Fresh Pasta and Two Meals in One!

Arugula Lasagna

When I first tasted this lasagna recipe, I realized that the heavy, meaty, cheesy lasagna I grew up with (and still enjoy) was not the only lasagna on the block! This is a delicate, melt in your mouth concoction, partly because of the thin homemade pasta, and partly because of the fresh flavor of the filling. This is my best interpretation of Lasagne alla Rucola I ate in Gaiole in Chianti with Tutti a Tavola, a group of 'Mamas' who invite you into their homes, and share their cooking skills. It was all a wonderful experience. The second best part of the recipe is what you can do with the remaining cooked pasta. Dried of excess moisture on dish towels, and rolled, you can store it in a zip lock bag in the frig for several days. We made Kale & Pancetta Fettucini, and it was fantastic, but you use your imagination!

PASTA:
2 cups ‘00’ Flour, or unbleached all purpose flour
3 eggs
2 tsp. EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Use well method to make pasta..or...

Add flour to food processor. Beat eggs and olive oil, and add to flour with processor running. When ball forms, stop and remove. Add little more flour to dough to keep it from being so sticky.
Knead dough about 8 minutes: push forward using heel of palm, keeping fingers bent. Fold in half,give a half turn, press hard against dough with heel of palm, and repeat. Continue to turn in same direction. Dough will finally become very smooth, and is ready to thin.
Divide into 10 pieces, wrap in Saran Wrap.
Now roll each piece through the machine beginning with several passes through #1, then increasing the number each time until the pasta becomes as thin as you want it. Flour counter well, and lay pasta strips down, flour top of strips and cover with saran wrap to keep pasta from drying out too much and sticking together while waiting to cook.
Boil strips, about 3 at a time, for 2 minutes in salted water. Remove with spider spatula and cool in ice water.
This is an interesting step: after cooling, rinse each piece under running water, and then squeeze piece out, a little like squeezing out a dish cloth, except a little gentler. This rinsing and the squeezing removes extra starch, and water. The cooked pasta, even though very thin, is stronger than you think it will be!
Now, lay the strips on dish towels, and continue until all strips are cooked. I add towels over top and stack, which dries both bottom and top of pasta.

• 1 pound fresh pasta, cooked, or lasagna noodles, prepared as directed on package
• 1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese
• 1/2 cup milk, divided, plus extra if needed after cooking
• 2/3 cups ricotta
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cup grated fresh Pecorino, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 12 ounces Arugula
• 2 tablespoons butter, plus more for buttering casserole dish
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

2 shallots thinly sliced and sauteed in butter
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Prepare 13 inch x 9 inch casserole dish with butter.
Mix together gorgonzola and 1/4 cup milk. Add ricotta, heavy cream, 1/2 cup Pecorino, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

(Look how thin the pasta is! You can see right through it to the cheese and arugula layer below!)

Chop the arugula thinly. Reserve ~12 leaves for garnish.
Saute arugula in 2 T butter just until wilted. Add minced garlic and saute for about one minute. Add arugula mixture to cheese mixture.
Add 1/4 cups milk to buttered casserole dish. Cover bottom of casserole with 3 homemade or prepared lasagna noodles. Top with a quarter of the cheese and arugula mixture.
Continue layering, ending with cheese and arugula mixture.
Top with remaining 1 cup Pecorino, pine nuts, arugula leaved and sauteed shallots

Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes. When you remove foil, if corners look dry, add a little milk to each corner.
Let lasagna rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Pancetta & Kale Fettucini

This is the leftover pasta, dried from excess moisture and rolled. You can keep this is the frig for several days.
Sauce Ingredients: chopped kale, pancetta, onions, garlic, EVOO, a little cream, grated pecorino cheese, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
Cut your pasta rolls into strips, and have them ready to add to your sauce.
Add a little olive oil to bottom of pan over medium heat. Add chopped pancetta, and cook until pancetta is browned. Add chopped onions and cook until onions become translucent. Add garlic and cook another minute or two, and then add chopped kale and red pepper flakes to taste tossing until kale is wilted. Also add salt and pepper to taste. Finally add a little cream and shredded pecorino, stirring to combine, and melt cheese. Add pasta, toss to combine and ENJOY!!

