Poached King Scallops with Parsley Mashed Potatoes and Cream and White Wine Sauce

The process of cooking scallops requires above all that considerable attention be paid to the concept of ensuring that the scallops not be over-cooked. If scallops are in any way over-cooked, they will acquire an extremely unpleasant texture, as well as losing much of their delicate flavour, and prove to provide a decidedly unpleasant eating experience. This recipe for scallops poached in milk provides for a very defined cooking method and virtually ensures that the scallops may be enjoyed at their very best. Please note also that the orange, "Roe," or, "Coral," as it is more properly called is entirely edible and should be left attached where possible.

Ingredients (Per Person)

5 King Scallops (Coral attached)
Approximately half a pint of milk
2 large maris piper potatoes
1 tbsp double (heavy) cream
1 tbsp white wine
1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley plus a small sprig for garnish

Method

The first step is to peel the potatoes and chop them in to approximately one inch cubes. Put them in to a pan of boiling, salted water and simmer for twenty to twenty-five minutes, until soft. When the potatoes are almost ready, put the scallops in to a small pot and add enough cold milk to ensure they are fully covered. Put them on a moderate heat and simply leave them until the milk just begins to simmer. At this stage, the scallops are cooked and should be removed from the milk with a slotted spoon.

Drain the potatoes well and return them to the empty pot. Add about a tablespoonful of the warm scallop poaching milk (more can be added if and when required) and mash them thoroughly. Reserve a generous pinch of the chopped parsley for the sauce and add the remainder to the potatoes, stirring it through well.

The sauce will only take seconds to make. Add the wine to a very small saucepan and bring it up to a simmer. Add the cream and stir it in gently until the sauce returns to a simmer. Stir in the parsley and the sauce is ready to serve.

Spoon the mashed potatoes on to a plate and arrange in a flat disc. Add the scallops on top before pouring over the sauce. Garnish with the remaining sprig of parsley and serve immediately.

Braised Scottish Venison with Red Wine and Red Pepper Reduction

Venison is a meat which is used in a lot of traditional Scottish recipes. Although this method of cooking venison could hardly be classed as a traditional Scottish recipe - with the inclusion of red wine and red pepper - this method of cooking quality Scottish venison makes for a hearty, warming and delicious meal.

Ingredients (Serves One)

6oz Scottish venison (diced)
1 red bell pepper (deseeded and cut in to 1/2" strips)
1 small onion (finely sliced)
2 cloves of garlic (crushed or very finely chopped)
1/2 pint red wine
1/2 pint fresh beef stock
2 tbsp plain or all-purpose flour
2 tbsp sunflower oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2oz basmati rice
1 tsp freshly chopped parsley and small sprig of same for garnish

Method

Put the sunflower oil in to a large pot and bring it up to a medium to high heat. Put the flour in to a bowl and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the venison pieces and stir them around well in the seasoned flour. Shake the excess flour off each piece of venison and add them to the hot oil. Stir them around in the oil with a wooden spoon for a couple of minutes until they have completely browned and sealed. Add the onion, red pepper and garlic and stir in this way for another minute or so before adding the red wine and fresh beef stock. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer as gently as possible for at least two hours, until the venison is tender, stirring occasionally and well. Note that it is possible that a little more stock or wine will be required towards the end of the cooking time.

Around fifteen minutes before the venison is due to be ready, wash the rice thoroughly in running cold water through a sieve and add it to a pan of boiling, salted water. Cook for twelve minutes before draining well. Line a small ramekin with clingfilm that the film overhangs by at least an inch and pack the rice tightly inside, filled level with the top of the ramekin. Place the serving plate on top of the ramekin and carefully turn them over that the plate is now on the bottom. Gently hold the edges of the clingfilm and lift the ramekin away before carefully peeling the clingfilm away to leave the rice ready to serve as shown in the photograph.

Spoon the braised venison and red wine and red pepper reduction around the rice and garnish with the freshly chopped parsley.

Fried Chicken Livers and Onions with New Potatoes in Garlic Butter

Chicken livers are probably not as popular as such as ox liver or lamb's liver. They are obviously considerably smaller in size and even more delicate in texture and in flavour, however they serve very well as the principal ingredient in many good recipes. This recipe for chicken liver and onions with new potatoes in garlic butter is not only delicious, it is incredibly simple to make.

