What makes this salmon stir-fry extra special? Good quality salmon fillets, fresh seasonal vegetables, and a sauce realised from scratch that my Chinese friend, H, would be proud of.
Easy, quick, and bursting with flavour, this is a healthy dinner that can be changed endlessly depending on which vegetables you have at hand or which oils and vinegars you prefer.
Salmon stir-fry (serves 4)
In a bowl mix together 4 tsp soya sauce, 4 tsp sherry or white wine, 1 tsp brown sugar, 4 tsp groundnut oil, 2 tsp water and season with black pepper. Marinate 4 salmon fillets in the mixture for at least 30 mins.
Peel and chop your chosen vegetables. Boil for 10 minutes in salted water and drain.
Grill the salmon for 5 minutes under a hot grill, turning the fillets half-way. During this time, cook a packet of dried noodles in salted water and drain.
Heat the remaining marinade in a pan, add the vegetables and the noodles and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Divide between 4 deep plates, top with the salmon and serve hot.
Greedy notes:
I chose broccoli, red peppers and carrots and this is what I had available but celery, mange-tout or mini-sweetcorn would all work, as well as mushrooms and bean-sprouts.
Living in the Charente-Maritime region of France, I decided to replace the sherry with the same amount of red Pineau des Charentes. This delicious, sweet mixture of grape juice and cognac has the same syrupy consistency as sherry and is one of the specialities of the area.
While I am aware that pork is not the healthiest choice of meats, due to the higher fat content in our piggy friends compared to chicken or turkey, I think it is one of the tastiest when cooked well. It's also one of the cheaper cuts and I think we can all agree that in today's financial climate of doom and gloom we could all do with a little cheap!
Here's a quick and easy way to use a packet of diced pork to spice up those cold winter evenings while dreaming of faraway island shores.
Greedy veggies could easily subsitute some tofu or Quorn-esque meat pieces instead of the pork.
Fruity pork curry (serves 4)
Peel and roughly dice 3 garlic cloves and a 3cm piece of ginger. Crush using a pestle and mortar to make your aromatic curry paste. Ginger and garlic are also perfect in winter for warding off infections and viruses so don't be afraid to be a bit heavy handed!
Heat some sunflower oil in a large pan and sweat the curry paste for 2 minutes over a high heat, then add 800g of diced pork and fry for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
Season well, then add 2 diced onions and 1 diced apple. Cook for a further 5 minutes. Add 2 tsp turmeric (a delicate spice that adds both flavour and colour), 600g chopped tomatoes and 200ml water. Turn the heat down, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes until the sauce has reduced.
Sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve hot with rice.
Greedy note: I didn't find this version of the curry fruity enough for my liking as I am a huge fan of mixing sweet and savoury...I decided to add a generous handful of dried raisins to the pan to sweeten things up and the result was perfect!
I first knew I was a greedy guts when I realised I enjoyed the weekly food shop more than shopping for clothes or CDs...Food, eating it, creating it, tasting it, buying it, has grown ever since from a basic need for fuel into a real passion, inspired no doubt by the generous meals made for me by my Mam and Nanna (generous both in the emotions put into them and the dishes themselves).
Life has taken its twists and turns since high school, and as fate would have it, I washed up on the Atlantic coast of France in 2009 in the Charente Maritime region. What started out as a summer job (accompanied by a summer romance) has turned into a permanent change of country, a change of language, a change of lifestyle, but most of all a change of cuisine!
Well, speaking thruthfully, not really a change, more of an evolution, a fusion, a mixture of all that makes me miss my mother's British cooking and all that excites me about France and it's opportunities to let my tastebuds roam: new restaurants, undiscovered ingredients, balades gourmandes, enormous markets, delicious wine.
Let the eating begin...