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The Daring Baker: Canadian Nanaimo Bars

It's already time for another Daring Baker Challenge, and this is a good one! While not difficult, it's delicious, and also offers a great recipe for those who have to follow a gluten-free diet. Thanks, Lauren of Celiac Teen, for offering this challenge and bringing this Canadian favorite to our attention!

Recipe:

For Gluten-Free Graham Wafers
Ingredients
1 cup (138 g) (4.9 ounces) Sweet rice flour (also known as glutinous rice flour)
3/4 cup (100 g) (3.5 ounces) Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/2 cup (65 g) (2.3 ounces) Sorghum Flour
1 cup (200 g) (7.1 ounces) Dark Brown Sugar, Lightly packed
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4 mL ) Kosher Salt
7 tablespoons (100 g) (3 ½ ounces) Unsalted Butter (Cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen)
1/3 cup (80 mL) Honey, Mild-flavoured such as clover.
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Whole Milk
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal. If making by hand, combine aforementioned dry ingredients with a whisk, then cut in butter until you have a coarse meal. No chunks of butter should be visible.
2. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.
3. Turn the dough onto a surface well-floured with sweet rice flour and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight.
4. Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of sweet rice flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be quite sticky, so flour as necessary. Cut into 4 by 4 inch squares. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place wafers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.
5. Adjust the rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
6. Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more sweet rice flour and roll out the dough to get a couple more wafers.
7. Prick the wafers with toothpick or fork, not all the way through, in two or more rows.
8. Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Might take less, and the starting location of each sheet may determine its required time. The ones that started on the bottom browned faster.
9. When cooled completely, place enough wafers in food processor to make 1 ¼ cups (300 mL) of crumbs. Another way to do this is to place in a large ziplock bag, force all air out and smash with a rolling pin until wafers are crumbs.

Nanaimo Bars
Ingredients:

For Nanaimo Bars — Bottom Layer
1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup (50 g) (1.8 ounces) Granulated Sugar
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Unsweetened Cocoa
1 Large Egg, Beaten
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) (160 g) (5.6 ounces) Gluten Free Graham Wafer Crumbs (See previous recipe)
1/2 cup (55 g) (1.9 ounces) Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)
1 cup (130 g) (4.5 ounces) Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)

For Nanaimo Bars — Middle Layer
1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons (40 mL) Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Vanilla Custard Powder (Such as Bird’s. Vanilla pudding mix may be substituted.)
2 cups (254 g) (8.9 ounces) Icing Sugar

For Nanaimo Bars — Top Layer
4 ounces (115 g) Semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons (28 g) (1 ounce) Unsalted Butter

Directions:
1. For bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.
2. For Middle Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light in colour. Spread over bottom layer.
3. For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.

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Additional Information:

These bars freeze very well, so don’t be afraid to pop some into the freezer.

The graham wafers may be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Mine lasted about that long.

If making the graham crackers with wheat, replace the gluten-free flours (tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, and sorghum flour) with 2 ½ cups plus 2 tbsp of all-purpose wheat flour, or wheat pastry flour. Watch the wheat-based graham wafers very closely in the oven, as they bake faster than the gluten-free ones, sometimes only 12 minutes.

For the Nanaimo Bars, if making with wheat, replace the gluten-free graham wafer crumbs with equal parts wheat graham wafer crumbs!
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For my bars, I did use wheat flour simply because I didn't have the necessary ingredients for the gluten-free wafers. However, I am happy to have this recipe incase I ever need it! When

I also changed the middle layer to: 1 cup peanut butter, 8 oz. cream cheese, 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, all blended well. I made this change for the same reason: I simply did not have the necessary ingredients, plus I happen to LOVE peanut butter!