Ingredients (Serves Two)

1/2lb chicken livers
2 tbsp plain or all purpose flour
1 large onion (halved then sliced)
Generous pinch of dried sage
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp sunflower oil
12 new potatoes
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1/2oz Butter

Method

Put the potatoes in to a pot, season with salt and cover with boiling water. Simmer for twenty-five to thirty-minutes.

Put the flour in to a bowl and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir well. Just over ten minutes before the potatoes should be ready, put the sunlflower oil in to a large non-stick frying-pan and bring it up to a medium to high heat. Add the chicken livers to the bowl of flour and stir them around well to evenly coat them in flour. Pick the pieces out one by one, shake them free of excess flour and add them to the frying-pan.

Fry the livers for around three minutes each side before adding in the onions and sage and stirring well. Fry for another couple of minutes before adding the balsamic vinegar for the last two minutes of cooking time, continuing to stir frequently.

Drain the potatoes and return them to the empty pot. Add the butter and the garlic and swirl around well to ensure good and even coating.

Serve the livers and potatoes immediately.

Whiting Fillet in Fresh Breadcrumbs with Garlic Herb Potatoes and Coleslaw

Whiting is one of my favourite types of fish. Its clean, fresh, delicate flavour is beyond the compare of many and provided it is not over-cooked it will provide for a delicious and healthy meal. When preparing any type of fish in breadcrumbs, however, many people make the mistake of using packaged breadcrumbs or fish dressing from supermarkets, when nothing can beat the fresh breadcrumbs simply prepared at home.

Ingredients (Per Person)

1 fresh fillet of whiting
2 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
3 or 4 new potatoes (or as desired)
1 clove of garlic (crushed)
1/2 tsp dried sage
1 egg
2 tbsp sunflower oil
Salt

Method

If using the larger new potatoes as I have done, they will require a total of forty minutes' cooking time. Smaller new potatoes will require only thirty minutes. In either case, they should first be boiled - unpeeled - for half the alloted time in salted water prior to being very well drained. One tablespoon of sunflower oil should then be added to a large bowl along with the sage and some more salt. This mixture should be stirred, prior to adding the potatoes and carefully stirring them around to coat them all in the seasoned oil. The potatoes should then be poured on to a pre-heated baking sheet and placed in the oven - pre-heated to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6 - for the second half of their cooking time. The bowl should be left unwashed and set aside for later use.

When the potatoes are in the oven, a slice of semi-stale bread should be grated or shredded to make the breadcrumbs. If the bread is fresh, it should be sat on a vacant shelf in the oven for a minute or two to dry out a bit. The breadcrumbs should then be spread evenly on a dinner plate. The egg should be placed in a small soup plate or similar, seasoned with a little salt and beaten thoroughly.

Ten minutes before the potatoes are due to be ready, put the remaining tablespoon of sunflower oil in to a non-stick frying-pan and bring it up to a medium heat. Draw the whiting fillet through the egg-wash, ensuring all parts of the fillet are coated prior to patting it down in the breadcrumbs on both sides. The fillet should then be gently fried for about four minutes on each side.

Five minutes before the end of the scheduled cooking time for the potatoes, add the crushed garlic to the bowl used earlier. Remove the potatoes from the oven, tip them in to the bowl and stir them around in the oil residue and garlic. Return them to the baking sheet and the oven for the final five minutes.

The fish and the potatoes may then carefully be plated up and a spoonful of coleslaw added as a final accompaniment.

Lambs' Liver, Bacon and Onion Casserole with Roasted Potato Slices

Liver and onions is a popular combination but they are most often cooked together in a frying-pan. This recipe is a little bit different in that although the cooking process begins with the frying-pan, it is mostly undertaken in the form of oven casseroling.

Ingredients (Serves Four)

4 slices of lambs' liver
1 large onion (sliced)
4 rashers of bacon
1 pint of fresh chicken stock
2 tbsp plain flour
3 tbsp sunflower oil
4 large roasting or baking potatoes
Salt and pepper

Method

Put your oven on to preheat to 350F/180C/Gas Mark 4. Pour one tablespoon of sunflower oil in to a frying-pan and bring it up to a medium heat. Add the onions and bacon and fry for a couple of minutes before removing to the casserole dish.

Put the flour on a plate and season well before drawing each slice of liver through it to evenly coat both sides. Fry the liver for about a minute each side to seal and add it to the casserole dish. Pour the warm chicken stock over the meat and cover the dish before putting it in to the oven for forty-five minutes.

