Springtime In Cyprus
Salmon Tray Bake with New Potatoes and Green Beans
Salmon Tray Bake is a simple yet flavourful recipe designed for a quick, wholesome meal for the whole family, a fuss-free dish that is easy to prepare and clean up.
Serves 6
1 whole salmon fillet
400g fresh green beans, trimmed
Bag of baby new potatoes (350g) large ones halved
Sea salt & pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup white wine
1 chicken stock cube
1 cup warm water
For garnish
1 lemon, thinly sliced
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground garlic powder
Few sprigs of fresh thyme
Chopped parsley
Lemon wedges
Marinade
A little olive oil
sea salt
lemon juice
ground black pepper
chilli flakes
1 tbsp of pomegranate molasses or 1 tbsp of honey
First marinade the salmon for about 15 minutes with all marinade ingredients.
Cook the new potatoes and beans by boiling them in salted water until softened and nearly tender, drain them and place them in a medium oven tray. Season the vegetables well with salt, pepper, chilli, garlic, thyme and drizzle with olive oil, and lemon juice. Mix well with your hands to coat them evenly.
Dilute the mustard, pomegranate molasses or honey, wine and chicken stock with one cup of warm water and pour over the vegetables.
Heat oven to 190C.
Place the salmon fillets on top of the vegetables and top with thin slices of lemons. Place in the hot oven and bake for 20 minutes or until salmon is just cooked.
Once the salmon is cooked, remove the tray from the oven, scatter over the chopped parsley. Portion the salmon and plate up straight from the roasting tray to your plate. Carefully scoop the salmon on to the plate followed by the vegetables and a dollop of Greek yogurt accompanied with lemon wedges on the side.
Globe Artichokes with Broad Beans
Globe artichokes and broad beans are plentiful in the spring and early summer but you will need a lot of broad beans as 2kg will yield only ½kg once removed from the pod.
You will have great fun preparing them and you can get the kids or grandkids to help. Artichokes and broad beans are often cooked together in Cyprus and Greece, as they seem to complement each other.
Serves 4
2 kg fresh tender broad beans in the pod (or ½ kilo frozen broad beans)
4 large fresh globe artichokes, or artichokes in brine
½ lemon
2 large waxy potatoes
6 tbsp olive oil
1 small shallot, chopped
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp chopped fennel tops or dill
½ tsp sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ litre vegetable stock or water
For the sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp flour
juice of 1 lemon
Chopped dill or fennel tops
Shell the broad beans but if some of the pods are young and tender, you can just top and tail them, and leave the beans inside, using the whole pod.
Prepare the artichokes by peeling the outer leaves until you reach the tender ones, cut away the tender leaves just above the head of the artichoke leaving the heart. Cut in half to expose the hairy ‘choke’ in the middle of the heart and remove it. Rub half a lemon over the artichoke hearts and immerse them in cold water with a little salt and lemon juice. This will prevent them going brown until you are ready to use them.
Peel the potatoes and quarter them.
Heat the olive oil in a large, wide-bottomed saucepan and sauté the shallot and spring onions for a minute then add the broad beans and cook until the onions have softened. Add the garlic, artichokes and potatoes and sauté for a couple of minutes more. Season with salt and pepper, add the fennel or dill and the sugar. Pour in the hot stock or water, making sure it is enough to cover the vegetables. When it comes to the boil cover with a cartouche (parchment paper lid), add the lid and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and some of the stock has evaporated. Remove the parchment paper.
Make the sauce, using the liquid as follows. In a small saucepan heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the flour. Whisk over a low heat and cook the flour until it changes colour, taking care not to burn it. Add the liquid from the vegetables and the lemon juice and continue whisking until the sauce has thickened. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and shake the saucepan gently.
Sprinkle with fresh dill or fennel and serve at once with lots of crusty bread and lemon wedges.
This is perfect for this time of the year!
Loulla’s book My Kosmos My Kitchen can be ordered from www.amazon.com or www.austinmacauley.com/book/my-kosmos-my-kitchen. For more traditional Greek and Cypriot recipes and inspiration, join Loulla’s Facebook group Loulla’s Recipe Share
