Quick Roast Salmon-Makes a Great Salad

Yesterday I did a blog on Quick Roasted Salmon. I was very pleased with it.
We were off to see Bic Runga last night. She was performing at the Cathedral in Parnell.
By the way, it was a very enjoyable concert.
I wanted to make a quick dinner using the salmon.
This salad...
So so simple and very very tasty

The amount below, fed two of us
Piece of roasted Salmon click here
1/2 red onion finely sliced
About 9 cms of Cucumber. seeds removed
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2 cm cubes
1 stick of celery, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Lettuce. I used Iceberg, I still like it's crunchiness.

French dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp sugar...just to cut the acidity a little
Whisk together

Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water till just tender
drain and toss with a little of the dressing
Add celery and chives
Cool

Meanwhile marinate the onions and cucumber
Best to marinate for at least 2 hours
this takes the sharpness from the onions

So when you are ready. 
Rip the lettuce into bite size pieces
Place the potatoes and celery over the lettuce
Throw onions and cucumber on top
Finally, break up the salmon and place that around as well
Drizzle the rest of the dressing over the salad
Perfect for a quick meal

Salmon at its Best-Roast Quickly

I saw Mark Sargeant cook this Carppacio of Salmon on Food TV yesterday.
With Christmas coming up, I am always looking for exciting ways to cook Salmon.
We only get farmed Salmon here in New Zealand shops.
(You can get Wild Salmon, but you have to hunt it.)
I actually bought this filet at the supermarket.
On Christmas Day, we are going to stay at Riverside Matakana...family en masse.
We don't have an oven, just hobs and BBQs.
You could do this recipe on the BBQ as long it has a lid, so you can get a really good hot temperature.
This is so fabulous. I am drooling.

You need boned and skinned filet of Salmon.
I butterflied this piece, to get the salmon nice and thin.
Pre heat 205C
Line a baking sheet with baking paper
add 1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grate the zest of 1/2  large lemon
Add salmon

Oil, season and add the rest of the lemon zest
Pop into the oven
Just 6 minutes
Remove from oven and onto a serving dish
I just chopped a few chives over the top
Sorry not very Chefy looking but I'm not a Chef.

It is moist, tasty, DELICIOUS.
Roll on Christmas Day.
I am having problems, keeping my greedy hands off it.
We shall have it for dinner, with some Couscous I think.
Can't wait.

Sailing, Eating and Drinking

We are off on the boat for a few days.
This is very good for one’s mental health but with the way we eat and drink while away (which is too excess!!!) I don’t know how good it is for our bodies.

I have 9 books and an old Vanity Fair from the library which I intend to get through.
So it was a lovely day we had a good sail
Unfortunately it wasn’t as warm outside as it should be but very pretty.

The phones work out here... not good for internet though as you have to use dial up and it is very slow and becomes very expensive.

Just passing Waiheke Island it takes us about 1 ½ hours to get to here.
Anchored in Chamberlain Bay

So a nice lunch, wine, sleep, read, drinks, scrabble, dinner.

Onto food the point of this blog.

This was an idea I adapted from Chef Michael Smith

Potato Crusted Salmon

Very simple
1 filet of salmon
2 med potatoes grated
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toss the potatoes with oil and seasonings
Season one side of salmon

Turn over
Encrust other side with grated potatoes

Pre heat your grill

Heat a little oil in a very hot pan
Add salmon potato side up
Should take about 3 minutes to get a good colour on the bottom
Pop under the grill till golden brown and crisp
Not quite as brown as this example but unfortunately I don’t have a lot of control over the stove on the boat and thinhs sometimes burn.
It was great. A little green salad to accompany

N.B. Whoops I just re-watched the programme Chef at Home. I got this wrong.
He used cold baked potatoes grated and mixed with oil and horseradish
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper.

The he put the salmon filets into a hot oven for about 10 minutes.
Makes sense
I will try that next time Luckily it was OK the first time round but this could be an improvement.

All a bit much for Dale

Another excellent dish.

I made the Herb and Mushroom Pate click here

to have with drinks but I thought of a new use for it

Take 2 nice thick Scotch Filet Steaks
Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lightly oil a very hot pan
Sear the steak on one side
Turn
Cover with a nice thick layer of Mushroom and Herb Pate
Cook to your desired doneness (sorry but you know what I mean)
What a great find.