I added a little Valentine twist by making some extra Graham Hearts, and the Nanaimo Bars were absolutely delicious. I urge you to try them, and of course to really simplify the recipe, you can always use store bought graham crackers in your base recipe.

'There's No Place Like--Your Twenties'

When your baby is making the leap from Twenty-Something to Thirty-Ought, you can either laugh or cry. We chose to laugh all the way to the party! I don't know who was laughing more, Becki or me. After all, if Beck is passing into the third T decade, that means I'm well into the S's. Yikes. Where did the time go? But, Who's Counting?

I first saw the original recipe for this cake, Chocolate Stout Cake by Hubert Keller onwww.thehungrymouse.com. Miss Mouse gives a wonderful tutorial through pictures of the entire recipe, and the cake looked so delicious, I had to make it. I made it once as per the recipe with good results, and then started changing it a bit. The cake remains basically the same, other than using Blue Moon Beer rather than the Stout originally called for. This was for my daughter's 'once in a Blue Moon turning 30' birthday, and Blue Moon is her favorite beer. I also used ricotta cheese rather than sour cream. The major changes came in the cream filling, and icing, plus I added a raspberry coating to each layer, which makes the cake even more moist. Whether you use the original, or my changed version, the cake is delicious, decadent, and worth the effort. Plus, because of the four layers and filling, it offers many servings.

• Blue Moon Cake:
• melted butter and parchment for preparing 2 nine inch cake pans
• 1 cup Blue Moon Beer
• 2 sticks butter
• 3/4 cups Special Dark Cocoa Powder
• 2 cups plain flour
• 2 cups regular sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cups ricotta
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Heat beer and butter in saucepan over medium heat. When butter is melted, add cocoa powder, and whisk to combine. Remove from heat and cool.
• Cut parchment paper to fit bottom of pans. Brush pan with melted butter, add parchment, and brush top of parchment with butter.
• Combine remaining dry ingredients, and whisk in small mixing bowl.
• Add eggs and ricotta to large mixing bowl, and beat to combine. While still beating on low speed, gradually add cooled chocolate and butter mixture to egg mixture. Then add dry ingredients, and fold with a spatula to finish combining. Don't over beat.
• Divide batter evenly between the two pans. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven to racks, cool for ten minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on racks, discarding the parchment paper.
• When cakes are completely cooled, cut each cake into two even layers, for a total of 4 layers, and set aside while making filling and icing. (If there is any 'doming' on either cake, remove the dome to make layers fit together well.)

• Mocha Cream and Raspberry Filling and Chocolate Ganache Icing:
• 10 ounces Seedless Raspberry Preserves
• 1 1/2 cup cold heavy cream, plus 3 T heavy cream for frosting
• 2/3 cups regular sugar
• 1/3 cup Regular Cocoa Powder (not special dark)
• 1 tablespoon Espresso instant coffee granules
• 1 tablespoon boiling water
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cups 60% cacao chocolate pieces
• Put 3 tablespoons butter in small sauce pan over medium heat with chocolate pieces. Stir until melted and smooth, then remove from heat and whisk in 3 tablespoons heavy cream. Set ganache aside to cool and thicken, and continue putting cake together.
• Place one cake layer on serving plate and spread one-fourth of the raspberry preserves evenly over top.
• Stir espresso and boiling water together until coffee is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
• Whisk sugar and cocoa powder together in medium sized mixing bowl. Add cold heavy whipping cream and beat on high until it holds its shape well. Fold espresso into whipped cream.
• Spread one-third of whipped mocha cream on top of cake on serving plate. Top with another layer, spread with another fourth of the raspberry preserves, and another third of the mocha cream. Add another cake layer, repeat raspberry preserves, and remaining mocha cream. Finish with final cake layer, and remaining raspberry preserves.
• If ganache icing is cooled and thickened enough to pour over cake, continue with icing. Otherwise, refrigerate cake until ready to ice.
• Pour about half the ganache around the outside top of the cake letting it drizzle down the sides. Pour remaining icing over the top and quickly spread with offset spatula to smooth. You can leave the sides of the cake with decorative drips, or smooth over sides with offset spatula.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• ENJOY!

