Fish Pie

Firm favourite with Ishbel, this one, and have to say one of my favs too.  Popped out to get some fresh fish to make it and was tempted to buy a packet of creamy sauce mix, but then thought what the hell it is so easy to make for yourself.

So what do we need:  Again this is all depending on you appetite and how many you are feeding, but this is just for Ishbel and I tonight, so this is for two.

Fish filling 

1 decent sized small to medium fillet Smoked haddock

2 decent sized small to medium salmon fillets 

1 decent sized small to medium cod fillet

handful of prawns, squid and mussels

3/4 pint of milk

1 ozs (25grams) of plain flour 

2 ozs (50 grams) of  butter (unsalted)

1 and 1/2 tablespoons of chopped Parsley

Cheddar cheese for grating 

Parmesan cheese for grating 

1 tablespoon of lemon juice 

Mashed Potatoes for the topping (to be mashed)  Dependent on the size of the dish you are using you will need to decide how much mashed potato you need to cover the top of your pie.  If you have to many just freeze them for reuse another day.

Preparation

Pre heat the oven to 200 C  or 180 C if using a fan oven.

Cut the fish into chunks and place in an oven proof dish.  Add salt  and pepper dot with 1 oz of the butter. 

Add 1/4 pint of milk to the dish and place on the pre heated oven for 15 to 20 mins 

Pour over a 1/4 pint of the milk and place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes to poach the fish in the milk and butter. 

Not having made this for a wee while \i remembered at this point that I normally don't chop up the fish, until after I poach it, but hey, do it either way, but you will need the poaching liquor to add to your sauce in a while and it is easier to take the fish out of the poaching pan if fillets still whole!

Remove poached fish from the oven and liquor

and place in a well buttered dish for the pie.

Add the prawns  and lemon juice etc and set aside











Sauce

Take the remainder of the butter and place in a pan and gently melt down.  Add the flour and mix well.  Start adding the remaining milk in small dashes, stirring continuously.  As you stir the sauce will begin to thicken.













Continue to add the reaming milk and the milk from the poached fish until you have a nice smooth consistency, pour over fish, prawns etc

Sprinkle with Parsley....

While all of that has been going on potatoes have been peeled and put on to boil.  Once cooked, drain and mash and spread over fish dish.



Sprinkle with some grated cheese and place in oven on the high shelf at the same temperature, for about 20 - 25 mins and serve with  veg of your choice.

Enjoy 

Preparation time:

Poaching 20 - 25 mins

sauce prep 10 mins

Potatoes  cooking time 15 - 20 mins cooking while fish poaching

Pie cooking time 25 - 30 mins  (Tip: place a tray or some foil under the shelf as the sauce can sometimes spill out over the sides of the dish, saves on the cleaning of the oven)

Overall time 45 mins to 1 hr 

Pork Chops with Relish and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Another quick and simple recipe for two, or 4, dependant on your hunger!


2 or 4 pork chops, fat on or off.
Tomato Relish
Sun dried tomatoes

Potaoes

Peas

Mint

Parsley

knob of butter

Extra Virgin Olive Oil


prep and cooking time around 25 mins


Cut the unpeeled potatoes into quarters (or smaller if overly large) wash and rinse, put on to boil

Peas in a pan and bring to gently simmer


While the potatoes are cooking turn on the grill to highest heat.

Cook potatoes for about 10 mins than put the chops under the grill.

Once chops have browned on one side turn over and grill the other side, potatoes should just be coming to the boil.

Once chops are cooked on second side remove from grill. Place two or 3 sun dried tomatoes on each chop and then smother in tomato relish.  Baxter's if you can get it, alternatively a good smothering of Pesto is also great.  Another idea of course if you have plenty of tomatoes, onion, sweetcorn, etc, is make your own relish, there is nothing quite like home made (but today for quickness a jar was used)

Return chops under the grill and continue to cook.  You need to judge this yourself, we like the Pesto/ Relish just to be getting that little grilled brown crispiness to it, you may prefer just to ensure that that the Pesto/ Relish is warmed through.....

