Pizza at it's Homemade Best

I decided to repost this Pizza recipe, as the other day I made some wonderful Pizza Bread
It is really simple and perfect to having with lovely comforting soup with this miserable weather we are having here in Auckland.
When I looked for this post for the recipe, I noticed there were the photos of our time on the boat.
Definitely worth a re-post
Wonderful Summer weather.
Not too far away...only a couple of months...oh maybe 3
So here we go

Hi my first post for 2008 

This my version for the easiest So Simple Pizza

We are still on board Cajun Moon where we have spending the last month in the sunny and not so sunny (as it turned out this year) Jewel of the North Whangaroa Harbour. A beautiful and unique place.

How's this for a sunset?

But back to Pizza

Step by step
You don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn for this bread
Max time: 1 hour 15 minutes... from whoa to go
I have this down to a fine art and feel really confident that anybody could get the same results.
i.e. to get the water to the correct hand hot temp 2/3 cold water 1/3 just boiled water.
This is the right temp for our granddaughter’s mouth and perfect for bread making
You learn something everyday

! cup high grade flour (if you have Italian 00 more’s the better)
1 pkt 8g dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Approx 100 mls warm water prepare 200 mls just in case…some days it may take more
It’s important that the dough is not dry

Place flour in a large bowl
Add sugar, yeast and salt
(making sure the salt and yeast are not together
Salt kills yeast)

So add about 100 mls of water and mix till the dough comes clear of the bowl

Turn out onto floured board and knead about 1-2 minutes
Till dough is smooth
Place back into the bowl which you have oiled and toss around to coat the dough

Cover with tea towel or plastic wrap.
Leave till doubled in size about 30 minutes to an hour depending on the temperature
Pull away from sides of bowl

Turn back onto floured board and knead it well about another minute

Flour the rolling pin and roll into shape and place in oiled pizza pan

Now I do have a stone and a peel on board
and they have been well used, particularly by our son when he is on board but I think to myself… the pizza shop guys use these pans…why not me.
I sit the pan on the stone though to get maximum heat

On this occasion I just wanted to make pizza bread so I brushed an excellent olive oil
Over the top

Into a very hot oven and it should take anywhere around 10 minutes

It doesn’t need to be brown that makes it too crispy this is just perfect
Sliced into 6 pieces and served it with some beautiful tomatoes seasoned with sea salt and pepper and a drizzle of the good extra virgin olive oil

Some nice soft Castello cheese white and blue. Glass of crisp white wine.Lunch fit for a king.

To make Garlic Pizza Bread
Before you place it in the oven make a paste
Using 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
A slosh of olive oil
Sprinkle with sea salt

Again about 8-10 minutes in a very hot oven

Perfect to have with anything really

Of course most times we add toppings.
This pizza I topped just simply with
Fresh tomato sliced
Spring onion chopped
Grated cheese (your choice...this was a mix of mozzarella and cheddar)
3-4 artichoke hearts
And few dashes of hot chilli sauce

It's so good I am going to make it again today

What to Do with Mushrooms - Make Soup of Course

It's Saturday and fine... but windy and cold

A sandwich just won't do and also we have some muffins left over from the other day
In the fridge were some Mushrooms
Ooh, Mushroom and Bacon Soup seems like a good idea
Warm buttered Muffins on the side
What could be better than that

 First you need to render some streaky fatty bacon
To get the fat to sauté the onions and also to have some tasty bacon bits to top the soup

To make a good hearty lunch for 2

4 rashers streaky bacon
1 red onion chopped
200 gms mushroom
Chop 2/3 of them and keep the rest to slice and add at the end
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian Herbs
100 mls white wine
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock  (I used low salt)
50 mls cream (optional)

Garnish
The sliced Mushrooms
Slurp of Olive Oil
S & P
Chopped Parsley 

Into a cold pan add the bacon
and cook over medium heat till the bacon gets crispy
and the fat has rendered out
Add onions
Cook till soft not brown
Remove bacon, chop and set aside for garnish
Add chopped mushrooms

You won't need any salt at this stage the bacon will cover that but a
Good grind of Black pepper is just perfect
Plus add the herbs
Toss in white wine and simmer till it is nearly all absorbed
Takes about 10 minutes
Add flour

