smoked salmon on rosti

This is a great easy meal to serve when you have friends over for a leisurely breakfast. It's even better with a bottle of bubbly! Rosti are Swiss pan-fried potato cakes, and are best made from starchy potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 120g spreadable light cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 150 sliced smoked salmon

Method:

1. Coarsely grate potatoes; use hands to squeeze as much excess liquid as possible. Measure 1/4 cups of grated potato, placin each portion on a long sheet of baking paper.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large non stick frying pan; place two portions of the rated potato in the pan, flattening each with a spatula. Cook rosti over medium heat until browned, turn with the spatula to cook the other side. Drain on absorbent paper, make six more rosti with remaining oil and grated potato.
3. Combinie cream cheese, herbs and juice in a small bowl.
4. Divide rosti among serving plates, top with herbed cream cheese and smoked salmon.

Serves 4.

Balsamic Glazed Salmon

Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 salmon fillets
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tblsp white wine (or stock or water as substitutes)
1 tblsp honey
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
4 tspn dijon mustard (you can use french as an alternative)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tblsp chopped fresh oregano

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Line a baking tray with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Coat a small saucepan with non-stick spray and over a medium heat, cook and stir garlic until soft. Mix in wine, honey, vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for approximately 3 minutes or until slightly thickened.
3. Arrange salmon on the foil lined tray and brush fillets with the glaze, leaving enough syrup for a final glaze at the end. Sprinkle with oregano.
4. Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes if you prefer your salmon to be cooked all the way through. 10 - 15 if you like some pinkness in the middle.
5. Brush fillets with the remianing glaze and season with salt and pepper.

Tuna Mornay

You know those days when you have hardly anything in the pantry and don't really want to face grocery shopping or take away for dinner? This is one recipe that I call on frequently!
(Thanks Mum)

Ingredients
1 oz butter
1 1/2 ozs grated cheese
1 tblsp flour
1 cup milk
1 chopped onion
pinch of salt
1 medium size tin of tuna
4 potatoes (approx)


Method
Preheat the oven to 180°c.
Peel, finely slice and cook the potatoes until just tender, set aside for later.
Melt butter in a saucepan with the chopped onion.
Blend in the flour and salt.
Add the milk, stirring constantly until thick.
Add the tuna and most of the cheese. Leave enough to sprinkle over the top for baking.
Layer the potatoes in an oven proof dish.
Top with the tuna sauce and sprinkle the left over cheese on top.
Bake in the oven until golden brown.

Parmesan-crumbed Baked Fish

Carrying on the fishy theme, here's a non-salmon recipe to try.

Serves 4

Here's what you'll need:
1/2 cup fresh multi-grain breadcrumbs (or store bought - works nearly as well)
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped (can use dried herbs here as well)
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 thick white fish steaks (about 200g each, try blue eye or king fish, or just ask your local fish person for something similar, they can be very helpful!)
Cooking spray (olive oil spray if you've got it)

1. Preheat oven to 200°C
2. Combine breadcrumbs, parsley, parmesan, lemon rind, and salt and pepper in a bowl.
3. Drizzle mixture with olive oil and stir until the breadcrumbs are coated in oil.
4. Press the breadcrumb mixture onto the flesh side of the fish fillets to form an even topping.
5. Place fish, skin side down onto a baking tray and spray the fillets with oil.
6. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until light and golden and the fish is just cooked through.

Serve with steamed greens, baby potatoes and some lemon wedges in winter, and salad in summer.

Salmon with Almonds and Cheese

Following on with the salmon theme, here's one I make quite regularly - and in fact made tonight (Left: Ben devouring it)!

4 x 175g salmon fillets
50g softened butter
4 tbsp slivered or flaked almonds
4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
50g guyere or emmental, coarsely grated (any mild cheese really)
potatoes and a green salad or broccoli, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 190 deg C/Gas 5/fan oven 170 deg c. Season the salmon steaks all over. Liberally butter a shallow ovenproof dish big enough to take the fish in one layer. Smear the fillets with the remaining butter.
2. Mix the almonds, parsley and the cheese, then press on to the top of the steaks.
3. Bake for 15-20mins, until the topping is crisp and golden and the salmon cooked. Serve with potatoes and a green salad or broccoli.

Enjoy!

Barbecued Salmon and Balsamic Roast Vegetables

This recipe featured on our blog recently so some of you would have already seen it. It's one of our all time favourites because it's yummy, easy and good for you. Salmon is excellent "brain food" because of the high Omega 3 content.

Barbecued Salmon
Pour a generous amount of soy sauce and crushed garlic into a container and add salmon fillets to marinate (ensure the fish is well coated with the sauce and garlic) for 1 hour. When ready, cook on the barbecue over a medium heat until cooked through, remembering to turn the fish once or twice. Serve with a fresh salad and breadrolls in summer, or roast vegetables in winter.

Balsamic Roast Vegetables
Preheat oven to 220 degrees C. Combine 375g sweet potato, 375g red onion, 375g large carrots, 375g zucchini, 500g waxy potatoes (all cut into chunks) and 12 cloves of peeled garlic in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup of Thyme sprigs, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and season with black pepper. Toss the vegetables well and spread them in a single layer in a large baking dish. Roast until the vegetables are cooked through and starting to brown on the edges, about 40 minutes. Serve immediately.