While the chops are finishing remove the potatoes and drain return to pan and add a decent knob of butter and or a dash of extra virgin olive oil and slightly crush with a fork, skins still on, sprinkle with some fresh chopped parsley.

Remove the peas from the heat and drain.  Again add a knob of butter and or extra virgin olive oil.  Add a heaped spoonful of fresh mint mix together.

Remove chops from the heat and serve up with a nice glass of red wine




Enjoy

Chilli, Garlic and Ginger Seafood Medley with Pasta

Seafood, we all love this in the family Ishbel and I, the kids and the grand kids, whether it is fish shrimp or crustacean, can't get enough of them at times.  Paella, curried, with sauce, without sauce, Fish Pie with mashed tatties and some melted cheese on top , with salsa and salad, with pasta, with new potatoes, serve it any which way and it will be devoured.

So, today is my wee easy recipe for seafood medley or 'fruit de mere' with chilli, garlic and ginger and tossed in pasta.

You need a good quantity of fresh seafood, need to sort that out depending on how many you are serving, but this recipe is for two, when the grand kids arrive the quantities go up from two to six around the table but when it is Mollie, you always need to add a wee bit more for miss piggy particularly the squid and scallops!

I like to prepare my pasta early and then when cooked plunge it into a pan of ice cold water, and then all you need to do is reheat it when the seafood is ready. So with that out of the way I can concentrate on preparing my herbs, etc.


1 red chilli
1 good sized piece of ginger
2 good sized garlic cloves
1 Lemon un-waxed
Tomatoes
Courgette (Zuccini) and Olives are optional
1 large glass of good white wine
Big bunch fresh parsley
Salt and Black Pepper
500 grams of assorted seafood from the fish counter (if you can't get fresh I do use frozen but thoroughly thawed out before using it)



Slice and de-seed the chilli, but if you like a bit of heat keep some of the seeds
Peel and grate the ginger
Slice the tomatoes in half
Grate the lemon peel
peel and crush the garlic
Chop the parsley finely

                                                                             

If using the olives, slice in half
Lop of the ends of the courgette and discard slice into circles then 1/4 the circles into decent sized chunks

Sweat the olives courgettes and tomatoes down in a little unsalted butter, these take the longest to cook. Medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes but don't over cook don't want to the courgettes to turn mushy, still like them firm but cooked.

Add the glass of wine to a second hot pan  and add the seafood.

Stir in the ginger, chilli and garlic and the grated lemon  reduce the heat.   Squeeze in juice from half the lemon.  Remember seafood only takes a few minutes to cook.  It needs to be cooked through but not turning to rubber.  Add most of the chopped parsley, you could also have used fresh coriander instead for this, but keep some back for sprinkling over the finished dish

Oh, just before you add the seafood you should have drained the already cooked pasta and have another pan of boiling water on the go.

The seafood should just be about ready as the shrimp change colour to the nice deep pink that you all know.  Take it of the heat it will continue to cook

Drain the pasta and add to the seafood.  Take your pan with the courgettes, olives and tomatoes, and add this to the pasta and seafood.  toss the whole lot, using utensils in the pan and not literally and serve  with crusty bread.

Enjoy






Total Prep and cook time Time: 20 - 25 mins

Pasta first Cook: about 12 mins

Pasta reheat: in boiling water 1 - 2 minutes, no longer. You can of course just cook the pasta as you are prepping every thing as long as you time it right to drain and get  it into the pan with the seafood before  it turns to rubber and remember the hot pasta added to the seafood will add to it continuing to cook, that's why it is important as well not to over cook the seafood in the pan.

herb prep time: 10 minutes

Seafood cook time: depends on quantity and size of pan, so always use a large pan so that the seafood is not piled on top of itself so that the heat gets to every morsel evenly and at the same time.  My rule of thumb is as the shrimp just begin to turn pink - heat off  and let if finish in the hot liquor and when the hot pasta is added.

Glass of white wine added to pan

Chopped chilli

Ginger to be grated 

Crushed Garlic and grated ginger 

Lemon rind and courgettes