Judie's of Amherst

Many of my friends went back to Amherst for homecoming. I am fiercely jealous, but the leaves are also turning in Stockholm. And I'm drinking real apple cider by the liter-load. And, and, and. Though I haven't quite ventured as far as making apple cider donuts, I have remade one of my favorite dishes from Judie's a restaurant run by Judie.

Though the popovers are divine, as well is the apple butter, my favorite ran toward the roasted garlic crusted salmon with leek and portobello mushroom pasta in a buttery lemon-wine sauce.

However, my boyfriend hates both penne and mushrooms (unhappiness), so my recent obsession with orzo was indulged instead.

Roasted Garlic Salmon with Leek Orzo

2 heads of garlic
2 t olive oil
500 g of salmon filet (1 lb of salmon)
salt & pepper to taste

1 c orzo
1 leek white and pale green parts only sliced thinly
1 sploosh of dry vermouth
1 lemon
2 T butter
salt and pepper to taste

On a piece of aluminum foil, drizzle the garlic with olive oil, and wrap the garlic in the foil and roast at 200 C/400 F for 20 minutes depending on your stove. The garlic is roasted when it is looking a rich yellow brown and looks slightly translucent.

Mash the garlic into a paste. Pat dry your salmon fillet and sprinkle salt and freshly ground black pepper on it. Then evenly spread the roasted garlic paste on the top. Roast for 15-20 minutes appropriate to how thick the filet is (check if the salmon is flaking) at 200 C/400 F.

Boil water for the orzo and prepare according to instructions. Melt 2 Tb of butter in a pan and saute the leek for five minutes. When the leek looks wilted add a sploosh of dry vermouth, and let the alcohol cook off.

Drain the orzo well and combine it with the wilted leeks and the juice of half a lemon. Serve alongside the roasted garlic crusted salmon with additional lemon slices on the side if desired.