Hazelnut & Rosemary Crusted Salmon with Leek & Kale Pappardelle

Hellooo! When people ask me about what the most memorable thing from my recent trip to the US was, I show no hesitation in saying that it’s all about the food. It’s not only the food itself, the taste and textures I savoured at that moment, but rather the ideas, the inspiration for new flavour combinations, the motivation to try new ingredients I’ve never cooked before… That’s what I gained most from the trip! I’ve had more than my fair share of indulgence- read plenty of burgers, brunches, amazing ice creams and when I got back I was thinking how I should get to a healthy eating plan for a while. But then I realised this was silly, healthy eating is a lifestyle, not exactly something you can so easily fit in a time frame which when you feel you’ve done long enough (more like when you’re sick of it), you lapse back to bad eating habits. So I decided although the original concept of the blog focused on desserts with ‘a swoonful of sugar’, I hope to begin balancing that with some quick and healthy aaand hearty meals too! I hope you’ll enjoy these recipes and understand that I want to venture out and not want to limit myself to sweet recipes. Sometimes, even the perfectionist in me do grow tired of the glorious precision needed in baking and throwing out scales/measuring cups /recipes out the window and still having a beautiful end product of experimentation can be so satisfying, you know what I’m saying right?

Hazelnut & Rosemary Crusted Salmon with Leek & Kale Pappardelle

For the Salmon:

• one handful hazelnuts, toasted, skins removed
• 1/2 tbs dried or fresh rosemary, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 4 salmon fillets
• 1/4 lemon
• olive oil

1. Chop hazelnuts until they are smaller than the size of a pea. In a bowl combine hazelnuts, rosemary and salt and pepper.
2. Squeeze lemon over the salmon fillets and coat with hazelnut mixture. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil. Bake at 200C for 12-15 minutes until nuts are golden brown and fish is cooked through (when you press it should give a little resistance). Serves 4.

For the Pappardelle:

• 300g pappardelle pasta
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 cups packed kale leaves, tough stems removed
• 1/2 leek, cut lengthways and sliced thinly
• 20g butter
• 2 tbs cream, or creme fraiche
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

1. Blanch kale leaves by cooking in boiling water for about 3-5 minutes and immediately running under cold water. Chop cooked kale into thin strips.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to packet instructions. Strain and use immediately.
3. Heat about one tablespoon of oil in a large pan. Add garlic and sautee until golden brown and fragrant. Add the leeks and cook until translucent- about 5 minutes. Add kale leaves and sautee for a further two minutes. Add the butter and stir to melt, evenly coating the leeks and kale. Add in the pasta, cream and olive oil. Stir through until well combined. Take off heat and season with salt and pepper. Serve with salmon.

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