My (only just eating meat because I make him) husband was in raptures.

Eggs, Eggs and More Eggs

Our butcher, Gladstone Butcher supplies excellent organic Free Range Eggs.
When I have just bought my fresh dozen….it’s a poached egg breakfast for the next two days.
As they age a little we can convert to other dishes and I have been very pleased with these two recipes. First a Frittata using up the vege in the fridge and then a Calorie, Protein high but very luxurious fish and egg dish. I like to think the cholesterol level of the soufflé in counteracted by the Omega 3 goodness of the Salmon.

Well that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
It was the night before we left to go away and I hate waste.
So I raided the vege box and found, swede, parsnip, carrots and celery.

From the fruit bowl, tomatoes and a nice fat onion.
So
1 swede peeled and chopped
1 parsnip peeled and chopped
1 carrot peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons butter
2 stalks of celery sliced
1 onion peeled and chopped

2 tomatoes chopped

5 eggs
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Bring the swede, parsnip and carrots to the boil and simmer till tender
Drain and mash

Reserve the liquor and give it to your husband as little first course
He will love you for ever

So then sauté the celery and onion in the butter
Season
Last moment add tomatoes toss around to coat in the buttery flavours.

Place all in gratin dish. As above.
Beat eggs add little seasoning and pour over top.

Bake at 190C about 20 minutes till puffed up and golden

If you have some fresh herbes they won’t go amiss. Just chop and add.
Here you go lovely golden frittata. The mashed root vege are just wonderful.
It's a fabulous texture as well.Now for the Heart Attack material.

Salmon Topped with Cheese Souffle
Inspired by Huey’s Cooking Adventures Cooking Programme

A degree of difficulty here but really just takes time.

Heat oven 195C

1 fillet salmon about 180gms per person skinned and pin boned
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Olive oil
Lemon juice

40 gms butter
30 gms flour
300 mls hot milk
1 teaspoon French mustard
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs separated
115 gms grated tasty cheese

Make a roux
Melt the butter
Mix in the flour
Add mustard &salt & pepper
Cook for 2-3 minutes
Add hot milk all at once
Stir well and keep on cooking
This will form a nice thick sauce.

Let cool a little
Add egg yolks look at the colour isn't that great.

Add grated cheese
Taste and add extra seasoning if needed

Season Salmon with salt and freshly ground black pepper

Meanwhile in a hot pan add olive oil
Add salmon and sear
About 1 minute then turn over and another minutes
Remove from pan and place in a gratin dish
Squeeze over fresh lemon juice.


Back to the soufflé
In a clean bowl beat the egg whites till soft peaks

Add 1 spoonful of egg whites to the roux
Mix well to loosen it then carefully fold in the remainder of the egg whites.

Pour over the salmon and place in oven

Now timing was an issue here I totally under estimated the time.
I took it out too early Yuk not cooked

So I quickly popped it back in and it became a “twice baked”
Soufflé. I was nervous about this as it’s a no no in soufflé-ville
But as it turns out it wasn’t a problem
The extra 10 minutes were just what it needed it rose even further and
So pretty.

It didn’t look so pretty served on the plate so I didn’t shoot it.
I am going to have to have another go, when the heart has calmed down.
But next time I think it should be in separate little gratin dishes.
Trying to find the salmon in one piece under the souffle was a bit messy
But it was delicious and well worth making.
Once again I think that should have fed maybe 3 people.
Of course we ate it all.

Salads only the next day.

Actually a simple tossed green salad is an excellent accompaniment.

Rich Task

A month ago our granddaughter Sophia came over to interview me for her Rich Task and we had lunch.
On Monday I was invited along with her parents to see the Rich Task “role played.”
Unfortunately I was late (but earlier than her parents!!!) and got there just time for the last minutes of her little play.

The topic was “You Kids Don’t Know How Lucky You Are”

The role playing consisted of one child as Grandma and another as the Modern Kid.
Grandma scrubbed the clothes on a wash board - Modern Kid pushed the button on the machine.
Grandma milked the cow for their dairy products-Modern Kid bought milk from the shop.
Grandma heated the iron on the fire and ironed one garment and then had to heat the iron up again - Modern Kid just pushed around the steam iron and so on
The punters were enjoying themselves.