Stir well to combine
Cook gently for about 3-4 minutes to get rid of that raw flour taste
Add chicken stock stir well and bring to boil
Transfer to a pot
Simmer for about 15 minutes

Meanwhile
Saute the sliced mushrooms in olive oil
Set aside

Put soup into Blender
Whiz till smooth
Return to pot
Add cream

Bring back to boil and then
add reserved mushrooms

Ladle into bowls
Garnish with chopped Parsley and Chopped Bacon
Devour

Best Hot Pumpkin Soup, with some Tasty Courgette and Carrot Muffins

It’s Winter...what is better for lunch on a bitterly cold day but
Hot Soup and Muffins straight from the oven

I have been making this Pumpkin Soup for years... got it out of the Triple Tested Cookbook
Of course I had to play with it a bit... using the ingredients I had in my kitchen
With a little curry and chopped bacon, it just really gives ordinary old Pumpkin Soup a lift

I like to use Buttercup Squash, a nice dry pumpkin, you don't have to peel it
the skin is really tasty and it’s very orange
But you could use butternut or any other pumpkin

This amount will serve 4 for a good hearty lunch
6 as a starter

500 gms squash cut in small chunks and seeds removed
Pop into micro wave for about 4 minutes to start cooking process
Or you can bring to boil in salted water and simmer about 10 minutes
You can then use that water as your stock

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 rashers bacon chopped
1 large onion peeled and chopped
1 kumera, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Water or stock

Add oil and bacon to a medium pot
Cook until bacon starts t crisp
Add onions
Season well with S & P and curry powder
Cook till translucent
Add chopped kumera
Stir well
Add the pumpkin which should have softened nicely in the microwave
Mix up so that all the vege are covered with the spice
Add a little more S &P
Cover with water or stock

Bring to boil
Simmer till all vege are soft
Into a blender
Whiz
Back into pot
If too thick add more water to your liking
Check for seasoning and adjust if needed


So this morning, I decided toast wasn’t good enough to have for this lunch
Some Courgette Muffins would be good
so I looked up a recipe on the net and found this one on netmums.com
The recipe is attributed to Nick Coffer,
Thank you Nick, this is a keeper

Absolutely delicious
What a good way to get vege into kids

Makes 10-12 muffins (dependent on the size of your muffin tins)
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes


125g extra-mature grated cheddar cheese (worth
buying extra mature as it adds to the flavour)
225g self-raising flour (I used high grade flour with 1 heaped tsp of Baking powder
175ml milk
55ml olive oil
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste

1 large carrot, grated
1 large courgette, grated

Note: make sure you squeeze out the courgettes and carrots to remove any excess liquid
Preheat your oven to 200ºC/ 400ºF/ Gas Mark 6

In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients - flour, cheese, carrot, courgette.  
Add in the oil, milk and egg and
stir it all together to form a smooth, slightly gloopy batter.
Lightly grease the muffin tins with oil and spoon the mixture in evenly,
about 2/3 the way to the top of each tin.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes.
The muffins are ready when they are risen, golden on top and fairly dense to the touch. Leave them to cool for a few minutes before serving them warm.

They keep well in airtight containers and can be warmed through in the microwave for 15 seconds before eating.

A Particularly nice Lasagne

Our friend Mary was coming around to watch the rugby
What better to eat out of a bowl on your lap but Lasagne
Also, I had all of the ingredients handy
Which is excellent when one is housebound

I actually went to quite a bit of trouble with the components and it paid off
Ready to go into the oven

The Meat Sauce
One of the tricks for this very rich sauce was the addition of 250 gms of mushrooms
Also another,  was I whizzed up all of the vege in the  food processor
This is a great idea to disguise vege for the fussy kids in the family
And a secret extra... a dollop of ketchup

Added to the meat sauce, I also went to a little bit of extra trouble and instead of just dumping in a tin of tomatoes
I turned it into my special tomato sauce
One other difference was the addition of Buffalo Feta instead of Ricotta
I bought this from a local market
Actually it is from Bulgaria

What a stroke of genius
Salty sharp
Yum
You can use ordinary soft feta of course
By the way
There was enough meat sauce to set aside and freeze for another day

