Smoked Trout Wraps

I love wraps. When I first had one, it was stuffed with ham, lettuce, sweet corn and red pepper, it felt totally exotic to me, which seems completely daft now but that’s how it felt, for goodness sake, I thought subway was gourmet food. Mind you after eating pork chops, boiled potatoes, and peas and carrots out of a jar – frozen pizza, spaghetti with tomato sauce and scrambled egg, every week, anything would seem gourmet after that. When I moved in with Glen, wraps became a regular staple in our house, sometimes we would eat them as a main meal, other times I would make them for lunch or midnight drunken munchies. I’ve filled them with all sorts of things, smoked salmon, crab, prawns, tuna, bacon and egg; I have made BLTs and chicken Caesar. These smoked trout ones are really very good. Mager Quark is a German low fat – yogurt, cheese type substance, similar to fromage frais or ricotta, because it is low fat, it makes a slightly healthier option to mayonnaise, but still gives you that moistness that you get mayonnaise, less of the fat. I prefer mayo, but I have used Ranch, Greek yogurt and salad cream. I sometimes use cream cheese, like Philadelphia which is also quite nice. The trout paste that makes up these wraps is really delicious and would make a lovely start served in little bowls with warm toast, or you could serve it on top of tiny bite sized toasts, with the paste piled high on top.

Smoked Trout Wraps

250g smoked trout

50g mager quark

1tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

1-2tbsp lemon juice

1 bunch of chives

4 green lettuce leaves

4 tortilla wraps

1.       Shred the trout, and then add the quark, oil, salt and pepper, and 1tbsp of the lemon juice. Puree the trout mixture but leave it a little chunky. Wash the chives and finely chop, and then add them to the trout puree, cover and chill for 30 minutes.

2.       Once your mixture is chilled, season with salt and pepper and the remaining lemon juice. Wash the lettuce and slice, warm the wraps according to the package directions, layer first with the lettuce, then the trout paste, wrap and then cut an angle.

Potato Salad

There are so many varients of this recipe you could easily write a book just on potato salad alone. This one is slightly different from the one I make, this one was passed on to me by my American Aunty. They are equally nice and I couldn't and wouldn't put a finger on which one I prefer.

Kathleen's Potato Salad

3 large baking potatoes

2 thinly sliced celery stalks

2 thinly sliced scallions (whites and a little green)

2/3 cup light sour cream

1 cup light mayonnaise

salt and pepper

fresh dill

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 hard boiled eggs (optional)

1. Boil the potatoes in their skins, once cooked through, peel whilst hot then drizzle with the rice wine vinegar.

2. Mix the light sour cream and the mayonnaise with salt and pepper, add the celery, scallions and dill (I'm not too keen so only add a little sprig or two) Once the potatoes are cooled chop into bite sized bits, then add the sour cream mixture, gently mix to coat the potatoes. I cut the boiled eggs in half and use to decorate the top of the salad as not everyone like egg in their potato salad.

Marinated Shrimp Salad

This marinated shrimp recipe is perfect. It hits all the right spots. It looks good, tastes good, and is easy to make. It’s great party food. I also made an ice bowl to go with it, so that I could leave it on the table for people to help themselves over a period of time and not worry about whether or not the shrimp would spoil in the heat.

Marinated Shrimp Salad

2 lbs cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1 medium lemon cut into slices

1 cup pitted ripe olives drained

1/2 cup evoo

1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

1 bay leaf

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1. In a large glass serving bowl combine the shrimp, onion, lemons and olives.

2. In a jar with a tight fitting lid, add the rest of the ingredients; shake well, and pour over the shrimp, then very carefully stir to coat.

3. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, stirring occasionally. Discard the bay leaf before serving.

Eggy!!!

I can’t remember why I made this salad, I remember where I was, but for the life of me not the why? It’s nice but I think it would be much nicer as a sandwich filler….

Egg Salad

¼ cup Mayonnaise
2 tsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
6 hard boiled eggs
½ cup cooked leeks

1. In a large bowl mix together the, mayo, lemon, and the salt and pepper.. then carefully stir in the eggs and leeks.

Wow! That was really weak..... I'll have to blog a second tonight! LMAO........... literally!!!