heavy breakfast: is there any other kind?

i think the picture says it all.

• bacon
• sausage
• calves liver
• waffles
• baked beans
• fried potatoes
• broiled tomato
• poached eggs

not shown:

• toast
• coffee

shrimp & oysters w/ fettuccine in tomato cream

something i never did until i met my mentor chef ted, was to use classic marinara sauce as a base and add almost anything to it. if there is one thing i learned form him that i do more often than any other, it is that.

this dish, once all the ingredients are assembled is actually a quite simple one that yields fantastic results and ooooh's and aahhhhh's form who ever eats it. on this particular afternoon i was cooking for someone who had expressed to me that they were extremely hungry, so i used X-treme measures. if you look at the picture of the finished dish you will see what i am referring to. the dish is actually a serving platter that is 44 cm wide, which is only one centimeter shy of a foot and a half across. this should give yo a bit of scale for reference. the shrimps were fresh from the emporium's 5th floor market and each one after cooking was 6 cm in diameter. if i remember correctly they were about $6.50 USD a piece and weighed in at 325 grams each with the shell on. and those beautiful little feta stuffed peperoncini peppers (#2 in the image) were about 1.00 USD a piece. add the endangered species pine nuts to that and some pernod liquor, and this dish, although simple, is a costly one. however, value for money, it can't be beat. makes a great christmas dinner appetizer (serve one to each guest on a small nest of pasta with one pepper and a very thin slice of garlic bread) or maybe show someone special how much you really care and cook this for valentine's, the coloring is perfect for that.

like everything else i post here, the ingredient portions are not specific, use your best judgment and refer to the colors in the photos to achieve the desired results.

you will need: 

• shrimp, fresh, as large as you can find, the bigger, the moister, the more flavorful, but fresh!
• oysters, fresh shucked, in their own liquor (juice - if not available you could substitute mussels or hard shell clams i guess - or leave them out)
• marinara sauce, homemade (or store bought tomato sauce amplified with diced canned tomatoes and anchovies, basil and capers added)
• leek, minced
• shallot, fresh, minced
• olive oil, extra virgin, light, no matter, just a good one
• olive oil margarine (is there such a thing? i bet that's a misnomer, better to just call it spread)
• fresh italian basil, do not chop if small leaves, or only chop a little bit
• parsley - italian preferred, curly ok, whole and chopped
• pernod, portion some into a small glass or dish. DO NOT POUR STRAIGHT FORM THE BOTTLE INTO THE PAN UNLESS YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH OR WANT TO BE CALLED LEATHER FACE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
• feta stuffed peperoncini marinated in olive oil 
• pine nuts, toasted (follow the link and check out the part titled: ecology and status)
• sun-dried tomato pesto, you will only be using the oil so do not stir it up, and if necessary,add some olive oil to the jar to provide you with enough.
• capers (if you do not have home made marinara sauce)
• anchovies (if you do not have home made marinara sauce)
• black pepper, fresh, rough ground
• paprika, a good one, not the stuff used to decorate deviled eggs 
• parmigiano cheese, grated not ground if possible (fresh is best, ground tastes like sand, especially if it is the kind from a box or jar. this type of cheese usually won't behave as you would want it too, and won't incorporate/melt into the sauce. thus leaving it with a gritty texture that will lay on the tongue. YUCK! FAILURE!)
• fettuccine, fresh if you can find it (spinach flavored is ok too and adds some more color, especially for a christmas dish) dried if not available (the link to the fett is an awesome blog i just discovered.)
• baguette, fresh (or a similar style bread, but fresh is imperative, isn't it?)
• garlic butter that has been prepared days or weeks in advance (sure you can make it right then and there, but time will show you the difference with this basic ingredient. i think i will have to do a post on this stalwart of my frig, as well as marinara)

a picture is worth a bazillion words (you can always click the pic for a larger image):

btw, i be listening to sade's soldier of love as i write this post, great mood music for just about anything. nice back on sade, isn't it? (some people and things never get older, just better!)

how its done, the method, techniques and assembly:

