The jasmine is in full flower, filling the air with its unique scent. It always makes me think of sun and warm breezes. Mango season is upon us and the perfume of mangoes reminds me of the jasmine which reminds me of the sun and warm breezes… you get the picture.

Dinner tonight:- Pan seared fresh salmon served on a bed of chilli mango salsa and salad greens.

For the salsa for two:-

One large mango, cheeked and cubed. One good wedge of pineapple cut in small chunks. One red chilli (or to taste) chopped fine. A 4 inch piece of cucumber small diced. Half a red onion finely diced. A good big handful of coriander leaves roughly chopped. A tablespoon of fish sauce and 2 tablespoons of lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. All ingredients get tossed together in a bowl.

Take your salmon fillets and coat in olive oil, season well with salt and pepper and quickly sear skin side down for a few minutes. Turn over to just colour the top. The salmon should still be nice and pink in the middle, try not to over cook it! Let it rest while you assemble (plate up) the rest.

Plate up some mixed salad leaves, season, and drizzle with a little olive oil and white balsamic vinegar if you like. A generous serving of salsa goes on top and then the salmon. Don’t forget a glass or two of good Verdelho.

Tasty goodness. Enjoy.

Mobile phone photo’s don’t do it justice sadly. Never mind, at some point I shall rectify that small problem. In the meantime, I was thinking it’s about time to catch some Koonacs (fresh water crayfish) in the pond. Everyone loves them either steamed or cooked on the BBQ with home made wasabi mayo and garlic aoli. I love spring.

Eat your heart out Monet….

Kind regards,

J.

Apparently this Verdelho goes really well with chicken and leak pie. So, I just happened to have some left over roast chicken, a stray leek and some frozen butter puff pastry in the freezer. (Yes I know, frozen butter puff, Careme make a good one, but I do make my own shortcrust and hot water crust pastry, but sometimes convenience wins. Besides, I was hungry.)

Slice your leek and saute in a little duck fat, add a small amount of plain flour and cook off for a minute or two. Add shredded chicken. Pour in a good slurp of Verdelho and stir until slightly thickened. Dilute with full cream to the desired consistency. Taste, and adjust the seasoning. Taste the Verdelho to make sure it hasn’t gone off in the meantime.

Place a sheet of pastry in a pie dish, smooth the filling over the pastry and cover with another sheet. Trim it up until it looks pretty and bung it in the oven at 200’c for about 45 mins or until the pastry is nicely browned and done. Slice it up and eat, and drink the rest of the Verdelho. Oh, and you can cook some veggies to go with  it. Peas and carrots look nice. Enjoy.

Kind regards,

J