The perfect summer meal, a go-to dish to impress your guests and save time in the kitchen. Salmon parcels are also known as ‘salmon wellington’ or ‘salmon en croute’. Wellingtons, including the famous Beef Wellington are specifically baked in puff pastry which is a multi-layered pastry as opposed to something flatter like a pie dough. Puff pastry goes through a process called lamination, which involves rolling, folding and chilling the pastry multiple times to achieve that flaky consistency. Of course, you can defer not to make your own pastry and use store bought puff pastry with an amazing results!
The origin of salmon Wellington dates back to Tudor England (mid 1400s to early 1600s). Beef Wellington was an incredibly popular dish among the higher classes. Less wealthy groups began to experiment with other types of protein that were more plentiful and cheaper, like salmon or chicken.
My variation of ‘Salmon Parcels’ includes zucchini as well as parmesan and Boursin cheese. The recipe makes four so for Brion & I, we enjoy two for dinner and I freeze two for another time.
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Salmon Parcels
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, & a generous pinch of salt & cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini & sauté for another 5 minutes. Stir in Boursin cheese, parmesan & dill. Cook, stirring frequently, until cheeses are melted & combined, about 2 minutes. Stir in panko breadcrumbs & Old Bay seasoning. Cook, stirring, until mixture is thickened, about 2 minutes more; season with salt & pepper to taste.
Rinse salmon under cold water, then pat dry with paper towels. Place sheet of puff pastry on a cutting board & roll out slightly. Lay on a piece of parchment paper & cut into 4 equal pieces. Arrange a piece of salmon in the center of each. (There should be about 1/2" dough on 2 sides of the salmon.) Season salmon with salt. Spoon filling mixture over salmon, making sure it stays in the center of fish; smooth in an even layer.
Using parchment paper, roll each piece into a log shape. Remove paper, flip seam side down & transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Fold in pastry on ends to enclose filling. Brush all over with egg wash.
Bake salmon until pastry is golden brown & an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of salmon registers 140°, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer salmon parcels to a platter & serve with a dill sauce if you prefer..
It’s easy to fall into predictable patterns when preparing food, and you may just end up roasting it and eating it the same way every time.
Take for instance stuffed chicken breast … stuffing doesn’t always have to start with bread or rice. Chicken is a blank canvas for flavors, and its protein-rich nature provides a satisfying base for creamy brie. It’s the stuffing that makes this roasted chicken breast outstanding. The combination of chicken and brie is delicious because the creamy, mild, and slightly nutty flavor of brie complements the savory, tender, and versatile nature of chicken, creating a satisfying and flavorful dish. The cherries add a splash of color while keeping the chicken moist.
Unique flavors combined together. So Good!
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Dark Sweet Cherries & Brie Stuffed Chicken
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Instructions
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Drain cherries & set aside; slice brie into long 1/2-inch strips. Coarsely chop basil.
Using a meat mallet, flatten chicken breasts to be uniform in width. Salt & pepper each side. Make a slit in the center of each breast, lengthwise, making sure to not cut all the way through.
Divide brie slices evenly between the 4 breasts the top with drained whole cherries. Sprinkle with a bit of fresh chopped basil.
Melt butter on a plate. Place panko crumbs on another plate. Carefully dip both sides of each chicken breast in butter then coat each with panko crumbs.
Line a baking sheet with foil paper & spray with baking spray. Carefully lay the chicken breasts on it then spray chicken breasts with baking spray as well.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cooked but not dry. Remove from oven, place on serving dish & drizzle with balsamic glaze if you wish or serve as is.
Baked stuffed shrimp is just as perfect served as an hors d’oeuvre on special occasions and holiday parties as it is for family dinners. Stuffed shrimp may seem like a dine-out-only kind of dish, but rest assured, it’s not. Preparing it at home is not that big of a deal.
