Crispy Salmon with Mushroom Orzo and Red Wine Sauce

Today was my first day at the new job, so we had leftovers! Yay leftovers!

Let me tell you about our tasty dinner last night, and by default, our yummy leftovers! We'd watched this particular episode (Newport, Rhode Island) of Giada's Weekend Getaway on the Food Network last week, and made a note to print out this recipe. While I don't remember much else from the episode other than the wee little cars, I do remember this crispy salmon! :)

The red wine sauce nicely compliments the meaty fish, and the pasta came out nice and creamy (which is odd, considering the small amount of actual cream - I blame the butter!). You'll notice that the pasta we had isn't orzo, but mini-bowtie. For some reason, my Wegmans doesn't carry orzo (weird, right?), so I looked for another small-ish pasta. Mini-bowtie might not have been ideal, but they are wicked cute. And the little bows held the sauce quite nicely!

Worth noting: This makes a TON of pasta. Either make it for company or be prepared for leftovers. Also, this also creates a TON of dirty saucepans. If you have a designated dishwashing-husband, like me, this might not be so bad.

Crispy Salmon with Mushroom Orzo and Red Wine Sauce
From Asterisk Restaurant, in Newport, R.I.
C/o Giada’s Weekend Getaway on Food Network
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_36483,00.html

7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large onion, sliced
2 cups dry red wine
2 cups canned beef broth
8 fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 pound orzo
6 shallots, minced
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
5 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 (5-ounce) skinless boneless salmon fillets
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add wine, beef broth, thyme and 1bay leaf. Boil until liquid is reduced by 1 cup, about 35 minutes. Strain sauce into a small saucepan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place orzo on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, for about 20 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in another heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots. Saute for 4 minutes. Add mushrooms. Saute until golden, about 10 minutes. Add orzo, chicken broth, and 1 bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook uncovered until orzo is tender and broth is absorbed, while stirring often, about 20 minutes. Add cream and tarragon. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and saute just until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.

Bring sauce to simmer. Add butter, whisk just until melted. Season with pepper. Spoon orzo onto 6 plates. Place salmon fillets on top of orzo. Serve with sauce.