When we came to visit Portland last year, we discovered The Smokery at the Portland Farmers Market.  Last weekend, we tasted their Old Irish smoked salmon…all it took was one bite, this was the perfect mix of smoke with a touch of sweet.

In addition to eating it ‘straight,’ I decided to make it as dinner with pasta and a creamy sauce.  The sauce was light enough that the smokey, sweet taste of the salmon shone through, even when we added the hot pepper sauce (for the ‘kick’)

I paired it with the prairie fume I brought from Wollersheim Winery in Wisconsin.

Smoked Salmon Creamy Pasta with a Kick

8 oz spaghetti

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup white wine

3/4 cup heavy cream

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped

6 oz smoked salmon, cut into bite-sized pieces

Hot pepper sauce, to taste (we used a sriracha style hot sauce)

Directions

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.

Meanwhile, cook the onions in a saute pan over medium heat until starting to color, about 10 minutes. Do not brown them too much.  Add the garlic and cook til fragrant, about 1 minute more.

Add the wine and cook til starting to evaporate then add the cream and reduce the heat to low.  Cook until just starting to thicken.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ad the dill and salmon and cook until just heated through.

Add the pasta to the pan and stir it in with the salmon sauce.  If the sauce is too thick (like mine above), add the reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, until you reach the consistency you would like. Add the hot pepper sauce to taste (or you can let each person add their own).

Enjoy!

Serves 4.