Firefly Hickory Tea Smoked Salmon

By Kay MacInnis

 

Here is the entrée recipe from our recent adventure in Charleston.

If you haven’t expanded your grains to include farro, I would encourage you to!

I have even included it in meals that I have prepared for my parents, and it seemed to go over well. It is an ancient grain with a nutty flavor. It is a good source of fiber, more than brown rice and quinoa. Also, it’s an excellent source of protein and provides zinc, magnesium and iron to the diet. It was easy to cook in the stock, and provided a nice change to the plate.

We actually layered the farro, wilted spinach and salmon on the plate for presentation. This was an easy meal to put together. You could if you prefer serve it in a more traditional manner, without layering the farro, spinach and salmon.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! It looks impressive and tastes impressive as well. Best in health!

(In case you wondered about the “hickory” part – that’s the name of the recipe we won with, but here I have left out the hickory – wood chips inserted into the fire on a grill – to make this easier to make on a stovetop.)

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. salmon
• 2 cup cooked farro
• 4 cups fresh spinach
• 16 oz. fresh baby portabella mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 8 oz Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka (when you cook with wine or other forms of alcohol, you lose most of the calories and alcohol— you are left with the taste)
• 2 tsp. garlic, freshly minced
• 4 tsp. shallots, chopped
• 1 tbsp. agave nectar

Stock for farro

• 2 carrots
• 2-3 stalks celery
• 1 onion
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 2 tsp. garlic

Preparation:

• Roughly chop ingredients for stock and bring to boil.
• Add farro and cover. Simmer with lid on.
• Combine Firefly vodka and agave nectar, reduce heat by half.
• Meanwhile, sear salmon on both sides in skillet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
• Add glaze to salmon and cook until done, turning frequently to coat salmon with sauce.
• Wilt spinach with freshly minced garlic.
• Fluff farro before adding to plate.
• Layer cooked farro and wilted spinach with baby portabella mushrooms and top with glazed salmon.

Nutritional information: 639 Calories, 11.57 grams fat, 2.73 grams saturated fat, and 150 mg. sodium.

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This is another in a weekly series of healthy recipes from Kay MacInnis, registered dietitian at Providence Hospitals in Columbia.

Kay works in Health and Wellness at Providence, helping cardiac and diabetes patients eat their way to healthier lives. She’s not a chef herself, but in consultation with the actual chefs at Providence, she’s learned a lot over the years as she has worked to help patients help themselves after they leave the hospital.

She also conducts a number of health and wellness events for the public, including the monthly Providence Cooks! classes.

 

 

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