An Easy, Tasty Lunch

Given that I work part time and have two young children, lunch is normally leftovers from the night before or an assortment of whatever is in the fridge and cupboard on a particular day. It might be cheese on toast, noodles with tuna, a sandwich or salad. Often it's whatever the kids haven't eaten!

Today, we'd done our shopping and running around in the morning and I felt like making something a bit more fancy than usual for lunch. At the moment I have a bit of a thing for peas and broad beans. I love all green veg, but find that the sweetness of these two is amazing. They are so versatile and can be used whole or pureed, in soups, salad, pasta or risotto.

After having a bit of a think and a play around, I decided to make a tart of sorts, using up bits and pieces that I already had. As much as homemade pastry is delicious, sometimes you don't have the time to make it. Ready made, frozen pasty does the job!

This tart was so easy to make and could be whipped up for a impromtu lunch, weekend afternoon nibble with drinks or a light dinner. It was so easy the kids helped me to make it! Not much skill involved.

Pea, Broad Bean, Feta and Mint Tart

1 cup of frozen peas
1 cup of frozen broad beans
50g creamy feta cheese (I like Danish feta)
A Squeeze of lemon juice
10 mint leaves, plus extra to serve
1 sheet of frozen shortcrust or puff pastry, defrosted
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Cook the frozen peas and broad beans in boiling water on the stove top or in the microwave for 2-3 mins. Drain and allow to cool.
Remove the outer skins from the broad beans and discard.
Place the peas, beans, half the feta, lemon juice and mint into a food processor and puree until still a bit chunky.
Season to taste.

Place your square of pastry on a lightly greased oven tray.
Score a line about 1cm from the edge, all the way around, to make a central area where you want your filling.
Spread the filling into the middle of the pastry, making sure it goes right to the edges of the line you have drawn.
Place the tray in the oven and bake tart for about 15 mins, or until the pasty is golden and puffed.
Remove from the baking tray to a board or serving plate, sprinkle with the remaining feta that has been cut into small cubes and a few extra chopped mint leaves.

Enjoy!

And To Drink...

Normally I wouldn't have a drink at lunch time on a Monday, but after making a nicer lunch than usual, I thought 'why not?'. Anyway, there was an open bottle of wine in the fridge that was calling out to me!

This bottle of Penfolds Koonunga Hill 2008 Autumn Riesling was bought years ago and has been sitting in the cellar. I think we bought it in 2008 when we were last in the Barossa, so it's been waiting 5 years to be drunk!

Being an Autum Riesling, it is more in the style of a German wine, so is a bit lighter and a little sweeter. Perfect for a midday tipple! Having a few years of age on it, the fruit flavours weren't as obvious, but it was much more complex. It had aromas of honeysuckle and peach, with some fine acidity.

It matched perfectly with the sweetness of the peas and beans in the tart. The saltiness of the feta made the honeysuckle and acidity more obvious, but not overpowering.

Unfortunately I enjoyed the tart with the kids and the wine on my own, but this would have been great if the girls had come around!

Super Salmon

I love salmon! There, I've said it. Whether it be smoked or fresh, you can use this amazing fish in so many dishes. Really, if there was no other fish or seafood available, I wouldn't mind at all. My husband, on the other hand, doesn't really like it that much and can't stand the smell when it's cooking. As a trade off, I try to make salmon much more interesting when I cook it, to satisfy both of us.

Australia is so lucky to have some of the best salmon easily available to the general customer. Every fish shop or market will usually have either Tassal or Huon salmon from Tasmania. Both are amazing. I'm lucky enough to get to the Tassal store in Kew to buy my fish, where it is so fresh and they have a great range of different products. Here I'm in salmon heaven - cold smoked salmon, hot smoked salmon, salmon sausages, marinated fillets and whole fish. Last Easter we did a whole roasted salmon on the BBQ, which was fantastic!

For this dinner, I thought I'd keep the salmon simple, but match it with strong and flavoursome sides which would complement the fish. It's hard to overpower salmon.

The mash is actually a carrot and ricotta puree, which added some sweetness. The peas used some more of the fresh ricotta, in addition to fresh mint and lemon rind. The combination of the creaminess of the ricotta, the sweetness of the peas and the freshness of the lemon and mint were beautiful.

Again, this was such a simple dish to prepare, so it's great for a worknight meal when you want something quick, healthy and tasty.

 

Salmon with Carrot Puree and Ricotta Peas

 

2 salmon fillets, pin-boned and skin on
salt and pepper
A drizzle of Olive oil

Heat the drizzle of oil in a fry pan until really hot. You don't need too much oil as the salmon will release its own oil on cooking.
Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place skin side down in the pan. You want the skin to become all crispy, so leave it for about 5 minutes.
Carefully turn the salmon, trying to keep the crispy skin intact. Cook on the other side for another 3-4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. You want the centre to be barely cooked, otherwise it will be dry and horrible.
When cooked, remove the pan from the heat and allow it to rest for a few minutes while you get the sides organised.

