Salmon Coulibiac

After watching an episode of the Hairy Bikers, they rustled up this dish at the banks of the River Deveron in Scotland, one of the top places for salmon fishing in the bonny land. It had me salivating in front of the TV. It's basically a salmon, rice and spinach pie. So went to the shops for some salmon and gave it a go, adding my own twists here and there! Enjoy!

Ingredients

100g / 3.5oz long grain rice, rinsed

1 fish stock cube

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp chopped fresh /dried dill

1 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf/dried parsley

1 tbsp chopped fresh /dried chives

1 tsp lemon juice

salt & pepper

2 shallots/ 1 onion, chopped

2 blocks ready-made puff pastry

100g / 3.5oz baby spinach leaves

1 x 400g centre-cut salmon fillet, cut in half lengthways, skin removed, pin bones removed

1 egg, beaten for glazing

Method

1. Cook the rice with the fish stock cube crumbled in the water

2. Mix together the rice, beaten egg, dill, parsley, chives and lemon juice

3. Season with salt & pepper

4. Roll out the blocks pastry

5. Glaze one side of one of the blocks with beaten egg

6. Add a layer of the rice mixture

7. Add a layer of the spinach

8. Add the salmon & shallots/onion

9. Add another layer of spinach

10. Add another layer of the rice mix

11. Place the second block of pastry over the filling

12. Nip round the edges, cut slits in the middle of the pastry (this lets the steam out whilst cooking) 

13. Glaze with beaten egg  

14. Bake in the oven at 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 20 - 25 mins or until golden bown

And voila ....

Serves : 4

Preparation Time : 20 mins

Cooking Time : 25 mins

Ratatouille Risotto

My brother in law makes a fantastic risotto, and yesterday I had a craving for it. Alas, he lives in Newcastle and I don't have his recipe so I had to make one myself.

Ingredients

1 large tin ratatouille/homemade (see post below)

500ml canned whole tomatoes, drained and liquid reserved

2 pints vegetable stock

1/2 pint chicken stock

1 tblsp butter

1 tblsp olive oil

2 shallots/1 onion, chopped

6 cloves garlice, chopped finely

1 cup (arborio) rice

2 bay leaves/1 tsp dried basil

100g parmesan cheese, grated

1 tsp lemon juice

Method

1. Pour the tomato liquid into a saucepan and add the vegetable stock, bring to the boil

2. Lower the heat to simmer, keep the mixture hot during the cooking process

3. In a large bowl mash the tomatoes into chunks with the back of a wooden spoon, set aside

4. In a large stock/soup pan, melt the butter and heat olive oil together

5.Add the shallots/onion and garlic and cook slowly until a purée-like texture is formed (about 10 mins)

6. Remove the shallots/onion and garlic and blot on a paper towel, return to the stove over a medium heat

7. Add rice and using a wooden spoon move around the pan until the rice starts to toast and smells butty (about 4-5 mins)

8. Add chicken stock and slowly reduce, stirring gently

9. Add the hot vegetable stock and tomato juice mixture slowly (a cup at a time)

10. Stir after each addition until the liquid is absorbed and the mixture thickens (you may not need all of the stock mixture)

11. Add the bay leaves/basil after the third addition

12. After around 15 mins add the mashed tomatoes

13. When the rice is al dente (around 20 - 25 mins) remove from the heat and add the ratatouille

14. Add the lemon juice and stir in the cheese

Serves : 4

Preparation time : 10 mins

Cooking time : 1 hour

A Hot Rediscovery

I stumbled across Jim Beam Hot Sauce in the foreign products aisle of my local supermarket. I'm a great fan of spicy food, so despite it's 5 euro price tag (oh yes the import tax can be quite disturbing on certain products!) I snatched it up. Apart from going to the chinese/africain epiceries, in France it's very hard to find spices. They are not the vindaloo loving nation like the British!

I had forgotten just how hot this sauce was! So I've toned the amount down for this next recipe so you don't end up in the same discomfort as I did!

Ricey Jim Beam

Ingredients

100g basmati rice
1 tsp jim beam hot sauce
1 tin of string beans
2 tblsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp cayenne pepper
50g cooked chorizo, chopped

Method

1.Cook the rice in a large saucepan of salted water
2.Once the rice is cooked heat the oil gently in a large frying/griddle pan
3.Add the onions and cayenne pepper, stir until the onions start to soften
4.Add the rice, string beans, chorizo and jim beam sauce
5.Stir together over a medium heat until the rice has taken on a light red colour
6.Serve with bread and/or crème fraiche

Serves : 4
Preparation time : 5 mins
Cooking time : 30 mins