While we were all 'hoorah-ing' over the birthday, Brady was making a move on Maxie in the bedroom. When she realized the paparazzi were watching, she resisted, but I have it on good authority that on occasion, she is the aggressor!

Shrimp Pad Thai

I've been experimenting with recipes new to my palate. Pad Thai is a refreshing, light meal, and is equally delicious with shrimp or chicken. When we're at the coast, it seems foolish not to take advantage of the local shrimp.

We enjoy the bright flavors, and ease of preparation this dish offers. It doesn't hurt that a moderate serving is also calorie friendly.

You can see in the pictures that I've used a recipe straight from my computer. There are step by step tutorial pictures which make the recipes no-fail. This is from one of my favorite food sites, http://www.thehungrymouse.com.

Have all your ingredients ready before beginning. The recipe goes together quickly. Enjoy!

Shrimp Pad Thai

(recipe from http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/pad-thai and adapted by www.thehungrymouse.com )

Yield: makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

12oz (350g) flat rice noodles

4 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 small hot red chile, seeded and finely chopped

9oz (250g) large shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 shallots, finely chopped

4 large eggs, beaten

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp Thai fish sauce

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

9oz (250g) bean sprouts

4 scallions, white and green parts, sliced

1 cup unsalted roasted peanuts

1 lime cut into 4 wedges, to serve

Directions

1. Soak the noodles in a bowl of hot water to cover for about 15 minutes, or until soft. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add 2 tbsp of the oil, then the cilantro and chile. Immediately add the shrimp and stir-fry until the shrimp look opaque around the edges, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate.

3. Add the remaining oil to the wok. Add the shallots and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the eggs and sugar and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, until the eggs are scrambled.

4. Stir in the oyster sauce, fish sauce, and lime juice. Add the noodles, bean sprouts, and shrimp. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the scallions and ½ cup of the peanuts, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Sprinkle with the remaining peanuts and garnish with lime wedges to serve.

Daring Cooks Challenge: Pork Satay with Peanut Sauce

This month's Daring Cooks Challenge was a delicious recipe for satay, an Indonesian dish of marinated meat, threaded on skewers and either grilled or broiled, usually served with a peanut dipping sauce. We could choose the meat we wanted to use, as well as the sauce. I chose pork and the traditional Peanut Sauce. This was a great recipe, easy to execute, and while I would normally choose the grilling technique, the sub-freezing weather made the broiler seem much friendlier!

Depending on the ingredients you select,
Time Table

• 	Prep	Marinate	Cook
  Pork	30 min.	4 – 24 hrs	20 min.
  Beef/Lamb	30 min.	6 – 24 hrs	20 min.
  Chicken	30 min.	2 – 12 hrs	10 – 15 min.
  Vegetables	5 - 10 min.	2 hrs	5 - 10 min.
  Tofu	5 - 10 min.	2 hrs	5 - 10 min.

Pork Satay with Peanut Sauce

Satay Marinade


1/2 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 T ginger root, chopped (optional) (2 cm cubed)
2 T lemon juice (1 oz or 30 mls)
1 T soy sauce (0.5 oz or 15 mls)
1 tsp ground coriander (5 mls)
1 tsp ground cumin (5 mls)
1/2 tsp ground turmeric (2-2.5 mls)
2 T vegetable oil (or peanut or olive oil) (30 mls)
1 pound of pork (loin or shoulder cuts) (16 oz or 450g)

Feeling the need to make it more Thai? Try adding a dragon chili, an extra tablespoon of ginger root, and 1 tablespoon (0.5 oz or 15 mls) of fish sauce. (I keep some premature (still green) dragon chili peppers in the freezer for just such an occasion.)