Below Sophia and her father who missed it completely but Sophia was thrilled we made the effort to get there.

When Sophia’s Mum Helen arrived she requested a replay and we got to see it after all.
A fun little afternoon.

Confit of Salmon

My friend Barbara Winos and Foodies tagged me for this meme. I am new to this and it was fun to think about the following…I’m sorry but I have had to cheat on the favourite foods and slip in a couple of extras
4 FAVOURITE FOODS


Fragrant white ripe peaches and nectarines
Roast Pork especially the Crackling
Ripe Tomatoes with avocado
Roast Chicken and foie gras

4 FOODS I WILL NEVER EAT
Can’t drink Milk
Trifle
Sheep’s eyes
Chicken feet

4 JOBS I'VE HAD
Lab Technician
Plan printing
Advertising
Television

4 FILMS I COULD WATCH MORE THAN 4 TIMES


Bolero The Song of Life
There’s Something About Mary
Zoolander
Jean de Florette


4 PLACES I'D LIKE TO BE AT THIS MOMENT


Picnicking at the Zoo with my grandchildren
On our boat in the Hauraki Gulf in the heat of Summer
On a Gourmet Tour of France
On a Gourmet Tour of Italy

Here's one of the trips to the Zoo...Don't you love the Zoo? such a happy place to visit.

I’ll also keep this meme in New Zealand and pass it on to Arfi of Homemades who is always thinking of wonderful new ways to cook healthily. She has some great gluten free food… click on here to read her blog
She has been nominated for "Bloggers for Positive Global Change"

Talking about grandchildren we are all anxiously awaiting the birth of the newest grandchild due today.
Yesterday we took a little lunch over to the pregnant Mum a lovely little pasta from the leftover of the last nights Dinner with Friends.
The extension to the house is coming along splendidly.
It has been a bit of a race which will come first new room or new baby. I think the baby will win.
Hopefully it will


The Dinner for Friends
Beautiful Confit of Salmon with Creme Fraiche Potatoes

This method of cooking salmon is delightful I saw it on "Saturday Cooks."
Demonstrated by Chef Jun Tanaka
I have poached potatoes in oil before and loved it and this fish is great.
So you just lightly poach the fish in oil that is fragrantly spiced.

Serve it on a bed of potatoes dressed in a horseradish and dill dressing
A little braised fennel or leeks as an accompaniment.

If you buy the salmon already skinned and all little pin bones removed.
it is much easier.

You need
1 tablespoon each of
Coriander seeds
Cardamom pods
Black peppercorns
1 star anise

1 litre olive oil (not extra virgin olive oil)
200 gms salmon per person

3-4 small potatoes each– peeled

The Potato Dressing
1 pottle Crème fraiche
Grated horseradish
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped dill
Juice of 1 Lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fennel or leeks

Remove hard outer bits,keep the end on so that the vegetable stays intact
cut in half vertically.

Get a sheet of foil
Place the vege on top
Splash of white wine
Drizzle olive oil
Clove of garlic mashed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Wrap and cook 200C for 20 minutes

To cook the Salmon
First toast the spices in a dry pan

Add olive oil and gently heat. Do not overheat definitely not smoking
It is a gentle poaching method.
Add the salmon the oil should just cover it.

Poach for about 6-8 minutes

Meanwhile boil your potatoes drain and mix with ½ of the dressing while warm

Plate potatoes first
Salmon on top
And finish off with fennel
Drizzle over the vege juices and a little spoonful of the dressing on the side


How delicious is that?






Now the Leftover Pasta

Just make a white sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
Freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons chopped spring onion
1 egg

Melt butter
Add flour stir and cook about 4 minutes to cook out the flour taste
Add wine and hot chicken stock and bay leaf
Stir till thickened
Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary
Remove from heat
Add spring onion
Beat in egg


Toss cooked on Pasta a little olive oil to stop sticking then add flaked leftover salmon and chop the potatoes.

Mix with half of the sauce

Place in oven proof dish
Cover with remainder of sauce and cook in 180C till bubbly and golden.
So so simple.