Summer Cooking

We’ve only a couple of weeks of warm August weather left, and when the rain passes and the sun comes out, everyone needs few easy standbys for picnics and summer parties, things that don’t require a lot of planning.

Two great options are giant sausage rolls and a simple salmon roulade. They look wonderful and almost make themselves.

Giant Sausage rolls

2 sheets frozen uncooked pre-rolled puff pastry (thawed)
500g good quality sausage meat (we use Gubbeen)
handful fresh herbs
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 180º C.

Mix some finely chopped herbs into the sausage meat. Carefully unroll the pastry, and place 250g sausage meat onto each sheet. Spread the sausage meat down the longer side of the pastry, covering half the pastry. Fold over the top. (You can do this the night before and leave in the fridge).

When ready to cook, slash the very top of the pastry parcels, and place on an oiled baking sheet. Brush with the egg and cook in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Wrap in tin foil and bring to the picnic. Slice or break apart the sausage roll at the beach.

Salmon Terrine

480g fresh organic salmon, skinned and boned
1 lemon
splash white wine vinegar
2 bay leaves
10 peppercorns
salt
250g cream cheese
handful fresh dill, finely chopped
cayenne pepper
100g smoked salmon, chopped, plus some more slices to line the terrine

Pour enough water to just cover the salmon into a saucepan, add the juice of half the lemon, the vinegar, bay leaves and peppercorns. Season the water with salt, bring to the boil. Put in the salmon, turn the heat down and cook on a very gentle heat for about 6 minutes. Remove the salmon and allow to cool.

Flake the salmon and then mash with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Line a terrine with cling film (if you wet the terrine first it makes it easier). Place slices of smoked salmon all around the terrine, and then pile the mixture in the middle. Fold the slices of smoked salmon over. Leave overnight in the fridge to firm up. Unmould, and slice in wedges. Serve with crusty bread.