Directions:
1a. Cheater alert: If you have a food processor or blender, dump in everything except the pork and blend until smooth. Lacking a food processor, I prefer to chop my onions, garlic and ginger really fine then mix it all together in a medium to large bowl.
2a. Cut pork into 1 inch strips.
3a. Cover pork with marinade. You can place the pork into a bowl, cover/seal and chill, or place the whole lot of it into a ziplock bag, seal and chill.




Chill Chart

Pork	Beef/Lamb	Chicken	Vegetables	Tofu (no oil)
4-8 hrs Up to 24 hrs	6-8 hrs Up to 24 hrs	1-4 hours Up to 12 hrs	20 min – 2 hrs Up to 4 hrs	20 min – 4 hrs Up to 12 hrs

Faster (cheaper!) marinade:


2 T vegetable oil (or peanut or olive oil) (1 oz or 30 mls)
2 T lemon juice (1 oz or 30 mls)
1 T soy sauce (0.5 oz or 15 mls)
1 tsp ginger powder (5 mls)
1 tsp garlic powder (5 mls)
1 tsp cayenne pepper (5 mls)

Directions:
1b. Mix well.
2b. Cut pork into 1 inch thick strips (2-2.5 cm thick), any length.
3b. Cover pork with marinade. You can place the pork into a bowl, cover/seal and chill, or place the whole lot of it into a ziplock bag, seal and chill.

Cooking Directions (continued):

4. If using wooden or bamboo skewers, soak your skewers in warm water for at least 20 minutes before preparing skewers.
5. Gently and slowly slide meat strips onto skewers. Discard leftover marinade.*
6. Broil or grill at 290°C/550° F (or pan fry on medium-high) for 8-10 minutes or until the edges just start to char. Flip and cook another 8-10 minutes.

* If you’re grilling or broiling, you could definitely brush once with extra marinade when you flip the skewers.




Peanut Sauce

3/4 cup coconut milk (6 oz or 180 mls)
4 Tbsp peanut butter (2 oz or 60 mls)
1 Tbsp lemon juice (0.5 oz or 15 mls)
1 Tbsp soy sauce (0.5 oz or 15 mls)
1 tsp brown sugar (5 mls)
1/2 tsp ground cumin (2.5 mls)
1/2 tsp ground coriander (2.5 mls)
1-2 dried red chilies, chopped (keep the seeds for heat)


1. Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add soy sauce and lemon, mix well.
2. Over low heat, combine coconut milk, peanut butter and your soy-lemon-seasoning mix. Mix well, stir often.
3. All you’re doing is melting the peanut butter, so make your peanut sauce after you’ve made everything else in your meal, or make ahead of time and reheat.

Can It Really be Healthy AND Delicious?

YES!!! Quinoa and Kale Pilaf with Salmon Papillotes

Browsing other food blogs really paid off this week! I found two recipes that flew right to the top of the 'Favorites' list. The blog is www.food52.com, and the recipes were finalists in a search for New Year's Resolution Recipes, and from two different bloggers.

The Quinoa and Kale Pilaf caught my eye first because I love quinoa. Some time ago I found quinoa flakes, similar to oatmeal, and I've been eating them for breakfast ever since. You can go sweet, with fruit and nuts, or savory with a little butter or olive oil, salt and pepper. Quinoa (nutritional and health value) is a complete protein source, with high levels of B vitamins, manganese, magnesium and iron. While the texture makes you think of eating a grain, quinoa is really a seed. Mixed with kale, a phytonutrient-rich leafy green (nutritional and health value), you can't find a recipe that is much healthier! Then you add scallions, a little goat cheese, walnut oil, fresh lemon juice and zest, and pine nuts and you have a recipe filled with loads of complimenting flavors. As if this wouldn't be enough, Deensiebat (blog, Mostly Foodstuffs), the originator of this recipe, came up with a one pot, twenty minute total time recipe that couldn't be easier. Here is a link to her blog: http://mostlyfoodstuffs.blogspot.com/2010/01/kale-and-quinoa-pilaf.html#comment-form. I can't wait to try more of her recipes! This one is just too good not to share with my friends!