Shrimp, one of the most popular seafoods in North America, can be stashed in the freezer and thawed in the fridge the night before or in minutes under cold water to create a quick weeknight meal that the whole family will love. Add a few spices, some veggies, or pasta and you can have dinner on the table in minutes. Some like it sautéed with lemon and butter. Others prefer it coated in a crispy breading and fried to a golden brown. Shrimp is quite a versatile seafood that can be prepared in a variety of ways, drawing people in with its tender texture and mildly sweet, salty flavor.
A seasoning Brion & I have really come to enjoy especially with shrimp is the Old Bay Seasoning. With savory, salty, spicy, and herby notes, Old Bay Seasoning is something truly special in the culinary world. It was originally meant for seafood, but quickly became a beloved seasoning for everything from crab and shrimp to veggies, meats, and even popcorn!
If you are a seafood lover, crab-stuffed shrimp has an amazing flavor combination you will really enjoy.
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Crab Stuffed Shrimp
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Instructions
Stuffing
In a saucepan over medium heat, add butter & allow to melt. Add onions, celery, garlic, green onions & seasoning & sauté for 6-8 minutes. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl, add panko crumbs & drained crab meat. Fold in with a spatula until blended.
Shrimp
Clean, devein & butterfly shrimp. Set aside in refrigerator.
Lemon Pepper Butter
In a small saucepan, combine water, lemon juice, flour & seasonings. Whisk until mixture thickens. Remove from heat; add softened butter & blend in well.
Assembly
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In a round glass pie dish, place opened butterflied shrimp. Top each with a small scoop of stuffing. Next, place a tsp of lemon butter on each shrimp.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until crab meat filling begins to get golden brown. Serve hot fresh broccoli.
You can never have too many rotisserie chicken meals in your dinner rotation. A whole roasted chicken is a wonderful thing: juicy meat, crispy skin. But the real joy is in those lovely leftovers! Try it in a salad or a pasta bake, a hearty stew or a warming chicken soup. If you fancy taking things up a notch, you can use leftover roast chicken to make meatballs, dim sum, or lasagna.
Rotisserie chickens are juicy, tender, inexpensive, and incredibly flavorful. It is the perfect shortcut to getting dinner on the table in a hurry.
That’s the wonderful thing about chicken, it’s great as a leftover, and if not seasoned too specifically, can be repurposed for multiple different recipes.
Even store-bought leftover rotisserie chicken can make a great second meal if you get creative. Using up your leftovers is also a great way to cut down on food waste. Using leftover chicken reduces the cooking time of many recipes, which is another great thing to free up time.
Crispy roast chicken meatballs are so good served with pasta and sauce.
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Crispy Roast Chicken Meatballs
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Instructions
Shred & slightly chop roast chicken. Finely chop leeks & sauté in a Tbsp of olive oil. In a large bowl, place chicken, leeks, eggs, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper. Combine mixture well.
Cut gouda cheese into 1/2-inch cubes. Divide the meat mixture into 12-13 portions. Take a portion of the meat mixture & flatten it in the palm of your hand to form a shell. Divide gouda between meatball portions. Place a portion of gouda in the center of each & seal the mixture around it to form a meatball. Place meatballs on a parchment lined baking tray.
Beat egg for the breading in a small bowl. Pour the breadcrumbs in another. Heat oil in a skillet. Once the oil is hot, dip each meatball first in egg & then in the breadcrumbs. Fry the meatballs until golden brown, keeping in mind that there is egg in the filling that needs to be cooked.
Transfer meatballs to a plate lined with paper towel. Nice to serve with egg noodles & pasta sauce.
Rissole is an interesting group of dishes with an intriguing history. The original French rissoles were prepared by enclosing the main ingredients in pastry dough and frying them, but over time the original recipe has evolved and changed.
Many nations have created their own version of the rissole. This food is commonly on offer in street stalls as a casual snack food, or in fast-food restaurants. Some fancy restaurants also serve rissole dishes, although they may use fancier ingredients and dress things up with complex sauces to make their rissoles more interesting. Today, rissoles can be found in numerous European countries, but also in Australia, New Zealand, and even Indonesia and Brazil.
