By LReynolds
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Pasta is a remarkably adaptable food. You can combine it with just about anything and your guests will compliment your ability to innovate and create a magnificent meal. This easy set of variations uses smoked salmon and a milk-based sauce to make a beautiful and nutritious dish.
Start with the pasta. There's more to pasta than spaghetti. Use anything you fancy. Fettuccine, angel hair, bow tie, even transparent Oriental noodles make an interesting dish. Many pastas now come in whole wheat or spinach forms. Some are available fresh in the refrigerated section. Your pasta choice will determine the look of your final dish; formal, stylish, exotic or comfort food. Read the directions and watch your pasta carefully as it cooks. Pasta should never be mushy like that canned spaghetti you loved as a kid. It should be "al dente"--firm to the tooth. A half pound ought to feed a family. Use more if you've got a hungry group or more than four.
Choose the smoked salmon. You'll need about a pound. Any kind is fine: plain old smoked salmon, whole or fillet, gravlax or lox pieces. Even canned smoked salmon, as long as it's been boned, can be used.
Make a Bechemel sauce. Make a roux with a couple of tablespoons of butter and about a quarter cup of flour. Melt the butter and add the flour gradually until it is completely incorporated. Cook over low heat until thick and completely cooked. Whisk about two cups of low-fat milk into the roux gradually, still over a low heat. Thin to your taste with more milk. Season with salt, pepper and a little ginger.