The Main Event, Potatoes - Potato and Pea Pies - Simple Fish and Chicken Salad a la Waldorf

It's worth while keeping the fridge freezer and pantry  reasonably stocked... love to be able to fossick around for a tasty lunch.
I did have a box of new baby potatoes. I love them at this time of the year.

I was desperate for a pie for lunch.
We are very fond of pies
Here's a combination that worked
I got 4 pies out 2 sheets of puff pastry
2 with lids and 2 without


2 sheets Puff Pastry
5 baby potatoes steamed till tender
Grated cheese
Handful frozen peas
1 onion finely chopped and sauteed till translucent
4 eggs beaten separately

Roll out pastry to fit your pie tins.
Re-roll the scraps till you have 4 bottoms and 2 lids!
Butter tins
Line with pastry and prick with a fork

Healthy amount of grated cheese on bottom
Slice the potatoes and layer
Throw in peas and onion
Beat 1 egg per pie
Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Add to pie
Put more cheese on the top
Place lids on
Brush with some beaten egg and water to make a glaze

Bake 200C about 15-20 minutes
Remove from tins
Cook slightly on a rack
Pick it up in your hand
Dip it into some tomato sauce
Yum.

Saw Julia Child make Salade Nicoise on Saturday
Dinner.
I had some beautiful fresh gurnard...this recipe is really
not like Salade Nicoise at all but it flashed through my head.
Some Nicoise flavours in the sauce though.
Simple, perfect for the summer, we might get one of these days.
I haven't put quantities... its up to you.

Cos lettuce
Tomatoes quartered
200gms gurnard per person
Baby potatoes
1 shallot finely chopped

French dressing (just use your favourite recipe I always have some made in a jar)
White wine

For the potatoes
Cook till tender
Slice while warm
Into a bowl with the shallots
Pour over a couple of tablespoons of white wine

Sit and let absorb for about 5 minutes
Then toss with French Dressing

Set aside till ready to use



For the fish

2 tablespoons Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
White wine 
Lemon juice

4 anchovies
1 tablespoon of capers

Good knob of butter


Season the fish with S & P
Saute the fish in olive oil
Don't over cook
Remove and keep warm
Add anchovies mush them up
Throw in a good slurp of white wine
and the juice of a lemon

Turn heat up and bring to boil
Reduce slightly

Add capers and a good size knob of butter
Add fish back into pan just to coat with the sauce.

Plate up
Dress the lettuce and tomatoes with your favourite french dressing.
Lay out on the plate
Add the fish
Spoon over the sauce.

You could of course follow the Salad Nicoise theme.
Add hard boiled eggs, blanched green beans, olives
Any flavours you like.

I was making chicken stock for the freezer today. I couldn't get any chicken carcasses but they did have a special on legs.
I really love leg meat it is so moist and flavourful.
I put the chicken and vege in a pot to simmer for about1 hour.
Took the legs out, removed the meat and chopped into 2 cm pieces then stuck them back in.
Continued to cook for another couple of hours to extract as much wonderful flavour as possible.
for my stock.
Now what to do with that luscious chicken meat.

I had a quick look in the fridge, all the ingredients for a Waldorf Salad were sitting there.
Great, add chicken
Sit on some crispy lettuce
Accompany with some little new potatoes.
Excellent lunch.

What I did do, that was different to normal, was my dressing
The lemon zest really lifts it, as does the bite from the Piri Piri seasoning. 
It was so delicious so I have to share.

Chicken Salad  a la Waldorf
So enough for two
3 poached chicken legs
2 sticks celery chopped into small pieces (not too small want to get the texture)

1 small apple, peeled, cored and chopped into small cubes
6 walnut halves chopped in half
Chives

8 small potatoes
Baby Cos lettuce leaves



Dressing
3 tablespoons Best Foods Mayo
Zest of 1 lemon

Juice  of 1/2  lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp french mustard
Good pinch of Piri Piri seasoning

Mix all of the dressing together in a bowl
Add the rest of the ingredients and serve.

There is enough for me for lunch tomorrow.  Hooray.