toaster oven to 400 degrees F and toast the almonds until light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Set up a food processor with an S-blade (the normal processing blade) and load in the bread cubes, smoked peppers, garlic and tomato paste, the toasted almonds, sherry vinegar and salt. Pulse until uniform but still chunky, then leave the motor running while you add the oil in a constant stream. (Do this fairly quickly so that the sauce doesn't puree completely.)
• For full flavor, wait a couple of hours to serve at room temp. To store, cover tightly and refrigerate for up 10 days or freeze in ice cube trays for easy dosing.

CASHEW-CRUSTED SALMON WITH BOK CHOY

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush honey mustard all over salmon. Season both sides of salmon with onion flakes and black pepper. Place cashews in a shallow dish, add four of the salmon fillets and turn to coat.
• Place all salmon fillets in hot skillet and cook 3 minutes per side, until fork-tender.
• Heat remaining olive oil in separate large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add bok choy and cook 2 minutes, until greens wilt but stalks are still crisp-tender. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Serve the cashew-crusted salmon with this meal and reserve 2 uncrusted fillets for another meal.

CASHEW CRUSTED SALMON

Steps:

• Place 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet and heat through until hot.
• In a bowl mix the honey and mustard together, add the onion and garlic mix well.
• Brush the salmon on the skin side with the honey mixture thick enough to coat. Place in the cashews and coat well.
• Place the fish skin side down in the hot skillet and gently sauté until the side turns golden. Turn over the salmon and finish cooking it until the internal temperature reaches 145°F using a cooking thermometer.
• Place on a platter and drizzle with the remaining oil and a squirt of lemon. Serve immediately.

ROASTED VEGETABLES WITH CASHEW ROMESCO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place the broccoli and cauliflower on a sheet pan in an even layer. Drizzle with 1/4 cup oil, toss to coat and season lightly with salt and black pepper. Roast until the vegetables are crisp and lightly browned around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes.
• While the vegetables are roasting, in the bowl of a food processor, pulse the cashews and garlic until finely chopped. Add the roasted red peppers, smoked paprika, coriander, cumin, vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pulse to incorporate. While the food processor is going, drizzle in the remaining ¼ cup of oil. Turn off, taste and add more salt and sherry vinegar to season if necessary. The sauce should be thick but spreadable and should easily drop off a spoon when lifted.
• Transfer the hot roasted broccoli and cauliflower to a serving platter. Spoon the cashew romesco on top. Serve immediately.