An Elegant Pasta Dish

I have a wonderful pasta recipe to share. It's a fantastic dish and a nice change from some of the typical holiday meals.

Capellini with Salmon and Lemon-Dill-Vodka Sauce

1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup vodka
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
1-1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups flaked broiled salmon
10 ounces capellini (angel hair pasta)

Cook onion in oil in a 3-qt heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned - about 6 minutes. Add broth, cream, vodka and salt; boil over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally until sauce is reduced to 2 cups - approximately 40-50 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, and pepper.  Reserve 1/2 cup of sauce, then add the salmon to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until salmon is just heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

While salmon is heating, cook pasta in a 6-qt pot of boiling, salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta in colander. Return pasta to pot and toss with reserved sauce and cooking water. Serve pasta immediately with fish sauce spooned over the top.

yield: 4 servings