Kat's Purrrfect Fish Bake

I like to wander around my office at lunch time as people tend to offer me samplings of their lunches (I have even come back to my desk to find sandwich halves on my keyboard, true story). I always partake in these offerings because a) I'm mostly always hungry, and b) well, pretty much because I'm always mostly hungry! But the day my friend/work colleague/ fellow blogger Kat offered me a morsel of her fish bake, that's when I hit the jackpot. This dish tasted so delicious that I'm pretty sure for a moment my eyes rolled into the back of my head. I begged her to email me the recipe, not only so that I could share it with you, but mostly because I wanted to be able to make it for myself ASAP! Not only did she deliver on emailing me the recipe, but she also provided pictures, which pretty much brings her up to best friend status in my book. In her own words:"The bake has a layer of onions and fennel, then topped with a lovely layer of flaky fish, crunchy potatoes and breadcrumbs with a little cheese and cream. It is the epitome of winter warmth in your mouth".

 
Here's what you'll need (serves 4, or just 1 if you plan on spending a night in, eating in front of the TV):

• 400g potatoes, scrubbed and finely sliced
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic peeled and chopped
• 1 onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 bulb of fennel, trimmed and sliced (Kat uses leek as a substitute)
• 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds
• 4 medium or 8 small fillets of trout, pin boned (Kat has never actually cooked it with trout, She uses 2 fillets of salmon - skin on)
• 285mL single cream
• 2 handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 anchovy fillets
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 handfuls of fresh breadcrumbs (sourdough bread is perfect for this)
• 2 lemons halved

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.

2. Parboil the sliced potatoes in salted boiling water for a few minutes until softened and then drain in a colander.

3. Place a 20cm casserole type pan on low heat, and add oil, garlic, onion, fennel (or leek) and fennel seeds.

4. Cook slowly for 10 minutes with lid on, stirring every so often

5. Take pan off the heat. Lay trout (or salmon) fillets skin-side up over the onion and fennel.

6. Mix together your cream, parmesan and anchovies, season with salt and freshly ground pepper and pour over fish.

7. Toss the potato slices in a little olive oil, salt and pepper and layer these over the top of the fish.

8. Place in the oven for 20 minutes, sprinkling with the breadcrumbs and a little grated Parmesan 5 minutes before the end.

9. Serve with lemon halves.

Delicious Stuffed PotatOH

So I decided to follow my own advice and use the remnants of my vegetarian chili from a few nights ago and rustle up a stuffed spud for dinner. This dish was super easy to make and the perfect meal for a cosy Saturday night in.

 Here's What You'll Need:

• 1 good sized potato (okay I'll admit it... I ate 2)
• Salt
• Grated cheese
• Leftovers of your choice

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Wash the potato and while it's still wet, put the potato into a bowl, add some salt and turn the potato to coat (this will give the potato a nice, crispy skin). Bung the potato into the oven and bake for one hour (the potato is ready when the skin feels crispy and the potato gives a little when you squeeze it). Cut a hole in the top of the potato and scoop out some of the contents. Once you have enough space for your filling, sprinkle over some grated cheese and put the potato back into the oven until the cheese has melted. Top with guacaholymole and serve with a movie of your choice (for me it was Love and Other Drugs).

Good Golly Miss Cauliflower, Prosciutto and Potato Bake

Saturday night found me and three friends squeezed into my tiny studio apartment. I was cooking a feast for four in my even tinier kitchen but as I always say, it's not the size of your kitchen that matters, it's the size of your heart when you're cooking in it. As I had an abundance of potatoes and cauliflower remaining from the past few fruit and veg box deliveries I had received (see Mystery Box Thursdays), I decided to cook up a delicious cauliflower, prosciutto and potato bake, and good golly was it tasty!

Here's what you will need:

•  4 good sized potatoes, thinly sliced
• Half a head of cauliflower, broken into florets
• Prosciutto (half to put in the bake, and half to eat while you're cooking)
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed or thinly sliced
• A pinch of nutmeg
• 1 cup of cream
• Grated Cheddar cheese
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cook the sliced potato in salted boiling water for 5 minutes, drain and then layer the potato in a lightly greased, ovenproof serving dish. Shred the prosciutto and layer on top of the potatoes, followed by the cauliflower. Add the garlic.

Mix the cream with the nutmeg, and pour over the potatoes, prosciutto and cauliflower. Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top and then sprinkle some more (you can never have enough cheese), followed by the Parmesan. Cover and bake for 50 minutes or until vegetables are tender, then uncover and place under grill until cheese has browned. Serve with other equally delicious things of your choosing (I served with baked vegetables and garlic-chili BBQ chicken) and fight your friends for the last few remaining mouthfuls.