1. get everything you will need ready. 
2. if using dry pasta, cook it to the desired bite, i prefer al dente, shock in water and coat with a small amount of olive oil (or anchovy or sun-dried tomato pesto oil). toss with a small amount of chopped parsley, and set aside.
3. prepare the tomato sauce if you do not have marinara. simply take the best jar of tomato sauce you can find (basic tomato or flavored, with olives added is great), the canned diced tomatoes, a small spoon of capers, 2 or 3 anchovies and a bit of the oil from the jar/can and heat through. (before you put the 'chovies away, top the jar off with some good olive oil. its great for sauteing and salads too. if canned, place in a little-teenie-tiny jar or crock and fill with oil.)
4. toast the pine nuts in a toaster oven or simply in a heated, heavy bottomed pan. be very careful, good fresh pine nuts have a bit of oil in them and they will burn or scorch in a matter of a few seconds once they come up to temperature. remove them from the pan or tray and place them on a plate to avoid them cooking any longer - and getting too much color. this will also enhance their flavor 1,000,000%.
5. clean and de-vein the shrimp leaving the very last tail section on for added flavor, color and a stunning presentation. pat dry with a towel, this helps them to develop their color better when you cook them. (do this with all meat, fish and veggies and you will see a distinct difference in the taste and appearance of all your meals.) season both sides with freshly ground pepper. press the pepper into the flesh a bit with your hand to assure the pepper makes it into the pan.
6. mince the shallots and leeks. chop the parsley, and stem the basil.
7. cut the bread and shmear with the garlic butter.
8. open the cream, pesto, etc, and have the spoons for portioning ready too. this will make the assembly go much smoother, and if anyone is watching, you will look like a pro who actually knows what they are doing. a bit of performance always makes a meal taste better to your guests.
9. cook the shrimp until about 85% done and set aside in the pan or dish that you cooked them in. they will continue to cook while you prepare the sauce. (searing is best, sear all 3 sides. broiling is ok, but for me, not fast enough and you loose so much of the precious juice. if yo do broil, be certain to add the pan juices form the shrimp to your sauce.)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    just to give you some perspective, this pan is 24 cm across.
   
   
10. toast or bake the garlic bread. keep an eye on it, you do not want to burn it, but then you do not want to be having the entire dish getting cold because you neglected to start the bread.
11. moderately heat some olive oil and some olive oil spread in a pan large enough to accommodate the amount of sauce you will be preparing. use enough to moisten the amount of veggies you will be sauteing. Note: you will want to end up with about 1 cup of finished sauce per serving.
12. add the shallots and leeks and cook until clear. the proper terminology is to sweat.
13. CAREFULLY flame with some pernod, 1 to 2 tablespoons per serving. do not move the pan violently, let the alcohol burn off, do not drown it by moving the pan, this leaves a bitter taste. but, do not cook it to death either.
14. add the marinara, some of the liquor (juice) from the oysters and a bit of good paprika. shake the paprika do not spoon it in otherwise it could lump up, not tastey at all. (if no oyster juice, use a bit of clam juice), and simmer for just a few minutes.
15. add enough heavy cream to achieve the color of pink you see in the picture below, or to taste.
16. add the shucked oysters, chopped basil and parsley. simmer for 1 or 2 minutes longer, just long enough to poach the oysters and not reduce them to pencil erasers.
17. turn off the pan and remove from the heat if you are using that archaic device known as an electric stove. (the only people who like these contraptions are insurance companies.)
18. re-heat the pasta in your microwave. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO USE TOO MUCH POWER OR LEAVE IT FOR TOO LONG. YOU ARE HEATING IT, NOT COOKING IT.
19. line up the warm (not hot), pre-heated plates you will use for serving and put 2/3 of each sauce portion onto the plate.
20. arrange the pasta as shown in the picture below and top with the remaining 1/3 of each sauce portion. leave some sauce showing for the presentation FX.
21. press one edge of each cooked shrimp gently into some of the chopped parsley, and place on top of the pasta and sauce. again, presentation.
22. sprinkle some of the toasted pine nuts over the dish, as well as a very small amount of the cheese, arrange the feta stuffed peppers, garlic bread and garnish to accent the pasta and shrimps.
23. drizzle some of the oil from the sun-dried tomato pesto over the dish, the bread and around the plate. do this sparingly as you only need a bit and you do not want the balance to become up-set.
24. serve, bath in the glory, tell them there was nothing to it. accept donations, remember, this is a pricey dish.
25. boot up your computer and show them my blog. i know, shameless pandering.

needless to say, its all in the preparation, like most things in life. sure, once you start to cook it a bit of spontaneity adds to the dish, but just have it all ready. especially if you are preparing this for a large group.

further, you may think there are a lot of ingredients here, but not really. so the better the quality of each, the better your final dish will be. 