Kale and Quinoa Pilaf

serves 2-4

1 cup quinoa

1 bunch lacinato kale, washed and chopped into 1" lengths (I used regular kale)

1 meyer or regular lemon, zested and juiced

2 scallions, minced (optional)

1 tablespoon toasted walnut oil or olive oil

3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta cheesesalt and pepper

Bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil in a pot. Add the quinoa, cover, and lower the heat until it is just enough to maintain a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then top with the kale and re-cover. Simmer another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to steam for 5 more minutes.
While the quinoa is cooking, take a large serving bowl and combine half of the lemon juice (reserving the other half), all of the lemon zest, scallions, walnut or olive oil, pine nuts, and cheese.
Check the quinoa and kale when the cooking time has completed -- the water should have absorbed, and the quinoa will be tender but firm, and the kale tender and bright green. If the quinoa still has a hard white center, you can steam a bit longer (adding more water if needed). When the quinoa and kale are done, fluff the pilaf, and tip it into the waiting bowl with the remaining ingredients. As the hot quinoa hits the scallions and lemon it should smell lovely. Toss to combine, seasoning with salt and pepper, and the remaining lemon juice if needed.

The other recipe I found on Food 52 was for Salmon Papillotes, very simple, easy, straight forward, healthy and oddly enough, paired beautifully with the Quinoa and Kale. The salmon recipe comes from Babette's Feast, http://www.food52.com/cooks/7466_babettes_feast.

Salmon Papillotes with Red Peppercorns, Lime and Fresh Ginger

5 fillets of fresh salmon (about 7 ounces each)

• 2 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 tablespoons red peppercorns
• 1 1/2 limes – freshly juiced
• Sichuan Pepper
• salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 5 sprigs fresh dill
• 5 teaspoons thick cream
• Fleur de Sel
• 1 tablespoon fresh Chives cut in small pieces

1. Take 2 large pieces of aluminium foil (or parchment paper) the same length and put one on top of the other, both shiny sides outside. Roll together on the length the aluminium foil together to make a seam and tighten it. Roll this seam 2 more times and press on it so the 2 pieces of aluminium foil are tight together. Gently open the aluminium foil. Press on the seam which is now in the middle and you have a double width aluminium piece of foil that can take all the pieces inside. Turn the aluminium so the seam is perpendicular to you and you have a wide aluminium piece. Fold it in half and lightly press so you know where the middle is.
2. Clean the salmon fillets of all bones and if you prefer take the skin. Otherwise when putting the fish on the aluminium put it skin down. Season the salmon fillets with a pinch of salt, freshly ground Sichuan pepper, lime juice and grated ginger.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Place the aluminium foil on a baking tray so that the bottom half is sitting on the tray. Drizzle the olive oil on the aluminium half nearer to you, place the salmon with the seasoning and add the red peppercorns that you lightly crush with your hands. Place the dill on top of each salmon fillet and fold the top half of the aluminium towards you. Go round the aluminium folding together the 2 foils (top and bottom) 2 or 3 times so you completely seal all around.
5. Bake in the oven around 10 minutes, depending how thick the fish fillets are. The papillote, if closed tightly, should blow up with the steam that the water in the fish let’s out.
6. Discard the dill, serve one fillet per person on a bed of sautéed vegetables for example spinach. Place on top of each salmon fillet 1 teaspoon of thick cream, sprinkle with some chopped chives and a little Fleur de Sel.