Fish Pie gets Top Marks

I have to say that I was quietly confident on Saturday evening that my fish pie would go down a storm. It's a pie that has had rave reviews over the years, and is often requested when folks come to visit. It is amazing how good it tastes when you see how easy it is to make.

Wheat Free Yes Gluten Free Yes
Makes 6

Ingredients 
2 large cooked fish fillets (trout or salmon)
Large handful cooked King Prawns
2 boiled eggs
5 medium sized potatoes (cooked and mashed)
1/2 bag spinach
1 carrot (cut into small chunks)
1 onion (finely chopped)
1 pot reduced fat creme fraiche
2 large handfuls grated cheese
Juice of 1 lemon
Handful flat leaf parsley (finely chopped)


 
Method 
1. In a large oven dish roughly chop the fish and eggs. Scatter the prawns through it.
2. In a pan slowly cook the onions and carrots. I find it's best if the carrots are softened first in the microwave as they take a lot longer to cook than the onions.
3. Once cooked, add the creme fraiche, cheese, lemon and parsley and stir until the cheese has melted. Pour over the fish.
4. Lightly wilt the spinach and lay over the pie mixture.
5. Cover the pie with the mashed potato
6. Cook in a preheated oven at 170o for approximately 45min (or until the potato starts to brown and the pie bubbles.
7. Serve with a nice salad and some warm crusty bread.
8. Enjoy!

My guests looking very happy (That, however, may be due to champagne and not pie!).

Easiest ever fishcakes!

This is just the best recipe for an easy meal. Prepare the day before and pop them in the oven for 20mins at 180oC. Serve with a lovely salad.

Wheat Free Yes Gluten Free Yes
Makes 8-10 (depending on the size you like) 

Ingredients 
1 packet smoked mackerel
2 large dollops of tartar sauce
3 spring onions finely chopped
1/2 bag potatoes, peeled
Dob of butter/splash of milk or creme fraiche (whatever you use when mashing potatoes)
Small bowl GF breadcrumbs (make your own or use shop-bought. I like Hale & Hearty and they can be found in the GF aisle of some supermarkets)
 
Method 

1. Boil the potatoes until soft and then drain and mash.

2. In a large bowl, use a fork to break the mackerel into small pieces.

3. Add the tartar sauce, spring onions and potatoes.

4. Once cool, shape the fishcakes into patties.

5. Whisk the egg.

6. Dip the fishcakes in the egg and then roll in the breadcrumbs.

7. Refrigerate until required.

8. Enjoy!

Marinated Salmon

Wheat Free Yes Gluten Free Yes
Makes 4

Ingredients

4 salmon fillets

For marinade:

Splash olive oil

1 shallot chopped

1 clove garlic chopped 

2cm piece ginger chopped

1tbsp GF soya sauce

1tsp Worcester sauce

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1tsp honey

1/2 tsp chilli powder (more or less depending on how you like it)

1 kaffir lime leaf

black pepper

 
Method 

1. Add oil to pan and soften onion, garlic and ginger
2. Blend all other marinade ingredients together
3. Spoon over fish and leave to marinate, preferably for at least three hours
4. Heat oven to 180 degrees centigrade
5. Wrap fish in tinfoil
6. Cook for approx 20min (depending on thickness of fish)
7. Serve with rice and stir fried vegetables (sugarsnap peas, babycorn etc)
8. Enjoy!

Salmon

Peking Pork Chops

Wheat Free Yes Gluten Free Yes
Makes 4
  
Ingredients

1/4 brown sugar
1/4 cup tomato ketchup
1/2 cup GF soya sauce
4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp Chinese 5 spice
8 pork loin steaks

Method


1  Layer the pork loin steaks in the bottom of the slow cooker
2. Mix all ingredients together and spoon over the pork
3. Cook on a low heat for three-four hours (this depends on the slow cooker, I tend to judge myself how long it takes)
4. Enjoy! I like to serve it with herby potatoes and corn on the cob.

Vegetable & Chickpea Curry

Wheat Free Yes
Gluten Free Yes

Part 1
----------
In a wok or large pot add some oil, when hot add the following:

4-5 cloves
Sprinkle Fennel seeds
Sprinkle Mustard seeds (watch these ones pop and jump out the pan)
Sprinkle Caraway seeds
3-4 Cardamon Pods
3 garlic cloves (crushed)

Mix for a minute to release the flavours.


Part 2
---------
You can use any vegetables, I used:

Small cauliflower broken into florets
Brocolli cut into florets
Mooli cut into discs
Large carrot cut into discs
Packet sugarsnap peas
Packet babycorn (cut into three)
4 medium potatoes cut into chunks
1/4 cabbage cut into strips

2 tins chopped tomatoes plus 1/2 tin cold water
Tin chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

*Note I made the veg chunky however it can also be tasty if cut into smaller pieces. The trick is to try and make the veg roughly equal size bites. Other vegeatables I have used before

Add all ingredients (except the cabbge) to the pan and mix.

Part 3
---------
Add to the mixture:

4 teaspoons Cumin powder
4 teaspoons Garam Masala
4 teaspoons Turmeric
1 teaspoons of Fenugreek
1 Teaspoon Coriander powder
1 teaspoon of Hot Chilli powder (or fresh chillis if available)
Black Pepper
4 Bay Leaves

Part 4
---------
1. Leave to simmer with the lid on for one hour. If required, add more water to make the sauce runnier. Taste the sauce every 15 min and if it is not quite to your palatte, experient adding a little extra of the spices. It's all about tasting, adding and checking, there is no hard and fast rule for accuracy.
2. Add the cabbage about five minutes before the dish is ready.

Serve with rice, naan bread or roti.

Sausage & Chickpea Casserole

Wheat Free No (but you may be OK with just a splash of Worcester sauce)
Gluten Free No (Worcester sauce may contain gluten, check for GF varieties)

Serves four
-----------
8 good quality wheat/gluten free sausages (I like the ones from Crombie's on Broughton Street, although Tesco do quite nice ones in their Free-From range)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 carrot
4 medium potatoes, quartered
1 onion, thickly chopped
1 red pepper, thickly sliced
parsley, finely chopped
300ml chicken stock (I use home-made to ensure it is WF)
tin chopped tomatoes
tin chickpeas
big splash worcester sauce (note some contain wheat)
sprinkle of brown sugar
2 tsp chilli powder (or more if you want a kick)

1. Brown sausages (either in a pan or grill)
2. Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and give a good mix
3. Cook on low for 8 hours
4. Enjoy with some crusty bread!
   

Feel free to vary the vegetables, I just used what I had. Not sure is the parsley added much flavour either, maybe basil would be nicer.

If you don't have a slow cooker stick in the oven in a large casserole dish for a couple of hours, probably about 170o

Verdict
Jerry (age 12) Chickpeas made it interesting! 7/10
Craig (age 10) Good 7/10
Alistair (age 8) Doesn't like sausages but luckily Mum had chucked in some chicken, so for the chicken 8/10