VARIATIONS: of course i am not done ranting about this dish, we can do all sorts of things to it. setting some fresh blanched asparagus on the plate so it is sticking out from under the pasta would be great. or possibly adding a bit of sliced fresh okra, or diced eggplant to the pan when you are sauteing the shallots and leeks. possibly sprinkle a few bright green peas over the dish, or a little bit of slivered sun-dried tomato. if these stuffed peppers are not available you could use some very nice greek olives on the side instead. toss them with some crumbled feta! or, spread some feta on the garlic bread and garnish that with some chopped olives. the idea is to add some accents, not to adulterate the dish with too many other flavors.

most importantly, HAVE SOME FUN, SHARE!

ps - it took me over three hours to format the pics and write this post. it should only take about 20 minutes to cook the dish. - tlg

summers on the way so its bbq time and you will need a sauce

like any other food item bbq sauce is personal and something that everyone has something to say about it. fact is, there is no right or wrong bbq sauce, only what you prefer. some like mop sauces and other like dipping sauces. mop sauces goes on while you are cooking the food, and dipping sauces are used after the fact. further, the sauce has nothing to do with what you will rub, marinate, or season the food with first.

i have tried a lot of sauces, both homemade and store bought. here is the recipe that i have developed to my taste and i use it for many applications. in concept it is a dipping sauce or condiment, but it can also be used to moisten sliced/roasted or smoked/pulled meats.

you can substitute some of the ingredients for others of you choosing. for example: dijon mustard instead of yellow mustard, or margarine instead of butter. but the one ingredient that i think is imperative is the apple cider vinegar. without, this sauce is like any other tomato based american style bbq sauce.


NOTES: 

1. this makes a lot of sauce, so if you want, you can reduce all quantities proportionately and make less of the same. but if you don't, you will have some to give to friends. :-)
2. the slower and longer you cook this the thicker it will become and the more intense the flavor, too.
3. printable version is here.

THE ULTIMATE AMERICAN STYLE BARBECUE SAUCE
STEP ONE
USE A HEAVY BOTTOMED NON-REACTIVE POT ~ MEANING NOT ALUMINUM. SWEAT TILL CLEAR:
UNSALTED BUTTER	2 CUPS
VEGETABLE OIL	¾ CUP
ONION, CHOPPED	5 LARGE
GARLIC	6 PIECES OR MORE - UP2U
STEP TWO
ADD AND SIMMER UNTIL THICKENED / REDUCED:
KETCHUP	6 CUPS
CIDER VINEGAR	½ CUP
YELLOW  MUSTARD	½ CUP
CHILLI SAUCE or TOBASCO	¼ CUP
WATER	½ GALLON
BROWN or PALM SUGAR	4 CUPS
BLACK PEPPER	TO TASTE
HUNGARIAN PAPRIKA	TO TASTE
WATCH POINTS: 1.    DO NOT BOIL, SIMMER. THIS WILL PREVENT SCORCHING AND BURNING OF BOTH THE SAUCE AND THE COOK!   DO NOT COVER, IT WILL NOT THICKEN OR REDUCE. USE A SPATTER SCREEN IF YOU HAVE ONE. 2.    STORE IN NON-REACTIVE CONTAINERS, EITHER GLASS OR PLASTIC. RECYCLED WATER BOTTLES ARE VERY GOOD FOR THIS PURPOSE. 3.    IF YOU INSIST ON PUTTING THIS SAUCE ON FOOD WHILE IT IS COOKING, USE SMALL AMOUNTS, AVOID DIRECT FLAME, AND COOK LOW AND SLOW. THE SUGAR WILL CARMELIZE AND THEN BLACKEN IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL. 4.    ALSO GOOD ON ANYTHING YOU WOULD PUT KETCHUP ON. GREAT WITH FRIES, HOT DOGS AND HAMBURGERS, STEAK, GRILLED CHICKEN, ETC.

moo krob / crispy pork: gift from the gods

ever since i was going to chinese restaurants as a child i have loved crispy pork. stir fried, in rich brown stews with seared garlic, vegetables and soft tofu, or simply with a side of rice and some chili sauce. here in thailand it is known as moo krob หมูกรอบ . moo = pork and krob = crispy. it is such a simple food. air-dried pork belly (what the thais call moo sam chan, three layered pork) which is then deep-fried until golden brown and super crispy. in chinese: siew yoke. the recipe is a bit different though. which ever style yo use, i am sure you will fall in love with it if you haven't already.

