Salmon Tray Bake

Having tried the recipe off the front cover of a previous edition of delicious magazine for my last blog post (The One-Pan Roast), I thought I would also do the same thing again from this month’s edition, titled “One-Pan Winner”. Writing my blog is not only about learning and sharing old family favourites and secrets but also about sharing recipes that I want to try and would try for an evening’s supper, regardless of writing my blog or not!

The idea of these simple ‘one pan recipes’, that use fresh ingredients and that are easy to put together after a long day in the office, is great. Another bonus, is that it is something new to try, rather than reconstituting the same quick meals (with minor variations) that we normally throw together after working long days! If I see anymore of these style dishes on the cover in coming months, then I shall have to review and cook them as well, making a feature about them on the blog!

Being big fish fans and always being able to find Salmon in the fridge, we thought this would be perfect, based partly on the fact that the last one (One-tray roast chicken with white wine, zesty potatoes and asparagus) worked so well. The whole recipe was very aptly named as we thoroughly enjoyed it, not just from the taste but that it was very healthy too, which is never a bad thing.

What I like about these ‘one pan recipes’, is that ‘in theory’ you can try just about anything you want, that your imagination lets you come up with. If anyone has any other ‘one pan recipe’ favourites they love cooking, then please Comment on this post and let me know (including a quick recipe guide) – for the ones that grab my attention the most, I will do a cookup and review in a future post.

Ingredients:
2 Red Onions, cut into wedges
2 Red Peppers, sliced into strips
1 Yellow Pepper, sliced into strips
1 Courgette, halved lengthways and thinly sliced
1 Garlic Bulb, halved across the middle
2 Medium Tomatoes, halved
3 tbsp Olive Oil, plus extra to drizzle
270g Cherry Tomatoes on the vine
2-4 Salmon fillets (depending on how many you are cooking for)
Squeeze of Lemon Juice
Handful of fresh Basil leaves


1. Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. Tumble the onions, peppers, courgette, garlic and medium tomatoes into a roasting tray. Pour over 3tbsp olive oil, season with sea salt and ground black pepper, then gently toss to coat. Roast for 20 minutes.

2. Add the vine tomatoes to the tray and lay the salmon fillets on top. Season, then drizzle with a little more oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Return to the oven for 10-12 minutes until the salmon is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.

Scatter with fresh basil leaves to serve.

Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper and Courgette Frittata

Visiting my parents over the Jubilee weekend, our family had tickets to the local Party in the Park and we had to come up with a picnic meal to take with us. Along with the usual wine, beer and other nibbles, we decided to make this delicious frittata, after my Mum found it in a Marks & Spencer Recipe magazine!

After I cooked the peppers, mixed the ingredients together with the eggs, I then sat watching the whole thing cook diligently for about 15 minutes and it turned out fantastic! We thought we could cook it last thing and it would still be warm when we arrived and started eating, which it was. After all the rain we had had throughout the day, this really did bring the sun out when we started serving and eating it. It is definitely a great foundation recipe that could have lots of other ingredients added to make different flavours.

Ready in 45 minutes and full of flavour, this frittata requires only a small amount of ingredients and can be created in five easy to follow steps:

Ingredients:
2 Red Peppers, halved and deseeded
500g New Potatoes, thinly sliced
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Red Onion, thinly sliced
1 Courgette, trimmed and sliced
8 Medium Eggs
120g Mature Cheddar, grated


1. Heat the grill to high. Arrange the peppers cut-side down in a roasting tray and grill for 8-10 minutes until the skins are charred and blistered. Transfer to a plastic food bag and seal. Set aside for 10 minutes to steam.

2. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes or until just tender. Drain well.

3. Heat half the olive oil in a large non-stick, ovenproof frying pan, about 25cm diameter, and fry the onion and courgette for 4-5 minutes until softened and slightly coloured, then remove from the pan. Wipe the frying pan clean with kitchen paper.

4. Take the peppers out of the bag and remove the skins, then cut the flesh into thick strips. In a large jug or bowl, lightly beat the eggs and add the onion and courgette mixture, peppers, potatoes and half the cheese. Season to taste.

5. Heat the remaining oil in the clean frying pan and pour in the egg mixture. Cook over a very low heat for 10-12 minutes or until the mixture is set on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and grill for 2-3 minutes until browned and completely set.

Enjoy!

Chicken in White Sauce and Courgette Bake

My first memories of this dish are from the early eighties when mum used to make it as a quick meal when we got back in late from some place or another. Now she says she was given this recipe by her mum but has no idea where she got it from in turn. Perhaps it came from a meal she made up of home grown courgettes, left over chicken from a sunday roast and some white sauce – who knows?

Making this for the first time in years after we got back in late last night, brought back the memories of how much I used to enjoy this very simple meal. I have since added a new culinary twist to the dish – my 21st century addition to the family recipe – white wine.

It took me, using the recipe below, about 5 to 10 mins (at a slow tired pace) to put the ingredients together and 20 to 25 mins to bake in the oven – enough time to read my post, newspaper headlines and begin to unwind.

All I will say is that I had never made it for my partner before and she loved it as much as I did all over again.

Amounts depend on how hungry you are:

2 Tins of M&S Chunky Chicken in White Sauce
2 Courgettes
Grated Cheese for the topping
1 Glass of White Wine

Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F Gas 4 or 170C Fan Oven.

1 Thinly slice the courgettes length ways and place them in the bottom of an oven proof dish then season well.

2 Pour over the sliced courgettes the glass of white wine.

3 Empty the tins of chicken in white sauce over the courgettes.

4 Cover the bake with the cheese for the topping.

5 Bake in the oven for about 20 to 25 mins and take out once the topping is browning nicely.

6 Serve with… well just about anything you like – crusty bread, potatoes, beans etc.

7 Enjoy!