Friends, Therapy, Supper,

There really are some wonderful people in the world. If you have been reading my blog, you know I have been moaning and groaning about what's wrong with Matt and I. Today I get an email  from a friend who lives a long way away from us, she is visiting on Sunday with the intention of doing as much as she can for us to get us set up for the week. I am thrilled to bits that she is doing this for us. If she is reading this, thank you so much and very big hugs to you. I know there are more people who would help if they lived closer, but unfortunately most of my friends are cyber friends and live a long way away.

Yesterday, the TENS 7,000 machine for Matt arrived and today the therapist came and set up his back and showed me how to do it for the next few days. Poor Matt was jumping a bit, but hopefully, by the end of the week things will improve tremendously. Please keep everything crossed for us.

I had all kinds of Instant Pot plans for Friday night's supper but in the end I chickened out and cooked a Wild Mushroom Risotto from a packet and added shrimp to the final dish. It was actually very good. I have some Instant Pot risottos but I just couldn't face up to it all tonight.

I, of course, love smoked salmon. When I saw this I couldn't resist it because I also love crispy pork rinds.

Salmon Carpaccio with Lemon Aioli and Pork Rind Crumble

After Paul Qui won the Top Chef Season 9 title, F&W decided to throw him one more challenge: Create a dish based on four ingredients, including salmon and pork rinds. Turns out, Qui loves pork rinds. “My grandmother cooked everything in pork fat,” he says. “If I was lucky, I got to snack on the

rinds she made.” The Top Chef winner used them to make a brilliant crumble for salmon carpaccio (raw fish is a specialty at Uchiko, the Japanese-accented Austin restaurant where he is executive chef). To finish the dish, Qui made a lemon aioli and served it with broccoli rabe.

3 Tbs finely crushed pork rinds
3 Tbs finely crushed toasted rye-bread crumbs
Kosher salt
2 large egg yolks
1 small garlic clove
3/4 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 Tbs finely chopped dill
4 oz broccoli rabe, trimmed
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1/2 lb sushi-grade, skinless salmon fillet, preferably wild, thinly sliced at a slight angle

1. In a small bowl, toss the crushed pork rinds with the toasted bread crumbs and season with salt.

2. In a blender, combine the egg yolks with the garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of the lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and puree until smooth. With the blender on, drizzle in the canola oil and puree until thickened. Scrape the aioli into a bowl and stir in the chopped dill; season with salt.

3. In a medium pot of boiling salted water, cook the broccoli rabe until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli rabe to a bowl of ice water to chill. Drain well, pat dry and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Transfer the broccoli rabe to a bowl and toss with the 1 teaspoon of olive oil and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice. Season with salt.

4. Spread a little lemon aioli on each of 4 plates and top with the broccoli rabe. Arrange the sliced salmon over the broccoli rabe and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle each serving with some of the pork rind crumble. Serve right away, passing the remaining lemon aioli and pork rind crumble alongside.

Servings: 4
Yield: 4 first-course servings

Have a great day