So you will need these ingredients
Meat sauce
500 gms Mince
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion peeled and rough chopped
1 carrot roughly chopped
2 sticks of celery roughly chopped
250 gms mushrooms roughly chopped
Red wine1/2 cup
1 Cup beef stock, I used a stock cube
2 tablespoons of your favourite ketchup

Tomato sauce
Olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 can tomatoes
Sea salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Bechamel sauce
75 gms butter unsealed
1/4 cup flour
750 mls whole milk, infused with a bay leaf
Sea salt and freshly grated black pepper
1/2 cup grated cheese

150 gms Buffalo Feta

Packet lasagna sheets

Method
Meat sauce
In a pan on medium heat add olive oil
Meanwhile throw all of the vege into the food processor and whizz till they are finely chopped
Add to olive oil season with S&P
and sauté till soft

Meanwhile in another pan over high heat
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and brown the mince
Season with S&P
Add to the vege
De-glaze the meat pan with red wine
Add to vege
Along with beef stock

Tomato sauce
Sauté finely chopped garlic in olive oil
When soft add the tomatoes
Season with S&P and sugar
Simmer for about 5 minutes to develop the flavour
Add red wine vinegar

Add to the Meat  Sauce and simmer everything for at least 30 minutes
The sauce will be very rich and dark
Add the ketchup and you will be amazed at the little lift it gives the sauce

Put aside

Make the Bechamel Sauce
Warm the milk with a Bay leaf and some freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in a pot
Add flour
Sir and cook out the flour for about 2-3 minutes
Season with sea salt
Add all of the warm milk and stir till sauce is thickened
If there are any lumps don't panic just whisk and they will disappear

Don't forget to remove the Bayleaf
Take off the heat and add grated cheese

Assembly
In a gratin dish
Spread 2 tablespoon of the cheese sauce
Place lasagne sheets
Add meat sauce
Sprinkle over 1/3 of the feta
Lasagne sheets
1/2 of the Béchamel
Lasagne sheets
Meat sauce
Then 1/3 of feta
Lasagne sheets

To the renaming Bechamel add a beaten egg and the remainder of the feta
Pour over the top

I made this the day before and popped into the fridge, covered with foil
Take out of the fridge about an hour before you need to cook it
Pre heat oven to 180C
Bake for about 30 minutes
Take off foil and cook for another 30 minutes
Till golden and bubbling

Let sit for about 15 minutes before serving
This makes it easier to cut

Guaranteed to please
Now I used the remaining Meat Sauce
For a Pasta dish for dinner last night

Just topped with grated Parmesan Cheese
Delicious

Ginger-Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies - Something different

What I love about these cookies, is the classic combination of Chocolate and Ginger
and then... the addition of the tang of the craisins
So full of chocolate
They are so moreish
I just ate 2 in a row

Bit piggy, but I couldn't help it
This recipe, I have stolen from Ming Tsai and his Simply Ming Programme where he combined Ginger and Cranberries
This is a keeper
With your favourite Coffee
Yum

There is also a yummy fried rice, using this combo 

I will post that later


Makes approx 24 cookies
Ingredients

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
125 gms butter
1 extra-large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
225 gms chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Directions

Pre-heat oven to 165C degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together sugars and butter. 
Add egg, vanilla and ginger and mix until combined.
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda. 
In a second large bowl, combine cranberries and chocolate chips. 
Starting with flour, alternate flour and cranberry mixtures until dough is thoroughly combined. 

Using a tablespoon, portion cookie dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased bake sheet
(you can line with parchment, if you like).

Bake for 10-12minutes, or until cookies are golden brown and underside is the same.
They will feel moist on top, but will harden as they cool.
Let cookies cool on bake sheet for 5 minutes, t
hen remove to a rack to finish cooling.

Carrot and Mango Soup? Who would have thought?

One of the things that happen to you when you are a bit housebound.
You improvise.
I had a look in my fridge and found a couple of carrots, a kumara (sweet potato) and 1/2  mango
I make Carrot and Orange Soup frequently. That is a good match
"Why not Carrot and Mango?"

