Asparagus Pappardelle with Salmon in Red Pesto Sauce

I love pasta and I love asparagus. So it was only a matter of time before I would combine them together so that I could reach a higher level of foodie heaven. But you cannot go to heaven, if you sin too much with your calories! This is why I decided to use a clever trick (and a potato peeler) to shave asparagus into ribbons that resemble pappardelle (or at least its thinner cousin - tagliatelle).

Thanks to that trick, I used much less pasta than I would have normally cooked, and the portions still looked big, but were less calorific and healthier. Oh, and have I mentioned yet that it was delicious?

INGREDIENTS (for 4 portions):

500g green asparagus,

1 tbsp olive oil,

500g skinless and boneless salmon fillet,

250g pappardelle,

2 tbsp red pesto,

6 tbsp double cream,

salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Snip the hard ends of washed asparagus, cut 4-5 cm of the tops and shave the other parts of asparagus with a potato peeler into ribbons.
2. In a frying pan heat up the olive oil, add the asparagus tops and fry them for 2 min, put aside.
3. In the same frying pan fry over a medium heat the seasoned salmon fillet for 5 minutes on each side (or a bit longer, if the fillet is thick).
4. Put the fish on a plate, flake it.
5. Cook the pappardelle in salted water as per packet instruction, 1 minute before the end of cooking add the asparagus’ ribbons; keep half a cup of the cooking water.
6. On a low heat warm up the pesto and cream, add the flaked salmon and the asparagus tops, heat up and gently stir with pappardelle and asparagus ribbons. If it is too dry, add a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water.

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Asian Soup with Salmon and Kale

I had a glimpse of how it is to be on the TV series Masterchef. I mean the moment when participants open a Mystery Box, they can see ingredients and quickly have to decide what they are going to cook. Some of them play it safe and make something they have done before, others take a risk and play it by the ear or – rather in this context – by their taste.

In my case, my Mystery Box was my fridge and the kitchen cabinets before shopping was done when there are still many - but often odd - ingredients not necessarily meant for a specific meal. Additionally everybody was getting hungry so I didn’t have all the time in the world to think what to cook and then cook it. My first idea was the safe one: stir fry. But then I thought that even though I love stir fries, I should go for something different. So I cooked this healthy soup instead.

I included in it ingredients that are typical for Asia: ginger, chilli, soya and fish sauce. White wine might not be the obvious choice, rice wine would probably be better but I didn’t have it then. Overall the combination of flavours in the stock works really well and addition of salmon, noodles and kale makes it a complete meal a whole family can enjoy on a busy weekday evening when nobody has hours to cook and nobody wants to wait for hours to eat!

INGREDIENTS (for 4 portions):

400g skinless and boneless salmon fillet cut into 2 cm cubes,

1 tsp sesame oil,

1.5l vegetable stock,

5 tbsp white wine,

2 tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce,

chilli flakes,

3 tsp grated ginger,

150g kale thorn into small pieces (without stems),

150g bean sprouts,

100g Chinese/wok noodles.

METHOD:

1. Put the salmon cubes into a bowl, add the sesame oil, stir well and let it marinate until you need it.
2. Heat up the vegetable stock, add the white wine, soya and fish sauces, chilli flakes and ginger.
3. When the spiced stock is boiling, add the Chinese noodles (you may break them into smaller pieces so it will be easier to eat the soup), bring to boil, add the salmon and kale and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Serve the soup with bean sprouts.

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3 Layers Salmon Strudel

We all probably have some dishes we only cook for special occasions or celebrations: a special birthday cake or a stuffed turkey. For quite a few years I made this 3 Layered Salmon Strudel exclusively for Christmas Eve. But then I thought: why to limit having this wonderful dish to one and only one evening per year? And I started making it more often, as apart from being delicious, it is also very convenient: it can be prepared in advance just like Inge’s Vegetable Strudel  

If you are not sure how to roll a strudel in a way that there is not too much pastry on its endings, please watch the short video.

