Ren Behan - Author Wild Honey and Rye

Food Writer

Smoked Salmon

Asparagus, Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Pasta

 British asparagus season is in full swing!

Asparagus, Salmon and Cream Cheese Pasta
A simple, seasonal dish ready in minutes!

I’ve been craving the combination of smoked salmon and cream cheese in every form this week, which is unusual for me. Strong, salty flavours are vying for my attention, as well as the sourness of beetroot and pickled cucumbers. Still, at 37 weeks pregnant, it could be worse and at least my sweet tooth has been calmed. I’ve also been eating plenty of fresh, British asparagus, as it’s in season now in the UK, with some of the best spears coming from the counties of Lincolnshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire. The Vale of Evesham is also renowned for its asparagus, with the British Asparagus Festival 2014 running between 23rd April and 21st June. This pasta dish of asparagus, smoked salmon and cream cheese is very quick to make with just a few ingredients. I’ve used small penne tubes, though any small pasta shapes work well with this almost-instant cream cheese sauce.

Asparagus, Salmon and Cream Cheese Pasta

Asparagus, Salmon and Cream Cheese Pasta

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Asparagus, Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Pasta

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Total

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British asparagus spears, paired with smoked salmon in a simple and quick cream cheese sauce with penne

Ingredients

  • 250g/ one cup dried Penne pasta, or other small shapes
  • One bunch/one cup fresh asparagus, chopped into one inch pieces
  • 200g/ 3/4 cup cream cheese, regular or light
  • A glug of olive oil
  • 120g (one small packet) smoked salmon
  • Fresh dill to garnish
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Once boiling, add in the pasta shapes and cook for 8 minutes, or according to the packet instructions.
  2. Two minutes before the end of cooking time, add the chopped asparagus to the water. Take out one cup of pasta water for the sauce. After two minutes, drain the pasta and asparagus.
  3. Add the cup of pasta water back into the same pan, stir in the cream cheese and a glug of olive oil, season with sea salt and pepper. Add in the cooked pasta and asparagus.
  4. Stir through the chopped smoked salmon, leaving a few pieces to garnish the top. Sprinkle over the fresh dill and serve immediately.

Courses Main

Cuisine Italian

I’m entering this dish into a few blog event challenges this month. Firstly, to Pasta Please! created by Jac of Tinned Tomatoes and this month hosted by Nazima at Franglais Kitchen with a theme of pasta sauces.

pasta please

Next, the post goes on to Four Seasons Food, celebrating all things spring. This event is jointly hosted by Louisa at Eat Your Veg and  Anneli at Delicieux.

fsf-spring

And finally, to my own Simple and in Season Spring, open here.

Simple and in Season

More asparagus recipes to try

British Asparagus and Westcombe Cheddar Tart for JamieOliver.com

British Asparagus, Spinach, Halloumi and Beetroot Salad

Fresh Pasta with Asparagus, Goat’s Cheese and Lemon

Asparagus, Salmon and Cream Cheese Pasta

 Have you been enjoying any seasonal asparagus in simple, family meals?

Next week it’s National Vegetarian Week so look out for plenty of veg-packed recipes!

Cocktails, Canapés and a Merry Christmas from Fabulicious Food!

The very fact that I am sitting here on Christmas Eve morning blogging means that everything is ready, packed, wrapped and prepared for Christmas. Except that it isn’t. I’m just about to go and help set the table ready in preparation for our huge Polish Christmas Eve celebration meal later on today and in between all of that there are still presents to exchange and people to see!

But just before things really get going, I wanted to share my last post of the season, mainly to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, full of tasty treats, good health and happiness. I would also like to thank you all for reading and supporting Fabulicious Food! this year and for being here to share all of my foodie adventures with me.

Here are a couple of very quick ideas for some of my favourite cocktails and canapés, in case you are hosting or entertaining over the holidays. Over the festive period, we’ll be having smoked salmon blinis and sticky sausages, washed down with a Polish Martini and a Cherry Brandy and Babycham or two.

Sneaking in a quick post also means that I can join in with the tenth Forever Nigella over at Maison Cupcake. It does, of course, have a festive feel to it as the challenge is called Christmas Presence. As Nigella says, “A party just isn’t a party without a sticky sausage or three” and I agree!  

Scottish Birch and Juniper Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Blinis

Ingredients:

1 packet of Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Responsibly Sourced Scottish Birch and Juniper Smoked Salmon

1 x packet canapé blinis

1/2 packet cream cheese 

A few sprigs of fresh dill

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Place the blinis on a baking tray and cook them for 4 minutes.

2. Leave them to cool a touch and then spread a small amount of cream cheese on each one. Lay a piece of smoked salmon across the top and garnish with a sprig of dill.

Polish Martini Cocktail

I first had one of these at the bar of my favourite restaurant Baltic in Blackfriars. The original calls for Krupnik, which is a Polish Honey Vodka. As it is very difficult to get in the UK, instead I add half a teaspoon of runny honey, but you have to shake the cocktail well in order for the honey to dissolve. Both vodkas are available at larger supermarkets.

1 part Polish vodka, such as Wyborowa or Luksusowa

2 parts Żubrówka, Polish Bison Grass Vodka

1/2 teaspoon runny honey

4 parts apple juice, cloudy, such as Copella or Innocent

A few cubes of ice

1 star anise to decorate  

Add the vodka, honey, apple juice and ice to a cocktail shaker. Shake really well, strain into a martini glass and place a star anise in each glass to decorate.

Nigella’s Cranberry and Soy Glazed Cocktail Sausages

(Adapted from Nigella’s Christmas – Entry for Forever Nigella

Ingredients:

120g cranberry sauce

60ml soy sauce

Juice of half an orange

50 cocktails sausages

The original recipe calls for the addition of Thai chilli sauce, but I prefer to just double the quantity of cranberry sauce. I made my own this year, so I just used that. I didn’t have any limes or clementines to hand so I just used the juice of half an orange. 

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

2. Mix the cranberry sauce with the soy sauce and orange juice. Pour over the sausages making sure they are all well coated.

3. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, giving them a little mix half way through. Serve and enjoy! 

Cherry Brandy and Babycham Cocktail

I also found all the ingredients at Sainsbury’s. If you can’t find any Babycham, use sparkling wine or Prosecco instead.

2 parts Cherry Brandy

2 parts Babycham Sparkling Perry

1 cocktail cherry on a stick

No method really, pour it all in a glass and use your cherry on a stick to mix! 

For festive sweet treats pop along and read some of my previous posts –

Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cupcakes

Christmas Tiramisu Trifle