when i was in new york city working as a private chef i was asked to make a lot of asian food. i knew that moo krob would be a crowd pleaser, and i wanted to stir-fry it with khana or as the chinese say gailan. this is a dish known as phak khana mu krop ผักคะน้าหมูกรอบ. rather than buy it from a vendor i decided to make my own. i found a great little chinese butcher in china town near the corner of bayard and mulberry streets @ 69 mulberry street.

map to the chinese butcher shop @ 69 mulberry street

this is also where i purchased super fresh, over-sized fresh hams to make shang hai ham from. very friendly guy. he was so happy to see a gwai lo who was into trying to cook authentic chinese food. he was always helpful and always gave me a deal. he would also cut my meat for me personally rather than have someone else in the store do it. chinatown, and that kind of person, is one of the things i miss about nyc, and not a whole lot else.

but, i digress as always.

most recipes for crispy pork entail using a rub or marinade (see recipe links above). i have never done that. i simply scrub the meat under cold running water, air dry it with a fan or in front of an air conditioner if it is a very hot day, and then either deep fry the entire piece, or cut it into strip and fry them separately. cutting it into strips means that the pieces get crispy on 4 sides instead of two. the end result is this:

click here to see close-up pix of this beautiful piece of culinary wonder.

allow a few seconds for the animation to load.

how could anyone resist such temptation? makes a great additive to fried rice, and also goes great on a picnic. cut into bite sized pieces and served with the chili sauce it would be great for a cocktail party snack.

the importance of net neutrality and freedom of speech

for awhile now some very large communications corporations have been trying to gain control over the internet and the manner in which they are allowed to provide services that up until now were the same for all users. they have paid hundreds of lobbyists millions of dollars to help them chip away at the FCC and there ability to control the internet and keep it as open and free as possible. if you enjoy using the internet in a free and unfettered manner you need to understand the issues around net neutrality and how certain changes could radically effect you, and the manner in which you use the internet in the future. they say they do not wish to control the net, but do yo believe them? i don't!

although the court ruling that is mentioned in the article below is only dealing with internet providers ability to control the speed of bit torrent downloads, it is seen as the first of many cuts that will undermine the fcc's ability to maintain the status quo as it has been since the beginning of the internet, and ultimately lead to further control by the corporations. considering how much of our news and media is now controlled by huge corporations, and how they have become partisan to their own agendas, this is a serious matter for all of us to speak up about.

NOTE: if you are an american reader of this blog, and you wish to speak out, here is where you can get the contact information for your elected representatives: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml give them a call or send them an email, it only takes a few minutes. tell them what you think, and most importantly, ask them what they think and where they stand on the issue of net neutrality.

before it is too late!

here is what the new york times has to say about the current issues regarding the fcc and the internet:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/technology/07net.html?th&emc=th

U.S. Court Curbs F.C.C. Authority on Web Traffic

By EDWARD WYATT

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that regulators had limited power over Web traffic under current law. The decision will allow Internet service companies to block or slow specific sites and charge video sites like YouTube to deliver their content faster to users.

The court decision was a setback to efforts by the Federal Communications Commission to require companies to give Web users equal access to all content, even if some of that content is clogging the network.

The court ruling, which came after Comcast asserted that it had the right to slow its cable customers’ access to a file-sharing service called BitTorrent, could prompt efforts in Congress to change the law in order to give the F.C.C. explicit authority to regulate Internet service.

That could prove difficult politically, however, since some conservative Republicans philosophically oppose giving the agency more power, on the grounds that Internet providers should be able to decide what services they offer and at what price.

More broadly, the ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit could raise obstacles to the Obama administration’s effort to increase Americans’ access to high-speed Internet networks.

For example, the national broadband plan released by the administration last month proposed to shift billions of dollars in money from a fund to provide phone service in rural areas to one that helps pay for Internet access in those areas. Legal observers said the court decision suggested that the F.C.C. did not have the authority to make that switch.

The F.C.C. will now have to reconsider its strategy for mandating “net neutrality,” the principle that all Internet content should be treated equally by network providers. One option would be to reclassify broadband service as a sort of basic utility subject to strict regulation, like telephone service. Telephone companies and broadband providers have already indicated that they would vigorously oppose such a move.

