thai salad

Based on a Nadiya Hussein recipe, slightly adapted.  Hot and spicy!  

• If everyone is ok with true Thai-style hot, put all the sauce on.  If not use half and put the rest in a jug for people to spice it up to taste.

For 4 as a full course or 8 as an accompaniment

• 100g green beans
• Half a papaya, not too ripe, peeled, seeds removed
  
• 1 cucumber, peeled, core removed
• 10 cherrry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 large carrot, peeled
• 1 small red onion
• 150g cooked prawns (or if raw, stir fry for 4 minutes)
• 80g roasted salted peanuts

For the sauce:

• 4 red chillies or 7 bird's eye chillies, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 limes, juice only (about 4 tbsp)
  
• 4 tbsp Thai fish sauce

1. Make up the sauce by putting all the ingredients in a container and whizzing up with a stick blender. If possible do this an hour or more in advance and chill.
2. Blanch the green beans in boiling water for 4 minutes. Drain, run under cold water and leave to cool. 
3. Meanwhile, slice up the papaya, cucumber and carrot into thin matchstick-like pieces; halve the onion, thinly slice and separate the rings.
4. Combine the papaya, cucumber, carrot and red onion in a large bowl. Mix by hand. 
5. Add the sauce to the salad and mix everything together. 
6. Distribute the tomatoes, prawns and peanuts on top.
7. Serve chilled.

salmon en croute

 

From Mary Berry

for ~ 8

For the spinach filling

• 225g/8oz baby leaf spinach

• 180g/6¼oz full-fat cream cheese

• 1 free-range egg yolk (white reserved for the salmon)

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salmon

• 1kg/2lb 4oz salmon fillet, skin and bones removed

• large bunch fresh dill, chopped

• 280g jar chargrilled mixed peppers in oil, drained

• 1 free-range egg

• 1 tbsp milk

• 500g pack ready-rolled puff pastry

• flour, for dusting

For the herb sauce

• 3 spring onions, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp caster sugar

• 1 tbsp snipped fresh chives

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley

• 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill

• 200g/7oz full-fat crème fraîche

• ½ lemon, juice only

Method

1. To make the spinach filling, tip the spinach into a heatproof bowl. Pour over boiling water from the kettle, stir to wilt and drain well. Squeeze excess water out of the spinach and set aside to cool. Add the cream cheese and egg yolk to the spinach, season with salt and pepper and mix to combine. Set aside.

2. To make the salmon, arrange the salmon fillet on a board, season with salt and pepper and cover with the dill. Lay the peppers over the top, then spread the spinach mixture over the top in an even layer. Break the egg into a bowl and add the milk and spare egg white from the filling. Whisk with a fork until smooth.

3. Cut two-thirds of the pastry from the block and freeze the small piece to use later. Roll the large piece of pastry out on a floured work surface so it is long enough and wide enough to wrap around the fillet. Transfer the pastry to a sheet of baking paper. Place the fillet in the centre of the pastry. Brush the pastry, all around the fillet, with the egg wash. Fold the pastry ends up and over the ends of the fillet and brush the pastry ends with the egg. Bring the sides of the pastry to meet at the top in the centre. Brush the egg on the ends of the pastry to seal and crimp the top edge. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7 with a baking tray inside.

5. Roll out the remaining pastry and cut out any shapes or letters. Stick to the top of the pastry and brush the egg wash over the top of the pastry. Transfer to the baking tray and bake for about 30–35 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through and the pastry is golden and cooked on top and underneath.

6. To make the sauce, place all of the ingredients in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.

7. Leave the salmon en croûte to rest for about 15 minutes before carving into thick slices. Serve with the herb sauce.