Dinner To(morrow) Night: Smoked Salmon Soba + Butternut Salad

Inspiration for tomorrow night's dinner: a painter's palette and a multivitamin, in food form. Bright pinks, oranges, greens aren't just cheering on the plate, they're incredibly good for you! That they're pretty to look at it just icing on the cake. Silk squash ribbons and a wholesome bowlful of meaty salmon and toothsome soba -- why anyone would bother swallowing one of those horse pill vitamins when you should just eat wonderful food is beyond me. 

Let it be noted at the outset -- this is not technically a dinner tonight. It's actually dinner to(morrow) night, because the salmon needs 12 or so hours in the fridge. But get it going tonight while having a little wine and bread and cheese, and have sweet dreams about how lovely tomorrow's dinner will be. Since it takes a little extra planning, plan to make extra! Leftovers make the extra planning even more worth it.

The Menu 

Hot Smoked Salmon Soba and Asian Greens Salad by cheese1227

Butternut Squash Salad by amanda

The Grocery List

2 small butternut squash
1 pound filet of wild salmon
1 pound buckwheat soba
4 cups of tat soi, spinach leaves, or even pea shoots
A handful of wood chips for smoking

We're assuming that your well-stocked kitchen has mirin, soy sauce, sugar, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, sherry vinegar, five spice powder, and sesame oil. If you don't, go on out and pick some up! 

The Plan

Let's start out by saying that you mustn't be intimidated by the fact that this salmon is smoked. You can do it! Follow cheese1227's advice and check out this video from the New YorK Times: 3 minutes in, Jill Santopietro shows you how to jimmy rig a smoker in your own kitchen! Hopefully yours is a little bigger than hers.... FUN! Sometimes you should just goof around a little bit with dinner, this meal is one of those times. 

Tonight: 

1. Make the squash salad! Have some for dinner, along with other nibbly things from your fridge and cupboads. Like cheese, or something. 

2. Cut the salmon into four even pieces and brine it for one hour. 

3. Remove the salmon from the brine and put it into the fridge. 

4. Watch that home-smoking video, and practice rigging it up!

Tomorrow: 

1. Go about your day, and feel free to brag about the delicious dinner you're going to have tonight. 

2. Arrive home! Smoke your salmon. Feel incredible pride. Marvel at own resourcefulness. 

3. Toss together the soba salad and serve with the leftover butternut squash salad. A beautiful, healthy meal to be proud of.