In this dish,   the salmon is covered with wild thyme and sits on a bed of braised celery as it slowly roasts at 225 degrees. The result is a highly aromatic piece of fish that is so smooth it literally has no texture as it melts in your mouth. Thus, the contrast of pairing it with the pungent red wine risotto is all the more dramatic. This dish is extremely satisfying, true good-for-the-soul food. The Veal Stock Reduction and tiny white asparagus finish the dish with a touch of elegance that nicely elevates the overall preparation.

Serves 4
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced Spanish onions
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon butter
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
1 cup Red Wine Reduction (see Appendices)
1 cup roasted woodear mushrooms, chopped (see Appendices)
Salt and pepper
4 3-ounce pieces salmon, skin removed
4 stalks celery, peeled and cut
into long, thin strips
1 1/2 cups fresh thyme
1 cup tiny white asparagus
1/2 cup Veal Stock Reduction (recipe follows)

METHOD  Sweat the garlic and onion in a medium saucepan with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the Arborio rice, stir to coat with the onion and garlic, and cook for 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the Red Wine Reduction and continue to cook over medium-low heat while gently stirring constantly. Once the rice has absorbed the Red Wine Reduction, add the remaining 1/2 cup, stirring constantly. After all of the Red Wine Reduction is absorbed, add 1/4 cup additions of water until the rice is just cooked. (It should be al dente, yet creamy.) Fold in the roasted woodear mushrooms and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper. Place the celery strips on a small sheet pan, creating a rack for the salmon. Place the salmon on top of the celery and cover with 1 1/4 cups of the fresh thyme. Roast at 225 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until just done. Remove from oven, cut the celery into a small dice, and fold into the red wine risotto.

Quickly saut the asparagus in a small pan with the remaining 1 teaspoon of butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Warm the Veal Stock Reduction in a small saucepan.

ASSEMBLY  Place a mound of the red wine risotto in the center of each plate and top with a piece of the salmon. Arrange some of the tiny white asparagus and remaining fresh thyme on top of the salmon. Spoon the Veal Stock Reduction around the risotto.

Veal Stock Reduction
Yield: 1 1/4 cups
10 pounds veal bones
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 leek, cleaned and coarsely chopped
1 bulb garlic, cut in half
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1/2 cup tomato concasse
4 cups dry red wine (such as Burgundy)

METHOD  Place the bones in a roasting pan and roast in the oven at 450 degrees for 2 hours, or until golden brown. When bones are browned, caramelize the carrots, celery, onion, leek, and garlic in the grapeseed oil in a large stockpot. Add the tomato concasse and cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze with the red wine and reduce until most of the wine has been cooked out. Add the browned bones and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer over medium heat for 8 hours. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and simmer over medium heat for 45 minutes, or until it coats the back of a spoon. Extra reduction can be stored in the freezer for several months.

Recommended Substitutions
Cod, lobster, scallops, red snapper, swordfish, tuna

Wine Notes

The development of Sangiovese in California vineyards has been rapid and exciting. The variety has a personality distinct from its forebears in Tuscany. The best producers are avoiding overoaking and overextracting, thus pushing forward the sour cherry and earthy tones that make Sangiovese as fine a variety for seafood as it is for meat. The supple fruit from the young Sangiovese vineyards at Swanson, Shafer's "Firebreak," or Staglin's "Stagliano" makes these wines good companions for this meltingly delicious approach to salmon. Thyme is a Sangiovese-friendly herb, and the risotto harks back to the grape's Italian origins.

Copyright 1999 Charlie Trotter's.