Some cooks refrain from using any sort of coating for a rissole, preferring to make a blend of meat, potatoes, eggs, and breadcrumbs which can be molded into a firm patty. Ingredients such as onions may be added to rissoles as well, along with various spices, especially in nations with a culinary tradition of heavily spiced food. They can be made with ground or cut meat, seafood, or vegetables, and the sweet varieties are usually made with fruit. Most of them, including both sweet and savory rissoles, are usually served with a sauce on the side. Primarily, rissoles were deep-fried, but today the name also encompasses the varieties that are baked in an oven or fried in shallow oil.
Today, I’m making artichoke & garlic chicken rissoles. The sauce gives the rissoles a nice punch of flavor and pairs so well with creamy mashed potatoes & roasted green beans.
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Artichoke & Garlic Chicken Rissoles
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Instructions
Sauce
Place all ingredients except oil in a food processor. With motor running, add olive oil in a slow stream to make an emulsion. Continue processing while adding the cream to make a fairly smooth consistency. Remove from food processor & set aside.
Chicken Rissoles
Place chicken, panko crumbs, salt, egg, garlic & soup mix in a bowl. Combine well. Divide into 6 portions. Form each portion into a patty shape.
Heat oil in a large saucepan, Cook rissoles for 2-3 minutes. Turn & cook for a further 1-2 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a plate a wipe out saucepan.
Return rissoles back in saucepan & add sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes until rissoles are cooked through. Nice to serve with creamy mashed potatoes & roasted green beans.
When I think of summer food, I think easy. Food that can be cooked and enjoyed outdoors as easily as indoors. These turkey burgers are a perfect summer dish for the everyday meal or to serve at a barbecue. The end result is a juicy turkey burger, full of fruity summer flavor.
Intuitively, you might not consider meat and fruit to be perfect flavor companions, but you will find that their sweet and salty relationship does work. The main challenge with fruit and meat is finding the right combinations. Turkey is a good match for flavor of peaches.
Deliciously spiced with the perfect balance of sweet and savory this turkey burger is topped with smoked cheese and peach chutney all cooked up to perfection and served on focaccia bread instead of the usual burger bun. Swapping out tomatoes for peach chutney also adds to their uniqueness.
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Turkey Burgers w/ Peach Chutney
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Instructions
In a small dish, combine panko crumbs & milk; allow to soak for 5 minutes. Add mixture to ground turkey along with garlic, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper. Use hands to combine. Divide into 4 equal amounts & press gently into burger patties. Set aside in refrigerator.
Slice mushrooms & red onion & sauté in oil on a griddle until cooked. Remove from griddle & set aside. Grate cheese. Slice focaccia 'buns' & lightly butter.
Preheat grill to medium high or use your griddle & cook burgers for about 6-8 minutes per side depending on the thickness. Lightly toast focaccia 'buns'.
When burgers are nearly cooked, Spread some peach chutney on each burger then divide cheese between them & grill for about 1 minute for cheese to melt.
On the bottom pieces of focaccia, lay a burger then some sautéed mushrooms & onions. Top with remaining focaccia & serve with guacamole if desired
Recipe Notes
- Just to keep the prep work easy, I opted for a bottled peach chutney & it was great!
Crumble is not just a crispy dessert. Some variations on the original recipe have managed to transform the crumble into a mouth-watering savory dish. Almost Mediterranean at its heart, the roasted vegetable crumble introduces a whole new vegetarian culinary experience. A magnificent display of accessibility & balanced flavors, with rustic and crispy textures. While both sweet and savory versions have received international acclaim, at its root, crumble is a fruit-based dessert topped with a breadcrumb-like topping made with flour, butter, and sugar.
Crumbles became popular in Britain during World War II, when the topping was an economical alternative to pies due to shortages of pastry ingredients as the result of rationing.
This savory crumble with roasted vegetables is topped with buttery cracker crumbs, Parmesan, Panko crumbs, thyme and cracked black pepper to give it some added texture. It makes such a nice fall or winter casserole.
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Roasted Vegetable Crumble
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly butter a 9-inch deep pie dish; set aside.