It really was delicious and will be a keeper in our family.
I decided that I would also add a potato just for a little extra body
This amount served 3 people

Ingredients
50 gms unsalted butter
1 med onion peeled and chopped
2 carrots washed and chopped
1 small Kumara, peeled and chopped
1 med potato peeled and chopped
1/2 mango peeled and chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1.5 Litres Chicken stock

Garnish  (optional)
Chopped parsley 
Little Cream

Melt the butter in a pot
Add onions  season with S & P
and cook till translucent not brown
Add the carrots, kumara and potato
Season again with S & P and coriander

Gently cook until they start to soften a little
About 5 minutes
Cover with Chicken stock

Bring to boil and simmer for about 30 minutes
Till Vege are tender

Transfer to a blender
Add Mango to the mix
Whiz till smooth
Back into pot
Reheat
Serve and garnish with chopped Parsley and a tablespoon of cream

Guaranteed excellent, with some toast or as we did with some fresh Ciabatta

MKR Auckland- Brothers-in-law Dan and Chris Top Our Ladder

My Kitchen Rules Wrightson Noble Style

Yesterday it was family lunch celebrating Katie's birthday
As Dale and I are finding it a bit difficult to get around at the moment, it was decided to hold the lunch here at our apartment
The usual family suspects were present
And the timer was set
The entree was Pear, Rocket, Walnut and Goats Cheese Salad
Accompanied with some HomeChrisgrown Beetroot

First on the plate
Finely sliced Pear and Beetroot

Then Rocket, Chopped Walnuts and Topped with Torn Goats Cheese

Drizzle over your favourite Vinaigrette
Best with a sweeter Vinegar
i.e. Apple Cider or Balsamic
Voila!

They did well took a bit of time plating, that might need a little work if they wish to cook again
I scored them 9/10 takes a lot to get a 10 out of me

So onto the Main course Gumbo DanManStyle

Many years ago we did a trip  New Orleans
Found the New Orleans School of Cooking
I loved it so much, that on our next 4 visits, as we introduced many friends to this wonderful town
we returned and did the 2 hour course every time.
Very popular.

We learnt all About The Holy Trinity
Onion, Bell Pepper and celery
This is the base of many Cajun dishes
The king of which, is Gumbo
The recipe we were given from the NO School of Cooking is the one we base all of our Gumbos on

Dan came twice with us to N'Awlins and he has embraced the food as well...
I have to say he makes a damn fine Gumbo
He has played a little with the original recipe on this occasion
Below is the original
You must make this…it is wonderful and so so simple
One really important ingredient is
Emeril's Essence Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast): 
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika 
2 tablespoons salt 
2 tablespoons garlic powder 
1 tablespoon black pepper 
1 tablespoon onion powder 
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 
1 tablespoon dried oregano 
1 tablespoon dried thyme Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
This will keep for ages in an airtight jar


I am very proud of my Gumbo its pretty good.
I use chorizo sausage…andouille is not that easy to come by here.
I also like the 'heat' in the chorizo.
Also I don’t use file or okra…sorry, it's a bit slimy for me

Making the Cajun Roux is different from the original French Roux.
It is made with oil (authentic cooks would use lard) and cooked for quite a long time to get the colour you desire.

They taught us the quicker high heat method and I find this the easiest.
This recipe will yield 15 or so portions.
Great for a crowd.
1 cup oil rice bran not olive oil
1 chicken cut up
3 tablespoons Emeril’s Essence
3 large chorizo sausages
1 cup flour
4 cup chopped onions
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped green and red pepper
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
8 cups stock
Sea salt
Cayenne pepper to taste
2 cups chopped green/spring onions
600 gms green prawns

Dry Sherry to be served at the table
Cooked rice (optional)

First prepare the vegetables
When the roux is cooked you need to add it immediately, to the Vege and stop it from scorching.

First place the chopped vege in the pot you are going to cook the gumbo in.

Season the chicken with essence and brown in oil
Pop into oven and cook for about 15 minutes
Remove till cool enough to handle and break off from bones.

Slice chorizo and brown in pan remove and set aside.
Strain this beautifully flavoured oil from chicken and chorizo and strain out bits.

Top up to 1 cup to start the roux.