I prefer not to peel the potatoes but this is a matter of personal preference. Peeled or unpeeled, therefore, cut them in to quarter-inch thick slices. Add the remaining two tablespoons of sunflower oil to a large basin or bowl and season well with salt. Put the potato slices in to the bowl and stir very carefully but thoroughly to coat each of them in oil. Place the slices on a warmed baking sheet and in to the oven for the final thirty minutes of the casserole's cooking time. Turn them after fifteen minutes.

Arrange the cooked potato slices in a circle around the edge of a large plate. Add some of the bacon and onions to the centre of the plate and serve the slice of liver on top.

Tender Fillet of Veal in Breadcrumbs with Herb Roast Potatoes and Red Cabbage Salad

Veal can of course be a very expensive meat to buy but it is so delicious if prepared correctly that the outlay is more than worth it every so often. This tender fillet of veal just melted in the mouth and went very well with the accompanying herb roast potatoes and red cabbage salad. This recipe is for two people.

Ingredients

2 fillets of veal
12 (approx.) baby new potatoes (unpeeled)
1/2 small red cabbage
1 tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro in USA)
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 eggs
5 to 6 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Put the potatoes in to a large pan of boiling, salted water to parboil for fifteen minutes and the oven on to preheat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6, a flat baking tray inside to also heat.

Chop/shred the red cabbage with a sharp knife and put it in a fairly large bowl. Add the coriander and white wine vinegar and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir very well and cover until required.

Put one tablespoon of sunflower in to a large mixing bowl and add the herbs, seasoning with salt. Stir well. Once the potatoes have boiled for fifteen minutes, drain them well before adding them also to the bowl and swirling them around until they are evenly coated in the herb and oil mixture. Put them on to the baking tray and in to the heated oven for another fifteen minutes.

Break the eggs in to a shallow but wide dish and beat with a fork. Place the breadcrumbs on a large dinner plate and evenly spread them out. Add a tablespoon of sunflower oil to a large non-stick frying pan and bring up to a medium heat. Dip each fillet of veal in turn firstly in to the egg then pat both sides in the breadcrumbs and repeat before placing them carefully in to the warmed pan. Fry for ten minutes, turning them over carefully after five minutes, then turn off the frying pan and leave them to rest for the final few minutes of the potatoes' cooking time.

Plate up your meal and enjoy your dinner.

Pork Fillet on Red Cabbage and Pear

I love red cabbage, especially when prepared with pears as in this recipe. When I prepared pork with pear sauce for this blog a week or so ago, I determined to prepare a pork fillet with red cabbage and pear in the very near future. I have now done so.

Ingredients (Serves Two)

2 leg of pork fillets
Half a red cabbage (shredded)
1 ripe pear (thinly sliced)
2 cloves of garlic (crushed or very finely chopped)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil

Method

Put a little vegetable oil in to a frying pan and bring up to a medium heat. Add the two pork fillets and fry for around ten minutes each side on the same medium heat. Ensure that the pork is fully cooked throughout by checking that the juices run clear.

After turning the pork half-way through cooking, in a large pot, pour around two tablespoons of vegetable oil and gently heat. Add the garlic cloves and stir for a minute or so to infuse the oil with their flavour before adding the red cabbage and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to heat at medium, stirring occasionally and well.

When the pork is done, push the pan off the heat and leave it to rest for a few minutes. Add the pear slices to the cabbage and cook for another three or four minutes and this delicious and attractive meal is ready to serve.

Leftover Stir Fried Pork with Fried Rice

Last night, I found myself wondering, "What should I have for dinner tonight when firstly I forgot to eat lunch and secondly I forgot to go to the supermarket?" Yes, it was a long, hard day at the PC and my concentration was absolute, so when my stomach started to growl around 8pm, I faced a bit of a dilemma.

I soon remembered, however, the leftover pork from the previous night which I had intended having on sandwiches for lunch and decided to get the wok out and create a leftover stir fried pork recipe. As the rice has to first be boiled and cooled, however, last night's was a very late dinner!

Ingredients

2 thick slices of leftover roast pork
1 onion (quartered and separated from layers)
Pinch of Chinese five spice
2 tsp dark soy sauce
2 oz basmati or long grained rice
Corn oil for stir frying

Method

The first step is to boil the rice as one normally would - per the instructions on the packet - and leave it to cool completely. I like to assist this process by running it under some cold water when I'm in a hurry.

When the rice is cool, add around one tablespoon of corn oil to a hot wok and subsequently the rice. Stir fry for two to three minutes until the rice just begins to take on a little colour. Transfer the rice to a warmed holding dish while you prepare the stir fried pork.