In a medium bowl combine crackers, bread crumbs, cheese, pepper, thyme, and butter. Toss to coat everything in butter. Spoon just less than half of the mixture into the bottom of the pie dish and slightly up the sides. Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes, until just golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool while you make the filling.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until softened and browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the brussels sprouts, carrots, mushrooms and thyme. Increase heat to medium-high and let the vegetables sauté down until well softened, browned, and caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper as the vegetables cook down.
The mushrooms will release a lot of their moisture and then the mixture will brown and cook down.
When vegetables are cooked down and softened, reduce heat to medium, sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until the flour disappears. Slowly add the chicken stock and stir, scraping any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer to thicken. Finally, stir in the cream and remove from the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.
Spoon mixture onto the browned crust. Sprinkle with gruyere. Top with the remaining crumble crust. Place in the oven to bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until top crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving warm.
Scallops are an exquisite delicacy brought to us by the sea. Subtle as their flavors may be, the combination of sweet, buttery and nutty always hits the right spot and makes them so addictive.
Sea scallops are widely known for their iconic, beautiful shape …. a fan-like shell with fluted grooves. Different varieties are found in oceans all over the world and come in many sizes. For commercial purposes they are labeled similar to shrimp. A number is used to designate how many scallops of a given size it would take to constitute a pound. The label 20/30 means it would take 20/30 scallops to make up a pound and labels like U10 means it would take less than (‘under’) 10 to make a pound.
Scallops are bivalve mollusks (meaning having 2 shells- usually united by a hinge) that have a reddish-pink, upper shell and white or cream colored, lower shell.
Wild scallops feed by filtering microscopic plankton from the water. They are hand shucked immediately and frozen at sea to capture their fresh sweet flavor.
Brion & I don’t have scallops often but when we do we enjoy them to the fullest.
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Parmesan Baked Scallops
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Place 'scallop shells' on a baking pan.
Rinse scallops & thoroughly pat dry on paper towels. Season with salt & pepper.
In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the compound butter. Mix well.
Place 4 scallops on top of each shell dish. Divide butter into 4 portions & place one on each dish of scallops. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of scallops. Test at about the 6 minute mark. Try to avoid over baking as you will be broiling for a few minutes to finish.
As scallops are baking, melt butter in microwave for the crunchy topping. Mix in the panko crumbs & fresh parsley.
Remove the scallops from the oven. Turn on the broiler. Top each with a spoonful of the crunchy topping. Sprinkle with a bit more parmesan cheese. Broil for about 1 minute or 2, just enough to brown the topping & melt the cheese.
Nice to serve with rice or pasta. Garnish with fresh parsley & serve with lemon wedges.
Classic pelmeni are dumplings of Russian cuisine that consist of a filling wrapped in thin, unleavened dough. There is debate about the exact place of origin with Ural and Siberia both maintaining strong claims. This Russian comfort food is part of the group of Eastern European dumplings like ‘vareniki, pierogis and uszka’. The word “pelmeni” describes the ear-shaped appearance of these dumplings. Fillings generally consist of ground meat such as pork, lamb, beef or mushrooms as well as salt, pepper and sometimes herbs and onions.
In Russia’s Far East the locals replace meats with salmon to make a native version of this common national dish. This is an exotic region with a unique climate, landscape, flora and fauna. Basic fruits and vegetables that grow in most Russian home gardens must be shipped to this region because of its harsh climate does not allow much to grow. Dairy products are also imported at high cost so they rarely are found in the local diet.
Fish and seafood are the basic staples in the Far Eastern diet and are not delicacies for special occasions as is the case in Russia’s European and Siberian regions. Fish is often used instead of meat in cooking common Russian dishes such as cutlets, cabbage rolls and pelmeni.
Back in March of this year (2021), I had posted a blog about traditional pelmeni containing beef filling. We enjoyed that meal a lot and have since had it numerous times with various fillings. After doing some research, I realized that fish pelmeni was a ‘real thing’. I had also seen an idea from the internet about using salmon and pastry to form a ‘salmon rose’. I thought, why couldn’t that tender pelmeni dough be used along with fresh salmon & leeks to make something special? I realize I have strayed a long way from the classic ear shaped pelmeni but the flavor is just as wonderful.
