Tuesday, June 23, 2009

What we did...

Alright, I realize I'm a little late on my Father's Day post, but hey..things have been hoppin' around here! =)

For the big day, I got up and made a brunch of chocolate gravy and biscuits. Then the hubby and I Facebooked some (and totally made a spreadsheet for Farm Town, because we're JUST THAT COOL!), the fam went to the pool for a bit, we played Lord of the Rings (we being hubby, the boy, and myself), and then I made a yummy yummy dinner of Salmon & Spinach in Phyllo!!!

And I'm going to share that last bit with you today! Every time I tell people about this (and they're eaters of salmon and spinach) they drool profusely and beg me for the recipe. hehe I got it from a Pampered Chef Cookbook (Cooking for Two & More) and it IS that yummy!

So here's the recipe AND a step by step pictorial for everyone.

Salmon & Spinach in Phyllo
Prep Time: 20 minutes (which is pretty accurate without taking all the pictures)
Total Time: About 40 minutes

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon Basil Oil or Olive Oil (I use a garlic olive oil)
4 cups baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
8 sheets (9x14 inches) thawed, frozen phyllo dough
Nonstick cooking spray
2 skinless salmon fillets (4-6 ounces each), about 1 1/2 inches thick
2 Tablespoons garlic and herb cream cheese spread (I use laughing cow cheese wedges)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Remove stems of spinach leaves and coarsely chop.

Heat oil in Saute Pan until hot.
Add spinach; season with salt and black pepper.

Cook and stir until spinach is wilted, about 1 minute.
Remove spinach to paper towel.
Squeeze out all excess moisture; set aside.

Lay one sheet of phyllo on large work surface and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place second sheet of phyllo over first, pressing sheets together to seal. Continue laying down and spraying phyllo sheets to create a stack of four sheets of phyllo. Repeat with remaining phyllo and additional cooking spray to create another phyllo stack.

Spread each salmon fillet with 1 Tablespoon (or 1-2 wedges) of the cream cheese spread and top with half of the spinach.

For each phyllo bundle, place salmon, spinach side down, on phyllo stack about 2 inches from bootom of edge of short side. Flod long sides of phyllo in toward center. Gently roll up phyllo from bottom to top. Using a bread knife, make three diagnobal slits across the top of each bundle.

Place bundles on baking stone, seam side down. Spray bundles with nonstick cooking spray. Bake 11-13 minutes or until centers of salmon register 130 degrees F and phyllo is golden brown. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Yields 2 servings!
I always make extra since we LOVE having this for leftovers the next day. We always serve with steamed asparagus and rice pilaf, and this time we had a nice 2007 Reisling to drink with our dinner.


Hint: In order for the spinach to end up on the top, the salmon is placed topping side down. Once rolled, the spinach ends up on top. To easily measure the temperature of salmon wrapped in phyllo, insert a meat thermometer horizontally into the center of each phyllo pocket.

Nutrients per serving:
Calories 450
Total Fat 21g
Saturated Fat 6g
Cholesterol 80mg
Carbohydrate 36g
Protein 27g
Sodium 560mg
Fiber 3g

If anyone else tries this I'd LOVE to hear how it turned out for you! It has become the main thing hubby requests for any "holiday" (birthday, Father's Day, Valentine's, anniversary...) and since its done in under an hour that is not at ALL difficult to accommodate. I just love how its REALLY easy to prepare, but looks all fancy schmancy. hehe

5 comments:

MrsSki said...

That sounds and looks delicious! Thanks for the recipe and step by step guide. I'm pretty much a disaster in the kitchen so that really helped me! Can't wait to try it!

Annie said...

While it looks yummy, I'm not a salmon fan. Maybe a chicken substitute would be ok?

Lawyer Mom said...

Yowsa! That looks INCREDIBLY delish. I don't know if I've got that kind of roll with the dough but I'll sure give it whirl.

Susan said...

Oh my god... why is it I'm always running to my frig after reading a post of yours????

Unknown said...

I made this recipe tonight! We both enjoyed it very much and I love how it makes only 2 servings. I have learned new things about phyllo dough, let me tell you. :-) Thank you for the great instructions!!

 
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