Carrot Puree

4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
50g fresh ricotta
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook carrots in some water in the microwave or stovetop until tender. Drain.
Place cooked carrots, garlic and ricotta in a small food processor and whiz until a fine puree is achieved. Season with salt and pepper.
Return puree to clean saucepan and heat through again when ready to serve.

 

Ricotta Peas

 

100g frozen peas
50g fresh ricotta
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
A handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook frozen peas in some water in the microwave or stovetop until tender. Drain and keep warm.
Put peas in a bowl and stir through ricotta, lemon rind, mint and salt and pepper to taste. Try to break up the ricotta, but don't make it too mushy.


To serve, place a spoonful of the carrot puree on the plate. Carefully place the salmon on top, then scatter with the pea mixture. If you want to be all fancy, garnish with a few more mint leaves and a grinding of cracked black pepper. Enjoy!

And To Drink.....

Even though you really don't have to stick to the 'red wine goes with red meat and white wine goes with chicken and fish' mantra, I still think that a white goes better with salmon. Yes, it's a meaty, full flavoured fish, but a more delicate floral white wine can be a perfect match.

This Leconfield 2006 Old Vines Riesling from Coonawarra in South Australia was fantastic. Being an aged wine it had a lot more complexity to it and was starting to develop a slight kerosene touch, which I love in an older Riesling. There was still plenty of fresh, fruity flavours that you would expect in a wine of this type.

The acidity in the wine cut through the richness of the salmon perfectly and matched with the lemon zest in the peas. The sweetness of the carrot puree also brought out a more honeysuckle aroma and taste.

The wines from Leconfield are always great, so it's worth looking out for them in the bottle shop or in restaurants. They make a Riesling and Chardonnay and also a range of reds, which the Coonawarra region is more know for.

Boozey Chicken With Mushrooms

As the weather starts warming up and the days get progressively longer, it's nice to start thinking about all those dishes that go nicely with a crisp glass of white wine. Riesling would have to be one of my favourites. Perfect to drink on its own on a sunny day, sitting outside with a good book or foodie magazine, or to match with something tasty to eat.

This morning started off cold and gloomy, but turned into a beautiful sunny day. Perfect for wining and dining! The nights are still pretty chilly at the moment, so a warming dish is on the cards.
After flicking through some cook books during the week, I thought that a boozy chicken casserole was in order. Full of flavour, but light enough that when the weather is a little bit nicer, you don't feel too full.

Riesling and chicken are a perfect match. Add to that the flavour of slow cooked bacon, onion and mushrooms and you have a wonderful spring meal on the last night before daylight savings begins.

I currently have a fascination with green peas and ricotta, so this had to be paired with the chicken as a side dish. A simple combo of peas, ricotta, lemon rind and olive oil. Perfect to cut through the richness of the cream in the casserole. The only thing to make it better, a fresh baguette to mop up the sauce!

Chicken with Riesling and Mushrooms

4 skinless, boneless chicken marylands (or 8 thigh fillets)
A couple of drizzles of olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
100g bacon, diced
200g swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
3 sprigs of thyme
1 cup Riesling (or other dry white wine)
1 cup chicken stock
150ml cream
Salt and pepper to taste
A handful of chopped parsley
A crusty baguette to serve

Trim chicken of obvious fat and cut into large chunks, roughly 3cm pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large saucepan and brown chicken in batches until seared on all sides. You don't want to crowd the pan, otherwise the chicken will stew, not brown.
Remove to a bowl and set aside.
Heat another drizzle of oil in the same pan and fry bacon and onion at a low heat until just beginning to soften. Add garlic for about a minute, until it is fragrant.
Add sliced mushrooms and thyme to the same pan and cook over moderate heat until the mushrooms start to release their juices.
Pour the wine in and let it sizzle away. Add the stock, stir to remove all the bits from the bottom of the pan, then return the chicken and any juices.
Cover, bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 mins.
After 30 mins remove the lid and cook for another 20 mins, allowing some of the liquid to evaporate.
Just before serving, stir through the cream, parsley and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
Serve with the crusty baguette and a glass or two of the Riesling :-)

 

Minty Ricotta Peas

150g frozen peas
50g ricotta
5 mint leaves, finely chopped
Finely grated rind of half a lemon
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook peas in boiling water for 2 minutes until soft. Drain.
Place in a bowl with crumbled ricotta, lemon rind and mint.
Drizzle over as much oil as you like and season with salt and pepper.
Done!

And To Drink....

 

The Riesling we had tonight is not one I am particularly familiar with. We were given it by a friend some time ago and it's been sitting in the wine rack looking sad and forlorn!
It's a Dinny Goonan 2011 Riesling from the Otway Coast in Southern Victoria. Having absolutely no idea what it was going to be like, I was surprised that it was so crisp and clean with a nice acidity, but also some sweetness. Amazing green apple on the nose, but a taste of stone fruits and honeysuckle.
It was delicious!
The wine matched perfectly with the chicken, the acidity cutting through the creaminess of the sauce. Definitely one I will be looking out for again and again!