Simple Salmon En Croute - Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

Hi Everybody!

I've got a great recipe for you all. I just tried it tonight and couldn't wait to share!

Once again, over the weekend I chose a few random cookbooks and said to myself, "Ok, I gotta pick one or two new recipes and make them this week"  I make it sound like its such chore!

So as I was having my Saturday morning coffee, flipping through Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution cookbook …


I want to interrupt my story to tell you that my husband laughs at me little because as he reads his newspaper on Saturday mornings, catching up on current events, I sit there pouring over several cookbooks - asking him which of these recipes he'll want to eat next week.  He usually exclaims, 
"I don't know what I'll want to eat NEXT WEEK!"   


Jeez…I do.

Anyway,  I came across this recipe towards the end of the book. Salmon en Croute. It caught my eye because first of all, I try to eat fish at least once a week (Omega 3!!!!) and because it called for puff pastry. I LOVE anything in puff pastry. Put cardboard in a little puff pastry and I'll eat it.
I looked over the recipe to see if it was feasible for a weeknight dinner and it was - Simple ingredients, fresh, not heavy, cooking time was acceptable.

I don't know about you but whenever I think fish and puff pastry, I also automatically think "cream". This recipe does not contain cream. Perfect for a weeknight. I tend to reserve heavier, more rich foods for the weekend.


Anyone who knows me knows that I love Jamie Oliver's recipes , cookbooks , products - anything Jamie.    His Food Revolution cookbook is one of my favourites because the recipes are easy, delicious, international and affordable. 

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• All purpose flour for dusting
• 2 sheets of puff pastry ( I bought frozen Tenderflake puff pastry)
• 1x 1 + 3/4 pounds of Salmon fillets bones removed and preferably skinned (I used trout this time)
• Olive oil for drizzling
• Kosher salt and fresh pepper
• 1/4 cup black olive tapenade (I bought Fontaine Sante)
• a small bunch of fresh Basil
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1 beaten egg (to brush on your pastry)
• 1/4 pound ball of fresh mozzarella (Saputo is fine - Looks like this (below) and is usually stored in water)

To prepare your salmon en croute:


Preheat oven to 400F
Get yourself a large flat cookie sheet and dust with flour
Dust a clean surface and a rolling pin with flour.
Lay the puff pastry as is -  out of the box
Roll out your pastry until its the same size as your cookie sheet. (about 12x6 inches) (Mine was slightly bigger and it worked out fine, I just rolled out the pastry to the size of my pan. I also had two small fillets , I placed them side by side, so it worked out)
Place the pastry into your floured pan.
Drizzle the salmon fillet with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Transfer your fillet to the pastry, skin side down, then spoon the black olive paste over top, spreading it out in a thin layer.
Pick the basil leaves , tear into large pieces and place them over the fish.
Slice the tomatoes and place them over the basil.

Tear the mozzarella into pieces and scatter these on top.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
Gather up the sides of the pastry and pinch and push them together.
With a pastry brush, brush your beaten egg over the pastry edges. This will ensure your "croute" becomes a beautiful golden colour.

To cook and serve your salmon en croute.

Place the cookie sheet at the very bottom of the preheated oven with an empty cookie sheet on the rack above to protect the top from getting too much heat.
Cook for 35 minutes, then remove from the oven and serve in the middle of the table so that everyone can cut themselves a slice
Great served with any steamed veg or a lovely green salad (the usual story!)

Steph's notes: There's only one thing I would do differently next time - just to try..I would like to use Feta or soft goat cheese instead of fresh Mozzarella. I think that the flavour would go so well with the olive tapenade. Of course I wouldn't put much and I wouldn't salt the dish as much. I could just imagine it browning a little. mmmmm! I'll try and get back to you! =)

Right about at this stage, I knew this was gonna be great That's why I started taking pictures from this point..lol

Yay - Cheese!

I folded the edges in as neatly as I could.

After the egg wash

I really wanted to place it in a nice dish for the picture but  alas, it was stuck.

Does it look tasty?  Don't now how it looks to you guys.
It looks good to me 'cause I made it and ate it like, two seconds after this shot.
My taste buds were dancing the cha-cha!!

See why Omega 3 is so important for maintaining good health! Click on the link below.
Its great to prevent heart disease, improves brain function, and more (I accidentally wrote brian function…so I guess I need more Omega 3)


http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm


Thanks for reading xoxo

Party Snacks!! Hot Chocolate Almonds & Spicy Baked Chickpeas

Good morning all!