INGREDIENTS (for 6 portions):

150g rice,

475ml vegetable stock,

1 onion, chopped,

1.5 tbsp olive oil,

3 eggs,

250g mushrooms, sliced,

1 tbsp butter,

450g salmon, cut into 4-5cm pieces,

0.5 tsp mild paprika,

2 tbsp dry white wine (optionally),

salt and pepper.

500g puff pastry.

METHOD:

1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pot, add the chopped onion and fry on a low heat for 5 minutes.
2. Add the rice, increase the heat and fry, stirring for 1 minute, then add 350 ml of the vegetable stock and cook for 15-20 minutes (depending on the type of rice), stirring occasionally. If the rice absorbs all the stock but it is not soft yet, add more stock, a bit at a time as at the end it has to be sticky but not wet.
3. Boil 2 eggs for 8 minutes; when they are cold enough to handle, peel them off and chop.
4. Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the sliced mushrooms and fry till golden, season.
5. Season the salmon and sprinkle it with paprika.
6. Heat 0.5 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan, add the salmon and fry for 2 minutes on each side. If you are using the white wine, add it to the pan after the salmon.
7. Preheat the oven to 220 Celsius degrees.
8. Mix the cold cooked rice with the chopped egg, season.
9. Put greaseproof paper on a baking tray and put the puff pastry on it. In the middle of a half of the pastry that is closest to you, spread the rice mixed with the chopped egg to a rectangle about 7-10cm width, leaving approx. 3-5 cm on the shorter sides and 5-7 cm of the longer side (please watch the video for details).
10. On top of the rice put the fried mushrooms and then – pieces of salmon.
11. Rise up onto the filling the shorter sides of the pastry and the long side that is close to you. Press it gently so it stays on the filing and brush the egg on it. Now move the other half of the pastry gently on top of the filling and seal the strudel. Brush the whole strudel with the beaten egg.
12. Bake it for 10 minutes in 220 Celsius degrees (200 fan oven), then lower the temperature to 190 (170 fan oven) and bake for another 20 minutes till golden. 
13. Take it out from the oven and let it cool for at least 15 minutes before you cut it into slices.

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Teriyaki Salmon with Broccoli and Rice Vermicelli

The below recipe wasn't even supposed to be on my blog. One day I was so busy that when it came to deciding about dinner, I felt as if I was going to cook for the first time in my life: my head was completely empty of any ideas. I checked what we had in the fridge and in the pantry and decided to play it by the ear, without having great expectations as to the final result.

I found salmon and broccoli, so some type of stir-fry seemed to be a workable solution. We only had rice vermicelli bought by my husband some time earlier and since I thought we all preferred thicker, ribbon-like rice noodles, I didn't really expect  a big applause from my family. But they loved the dish so much that they made me quickly write down the recipe while I still remembered it. And when I cooked it again to make sure the recipe was correct, my daughter came to the kitchen, looked into the wok and said “Oh, you are making my favourite dish!”. Considering it was only the second time I prepared it, I think it is the best recommendation you can ask for.

INGREDIENTS (4 portions):

500g salmon fillet,

5 tbsp teriyaki marinade,

1 broccoli cut into small florets,

2 grated garlic cloves,

2 tsp grated ginger,

2 tbsp olive oil,

200g rice vermicelli,

3 tbsp soy sauce,

2 tbsp fish sauce,

1.5 limes (juice of half and the whole one cut into quarters).

METHOD:

1. Cut salmon into 3 cm cubes, put into a bowl with teriyaki marinade, mix well and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes (it can also be left overnight).
2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan, fry the salmon cubes in 2-3 batches , stirring it gently (not to break it) from time to time for 2-3 minutes, put aside.
3. Prepare the rice vermicelli per packet instruction. Drain it.
4. Heat  1 tbsp olive oil in the frying pan, add garlic and ginger and fry stir for 30 seconds, add the broccoli, and continue to stir fry. You can also add a few tablespoons of water to the wok. This will create steam that will make the broccoli softer faster without burning.
5. When the broccoli is soft but still al dente, add the salmon cubes, fish and soy sauces, stir gently; add the vermicelli and lime juice, stir again. Serve with lime quarters.

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