Smoked Salmon and Persian Mulberries

At the Hollywood Farmer's Market we found the rarest of fruit: Persian Mulberries. They only have these berries for 1 or 2 weeks. We love them.

We started with a Summer Salad of: Feta, Cherry Tomatoes, Diced Cucumber, Diced Red Onion, Oregano and broken up pieces of La Panzanella Crackers.

We decided to smoke a salmon in our egg. The trick of course is: Low and Slow. We used Apple Wood for the smoke. We purchased a beautiful salmon filet at McCall’s Meat and Fish. The resultant smoked fish was extremely moist and smoky. We loved it! We used the recipe for Honey-Cured, Smoked Salmon from Cooking with Fire and Smoke by Phillip Stephen Schulz.

We made Saffron Rice from The Food of Morocco. It is very easy to make.

For dessert we had Vanilla Ice Cream and the Persian Mulberries.

Saffron Rice

From The Food of Morocco

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1 lb 2 oz of Short Grain Rice

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

¼ teaspoon ground saffron threads

¾ oz butter

Wash the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear.

Over medium heat, heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and add the rice, stirring so that all the rice is covered with oil. Add 31 oz. of water, the saffron and ¼ teaspoon salt and stir well. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 1 minute.

Reduce heat to low, over and cook for 10-12 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Steam tunnels will form holes on the surface of the rice. Turn off heat, then leave the pan, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the butter and fluff lightly with a fork. Transfer to serving bowl. Saffron Rice is used to accompany fish dishes, but can be used as a substitute for couscous.