Celeriac Remoulade with Smoked Salmon

We have just spent a lovely few days with our friends in Lancashire, where we were treated to some fabulous meat dishes, including an amazing shoulder of lamb cooked for 21 hours.  But I find myself longing for some non-meat dishes, and the tangy spritz of celeriac remoulade did the trick.  Remoulade is really just a posh coleslaw, so don't be put off by the name.  There are numerous recipes on the web - the one thing I'd say is that some of them are a bit generous with the mustard.  This dish should have a refreshing bite from the Dijon, not a mule kick in the head.  I peeled and shredded half a large celeriac - try to get long elegant julienne matchsticks, a mandolin grater helps but patience and a sharp knife will do, too.  Blanch the strips of celeriac in a pot of boiling salted water for just 30 seconds or so, drain and refresh in cold water.  Drain again.  Now, either make your own mayo or get a jar of good old Hellman's - you need about  2 heaped tablespoons of it.  Put it in a bowl, season with a little salt, black pepper, the juice of half a lemon, a teaspoon of smooth Dijon mustard and half a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard.  Mix well.  If it is thick, thin it with a tablespoon of milk.  Adjust the mustard to your own tastes.  Now mix in a tablespoon of very finely chopped parsley, and fold the cool, drained celeriac through it.  Alllow to sit for an hour or so to develop the flavours, then serve with good smoked salmon, some freshly cooked beetroot and some rocket.  We were lucky to get wild River Lune smoked salmon from the Port of Lancaster Smokehouse and it was wonderful - tender, dry, delicate.  A fine supper indeed.

Spaghetti with Smoked Salmon, Leeks and Lemon

This is a doddle to make and was on the table about 15 minutes after the kettle went on for the pasta.  Simply saute a couple of finely-shredded leeks (the white part only - save the green tops for some soup) in a knob of butter for a few minutes to soften - don't let it take on any colour.  Grate in the zest of a lemon, then  the juice of half the lemon, a splosh of white wine or white vermouth and a couple of tablespoons of water.  Season with a little salt and lots of black pepper, and simmer very gently whilst you get on with cooking the spaghetti, a matter of six or seven minutes.  Just before it is ready, finely slice the contents of a small pack of smoked salmon - about 100g for two people.  Add about 60 ml of double cream to the pan of leeks along with the salmon.  Stir.  Drain the pasta, reserving a cup of the cooking water.  Add pasta to sauce and stir to combine, adding a little cooking water if it seems dry.  If you have any chives or fresh parsley, add that too.  Serve in hot bowls and tuck in!  Oh, and none of this 150g of pasta for two people rubbish - we use 220g for two, or 8oz in old money.  Under NO circumstances should you add parmesan to this, it will ruin it.

Hot Smoked Salmon and Chive Pate and Zanzibar cocktails

Well, another manic weekend of baking, for a street party on Saturday and a charity Macmillan Coffee morning on this coming Tuesday. I managed to squeeze time in to cook our dinner, which was yummy, and a neighbour has also given us some wonderful Punjabi vegetable curries and samosas, so we won't starve!

First off for dinner was this oh-so-simple fish pate, spread on crisp toast. Simply mash a pack of hot smoked salmon with a fork, and add half its weight in light cream cheese. Mash again and add chives and lemon juice to taste. Pot into little dishes and cover - will keep for several days. These toasts went down very well with today's cocktail, 'Zanzibars', which consist of 3 parts dry white vermouth to 1 part gin and fresh lemon juice, with sugar syrup to taste and a good splosh of orange bitters. Shake on ice and strain into a Martini glass - serve with a lemon twist.