Add some more oil to the wok and then the chopped onion. Stir fry until the onion begins to colour, then add the pork until it too takes on a dark, roasted colour. Add the Chinese five spice and the dark soy sauce and stir fry for another thirty seconds to a minute before plating the rice and the leftover stir fried pork on top. Garnish if desired with such as a chopped tomato or some fresh herbs.

Roast Pork with Pear Sauce and Roast Potatoes

Roast Pork is a traditional family favourite but is of course more commonly served with apple sauce, rather than pear sauce. This was a recipe idea which actually occurred to me in the supermarket last night when I was unable to get one of the ingredients for the dish I intended to make. I am quite happy, however, to leave that dish for another time and share here my idea for Roast Pork with Pear Sauce and Roast Potatoes.

Ingredients

1 joint of pork, suitable for roasting
(Remaining ingredients are per person)
6 or 7 baby new potatoes
1 tbsp frozen peas
1/2 pear
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp caster sugar
Small pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
Cold water
Salt

Method

The first step is clearly to roast the pork. Place the pork either on a baking tray and cover it with aluminium foil or in a roasting tin. Put it in to the oven, pre-heated to 375F/190C/Gas Mark 5, for 35 minutes per pound and a half hour over and above this time. Uncover the pork for the last half hour of the cooking time to let the crackling crisp up.

Fifteen minutes before the pork is ready, place the potatoes, whole and unpeeled, in to some boiling salted water to parboil. Peel and chop the pear in to small cubes, discarding the skin and the core. Put the pear in to a small saucepan with the sugar, nutmeg and lemon juice and enough cold water to just cover the pears. Bring to a boil and simmer gently until all other items are ready, stirring occasionally.

When the pork is ready, check that it is indeed cooked all the way through by ensuring the juices run clear and then sit it aside to rest while you prepare the remainder of the ingredients.

Drain the potatoes well and add them to the roasting tin or tray along with the still hot pork juices. Gently tilt the tray backwards and forwards to ensure the potatoes are evenly covered in the juices and put back in to the oven for fifteen minutes. When the potatoes are done, sit them on some kitchen paper to drain and cook the frozen peas in boiling water for three minutes.

It remains then only to plate up your meal. Note that the cooking time in this recipe will leave the pear sauce fairly chunky, but a longer cooking time will result in a smoother finish.

Pork and Apple Shortcrust Pie

Pork Pies are normally thought of in terms of the Melton Mowbray variety. As pork of course goes very well with apples, however, I decided to come up with a pork pie recipe which is just a little different. This generously portioned pork and apple shortcrust pie will serve four to six people.

Ingredients

1lb minced or ground pork
1lb shortcrust pastry
1/2 Granny Smith apple
1 small carrot
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp dried sage
1 egg
2 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
Salt
Butter for greasing
Milk for glazing

Method

Put the oven on to pre-heat to 350F/180C/Gas Mark 4. Finely dice the half apple and carrot, half then finely slice the onion and crush or finely chop the garlic cloves. Add them all to a large mixing bowl, along with the pork, egg, breadcrumbs and sage. Season with salt and mix thoroughly by hand.

Roll out three quarters of the pastry until it is big enough to line a medium sized casserole dish (which should be greased with butter) with about an extra half inch protruding above the rim. Spoon in the pork mixture and press down evenly and well. Roll out the remainder of the pastry as the lid and use the protruding edges to roll in to a crust for the pie. Make three diagonal scores in the pie lid of about one inch in length for steam and juices to escape and glaze lightly with milk. Put in to the oven for one hour.

About half way through the cooking time, juices will start to escape from the slits in the top of the pie. It is not necessary, but I like to mop the excess off with some dry kitchen towel at this stage.

When the pie is ready, very carefully turn it out of the dish using two plates and leave it somewhere to cool, before serving with accompaniments of choice.

Turkey, White Wine and Mushroom Pie with Garlic and Mint Mashed Potatoes

It is very common of course to hear of Chicken and Mushroom Pies but probably less so to hear of Turkey and Mushroom Pies. As I have invested a fair bit of time recently in preparing turkey recipes which can be enjoyed all year round - as opposed to simply at Thanksgiving or Christmas - I decided to give this idea a try. I have to say that I was more than delighted with the result.

