Feeding the first-footers

You've had the turkey, the turkey curry. the turkey pie, the soup, the cold turkey with chips and pickle and the re-fried sprouts.  Now you are qualified to use a new ingredient and I will be doing salmon.
My kids don't really like fish unless it comes in an orange jacket but they really do like this recipe:

Salmon with prawns and bacon.

This is basically fish with parsley sauce, pretending to be something more glamorous.

For each person;
1 Salmon fillet
1 Slice of smoked salmon
1 rasher streaky bacon
Several large prawns
A few slices of onion
Half a carrot
Bread crumbs



You can do this in individual gratin dishes or side by side in a lasagne dish - leave some room around each fillet of salmon for quicker cooking and easier serving.

Begin by oiling the dish and putting a few thin slices of onion and carrot in the bottom.
Now put the salmon fillet in, sprinkle with olive oil and add black pepper.
Place in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees centigrade for about 10 minutes.

While this cooks, make the sauce:

Fry small pieces of bacon until crispy.
Add a small piece of butter and 2 tspn of plain flour.
Now add milk, a little at a time in the usual way for a white sauce.  It will thicken as you go.
When you are happy with the thickness, add a handful of chopped parsley.
Now add the prawns and heat thoroughly.

Remove the salmon fillet from the oven, top with a slice of smoked salmon and pour the sauce over.

Now sprinkle with bread crumbs and return to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until the top is browned and crispy.

Serve with fresh greens.










Around the Grounds

The high winds and driving rain have ceased thankfully and here and there are little hopeful signs of

great things to come in the new year.

Frozen Assets

Lets be honest.  We all buy herbs in pots from the supermarket, use half and then throw the rest away.  Not any more! 

The best thing to do with fresh herbs - even if they are home grown, is chop them up and store them in the freezer. 

Chop the stalks finely and leave the leaves larger.

I keep a constant supply of parsley, coriander and basil.

Now, it does clump up a bit but its easy to persuade out of the tub with a fork.  The coriander is lovely in curries and the parsley goes in to soups and sauces.  Obviously, it is too soggy for salads but you can whizz it up with olive oil for a herb dressing. 
You know it makes sense.

Funny of the Week

The return of The Unbelievable Truth.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b018g3nz/