The Roux

Heat oil till just smoking
Add flour all at once and whisk.
Keep on whisking over high heat we are aiming for a nice brown roux
This will take about 5-8 minutes to get the desired colour.
The roux funnily enough doesn’t thicken just gets browner.
If it looks like it is about to burn take it off the heat for a minute or two whisking all the time


This is the perfect colour for me
Now throw it immediately into the vege

Cook until vege soften

Add chicken and sausage to pot
Gradually stir in stock and bring to boil
Reduce to simmer and cook for and hour or so
Best to make it to this stage in the morning. The longer it sits the better


There is quite a film of oil on the top and I remove that just before I add the prawns and spring onions.

So remove the oil bring back to the boilAdd prawns and spring onions
Cook for 10 minutes and serve.

You can serve with boiled rice but I prefer to have it as is like a soup rather than a main course

Its fab


Dan served his with Black Rice cooked in Chicken Stock, very nutty and tasty
Go The Boys


To top off the lunch
We had a Donna Hay ChrisManStyle Chocolate and Salted Caramel Tart

Pastry
    •    ¼ cup (25g) Dutch cocoa
    •    1½ cups (225g) plain flour
    •    125g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
    •    ½ cup (80g) icing sugar
    •    3 egg yolks
    •    1 tablespoons iced water
    •    sea salt flakes, for sprinkling

Salted Caramel
    •    1 cup (250ml) single (pouring) cream
    •    50g unsalted butter
    •    1½ cups (330g) white sugar
    •    ½ cup (125ml) water
    •    1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

Dark Chocolate Ganache
    •    150g dark chocolate, chopped
    •    ½ cup (125ml) single (pouring) cream



To make the Salted Caramel, 
Place the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
Place the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over low heat and cook,
stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. 
Place a sugar thermometer in the pan increase the heat to high. 
Bring to the boil and cook for 10–12 minutes, without stirring, 
or until the temperature reaches 150°C and the mixture is a deep caramel colour. 
Remove from the heat and working quickly,
Add the salt and cream and butter mixture
and whisk to combine.
Return to the heat and cook for a further 2 minutes or until thickened slightly.

For the Pastry
Place the cocoa, flour, butter and icing sugar in a food processor
and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
With the motor running, add the egg yolk. 
Add the iced water and process until the dough just comes together.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gently bring together to form a ball. 
Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 180°C. 
Roll the pastry out between 2 sheets of non-stick baking paper to 3mm-thick.
Line a lightly greased 24cm round loose-bottomed tart tin with the pastry.
Trim the edges and prick the base with a fork.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
 Line the pastry case with non-stick baking paper,
fill with baking weights and bake for 15 minutes. 
Remove the paper and weights and
bake for a further 10 minutes or until the pastry is just cooked. 
Allow to cool in the tin. 

Spoon the salted caramel into the tart shell and refrigerate for a 2–3 hours or until set.


To make the Dark Chocolate Ganache, 
Place the chocolate and cream in a small saucepan over low heat and
cook, stirring, until melted and smooth. 
Allow to stand for 10 minutes or until thickened slightly.
Pour the chocolate mixture over the caramel and refrigerate for 1–2 hours or until set.

Bring to room temperature and sprinkle with sea salt flakes to serve.
Serves 6–8.

It was divine and served with some Whipped Cream to cut back the richness

In fact by the time we had finished the meal I reviewed my score and the
Brothers-in-law from Auckland went to the top of the ladder with a perfect 30/30

Take a miracle to beat that

Autumnal Soup - Making the most of Pepper and Courgettes

Autumn is well and truly here, I had some capsicums and courgettes in the fridge
Almost the end of these, as a seasonal vegetable,
I thought I would attempt a soup with them.
Added a Potato to thicken and Onion for flavour and it was successful.
So I have made it again, made a couple of changes and I’m delighted with it

Garnished with Chopped Tomato, added some extra flavours of Chili Paste and Basil Paste  from a tube.
Very handy to have in the fridge, they keep well and of you haven’t any fresh herbs on hand, next best thing

To feed 6 

Red Peppers halved seeds out
1 Yellow Pepper halved, seeds out
2 large Courgettes halved
2 medium Onions halved skin on
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
1 large Potato peeled and chopped into large chunks
1 Litre Chicken stock
Water if necessary
2 teaspoons Chili Paste
1 tablespoon Basil Paste
1 tablespoon red vinegar

6 small tomatoes chopped
2 tablespoons Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of sugar