Ingredients

1/2lb diced turkey breast
6 closed cup mushrooms (halved)
1 small onion (finely chopped)
1/2 pint fresh chicken stock
1/2 pint cheap non-sparkling white wine
2 cloves of garlic
1lb potatoes (I used Maris pipers)
2 tsp freshly chopped mint leaves
Salt
A little olive oil for frying

Method

Pour a little olive oil in to a large pot and bring up to a medium heat. Add the diced turkey and cook until the meat is sealed, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Add one of the garlic cloves (finely chopped) along with the mushrooms and fry off for another couple of minutes. Add the chicken stock and the wine and bring up to a simmer before turning off the heat, covering the pot and leaving it to cool for one to two hours.

Pre-heat the oven to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6. Put the turkey and mushrooms in to a pie dish about six to eight inches long with enough of the stock to submerge the solids (will take most of it.) Grease the edges of the dish with a little butter. Roll out the pastry until it is large enough to cover the dish and place carefully on top, pressing down around the edges to seal before trimming. Make a small hole in the centre of the pie for steam to escape and glaze lightly with cold milk. Put the pie in to the oven for twenty-five minutes.

When the pie is in the oven, peel and chop the potatoes and add them to some boiling, salted water. Simmer for thirty minutes.

When the pie is ready, remove from the oven and sit it aside to rest for ten minutes or so, while the potatoes finish cooking. When the potatoes are done, drain them well before returning them to the pot and mashing with a little butter. Add the mint and the remaining garlic clove (crushed) and stir well.

Plate up you meal, serve and enjoy!

Chicken and Pineapple Egg Fried Rice

There are a great many misconceptions surrounding the process of how to make egg fried rice. The procedure is not a difficult one, however, and if the necessary steps are taken in the correct order, the result can easily rival that purchased from any restaurant.

Ingredients

3oz basmati or long grained rice
2 eggs
2oz cooked chicken
1 ring of pineapple
1 clove of garlic
1 small red chilli pepper
2 large basil leaves
1 tbsp corn oil for frying
Salt to taste

Method

The first step is to boil the rice. Fried rice is made with rice which has already been cooked and not raw rice. Boil it therefore per the instructions on the packet. Drain it well when cooked then run it under cold water for a minute in a sieve to enhance the cooling process. Put it in a bowl and cover to allow it to cool completely.

The egg for making egg fried rice is usually deep fried in a wok prior to making the dish to form something akin to an omelette. I prefer, however, to make instead a traditional French style omelette. This involves melting a little butter in a non-stick frying pan and pouring in the beaten eggs, cooking over a medium heat. Use a spatula to draw the egg mixture from the edge of the pan in towards the centre until the eggs begin to set. When the eggs begin to set, simply leave them until the process is complete and then remove the omelette on to a plate.

Finely chop the garlic and de-seed and finely chop the chilli pepper. The chicken and pineapple should be roughly chopped.

Put the wok on at maximum heat until it is smoking hot. Add the corn oil and heat through. Add the garlic, followed by the chilli and fry off for a minute, remembering to stir constantly. Add the chicken to fry, followed shortly after by the pineapple.

I like to roll up the omelette I have made and roughly chop it but it should be chopped to the size of personal preference. Add the rice and stir fry, then finally the chopped egg.

When done, season to taste and mix through the torn basil leaves before serving with the garnish or accompaniment of choice.

Smoked Mackerel on Spicy Potato Salad

Every so often, I like to experiment not only with the dishes which I create but with the combination of food items which I include as a meal. Where I got the idea for this smoked mackerel on spicy potato salad recipe, even I don't know; all I know is that although it may not sound like the most appetising of dinner dishes, the combination worked very well and it was absolutely delicious!

Ingredients (Serves Four)

4 large smoked mackerel fillets
1 1/2lb potatoes
1 fresh cob of sweetcorn
2 cloves of garlic
1 small red chilli
1 small green chilli
2 tsp fresh, chopped mint leaves
3 tbsp low fat mayonnaise
4 small cherry tomatoes for garnish (if desired)
Salt to taste

Method

Peel the potatoes and slice and chop them in to approximately 1/2" cubes. Put them in to a large pan of boiling, salted water and simmer for twenty minutes.

When the potatoes are done, drain them well and set them aside to at least begin to cool while you prepare the remainder of the salad ingredients.

Strip the leaves and fibres from the cob of corn and break off any remaining part of the stem. Sit the cob on its broad end on a chopping board and very carefully slice off the corn kernels with ideally a Chinese style cleaver but, failing that, a very sharp knife. Put the corn kernels in to a large bowl and discard the cob.

