Tag: salmon

Savoury MUFFINS with smoked salmon and sun dried tomatoes

Posted on by Bea

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I am addicted to few things….
Being obsessed with my husband is pretty obvious-he is the funniest,the most loving and caring person I know (not to mention that he’s dead handsome too!).
Then,there is my hunger for travelling,discovering new places,feeding my curious eyes with new,exciting views and collecting memories.World is just too beautiful not to get hooked on it.
Another thing I get utterly excited about is tea.Drinking 15 (HUGE) mugs a day and a pounding heart every time I walk by the tea aisle in the shop clearly indicate that tea is one of those things I can’t imagine my life without.It’s part of who I am.
Last but not least is(of course)…….breakfast.Finger licking gooooood breakfast 🙂

While the mornings are still cold and dark in February,every day I’m faced with a real dilemma…..get up and prepare something exciting for breakky or stay in bed 10 min longer(I know it doesn’t make any difference!) and  make a quick porridge…….My warm bed had been winning way too often recently so I thought of a new solution.I’ve started making breakfast the night before.Ingenious!
I can stay in bed longer and eat delicious breakfast at the same time.Happy me. 🙂

These muffins are just perfect breakfast or lunch to make ahead.They can be warmed the next day in the oven for couple of minutes or eaten cold.Ether way they are absolutely delicious!

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RECIPE:

for 6 muffins

INGREDIENTS:

150 g self raising wholegrain flour
175 ml natural yoghurt(room temperature)
1  egg(room temperature)
65 g butter,melted and cooled
0,5 teaspoon freshly ground sea salt
100g smoked salmon,cut into smaller pieces
6-8 sun-dried tomatoes,chopped
sesame seeds to sprinkle with

METHOD:

1.Preheat the oven to 190C.
2.Sieve the flour into one bowl.In a separate bowl place egg,yoghurt,butter and salt.Mix all the ingredients until smooth.Then add salmon pieces and sun-dried tomatoes to the mixture and tip it over the flour.Stir with a wooden spoon,the mix should look lumpy and may have the odd fleck of flour still visible but don’t be tempted to over mix the batter.Muffins don’t like too much attention :)
3.Place the muffin cases into muffin tray and fill each one with batter.
4.Sprinkle over with sesame seeds and bake for 25-30 minutes.

NOTES: To prevent muffins from sinking,take them out the oven straight away,let them cool down for 5 minutes and then remove from the moulds and place on the rack to cool down.

You might also want to serve them warm,to do this simply put them in preheated oven for couple of minutes.

Serve with favourite salad and creamy cheese.

Enjoy xxx

Bea

Puff pastry SALMON with sun dried tomatoes

Posted on by Bea

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With just few days away from Christmas,I’m indulging into this special time of anticipation….smell of gingerbread cakes dancing around the house mixing with the scents of fresh Christmas tree, twinkling lights in neighbours’ houses and the sound of jolly Christmas songs….
It all brings back fond memories,takes me back to my childhood and puts a generous smile on my face.
My close family might be 1,058 miles away from me this Christmas but it feels like they’re here with me.I’ll be cooking Christmas dinner with my mum over the phone,compete with my dad who’s having the best tree,text silly massages to my brothers,and see them all on Skype on Christmas day.

I don’t believe that the meaning of Christmas is gone.Christmas never change,some people do.I can just wish for myself never to change and hope that Christmas will always be the same for me.I’ve always felt deep magic of Christmas time…It’s always been about family,slowing down and living in the moment.And presents?I love giving gifts to others and watch their reaction.It’s priceless…but as for myself,there is always the same present I wish to find under my tree – a wrapped orange and a bag of nuts.What more can I want?I’ve got everything I need.I’m healthy,people I love the most are healthy too.I have my soulmate always by my side,I’ve got loving family and friends that are always there for me.I have beautiful memories too and I’m grateful for those memories I can still make.Instead of wanting more,I’m thankful that I’ve got EVERYTHING 🙂

I wish you all to be truly happy.Not only for Christmas.Happy for life 🙂 It’s the most beautiful gift you can give to yourself and to others 🙂
Have a magical time with the special people you love.Merry Christmas xxx

Before I go,I’ll just quickly tell you about this awesome(I know I use this word way too often!) recipe.I’ve always been afraid of puff pastry,I always felt it was too complicated and way too time consuming.After my first attempt I can tell you that it is time consuming but it’s super easy!And with this recipe for a quick puff pastry you’re going to save same time too.This recipe for puff pastry comes from chef Michel Roux and I can tell you now that I’ll never ever buy puff pastry from the shop again.Now, that I put it in writing I should feel ashamed if I ever do! 🙂

So we’ve got the best puff pastry possible wrapped around fresh salmon fillet,topped with sun dried tomatoes and garlic.This is the best Christmas dish I’ve ever eaten!(And it doesn’t have to be served only for Christmas!)I’m sure you’ll love it too 🙂

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RECIPE:

serves : 8

INGREDIENTS:

Puff pastry:

250g plain flour
250g cold butter
0,5 teaspoon salt
80ml-100ml icy water

Other ingredients:

8 pieces of salmon (around 800g)
16 sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil,chopped
couple of pinches of sesame seeds and almond flakes to sprinkle on top

PREPARATION:

1.Put the flour in a bowl. Add the butter and salt and work them together with the fingertips.

2.When the dough starts to look grainy, gradually add the iced water and mix until it is all incorporated, but don’t overwork the dough. Roll it into a ball,flatten, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30minutes.

3.Flour the work surface and roll out the pastry into a 40 x 20cm rectangle. Fold it into three and give it a quarter-turn. Roll the block of pastry into a 40 x 20cm rectangle as before, and fold it into three again. These are the first 2 turns. Wrap the block in cling film and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.

4.Give the chilled pastry another 2 turns, rolling and folding as before. This makes a total of 4 turns, and the pastry is now ready. Wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.

5.Before taking the pastry out a fridge, preheat the oven to 190C/375F.

6.Take the pastry out the fridge,cut it into 4 squares.Roll out the first part to around 15 x 40 cm and cut in half.You should get 2 rectangles of 15 x 20 cm each.Place salmon in the middle of each one(along the shorter length) and cut the slits on both sides of puff pastry around 1/4 inch (6 mm) apart at a slight angle(have a look at a picture above),place 1 spoonful of chopped tomatoes on top and start folding them from the top,alternating sides.Brush with egg mixture and arrange on a baking try,lined with a baking paper.Do the same with the remaining parts of puff pastry.

7.Sprinkle with sesame seeds and almond flakes.

8.Bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy x