Yes i am back and i have got the rugby spirit going on to welcome many visitors to our wonderful little city and of course our fantastic market.
I have a guest in the mobile kitchen for a short time - Aaron from Harbour fish is going to demonstrate how to fillet a salmon (around 9am) and i will cook it as many ways as possible. Fish loves fresh fennel (brydone organics) which i will combine with the fish and wrap in foil and bake - very easy, healthy and practically no dishes! I will also do a lovely little Thai inspired dressing/ marinade which also goes perfectly with the salmon also depending on your mood.
Warm German potato salad is a delight and one that works well with almost everything and it will go with salmon. I like salads like this as they add a little twist as a side to your meals. Wairuna Organics have sweet, tender and quite frankly irresistible bunches of ruby chard (silver beet) which is delicious dressed lightly and piled on top of garlic rubbed toast (good toast that is). And no menu from the mobile kitchen would be complete without something a little sweet and a little naughty - Corydon hazelnuts combined with Butlers raspberries equals hazelnut and raspberry cakes with cream!!
see you soon.....
SALMON BAKED IN FOIL
Serves 4
4 x 180g -200g fillet salmon
2 tsp olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 shallots, finely sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 bulb fennel, sliced thinly, with 1 Tbsp leaves
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Slice the fennel thinly, and add to a bowl along with the shallots, 2 tablespoons of oil, lemon juice, fennel leaves, salt and pepper, mix to combine.
Place a salmon fillet, oiled side down, atop a sheet of foil. Spoon the fennel mixture over the salmon. Fold the sides of the foil over the fish and shallot mixture, covering completely; seal the packets closed like a parcel. Place the foil packet on a baking tray. Repeat until all of the salmon has been individually wrapped in foil. Bake until the salmon is just cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Using a large metal spatula, transfer the foil packets to plates and serve wrapped in foil, it will go well with the potato salad recipe.
CHARD BRUSCHETTA
400g Swiss chard (silverbeet)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, 1 sliced thinly, 1 cut in half
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 thick slices good quality bread
Lemon wedges for serving
Method
Stem the chard, and wash the leaves, drain well. Cut the stems in small slices and blanch. Blanch the stalks in salted boiling water for one to two minutes until tender, add the leaves and cook for a further 1-2 minutes. Drain the chard and cool down on a tray lined with a clean cloth. Once cool squeeze out excess water.
Heat up a fry pan and add a drizzle of olive oil, add the thinly sliced garlic and cook gently until it goes a light golden brown and gives off a nutty aroma (about 30 seconds). Add the cooked chard (stalks and leaves), and toss together for about a minute. Remove from the heat, season lightly with sea salt flakes and cracked pepper.
Lightly toast the bread, and rub with the cut garlic. Toss the chard with the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Spread over toast and if desired add a little left over roasted salmon and a wedge of lemon!
THAI INFUSED SALMON
2-4 salmon
1-3 Tbsp. canola oil (or other vegetable oil) for frying
MARINADE
1/2 cup rice vinegar (or substitute white vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
1/4 cup honey
4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 fresh red chili, finely sliced, OR substitute 1/2 to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp lemon grass or lemon zest
1 Tbsp fresh coriander (stalks and leaves)
Method
To make the marinade place all marinade ingredients together in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir as you bring the sauce to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered. The sauce will gradually thicken (the smell of the vinegar is rather pungent as it cooks). When marinade/sauce has thickened, place in the refrigerator or freezer to cool for 5 minutes.
Place salmon fillets in a flat-bottomed dish (so that fillets aren't piled on top of each other). When the marinade has cooled, spoon 2 tablespoon over each fillet, slathering it over the flesh (reserve the remaining sauce for later). Marinate in the refrigerator 10 minutes or up to 24 hours.
Place a heavy based frying pan onto a medium to high heat. Drizzle in two tablespoon oil and allow getting hot; placing the salmon carefully in the pan and cook for at least 2 minutes undisturbed before turning. If you turn the fish too soon, it will stick. Instead, allow it to "sear", and it will come freely away from the bottom of the pan.
Fry the fish 3-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fish. Salmon is always better pink in the center.
WARM GERMAN STYLE POTATO SALAD
Warm salads are great as they work so well as a refreshing side to any meal!
1 kg waxy potato, Nadine, frisia, draga work well
1 small red onion, diced finely
250g bacon, sliced finely
1 Tbsp fresh or dried dill
¼ cup stock
Large handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1 tsp grain mustard
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp sugar
¾ cup red wine vinegar
1 cup good quality oil (not olive oil)
Method
Place the potatoes into a suitable size pot and cover with water, season with a little salt and bring to the boil, reduce to a gentle boil and cook until tender (20-30 minutes)
Meanwhile fry the bacon in a fry pan until crispy and set aside, reserving bacon fat in pan for later use.
Add the finely diced onion, dill and bacon into a large bowl.
When the potatoes are cooked drain and cool slightly. I suggest when peeling the potatoes to hold a cloth around your potato as they get quite hot after a while. Carefully peel the skin off the potato with a sharp small knife and cut into 4mm thick slices. Add them to the bowl with the onions and bacon.
In the fry pan with the bacon fat, warm slightly and add the red wine vinegar, grain mustard and ½ the oil, season lightly with a little salt and pepper, swirl around to emulsify and pour over the warm potatoes, add the parsley and toss together gently, add a little more oil if the salad looks dry.
Taste and adjust the seasoning and balance of the overall salad – it should taste piquant with an even flavour of bacon and onion with a hint of freshness from the herbs.
It is delicious served warm on its own or as the Germans would favour with pork!
HAZELNUT AND RASPBERRY CAKES
These little cakes are light and nutty with a hint of zing!
Makes 16 small or 1 large cake
220g whole hazelnuts or ground
6 large eggs
180g caster sugar
250ml cream to serve
150-200g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
Method
Grease and flour 16 small muffin or friand tins or 24cm springform tin. Line the base with a circle of baking parchment.
Preheat the oven at 170C/160C fan
Place the nuts in a dry frying pan and toast carefully over a low heat, shaking the pan. When they are lightly toasted, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Put the hazelnuts in a clean cloth and rub the skins off and discard. Grind the cooled nuts in a food processor until you get a coarse crumb texture.
Separate the eggs carefully. Whisk the yolks and sugar until pale, creamy and very thick. Stir in the nuts. Whisk the egg whites to firm peaks then gently fold them into the yolk mixture with a large spoon. Spoon into the small or large tins, sprinkle with raspberries and bake until the cake begins to shrink away from the sides of the tin – approximately 15-20 minutes for small or 45 minutes for large. Leave in the tin to cool for 10 minutes, then release the clip and turn out on to a rack. When completely cold, carefully cut the cake in half horizontally, fill with whipped cream and more raspberries.
ALISON WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING VENDORS FOR THEIR FANTASTIC PRODUCE
CORYDON HAZELNUTS – hazelnuts
HARBOUR FISH – fresh fish (salmon)
BUTLERS BERRIES – raspberries
WAIRUNA ORGANICS – chard
BRYDONE ORGANICS – fennel
ROSEDALE ORCHARDS – fruit juice
LIEVITO BAKERY - freshly baked goods