The eggplant feature is coming but FIRST…I wanted to share two new exciting recipes - yes two! 
I'm pairing them because they are very similar prep-wise and both would be great for your next get-together.  


Reasons to make these: They're tasty and satisfying - flavours are complex and interesting. They don't require many ingredients, super quick/easy to make and they're a healthy change from the usual store bought snack foods.


Come to think of it, you don't see many homemade snacks these days. I haven't seen a homemade snack in years…lol..


Anyway, these are sure to raise some eyebrows and wake up some taste buds - believe me! I hope you get as inspired as I was.


The first snack on my list is the "Hot" Chocolate Almonds. Pun intended. They give off a little heat and are reminiscent of Mexican Hot Chocolate. 


While browsing on-line, I fell upon this lovely food blog called "A Full Measure of Happiness" and found this recipe. The author named her recipe "Mexican Hot Chocolate Spiced Almonds". I encourage you to check it out!  (Link to blog at the end of this post)


Just imagine the magnificent flavours of the chocolate, the spice (cinnamon & cayenne) and the maple syrup combined. 


The second is Spicy Baked Chickpeas, seen on the Food Network show "5 Ingredient Fix"with Claire Robinson. 


I was watching this very interesting episode "Show you share Tapas". She whipped up this recipe so quickly , it wasn't even funny. I thought to myself "I have all those ingredients!! I"m going to make this right now!! So I ran to my office (my pantry) and emerged with my 5 ingredients in hand. I prepared it before the show even ended. She (Claire) kept repeating how addictive these chickpeas would be and she was right. In fact, as I was preparing them this morning  I couldn't stop picking at them lol. They're crispy and flavourful..mmm. Although, they didn't go too well with my coffee. bleh..




Hot Chocolate Almonds

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Cups raw almonds
• 1 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Combine maple syrup, brown sugar, salt, cayenne and cinnamon in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.  Next, fold in the almonds coating them in the syrup mixture. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour onto the prepared baking sheet, and spread them out into a single layer–this takes a little effort, ’cause they are very sticky at this point! 

(No kidding! I'm not patient and this was testing me…ooohh boy. You touch one and five move along with it!! They stick to your fingers OMG...And the longer you take to do this, the stickier they get!! I just gave up and thought, as long as there are no big clumps of almonds, they'll be fine lol)

Bake in the oven (middle rack) until the syrup around the almonds turns a darker brown, about 20 minutes.  Keep your eye on them because they fast in the oven and there’s no way to turn back once you’ve gone too far!  When finished, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.  Meanwhile, place the cocoa powder into a resealable bag.  When the almonds are cool, break them apart and toss ‘em in the bag until they are generously dusted with cocoa.

Steph's notes: I think I would have added more sugar and a little more salt but you can definitely adjust it to your taste.  I like a more intense sweet/salty flavour. Also, when you're breaking the almonds apart, don't clean off too much of the crusted syrup. When you toss them in the cocoa, it will settle in all the little nooks and crannies - They'll look nicer.


Spicy Baked Chickpeas

Ingredients

• 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika ( l love the rich colour of smoked paprika)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (I put less than this because I'm not a fan of cumin however, I don't omit it. It adds another dimension)
• Pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• Kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Rinse and drain the chickpeas and dry by rolling them around in a kitchen towel. Combine the oil, paprika cumin, cayenne and salt in a large bowl. Add chickpeas and toss to coat evenly. Transfer the chickpeas to a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread them out in a single layer. Bake until golden and crispy, 25 to 35 minutes, shaking the tray to toss after 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the chickpeas to a serving bowl.

I hope you try these. Enjoy & Thank you for reading!




Blog: A Full Measure of Happiness:   http://laurenzietsman.wordpress.com/

Weeknight or Weekend Gourmet - Gnocchi with peas, crispy prosciutto. Must try!

Pictured: Gnocchi, with peas, crispy baked Serrano Ham (Spanish version of prosciutto), and a small scoop of lightly-lemon flavoured ricotta. 

Hello friends!

I am so excited to share this recipe with you. Its a real winner. When I tried it - I thought of you and said..."Must... blog!"