Pre Heat oven 190C
Season Peppers, Courgette and Onions
And toss in Olive Oil

Roast for about an hour
Remove Peppers and place them in a bowl and cover with glad wrap
This will make it easier to skin them when cool

Meanwhile add peeled and chopped Potato to chicken stock
Add  roasted Onions and Courgettes to pot and any oil from the roasting pan
Add water to make sure everything is well covered

Bring to boil and simmer till Potatoes are tender
Add Chili and Basil
Pour into blender and whiz
Back into pot
Add Red Wine Vinegar and adjust seasoning to your taste

Meanwhile skin Peppers.  And chop
Keep some aside for garnish

Then add the rest to pot, along with the juice collected in the bowl

Reheat
Just before serving
In a pan
Gently heat Olive Oil
Add Chopped Tomatoes season with Salt, Pepper and Sugar

Saute for about 2 minutes, just to soften
        Dish up into soup bowls
Garnish with reserved Peppers and Tomatoes
Drizzle with the oil from the cooked Tomato

A master piece I reckon, some hot buttered toast, or a little dinner roll would go well with it

Fish Pie - Use up your Leftovers

Our friends Mary and Heinzie were staying for the weekend to help celebrated the Beloved's Turn of the Decade Birthday.

After a good kick off start on Friday, Saturday had to be a quiet night, so that we would be in good form for the big Party on Sunday.
A couple of weeks previously our friend Skid, brought us up from Taupo... a trout, caught by his fair hands only 15 hours before. I was worried that we wouldn't want it straight away, so it went into the freezer for a later date.
Perfect time to bring it out.
Saturday night dinner.

I cooked the trout the only way I know how.
It is a very delicate fish and I think it needs some flavour boost.

Take your headless, gutted fish
Season the fish inside and out with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fill the seasoned cavity with thin slices of red onion and lemon

In a large baking dish, place some more sliced onions and lemons
Use this as a trivet and sit the fish on top.
Pour over some white
Cover with foil and into a 180C oven

Cook till a skewer slides through the fish

This should take about 20 - 30 minutes, depending on the size of the fish

This method of cooking keeps the flesh moist and delicious

Then you remove the skin and slice off the flesh
Trout is a very boney fish so be careful
So I served it with Mashed Potato and Garlic Green Beans.
Delicious

Sometimes, I make a dressing with the juices but I now have a new seafood dressing...
which I am loving.
So simple
Got the idea from the Trusty Triple Tested Recipe Book

I have made a couple of changes. Rum instead of Brandy
But use Brandy if you have it
They suggested Chili Sauce but I love Sriracha Sauce so I used that

1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced Celery
1 teaspoon minced red onion or shallot
1 teaspoon Cider or White wine Vinegar
 Freshly ground Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Sriracha Sauce
2 tablespoons Rum or Brandy
1 teaspoon parsley
Sea salt

Blend well
Put into the fridge, best to let it set for a couple hours
Perfect with trout or any seafood

So I have digressed too much
Back to the Fish Pie

Of course there was leftover Trout, also leftover Hot Smoked Salmon
Which we had had on crackers, as an appetiser
Heaps of Mashed Potato and also Green beans
Over catering again!
What to do but Fish Pie of course

So I made a Bechamel sauce
For the Roux

4 tablespoons butter 
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon mustard, I used Dijon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Zest (finely grated) and juice of 1 medium lemon
2 cups milk, warmed
2 bay leaves

First make your Roux
Melt butter
Add onions cook gently till soft and translucent
Add flour
Stir well and cook out the flour taste, about 3-4 minutes
Season with Salt, pepper and mustard
Add grated lemon zest
Meanwhile warm the milk with the bay leaf (to infuse the milk)
Remove the bay leaf
Add to roux
Stir briskly and then use whisk to make sure there are no lumps
Add lemon juice
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary

Meanwhile, prepare your fish
Break up the Salmon and carefully break up the trout
Look out for those pesky bones
I also defrosted a dozen prawns

Add to Bechamel Sauce
Along with the fish I added the Green beans
Covered with Leftover Mashed Potato

Baked at 180C till all bubbly and golden about 25 minutes

Voila
Fish Pie

We did manage to have a couple of shots and the compulsory Photo, with the appetiser
Wouldn't be a Heinzie visit, without that