The appeals court’s 3-0 decision, which was written by one of the court’s more liberal members, Judge David S. Tatel, focused on the narrow issue of whether the F.C.C. had authority to regulate Comcast’s network management practices.

But it was a clear victory for those who favor limiting the F.C.C.’s regulation of the Internet, said Phil Kerpen, a vice president at Americans for Prosperity, a group that advocates limited government. “The F.C.C. has no legal basis for imposing its dystopian regulatory vision under the net neutrality banner,” he said.

As a practical matter, the court ruling will not have any immediate impact on Internet users, since Comcast and other large Internet providers are not currently restricting specific types of Web content and have no plans to do so.

Comcast, the nation’s largest cable provider, had a muted reaction to its victory. The company said it was gratified by the court’s decision but added that it had changed the management policies that led it to restrict access to BitTorrent, a service used to exchange a range of large data files, from pirated movies to complex software programs.

“Comcast remains committed to the F.C.C.’s existing open Internet principles, and we will continue to work constructively with this F.C.C. as it determines how best to increase broadband adoption and preserve an open and vibrant Internet,” Comcast said in a statement.

The company is currently seeking federal approval for its proposed acquisition of a majority stake in NBC Universal, the parent of the NBC broadcast network and a cadre of popular cable channels. Some members of Congress and consumer groups have opposed the merger, saying that it would enable Comcast to favor its own cable channels and discriminate against those owned by competitors — something the company has said it does not intend to do.

After the ruling on Tuesday, consumer advocates voiced similar concerns about Comcast’s potential power over the Internet, saying that the company could, for example, give priority to transmission of video services of NBC channels and restrict those owned by a competitor like CBS.

“Internet users now have no cop on the beat,” said Ben Scott, policy director for Free Press, a nonprofit organization that supported the F.C.C. in the case.

Julius Genachowski, the chairman of the F.C.C., had said previously that if the agency lost the Comcast case, he would seek to find other legal authority to implement consumer protections over Internet service. In a statement, the F.C.C. said it remained “firmly committed to promoting an open Internet.”

While the court decision invalidated its current approach to that goal, the agency said, “the court in no way disagreed with the importance of providing a free and open Internet, nor did it close the door to other methods for achieving this important end.”

The concept of equal access for all Internet content is one that people who favor some degree of F.C.C. regulation say is necessary not only to protect consumers but also to foster innovation and investment in technology.

“You can’t have innovation if all the big companies get the fast lane,” said Gigi B. Sohn, president of Public Knowledge, which advocates for consumer rights on digital issues. “Look at Google, eBay, Yahoo — none of those companies would have survived if 15 years ago we had a fast lane and a slow lane on the Internet.”

The court’s ruling could potentially affect content providers like Google, which owns YouTube, a popular video-sharing service. Content providers fear that Internet service companies will ask them to pay a fee to ensure delivery of material like high-definition video that takes up a lot of network capacity.

Google declined to comment directly on the ruling but pointed to the Open Internet Coalition, of which it is a member. The coalition’s executive director, Markham Erickson, said the decision “creates a dangerous situation, one where the health and openness of the Internet is being held hostage by the behavior of the major telco and cable providers.”

Sam Feder, a lawyer who formerly served as general counsel for the F.C.C., said that the court’s decision “is the worst of all worlds for the F.C.C.” He said the opinion was written narrowly enough that it was unlikely to be successfully appealed, while also raising enough possibilities of other ways that the F.C.C. could accomplish the same goals that it was unlikely to inspire Congressional action to give the agency specific regulatory authority over the Internet.

Under the Bush administration, the F.C.C. largely deregulated Internet service. But in 2008, the final year of the administration, the agency decided to impose the net neutrality order on Comcast. Under President Obama, the F.C.C. has broadened that initiative, seeking to craft rules governing the entire industry.

Tuesday’s ruling was the latest in a string of court decisions that rebuffed efforts by the F.C.C. to expand its regulatory authority, noted Eli M. Noam, a professor of finance and economics at the Columbia University graduate business school and the director of the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information.

“The F.C.C. is going to have to be more careful in how it proceeds,” he said, suggesting that the agency would have to structure policy decisions that were more broadly acceptable to the major telecommunications industry players in order to give them some legitimacy.