As you may or may not know, all I think about is..."what are we eating tonight, tomorrow, next week, & right now..." Especially now that I'm married and in charge of all the meals, I spend time, happily scouring my many cookbooks or the Food Network site for tasty& easy new recipes.
My faithful follower and fan, my husband (God bless him), is my guinea pig (like he has a choice) and he loves this one! He'll never tell me he hates something, he's a smart man, but I sure know when he LOVES something :)  With the praise, there is a funny downside. I constantly get blamed for any ounce of weight gained, tight fitting jeans and shirts..lol  Everything in moderation, honey. *Angelic smile*

Back to the recipe! Its super easy , its different, quick to prepare and looks beautiful! You'll love the different flavours and textures - the creamy tasting,soft gnocchi, the saltiness and crispiness of the prosciutto. OMG! Why do I do this to myself!? Its Sunday morning! Guess what I'm making tomorrow night!

Special notes before we start...

-For a weeknight dinner, I purchased ready-made gnocchi (shame on me) but thats what makes this recipe so quick to prepare. I didn't want you to read the recipe and think "What is she, nuts?? I can't make gnocchi from scratch on a weeknight!" lol

To note, for the Weekend Gourmet: I have made  Gnocchi using this recipe and its easy particularly because the potatoes are baked and not boiled. They came out fluffy and light and I did not have to add more flour than indicated. (I have included some pics of my process below.) 
Boiling potatoes to make gnocchi creates a lot of water , obviously,  and is harder to drain them fully. That CAN lead to having to add too much flour, causing the gnocchi to be too hard. Pebbles with peas, anyone?

- I use the Spanish version of prosciutto called Serrano Ham. I really prefer the flavor and has less fat.

- I've written this before - Please DO NOT use low fat or "0% Fat" ricotta.
   I don't know what that sh*t is.

- Unless you despise ricotta - please do not omit it. It adds another dimension of flavour and it is not too   lemony. All you need is a tablespoon of it per dish and it really adds something to it.
Although, inexplicably, my father doesn't eat Ricotta and had the dish without - he still loved it. But of course! It has crispy prosciutto on it for heaven's sake!


Side thought....I want to try this with Farfalle pasta instead of gnocchi. I imagine that it makes for a lighter dish. Why are Farfalle always paired up with peas, eh?

The following recipe is by Tyler Florence and was obtained on www.foodnetwork.com ....Enjoy!

Ingredients

Potato gnocchi:

• 2 pounds (about 4) russet potatoes, or similar starchy/white variety (I had to use 6 to equal 2 pounds - if you have a scale,please weith them.)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 egg white
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 pound prosciutto
• 1 large shallot, finely diced
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Grated Parmesan
• 2 cups Lemon Ricotta, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Scrub potatoes, pierce the skin with a fork, drizzle with olive oil and salt and place on a sheet pan. Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until they are easily pierced with a pairing knife. Allow the potatoes to cool slightly then peel the potatoes while they are still hot and press them through a potato ricer. Put the potatoes in a large bowl with salt, nutmeg, baking powder, gratedcheese and egg white. Add the flour a little at a time and mix with your hands until the mixture forms a rough dough. Do not over-work the dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough for 1 or 2 minutes until smooth, adding a little bit more flour, if necessary, to keep it from sticking.

Break off a piece of the dough and roll it back and forth into a rope, about the thickness of your index finger. Cut the rope into 1-inch pieces. Gently roll each piece down the prongs of a fork while pressing a small dimple with your finger in the back. The gnocchi should be slightly curved and marked with ridges. This will allow the pillows to hold sauce when served. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 12 hours.

Boil the gnocchi in batches in plenty of salted water. The gnocchi are done about 2 minutes after theyfloat to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon. Reserve about 1/2 cup cooking water. If not cooking immediately, place the gnocchi in a single layer on a baking pan dusted with flour.

Note: If the gnocchi start to feather and fall apart in boiling water, you need more flour. If the gnocchi don't float after 2 minutes and are hard, you used too much flour.

(Quick weekday part)

Blanch peas in hot water and set aside.

Place 4 strips of prosciutto on a sheet pan and place in a preheated 350 degree F oven. Cook until the bacon is crispy, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add chopped shallots to a pan over medium high heat with 2 counts of olive oil pan of and gently saute until fragrant and translucent. Dump in the peas and toss gently to coat. Season with a little salt and pepper. Add boiled gnocchi to the pan and gently toss. Add a ladle of gnocchi water to the pan, add 1 tablespoon of butter, sprinkle with Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with crispy prosciutto and a scoop of fresh lemon ricotta. (Optional: finish with a drizzle of white truffle oil)

Lemon Ricotta:

• 2 cups good quality ricotta cheese
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• Salt

Place the ricotta cheese in a mixing bowl and add the lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and serve with the gnocchi.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Here are the pics of my Gnocchi making process!

