savory summer supper

To start off a lazy and quiet Friday evening, I popped open a bottle of what just might be my new favorite bottle of booze.  I discovered what is known as "stick wine" about six years ago while living in Baltimore.  On a recommendation from the dude at the liquor store, I picked up a bottle of the dry red table wine.  Well, while I was as Trader Joe's the other day, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my table wine of choice was now bottled up as a lovely rosé.  I usually find traditional reds too heavy for the heat of summer (or at least my non-ac'd apartment,) and tend to lead towards whites in the warmer months.  But every once in awhile I'll pick up a pinkish blend, just to be festive.  This one, is awesome.  Just dry enough with an appropriate amount of sweetness and you can't tell me that it doesn't look so pretty in a complimentary purplish hued wine glass.  Add in the fact that you can find it for under twelve bucks and it's the perfect end to a very, very long work day.

A couple of sips in and I decided that it was time to start prepping supper.  Remember a few posts back when I mentioned a salmon recipe that my bff Martha sent my way?  Well, tonight was the night to try it out.  With two salmon steaks and nearly all the ingredients required, I tweaked the recipe to make it work without having to pick anything up at the grocery store.  The Martha inspired result?  Super tasty and what I believe to be relatively healthy.  

i always feel guilty prepping fish in front of sir shitballs

brown sugar and mustard glazed salmon fillets 
ingredients
2 large salmon fillets
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1/4 c packed dark brown sugar
1/4 c whole grain mustard (I used a recent Smorgasburg find, Tin Mustard)
2 tbsp finely chopped onion
1 crushed garlic clove
fresh ground salt & pepper
directions
1. Turn on the broiler on your oven so it starts warming up.  In a small saucepan over a medium heat, cook onion and garlic for about 3 minutes to soften.  Add vinegar and let cook for another minute until it starts to cook off, stirring continuously.  Stir in mustard and brown sugar and cook for about 1-2 more minutes until it becomes a syrupy glaze.  
2. Pat dry the fillets of salmon.  Place them on an aluminum foil lined broiler tin.  With a pastry brush, evenly spread about half of the glaze onto the fillets reserving the other half for later.  Broil for about 10 minutes or until the glaze starts to bubble.  Put a second coat of glaze on each fillet (optional) and serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon.

This turned out to be so easy and so delicious!  I served it alongside salt and pepper green beans and brown rice.  Make sure not to overcook the salmon because it can dry out really quickly.  I bet this would also be fantastic on the grill!  It's simple and inexpensive so experiment with it a bit.  You won't be sorry, and neither will your dinner dates.