Andrew M. Odlyzko, a professor at the University of Minnesota who has served as director of the university’s Digital Technology Center, said that while some service providers might jump at the opportunity to establish toll roads for broadband, the biggest companies, including Comcast and Verizon, have said they do not intend to do so.

julie and julia: the movie with meryl streep and amy adams

i grew up watching julia child on educational tv out of boston. my entire generation did, and if you were to ask me to list my favorite cuisines in descending order, french would be somewhere after 5 or 6 following most asian and mediterranean cuisines. sure there are specific dishes that i love, but on the whole, i make other choices. but this film has spurred me to reconsider, a bit. such was julia's passion and is streep's interpretation of it. (i used to think dan akroyd's imitations of julia were the best despite being comic and over the top.)

for me this is one of the best roles that streep has performed and the story, needless to say, is one i can relate to.

rather than bore you with my words i suggest you take a look at the trailer for the film and decide for yourself by clicking on the yuotube link below. as one person commented on youtube, surprisingly this is not a chick flick but a well rounded film about some serious foodies and the lengths that they went to for the love and passion of french cuisine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjvJHsJD8ic

black peppered salmon with spinach, feta and clams

we have a fantastic market here in bangkok that i have mentioned before in other posts, the emporium on sukhumvit soi 24, 5th floor. i enjoy going there and picking up some fresh meat or fish and then using some already prepared items from the store to easily put together a meal. it saves time, and it is also very cost effective. it also keeps the kitchen cool on a very hot bangkok day because there is considerably less cooking going on.

this dish was inspired by a very nice fresh piece of salmon and hard shell clams from the seafood department and some cream of spinach soup that was on the hot food bar that day. the soups at the emporium are great. always made with the freshest ingredients and the cream soups incorporate a non-dairy (soy) cream product that is very tasty and also good for you.

what you will need for this "assembly" is:

• fresh, boneless, skinless salmon
• fresh, hard shell clams, the smaller the beter
• cream of spinach soup or puree of spinach soup. (i think this would also be good with tomato soup as well)
• not-to-salty, soft feta cheese
• fresh, cleaned spinach
• fresh, ground, black pepper
• sea salt
• extra virgin olive oil
• sun-dried tomato pesto
• parsley for garnish

NOTE: all quantities are relative to achieving what you see in the picture below, for the amount of people you are serving. also, you will see there are an odd number of spinach,clam & feta garnish surrounding the fish. 9, an odd number, is what is considered by some to be a "magic number", meaning it looks better than an even number of whatever it is that you are using for garnish.

how its done:

1. rub the salmon with a small amount of olive oil and and season with as much fresh, ground black pepper as you like. do this on both sides. set to the side.
2. wash the clams in cold water to remove any sand. boil a small amount of water, add some sea salt, and then add the clams and cover. Note: do not use so much water that the clams are covered, you are only steaming them, not boiling them.
3. when the clams have opened remove them from the liquid and set to the side. RESERVE the liquid.
4. heat the soup and add some of the clam broth to infuse additional flavor.
5. after the clams have cooled to the point where you can handle them, remove them from the shell and reserve. do not rinse the clams, that will wash away so much of the flavor. they will seem sticky, don't worry about that if the clams are fresh. BE CAREFUL HANDLING THE HOT CLAMS.
6. heat a heavy bottomed skillet to almost smoking and CAREFULLY add the salmon. sear for 1 to 2 minutes, covered, and turn. sear again for 1 - 2 minutes, covered, and turn onto one side. sear again and then turn to sear the last side. this locks in all the juices and the flavor. the cooking time depends on the size of the pieces and how many are in the pan. also on whether you like your fish medium rare or well cooked. use your judgment. let the salmon rest in the pan covered. it will continue to cook.
7. slice the feta as shown in the picture.
8. using some of the reserved clam broth steam the cleaned spinach until it turns a nice dark green color.
9. now it is time to assemble the dish.
10. spoon a portion of the spinach soup/sauce onto the plate. place the cooked salmon on top of it. surround the fish with the steamed spinach, and top with a clam, and then a dab of the sun-dried tomato pesto. (basil pesto is also good, but the green is a bit redundant and basil pesto is a bit over bearing i think.)
11. serve with rice, pasta, risotto, boiled potatoes, whatever you prefer, or nothing at all as shown in the picture.

enjoy.