Penne with Salmon, Boursin, and Broccoli

February 17, 2014  •  Fish & Seafood, Pasta & Pizza

I’ve been asked many, many times what I cook for dinner for just my husband and myself on a busy weeknight. Because of my blog posts about elaborate multi-course dinners, I think many of my readers are under the impression I cook that way every night. I don’t. In fact, what I cook on most nights is so simple and boring, that I don’t event take a photo or blog about it. Which is exactly what led me to this accidental blog post today for this pasta dish. I didn’t set out to create something special, just put dinner on the table (which is why this isn’t a styled food photo). But what I ended up with was so spectacularly tasty that I just had to share.The other thing about my weeknight meals is that I work hard to use up what’s in the refrigerator. Last week, here’s what I was staring at:

About 2 portions of cooked salmon
A head of broccoli
A small amount of leftover shitake mushrooms from a recipe I tested for my new cookbook
Half of an onion
About a third of a cup of Boursin cheese that I feared was going to go bad soon
And since my husband will almost always opt for a pasta dish, here’s what I did: I chopped the onion and sautéed it in some olive oil along with the mushrooms until they were slightly soft. I cut up the broccoli florets and added them to the pan, covering it for them to steam for a couple of minutes before deglazing the pan with a bit of white wine. Then I added the Boursin to melt into the mixture and make a sauce, before adding the salmon to reheat. I tossed it all with the cooked penne pasta and a little of the pasta cooking water to stretch the sauce. And voila! Dinner in 20 minutes, and a darn good one at that. Cooking dinner doesn’t have to be difficult for it to be delicious. Just experiment with ingredients and flavors and see what you come up with!