I have a potato ricer,  I love it.
I used whole-wheat flour.

TIP: You have to peel your baked potatoes while they are still quite hot. I was not in the mood for a game of Hot Potato so, I held the potato in one hand with an oven mitt and quickly peeled with the other hand. It was easy. I don't have pics of this process because its a little hard to do that when your hands are full. :)

 You'll notice that I have not mastered the gnocchi shaping process...with the fork. I guess I'll have to practice.

Newlywed Pizza continued...Calzone con Bietole e Olive

Calzone con Bietole e Olive

Use 1/2 of the basic pizza dough for 1 calzone.

For the filling

1+1/2 lbs of Swiss chard or fresh spinach 

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced (center removed)

3/4 cup of pitted black olives, halved

1/2 cup of fresh whole mozzarella drained and diced ( i also mixed in Tallegio cheese)

1/4 lbs (110g) of Speck or prosciutto crudo

Salt and pepper - to taste

(Optional) A pinch of chili pepper flakes

Pan

2bsp olive oil to oil pan

Coarse corn flour, to sprinkle over oiled pan

To top the calzone

1 garlic clove, minced

1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp crumbled try oregano leaves

(Optional) 1/4 tsp of hot chili pepper flakes

2 sprigs of rosemary, cut into 1-inch pieces

Preheat oven to 450

Remove stems from the chard or spinach and place the leaves in a bowl of cold water. 

Wash thoroughly, changing the water several times.

Bring a stock pot of cold, salted water to a boil 

Drain the chard and add to the pot

Cook uncovered until soft, over medium heat

Drain and squeeze excess water from the greens

Finely chop the greens

Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the chard and cook for 1 minute. 

Lower the heat to medium, stir in the garlic and olives.

Season with salt and pepper

add chili flakes if using

Stir thoroughly and remove from heat. Let cool

Roll out the douch into a 16 inch or 40 cm disk.

Place the chard mixture over half of the circle (beause you're going to have to flip the other side over it)

Leave about 1-inch border clear in order to later seal the calzone. 

Place the mozzarella and sliced prosciutto over the chard. 

Fold the dough over the mixture, then pinch the edges of the calzone with your fingertips to seal it.

Oil a baking sheet and sprinkle with coarse corn flour. Place the calzone on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the calzone with the garlic and oil.

Sprinkle the dried oregano and hot chili pepper flakes (if using) 

Insert the rosemary pieces evenly along he border. 

Using a sharp knife, make three diagonal slits on the calzone.

Bake until crisp and golden (about 35-40 min)

Remove from the oven, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. 

Cut into slices and serve, preferably hot.

yield: 6 - 8 servings.

Rotisserie Chicken saved me! Quick Rotisserie Chicken salad with goat cheese and dried cranberries!

Did I ever tell you guys that the cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store has saved my life!? 

Ok, I'm being dramatic again..but it has saved me on days when I am tired and don't have the energy to cook something elaborate and it has probably saved my relationship on a few occasions..lol
I've made fajitas, tostadas and much more with it. You can make soup...the possibilities are endless.

Yesterday we made an amazing rotisserie chicken salad. Sounds BORING but its not. Its so good that you'll want to make sure that you get a little bit of every ingredient, in every bite!

Now, I know you guys are food lovers and have probably eaten it this way before but just in case, here goes!

Ingredients
Qtys: as much as you like! - just ensure there's a balance...so that one ingredient doesn't overpower the others.


-Your favorite olive oil and balsamic dressing + herb seasoning (oregano, for example)
-Arugula - torn
-Romaine - torn (or other favorite salad)
-Your favorite goat cheese - crumbled 
-A nice handful of dried cranberries

-Red Onion - thinly sliced .. (I use about half  or less than half of a large red onion depending on the size of the salad. You don't want the onion to be too overpowering).
-Rotisserie Chicken - mixture of white and brown meat cut into bite size peices (brown meat in this dish is a must for me) If you've ever had roasted quail salad or duck salad , you'll know what I mean. The texture and taste of the brown meat goes so well with the sweet flavor of the Cranberries)
-A handful of Walnuts or Pecans (Optional)
-Salt/Pepper

Its so good, peppery, sweet, salty..It has everything and it looks pretty too!

Enjoy with a fresh baguette!

Have I made you hungry again?? I do that.