Thanks for all the fish: Phyllo-wrapped wild-caught salmon with leeks and red bell peppers

Buongiorno.
What an exhilarating evening it was! Thank you all for coming and cooking here and now with us. It was truly rewarding and wonderful to see everybody there, see dishes being made, and sharing the jointly-made dinner with new friends. Some photos have been posted on flickr by Cook Here and Now participant Mini Kahlon. Go ahead and check them out!

Now as requested, I'm sending out a call for your recipes. I'd like to post them so that we can make these dishes at home. The idea is to learn, get inspired, and try the new and different. Our dinner was a remarkable example of that: Our wild-caught salmon dishes ranged from Dan's delicately smoked coho to Mini's kick-in-the-pants Bengali mustard salmon.

So send them over to me when you get a chance. It's OK if you take your time. I'll post 2 or 3 recipes per week, as I get them, so that they can always be accessible here on the blog.

Again, thank you all so much, and special thanks to our gracious host Jeremy.
Grazie mille,
Marco Flavio

This first recipe from our dinner is from Samsara. Grazie.

Phyllo-wrapped wild-caught salmon with leeks and red bell peppers

This recipe can be prepared 6 hours ahead.
Refrigerate and bake as needed. Serves 6.

Ingredients

8 tablespoons butter

4 cups red bell peppers, cut into matchsticks size strips

1 large leeks, (white and pale green) cut into matchstick size strips

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon salt

12 sheets phyllo sheets

6 5-ounce skinless and boneless salmon fillets

Preparation

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add bell peppers and leek and sauté until leek is tender, about 5 minutes. Add wine and crushed red pepper to skillet. Simmer until liquid evaporates.
Transfer vegetable mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in the basil and salt.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Melt remaining butter in a small saucepan. Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface. Brush with some melted butter. Top with a second phyllo sheet; brush with melted butter. Place 1 salmon fillet crosswise on phyllo sheet. Top salmon fillet with a heaping tablespoon of the vegetable mixture. Fold sides of phyllo and roll salmon to enclose in pastry, forming a rectangular packet.
Transfer to a heavy large baking sheet, vegetable side up. Brush packet with melted butter.
Repeat the same process with remaining phyllo sheets, salmon and vegetables.
Bake salmon until pastry is pale golden and salmon is cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Comments

[Scott Weitze]

Just wanted to pass on a link for the Petite Sirah (a.k.a. Syrah) we started the dinner off with.

http://www.elysewinery.com/

It's the 2004 Sirah. Both the Saint Helena and Rutherford Syrahs are excellent... I believe we had the Rutherford with dinner.

Had a fun time, and great to meet so many interesting people. Thanks to Marco and Jeremy!

[charles Daly]

excellent