Peel the garlic cloves and crush them in to the bowl. De-seed the chillis, finely chop them and add them also, along with the mint, before adding the potatoes and stirring well. The mayonnaise should be added last of all along with salt to taste and the whole mixture stirred thoroughly, though carefully so as not to break up the potatoes.

It is possible to serve the salad immediately but I much prefer to let it cool completely before spooning it on to plates, breaking up the smoked mackerel fillets in to large flakes and serving with a cherry tomato as the final garnish.

Steak and Ale Pie

There are several steak pie recipes which I prepare regularly but this steak and ale pie recipe has got to rate as one of my favourites. The brown ale lends a delicious extra flavour to the beef and the overall effect is truly out of this world.

Ingredients

1lb Aberdeen Angus stewing steak
1 large onion
1 large carrot
1 pint brown ale (I use Newcastle Brown Ale)
1 pint fresh beef stock (please - no stock cubes!)
1/2lb puff pastry
Freshly ground black pepper
A little milk for glazing

Method

Put the beef in to a large pot and brown it over a medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. This will take a few minutes to do it properly and it is important to ensure that all the pieces of beef are properly sealed in this way.

Add the beef stock and brown ale to the pot and season well with freshly ground black pepper. Turn the heat up until the liquid begins to boil. Reduce the heat to very low, so that the liquid is just simmering, and continue to simmer for two and a half hours, stirring occasionally. Note that in the first few minutes of simmering, the brown ale is likely to cause the liquid to froth up but stirring well will negate this effect.

Ten minutes before the two and a half hours are up, put the oven on to pre-heat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6. Peel and quarter the onion and scrape and slice the carrot in to discs and add them to the beef mixture for the last few minutes of simmering.

Remove the beef and vegetables from the stock with a slotted spoon and place in to a rectangular pie dish, approximately 10" by 5". Pour in enough of the remaining stock to ensure the solids are covered.

Roll out the pastry on a floured board. Grease the edges of the pie dish with a little butter and sit the pastry on top, pressing down firmly around the edges. Cut a "+" shaped cross in the centre of the pastry with a sharp knife to allow steam to escape during baking and glaze lightly with some milk. Place the pie on a baking sheet and in to the oven for 30 minutes.

I like to leave the pie to rest for about ten minutes after taking it from the oven, in a similar sense as to how I would rest a beef steak for a few minutes prior to serving. After this time, cut the pie and serve with chosen accompaniments.

Three Fish Pie with Carrots and Peas

Fish Pie - often called Ocean Pie - is one of my favourite dishes. I do vary the recipe quite considerably but this version is the one which I prepare most often. The combination of these three different types of fish and the use of basil instead of the more commonly used parsley gives the dish a very special and unique flavour.

Ingredients (Serves Two to Four People)

1/2lb salmon fillet
1/4lb cod fillet
1/4lb undyed smoked haddock fillet
1lb potatoes
1 pint of milk
3oz butter
3oz plain flour
10 to 12 basil leaves
1 bay leaf
1 celery stalk
1 small carrot per person
1 tbsp frozen peas per person
Salt

Method

Peel and chop the potatoes and put them in to a large pot of boiling, salted water. Simmer for half an hour.

When the potatoes are on, chop the fish fillets in to bite-sized pieces and place them in to a separate large pot. Pour in the pint of milk, add the chopped celery stalk and the bay leaf and heat until the milk just reaches a simmer. Turn the heat off, cover the pot and set it aside until the potatoes are ready. The heat already present in the milk will cook the fish.

When the potatoes are done, drain them well and return them to the pot. Add about two tablespoons of milk from the fish and mash well. Put the oven on to pre-heat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6.

Drain the fish from the milk (reserving the milk!) and remove and discard the celery and the bay leaf. Melt the butter gently in a large saucepan and add the sieved flour to form a roux. Cook the roux for two or three minutes before adding the warm milk in three distinct stages to form a lush sauce. Add the fish pieces and the chopped or torn basil leaves and stir well - but carefully, so as not to break up the fish too much.

Put the fish and sauce mixture in to a casserole dish and very carefully spoon the potato on top, spreading it out as evenly as possible. I always put the dish on a baking tray or sheet before putting it in to the oven, as very often the sauce will overflow around the edges and the baking sheet is far easier to clean than the oven!

Bake the pie for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the potato begins to brown on the top.

After the pie has been on for about 10 minutes, chop the carrots in to 1/2" thick discs and add them to boiling, salted water. Cook for 15 minutes. Cook the peas per the instructions on the packet to be ready at the same time as the rest of your meal, plate up and enjoy!