Cooking with Brandy

Usually when I make pasta dishes they are Italian inspired. Marinara, Bolognese, Carbonara...but this one is something of a completely different genre. This is a great dish for salmon lovers and pasta lovers alike.

Start by sauteing 2 chopped shallots in a combination of olive oil and butter (about 1-2 tablespoons of each). Let these cook for about 2-3 minutes then add the following:

6-oz smoked salmon, diced.

1/3 cup capers, drained and chopped.

1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh dill.

1/4 teaspoon chopped black pepper.

Now for the fun part. Remove this mixture from heat. Pour in 1/2 cup brandy and light with a match. BE CAREFUL this will flame up. Ladies- pull your hair back. I almost had a very unfortunate incident. Once the pan is aflame, put it back on the heat and swirl (or stir) the contents to mix the ingredients and burn off the alcohol. Cook for about 2-3 minutes total, or until all the alcohol is absorbed.

Add 1.5 cups heavy cream (I never said this was a healthy recipe) and continue cooking until the sauce is reduced by half (about 5 minutes). Stir in 1 cup tomato sauce and cook 5-10 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta (I use bow tie pasta, called farfalle, but you can use any cut) and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta then add directly to the salmon sauce. Another quick tip- before draining the pasta take about a cup of the cooking liquid just in case your sauce thickens up. Once you add the hot pasta to the sauce, it will soak up a lot of the liquid from the sauce, so the reserved cooking liquid may come in handy to reconstitute the sauce.

Finish off the dish with some more chopped, fresh dill and a good handful of freshly grated Parmesan. Serve alongside a chilled glass of white wine. This is perfect for a spring or summer evening and is equally delicious leftover. Enjoy!