Tag: Tomatoes

Categories
MAIN COURSE

Herb crusted salmon with Swiss chard


This is a very elegant and delicious dish to serve at your next dinner party.  Most of the components can be prepared well in advance.

SALMON WITH HERB CRUST

Serves 4

Preheat the oven to 220ºC/430ºF.

 800 g/1.8 lb salmon, skinned, bones removed
salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon mustard
2 tablespoons tomato sauce (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons mushroom duxelle (recipe follows)
200 g soft herb crust (recipe follows)

Cut the salmon in even portions and season with salt and pepper. Lightly spread Dijon mustard on top of each piece of fish,  then a spread of the tomato sauce, then the mushroom duxelle. Place a neat tile (the size of the fish) of the soft herb crust on top of the fish.  Heat an ovenproof pan with a splash of oil and put the salmon in with the crusted side facing up. Cook for 1 minutes then place the pan in the preheated oven for 6-8 minutes.

Keep an eye on it so that the crust does not burn.  Set aside to rest for 5 minutes.

Tomato sauce:
100 ml/3.4 fl oz olive oil
½ shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
6-8 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1 sprig fresh thyme
¼ bay leaf

Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the shallots and garlic for a few minutes without coloring. Add the tomato and thyme and continue cooking very gently until all the moisture of the tomato has evaporated and you are left with a dry tomato paste. Remove the sprig of thyme and bay leaf, and put the mixture in a blender and blend until smooth.

The mushroom duxelles:
2 cups mixed mushrooms, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon cream

Wipe the mushrooms and trim the stalks if necessary. Chop very finely in a processor or by hand, then cook in a dry pan until all their liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms formed a paste.

Add the cream and mix in to bind the mushrooms.

Yoghurt can be used instead of cream, but add it right at the end of cooking the mushrooms and do not bring to a boil.


The herb crust:
175 g/6 oz fresh breadcrumbs
80 g/2.8 oz Gruyère cheese
50 g/1.87 oz mixture of fresh parsley, fresh tarragon, and fresh thyme leaves, finely
chopped
125 g/4.4 oz unsalted butter
salt and freshly ground pepper

Place all the ingredients into a food processor and process until thoroughly mixed. On a tray lined with greaseproof paper, spread the crumb mixture about 2 mm/0.07 in thick on to a tray and freeze uncovered.  Cut the crust big enough to fit nicely on top of each portion of the fish.

There will be some left over.  Cover it tightly and freeze for later us.


The sauce:
500 g/1 lb  butter
1 tablespoon shallots, minced
100 ml/3.4 fl oz white wine
1½ cup fish stock
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of white pepper
lemon juice

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and add the shallots.  Sauté until translucent (do not brown), then add the wine.  Reduce until there are only about 1 tablespoon of the wine left, then add the fish stock and reduce until half.  Set the pan over low heat and whisk 2 knobs of butter into the reduction and continue whisking the rest of the butter, a knob at a time, allowing each piece to dissolve into the sauce before adding more.  When all the butter is used up, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice.  Taste and adjust the seasoning, then strain through a fine sieve into a bowl.  Keep warm.

The Swiss chard:
1 large bunch of Swiss chard, freshly picked
1 small clove garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon/15 ml butter
salt

Rinse out the Swiss chard leaves thoroughly, then remove the tough stalk and cut the leaves into wide strips.

Heat a saucepan on medium heat, add the olive oil and the garlic and sauté for a few seconds, then add the sliced Swiss chard leaves and salt. With tongs lift and stir the leaves constantly to ensure that the bottom ones don’t overcook. (It should not be necessary to add water because the chard releases quite a bit of moisture.) Do this for no longer than 5 minutes. It will become soft and silky and still is bright green.  Taste a piece and add seasoning if necessary.  Set aside until needed. 

To serve:
In the centre of each serving plate, spoon the Swiss chard, place the salmon on top and spoon the sauce around.  Serve immediately.

 

Categories
STARTERS/SIDES

Pasta with a fresh tomato and brie sauce


This is a delightfully light and fresh tasting starter or light summer lunch. Served with some fresh crusty bread and a crispy white wine, guarantees total satisfaction.

PASTA WITH TOMATO AND BRIE SAUCEServes 4

olive oil
4 shallots, finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 rashers of bacon, finely chopped (omit if for vegetarians)
375 g penne pasta
250 g/8.8 oz good quality brie, roughly chopped
8 tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped
salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 cups Parmesan cheese
1 cup fresh basil, finely sliced

For every 100 g/3.5 oz of pasta, you’ll need 5 cups water and 2 teaspoons salt in a large saucepan. It is important to use lots of water when cooking pasta to enable the pasta to move around while cooking. Bring the water to the boil and add salt before you add the pasta. The best way to judge whether the pasta is cooked, is to taste it.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan and fry the shallots, garlic and bacon for about 4 minutes, until lightly caramelized. Remove from the heat.
  • Meanwhile, cook the pasta until tender but still have a bite to it. Drain but reserve one cup of the cooking liquid.
  • Place the saucepan with the pasta back onto low heat and mix in 2 tablespoons olive oil.
  • Reheat the pan with the fried onion mix and deglaze with the reserved liquid.
  • Add this mixture to the pasta, stir in the brie and let it melt slightly, then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, parsley and half of the Parmesan cheese.
  • Let simmer for about 2 minutes, then remove from the heat.
  • Dish up immediately with the basil and the rest of the Parmesan sprinkled over.
Categories
METHODS

Tomato sauce


TOMATO OIL

4 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 small clove of garlic, roughly chopped
1 sprig of thyme
4 tablespoons/60 ml extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of sugar, optional

Preparation method
In a food processor, blend the tomatoes and garlic and strain into a small pan. Bring to the boil and add the thyme. Turn the heat down and simmer until the liquid is reduced to half. Remove from the heat, strain the juice again and leave to cool.

Whisk the olive oil, season and add a pinch of sugar if necessary.