Meals on a Budget: Part II

Posted on 29 November 2009

By Steven Baker

As the doom and gloom of the economy continues I have been asked again this month to write some “recession busting recipes” to help you get through the hard times we are all facing at the moment and maybe also to let you try cooking something new that you may not have cooked before.  Some people have the perception that fish is still an expensive ingredient for a dish but in recent times the price of fish has become affordable enough to be eaten once or twice a week and in Scally’s Supervalu at our fish counter Milos always has specials offers available on different fish like Salmon, Hake, Cod or Plaice.  The first recipe that I’m going to give you is for Salmon and Potato Cake.  It is a very simple recipe and is one that can be made from Leftovers if you are having Salmon and Potatoes as part of your dinner on any given night.  The following recipe is designed to make 4 cakes and can be eaten as a lunch with a salad or as part of your main course for your dinner.

Salmon and Potato Cakes

Ingredients
300g Potatoes- Steamed, mashed and cooled
150g Salmon – Steamed and cooled
¼ teaspoon Dill – fresh or dried
Zest of a small lemon
Salt and Pepper
1 egg – beaten
100g Breadcrumbs
3 Tablespoons flour
75ml milk

Method
(As stated in the list of ingredients the potatoes need to be cooked, mashed and cooled and the Salmon needs to be cooked and cooled)

1.    Flake Salmon and place in a bowl with potatoes, lemon zest, dill and season with salt and pepper
2.    Mix together well adding 2 teaspoons of the beaten egg. (The egg helps to bind the mixture together)
3.    Divide the mixture into 4 and shape into circles about ¾ inch thick.  Place in fridge for 1 hour.
4.    Mix remaining egg with milk and place flour, egg mixture and breadcrumbs in 3 separate bowls.
5.    Place cakes in flour first (coating it well) then in egg and milk mix and then breadcrumbs.  Ensure that it is well coated in the crumbs.
6.    Place cakes in fat fryer (2 at a time) for 1 minute to brown and then place in a preheated oven at 180 for 15 – 20 minutes ensuring that they are covered with tin foil as not to darken the crumb too much.

Notes
When breadcruming anything you use the same method as mentioned in the above recipe. First flour then egg and milk mixture and then breadcrumbs.  Each one helps the next piece stick to the product you are crumbling regardless if your making chicken goujons, fish cakes or garlic mushrooms, the method is always the same.

You could also use the above recipe to make fish fingers for your kids by just changing the Salmon to a white fish (i.e. Cod) and shape them into the rectangular shape of traditional fish fingers.

For those of you who like a bit of “Spice” or “Kick” in their food you could add a bit of Cajun seasoning or dried chilli flakes to the breadcrumbs before coating the cakes.  Don’t add too much though as you don’t want the spice to overpower the delicate taste of the fish.

This recipe is very easy and once you have tried it once or twice it can be made with minimum hassle and if you are entertaining you can easily prepare the cakes in advance and place them in the oven 20 minutes before they are required.  I find they are vest served with a fresh salad and accompanied with garlic mayonaise or a sweet (But not to hot) chilli sauce, depending on your own taste.

As you all have realized by now Halloween has just passed and most of us (at least those of us with kids) brought a pumpkin again this year scooping out all the insides cutting the scariest face we could on the front of it, placing a candle in it and leave it sit on the counter top in the kitchen until it started to fall apart.  With pumpkins still in season why not try the following recipes;

Pumpkin Soup (Serves 4)

Ingredients
1 Medium Pumpkin (Flesh only, no skin or seeds)
2 Tablespoons Honey
1 Medium size onion (chopped)
1 Clove garlic (Chopped)
2 Sprigs rosemary
2 Pts Chicken stock
2 Tablespoons oil
Salt and pepper
¼ Pt cream

Method
1.    Cut pumpkin into 1 inch cubes
2.    Place pumpkin, onion, garlic and rosemary onto a baking tray and drizzle with oil and honey.
3.    Place in a preheated oven 190 to roast for 30-40 minutes.  (Shake tray every 10 minutes to coat the ingredients as you don’t want them to brown.  If you find that they are colouring then cover them with tin foil)
4.    When tender place in a food processor with the 2 pts of hot chicken stock.  If your processor is not large enough then do this in batches.
5.    Return soup to the pot add cream and season to taste.  Serve hot

Easy isn’t it?  If you are having a party or having friends over you could try this as a starter and garnish it with a dollop of crème fraîche, toasted pine nuts and a sprig of parsley.  You can also try this recipe using squash instead of pumpkin.

Pumpkin Risotto (Serves 4)

Ingredients
1 Pt Vegetable stock
1 small onion (chopped)
2 Tablespoons oil (olive oil is preferred for this recipe)
180g Arborio rice
270g pumpkin (Peeled, de seeded and chopped in small cubes)
Knob of butter
Salt and pepper

Method
1.    Heat vegetable stock in a pot and leave on very low heat.
2.    In another saucepan (Heavy based is best) sweat off the onion in the oil but don’t let it brown
3.    Pour in the rice and stir well for a few seconds to allow the rice to be coasted with the oil, then pour in about 1/3 of the stock and bring to a simmer.  Cook this, stirring often until nearly all the stock is absorbed by the rice.
4.    Now add the pumpkin and some more stock and again simmer until nearly all the stock has been absorbed
5.    Continue adding stock and stirring until the pumpkin is soft and the rice cooked.  Note, you may not need all the stock or you may need a little more than a pint, but the texture of the dish should be creamy but loose.  That sounds like a bit of a contradiction but you will see what I mean when the dish is finished.
6.    Stir in the knob of butter into the rice and season to taste.

Traditionally risotto is always served with Parmesan cheese grated on top.  This is optional but it does add to the dish.  Parmesan cheese like olive oil and wine has different grades and prices.  As it is not the main ingredient of the dish a cheap and everyday parmesan can be used but treat yourself sometime and purchase a high quality one, you will notice the difference.

The one thing you cannot do is use your Uncle Ben’s rice that you have at home in the cupboard to do this dish.  Arborio rice is Italian short grained rice named after the town “Arborio” in the “PO Valley” where it is grown.  When it is cooked the rounded grains are firm, creamy and chewy due to a high content of starch and it blends well with other flavours i.e. the pumpkin in this recipe.  So Arborio rice has to go onto the shopping list as its perfect for any risotto.  Just a bit of information for the real foodies amongst us there are 2 more types of rice which are even better for a top quality risotto and these are “Vialone Nano” and “Carnaroli” (Often called the “Superfino Rice” or “The King of Rice”).  These have higher starch content than Arborio rice with a firmer texture and longer grain.

By Steven Baker Chef with Scally’s Supervalu Clonakilty