A short and savory note today on snacking... Something I find myself thinking of in the witching hour of the day! Yeah, I call it that coz the crave for the nibbles hits me hard then :D
In the latest issue of NOURISHED magazine(BOUNTY), I share a recipe for curing salmon at home. What I love about doing that is how easy it is, taking all of 10 minutes, and then how cheap it is! A pound of cured salmon in the stores costs about $36 while you can make that same for a quarter of the price! Now, isn't that worth 10 minutes of your time?!
And, then guess what, you can have a snack anytime you want, like these crackers. Here I used rice crackers schmeared with garlic scape pesto and then topped with Tea Cured Salmon, and boiled eggs! Snacking made easy, fast, cheap and healthy!
You can get the recipe for the Tea Cured Salmon by becoming a NOURISHED subscriber or picking up a copy here! The garlic scape pesto has become one of my favorite pestos. The scape adds a really subtle garlic flavor with a herby note. Paired with arugula/rocket it hits the right balance on your palate - peppery, rich, full bodied finish!
For variations of the scape pesto, try with radish leaves or with basil.
Salmon Crackers
For one:
3 thin slices of Tea Cured Salmon (from NOURISHED) or smoked salmon of your choice
3 rice crackers
1 hard boiled egg, sliced
3 T garlic scape pesto (recipe below)
Olive oil, salt and pepper
Generously spread the pesto on the cracker.
Layer a slice of cured salmon on each prepared cracker.
Top with a couple of slices of boiled egg, sprinkling any yolk that falls off over the assembly.
Sprinkle a dash of sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper and finish with a drizzle of soft, fruity, extra virgin olive oil.
For even more flavor try the blood orange or citrus infused olive oils!
Garlic Scape Pesto
1 cups arugula, rinsed and cleaned
4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped
1/4 cup roasted cashews
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup grated fresh parmeggiano regianno
salt and pepper to taste
In a food processor, pulse the scapes, arugula and nuts to a coarse paste. The mixture will be a brit stringy from the scapes, don't worry.
Continue to pulse while slowly pouring in the oil to create an emulsion.
Remove to a bowl and season to taste. Fold in the cheese and it's ready.
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It will keep for a few weeks!