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Salmon Leek Pelmeni 'Rose'
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Instructions
Dough
In a bowl, combine all dough ingredients & knead until a smooth dough ball forms, about 10 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap & set aside to allow dough to rest until the filling is prepared.
Leek & Salmon Fillings
In a sauce pan, sauté garlic, leeks & mushrooms in 1 Tbsp olive oil until tender. Remove from heat & place in a dish to cool until needed later.
Prepare fresh salmon (skin, debone & slice thinly); refrigerate until ready to assemble. In a small bowl, combine all remaining filling ingredients. Set aside
Soya Broth & Veggies
In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, add 1 Tbsp olive oil. Sauté onion until it starts to soften. Add mushrooms, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini & oregano. Cook for about 2 minutes; remove veggies to a dish & set aside.
In the NON-STICK saucepan, bring all broth ingredients to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes; turn off heat.
Assembly & Cooking
On a LIGHTLY oiled work surface, roll out dough as thin as possible. Cut (20) 4-inch discs from pastry with a fluted, circular pastry cutter. Align the discs in 2 lines, making them overlap slightly. One line should consist of 12 circles & other other line the remaining 8. With your rolling pin, slightly roll over each line to help press the circles together a bit.
On the shorter line of dough, distribute cooled leek/mushroom filling. Roll up to form the center of the salmon 'rose'. The roll should hold together but not be tightly rolled so it will steam properly. On the longer line of dough circles, distribute the thinly sliced salmon. Top salmon with Panko crumb 'filling' & press with a spatula to flatten slightly.
Carefully place the rolled leek/mushroom 'center' at one end of the salmon 'line'. Roll up to form the outside rings of the 'rose'. Using a large heavy spatula, gently lift the 'rose' pastry into the center of the broth in the saucepan.
Turn on heat & bring soya broth to a gentle simmer. Cover & steam salmon/leek 'pelmeni' for about 35 minutes or until both salmon & dough are cooked. Remove to a serving plate & keep warm.
To the remaining broth in saucepan, add 1/4 cup milk & the previously sautéed veggies. Gently stir together then drizzle sauce & veggies over salmon/leek pelmeni 'rose'. Serve.
As my love affair with leeks continues, I just can’t imagine what took me so long to try them. It’s amazing how many ways there are to use these giant ‘onions’.
The ‘cordon bleu’ idea has been around forever and generally it features a specific cut of meat stuffed with ham and cheese. In this recipe, the leeks are wrapped in Swiss cheese & Canadian bacon, then baked in a béchamel sauce and served over steamed rice.
Though ham and Canadian bacon look and taste remarkably similar, they’re not the same thing. Ham comes from the back legs, specifically the thighs and rear end, while Canadian bacon comes from the center of the pig’s back otherwise known as the eye of the pork loin.
There are a few names for Canadian bacon which include back bacon and pea meal bacon. During the early part of the last century, yellow peas were ground up and used to coat and cure pork loin. This became known as pea meal bacon. Once cornmeal became more readily available, it was swapped out for the pea meal.
Probably the bacon most people are familiar with is American bacon, which comes from the belly of the pig and tends to be much fattier …. hence the name ‘streaky bacon’.
I have to be honest, I’ve never been a bacon lover (which probably stems back to my Dad’s home cured version !!) but I did find this meal light and tasty.
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Leeks Cordon Bleu
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Instructions
Remove roots, outer leaves & tops from leeks; leave 6-inches of each leek. Cut each in half crosswise. Steam, covered 8 minutes or until tender. Wrap each leek half in 1 piece of cheese & top with 4 pieces of Canadian bacon. Place leeks in an 8-inch square baking dish.
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Place flour in a small saucepan; add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Stir in broth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook 6 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat & season with salt & pepper. Pour sauce over leeks & sprinkle with panko crumbs.
Bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Serve over steamed rice.
