A very quick to prepare but luxurious dish with several serving options. See my post From Russia With Love … for more info on caviar.
Pasta
2 liters water
15 ml oil
2,5 ml salt
375 g pasta (3/4 of a 500 g pack of any favourite pasta)
Sauce
30 g butter
125 ml finely chopped onion or white parts of spring onion
2,5 ml chopped or crushed garlic (optional)
50 ml vodka (or a little more if preferred)
500 ml cream (reserve 50 ml to mix with egg yolks)
±125 g thinly sliced smoked salmon cut into thin strips
2,5 ml salt
good grinding black pepper
3 egg yolks
Garnish
15 ml capers, rinsed and/or
15 ml dill finely snipped, diagonally and/or
± 50 ml caviar
- Bring the water and salt to the boil and add the pasta. Boil 8 – 10 minutes or until just cooked and drain.
- Place the butter and chopped onion or white parts of spring onion in a saucepan en sauté 3 minutes or until golden.
- Add the garlic if used and stir through the onion.
- Add the vodka and cook about 1 minute or until evaporated.
- Reserve 50 ml of the cream to mix with the egg yolks and add the remaining cream to the saucepan.
- Simmer over moderate heat, stirring often slightly reduced.
- Stir in the smoked salmon, salt, pepper and drained pasta and stir into the cream sauce.
- Mix the egg yolks with the reserved cream, stir into the hot sauce and cook about 1 minute, stirring gently until heated through.
- Adjust seasoning and turn into a heated serving dish.
- Scatter with snipped capers, snipped dill or caviar if used and serve immediately.
4 to 6 servings.
Variations
- Replace the salmon with thinly sliced best quality smoked ham or trout.
- Add 125 – 250 ml frozen peas to the sauce
- Add 15 – 30 ml capers, drained, rinsed and chopped to the sauce (omit for garnish)
Recipe by Carolié de Koster.
