With most salmon dishes I would serve boiled new potatoes with parsley butter and either a green bean dish or sauteed snow peas. Julienned carrots & parsnips are another possibility. Here's a recipe that originated with Atlantic salmon, but which works just as well with it's Pacific bretheren: George River Salmon 4 salmon steaks, cut about 1-inch thick 3 tbls Dijon mustard 2 tbls olive oil 1/2 cup dry white wine Salt & pepper to taste Mix the oil, mustard, wine, salt & pepper in a bowl. Add the salmon steaks to the sauce and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours, turning often. Place the steaks on a buttered piece of foil, on a broiler pan. Preheat the broiler. Place the steaks 4 inches from heat source and broil until they flake; about 10 minutes. At least twice during cooking brush with marinade. Instead of a bowl I mix the marinade in a zipper bag and add the steaks to it, squeezing out the air before putting in the fridge. This dish can be made on the grill, too. If you don't mind working a little harder, this dish always impresses people: Salmon & Rice in Pastry 1 lb fresh raw salmon in thin slices 1 pastry recipe 3 cups cooked rice, dry & cold Salt & pepper to taste 2 cups veloute sauce 1 tbls chopped fresh dill 1 tbls lemon juice 3 hard cooked geegs, finely chopped 1 egg beaten with 1 tbls milk 1/4 lb unsalted butter, melted. Divide pastry in two parts. Roll out one half to 1/4 inch thickness, place on a cookie sheet, and trim to a 7 x 17 inch rectangle. Put a layer of rice 1/3 inch deep on the pastry, leaving a 1 1/4 inch border all around. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon half the veloute sauce over the rice. Lay the salmon slices over the sauce to cover. Sprinklw with salt, pepper, dill, and lemon juice. Cover with the rest of the veloute sauce, then choped eggs. Top with another 1/3 inch layer of rice. Roll the second half of the pastry to 1/4 inch. Trim to 9 x 16 inch rectangle. Paint the border of the lower crust with the egg wash and top with the second pastry layer, carefully pressing the edges together without stretching the loaf. Trim to about an inch around the loaf. Press edges with tines of a fork. Cut two small holes in top of loaf, about 1/2 inch in diameter. Gather scrps of pasry together and cout out decorative shapes. Paint entire loaf with egg wash and stick on the decorations. Then glaze them. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put loaf in oven and immediately lower temerature to 375. Bake 1 to 1 1/4 hours until pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand about 15 minutes. Pour 2 tbls melted butter into each hole in the top. Cut loaf into 1-inch slices and serve with remaining melted butter. Obviously, with the rice & pastry you can skip the potatoes with this one. For a luncheon, as you suggest, I would think of a light consomme starter (see my posts about celery consomme, for example, which would be ideal) followed by this dish along with a fennel & orange, or other fruity salad.

Back in the days before fresh tomatoes were available all year round, my GGM would save some jars of home-canned tomatoes to make this dish on Easter so we still serve it with the Easter ham every year. TOMATO PUDDING 2 (1 lb.) cans stewed tomatoes 1 medium onion, halved and slivered 1 Tbsp. dark brown sugar 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, divided 2 Tbsp. water 1 cup Pepperidge Farm herb-seasoned stuffing mix In saucepan, cook tomatoes, onion, sugar, and 1 Tbsp. butter over medium-high heat until liquid is reduced by half - 10 to 15 minutes. Pour into 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Melt other tablespoon of butter with water; stir in stuffing mix. Spread topping over tomatoes and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until tomatoes are heated and topping is golden. Note: Dry bread cubes can be substituted for the stuffing mix. The tomato-onion mixture can be prepared ahead of time. Just donÂt add the topping until ready to bake.

APPLE COUNTRY CHICKEN Yield: 5 Servings 1 tsp Curry powder 1 lg Golden Delicious apple, Cored and chopped 1 lg Yellow onion, finely chopped 1 tbs Lemon juice 4 oz Mushrooms, sliced 1 tsp Chicken stock 2 c Apple juice or cider 3 1/2 lb Chicken thigh, skinned 1 tbs Flour Place curry powder in a wide frying pan and stir over medium heat until slightly darker in color (3-4 minutes). Add apple, yellow onion, lemon juice, mushrooms, stock, and 1 1/2 C. of the apple juice; bring to a boil. Rinse chicken and pat dry; add to pan. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meat near bone is no longer pink; cut to test (about 30 minutes). Lift chicken from pan; arrange on a warm platter. Keep warm. Blend flour and remaining 1/2 C. apple juice. Gradually add to sauce in pan, stirring; increase heat to high and cook, stirring until sauce is thickened. Pour over chicken. The sauce also tastes good poured over baked potato or rice. **************** HEALTHY CHICKEN STOCK Yield: 16 Servings 2 lb Chicken bones, back and Neck Water -- to cover 1 Celery stalk 1 Onion -- quartered 1 Bay leaf 1 Carrot In a large stockpot combine chicken bones, back, and neck and the water. Add celery, onion, bay leaf, and carrot. Simmer over low heat 1-1/2 hours. Strain. Makes 4 to 6 cups. Note: To remove fat, allow stock to chill for 2 hours. Fat will separate and rise to the top. Scoop fat off with spoon and discard. Remaining stock may be used in recipes calling for defatted chicken stock. Recipe By : the California Culinary Academy ************** this is excellent..been making it for over 20 years.... Parmesan Rice and Pasta Pilaf After the pasta and onion are sautéed, the oil is drained to minimize the fat content of this interesting pilaf. 2 Tbsp olive oil 1/2 C finely broken vermicelli, uncooked 2 Tbsp diced onion 1 C long-grain white rice, uncooked 1-1/4 C hot chicken stock 1-1/4 C hot water 1/4 tsp ground white pepper One bay leaf 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese In a large skillet, heat oil. Sauté vermicelli and onion until golden brown, about 2 to 4 minutes over medium-high heat. Drain off oil. Add rice, stock, water, pepper, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Fluff with fork. Cover and let stand 5 to 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately. YIELD: 6 servings - SERVING SIZE: 2/3 cup each

Pork chops, apples and potatoes. Fry the pork chops (thick ones or thin ones as you like) in a frying pan according to recent cookbooks (they don't dry out with the fast fry used in Joy of Cooking and they are a little pink in the center when they are done.) In the other fry pan, melt two pats of butter and some cooking oil. Add as many thinly slice potatoes as desired, unpeeled for more nutrition. Brown slightly and then cover the pan as they finish cooking to near tender over low heat. About 10 minutes before the potatoes are done, thinly slice 2 to 4 cored apples, top the potatoes in that frying pan with the apples, and sprinkle with 1/4 or more teaspoon of cinnamon. Turn the apples and potatoes frequently till the potatoes are tender and the apples are as tender as you like them to be. You can add more cinnamon to the potatoes when you turn them into the apples if you like. If you want the apples real soft, put them in with the potatoes earlier. That's dinner. Sometimes I sprinkle the porkchops with a little cinnamon just after I turn them too.