Spanish Rice with Seafood

Wow, OK so I haven't updated in almost a month. Things have been pretty hectic. I start my new job in three weeks, so am wrapping things up at my current job and I'm currently in the middle of doing two essays due in at the beginning of May, not much time for proper cooking or blogging.

I also had a major disaster a couple of weeks ago, my oven broke, it started sparking when I was cooking fishcakes and I haven't been brave enough to turn it on again since. So I'm ovenless! Despite this I have found plenty of hob top meals to make. The first of these being a sort of paella dish. It was unfortunately a bit bland and I think it could have done with a bit of paprika to spice things up, but not too bad.



Spanish Rice with Seafood (adapted from Olive Magazine May 2010)
(Serves 2)

1 onion, sliced
1 pepper, cut into chunks
olive oil
150g paella rice
pinch saffron
400ml chicken stock, hot
125g cooked mixed seafood
1 lemon, halved
small bunch parsley, chopped

Cook the onion and pepper in 2 tbsp olive oil in a wide, shallow pan until softened. Stir in the rice until coated in all the oils. Stir the saffron into the stock then add to the pan and stir well. Put on a lid and cook for 15 minutes until the rice is tender and the stock absorbed.

Stir in the seafood until heated through completely, then squeeze over lemon and toss through the parsley.

Sizzling Salmon with Bean Mash

I have a new job! I will start as a Librarian at a school in North London in August, my first professional post. I am really looking forward to it and the challenges that it will bring. It's very different from what I am doing now, but there are still archives to play with and I'm looking forward to teaching library and research skills to the girls. This was delicious. I loved the bean mash and will definitely be making it again, it was a nice alternative to potatoes. It looks from the picture as though I burnt the salmon but it wasn't! The picture has just come out very dark!



Sizzling Salmon with Bean Mash (from Good Food magazine May 2002)
(Serves 4)

4 skinless salmon fillets
1 lime
3 tbsp clear honey
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
3 cans butter beans, rinsed
25g butter
5 tbsp crème fraîche
1 garlic clove, crushed
100g bag rocket

Set the grill to its highest setting.

Put the salmon fillets flesh-side up and evenly spaced in a shallow flameproof dish.

Finely grate the zest of the lime into a bowl, then squeeze in the juice and stir in the honey, mustard and a good sprinkling of salt.

Pour the mixture over the salmon and grill, without turning, for 5-6 minutes until it's golden on top and cooked through (check the centre with a fork).

Meanwhile, tip the beans into a saucepan and add the butter, crème fraîche, garlic and plenty of salt and pepper. Turn the heat on to moderate and coarsely mash everything together - a wooden spoon or a masher will do the job - until hot and bubbling. This only takes a few minutes as the beans are already cooked.

Tip in the rocket and stir into the mash until it's hot and just wilted. Serve the salmon on the mash, drizzled with the cooking juices