The most fun part of cooking for me is experimentation. Not like that "I was drunk with my best friend in college and we experimented" experimentation. Not that I ever did that. At all. Dammit, I've said too much.

This week's recipe was part of an experiment that didn't meet my expectations, but I'll be damned if it isn't delicious and easy to make. So easy, in fact, that I'm going to stop talking and just share the recipe. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Salmon Prosciutto (seriously!)

2 1 lb salmon fillets with the skin, approximately the same shape
3/4 c salt (preferably kosher)
3/4 c sugar
1 bunch fresh dill
zest of one lemon
2 Tbsp gin

Take a piece of saran wrap about 10 inches long and put it on the counter. Mix a quarter cup of the salt and a quarter cup of the sugar together. Take half of that and put it on the saran wrap, roughly in the shape of the salmon fillet. Add a couple of sprigs of dill and place one of the fillets skin-side down. Mix the rest of the sugar and salt, the lemon zest, and gin, and mix till it's the consistency of wet cement. Add half of that on top of the salmon fillet. Add a few more sprigs of dill. On the flesh side of the other fillet, add the rest of the wet salt and sugar mixture. Put that on top of the first fillet, flesh side down, so you've basically made a salmon sandwich. Add a couple more sprigs of dill and the rest of the dry salt and sugar mixture on top. Wrap up the whole thing in like 4 layers of saran wrap. Put it in a deep baking dish on a cooling rack (or anything, basically, that will keep the fish off the bottom. You could also put it in a cooler of ice and then change the ice two or 3 times a day). Put a cookie sheet or large skillet on top of the salmon, and put at least 5 or 6 lbs of weight on top of that -- you need to compress the salmon for the cure to take. Put that in the fridge for about 3 days.

After 3 days, unwrap the fish and rinse it off. It's going to look like a slab of fish jerky, and the 2 lbs of fish you put in there will probably weigh about 12 oz. This fish is safe to eat right now, and there are many service options. To treat it like prosciutto, slice it as thin as you possibly can (at an angle) and put it on a bagel with cream cheese. Or, you can try the following simple pasta recipe:

Cured salmon pasta

1 lb linguini
1/2 c salmon proscuitto, cut into chunks
1/2 c chicken stock
1 c white wine
zest and juice of one lemon
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 shallots (or 1 small red onion) sliced thin
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp capers

Cook the linguini till about 1 minute before al dente, about 7 minutes

Put the salmon in the stock and let it rehydrate for about 20 minutes. In a skillet, melt 1 tbsp of the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and capers and saute for about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the salmon and the wine, and cook down till there's about a half cup of liquid left. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the lemon juice and zest and combine. Add the last 2 tbsp of butter and the linguine. Toss to combine and serve with fresh parsley and parmesean cheese.

Metal this week is something a little different for me -- one of the first bands I listened to when I started getting into the underground metal scene.

Nightwish
Highest Hopes: The Very Best of Nightwish
Century Media Records Many Nightwish fans were sad last year when vocalist Tarja Turunen was forced from the group by her bandmates. Despite what they'd have you think, the classically trained soprano was really the defining characteristic of the band, and was the only thing that made them stick out in a sea of European symphonically-oriented metal. Her vocals, rooted as much (or more) in opera than in rock, gave the band superstar status in Finland, with their last studio album Once reaching number 1 on Billboard's European Top 200 chart. Highest Hopes is a greatest hits album, and covers the band's discography quite nicely. Turunen's vocals are clearly the high point, with the keyboards and orchestra playing a nice role. The guitars add nothing more than a nice syncopated rhythm section and the occasional 4 bar solo fill. Most of the songs are pretty rockin, but a few are softer, more ballady tracks. This is a guilty pleasure band for me, and I'd be willing to bet that you'll feel that way too.

Recommended: "I Wish I Had an Angel", "Over the Hills and Far Away", "Deep Silent Complete", "Nemo", "Wishmaster", "High Hopes" (The Pink Floyd cover)

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