Strawberries & Cream Quick Trifle Pots

June Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner:

Salmon, Watercress & Strawberry Delights!

Summer Vegetable Medley with Chive Butter

Welcome to June’s Thrifty and Organic Meal Planner; this month I have created three simple recipes that won’t break the bank or take up too much time in the kitchen; and, one of the component parts of the salmon recipe, the watercress and spring onion rice, can be served as a vegetarian recipe in its own right, or as an accompaniment. These three recipes reflect the seasons and you should have no trouble tracking down the ingredients.  All three dishes would be wonderful for any summer dinner party gathering as well as for a special family weekend lunch, OR for a picnic – they are easy to make and will hopefully be enjoyed outside if the weather is kind. The SIX core ingredients for June are:

Core Ingredients for JUNE

Salmon; Broad Beans; Watercress; Spring Onions; Rice and Strawberries

Menu Plan and Recipes for June:

Salmon en Croûte with Watercress & Spring Onions

Summer Vegetable Medley with Chive Butter

Strawberries & Cream Quick Trifle Pots

Salmon en Croûte with Watercress & Spring Onions

The other wonderful thing is that for the Salmon en Croûte with Watercress & Spring Onions recipe, you DON’T have to buy an expensive whole side of salmon (or a large salmon fillet) as individual salmon pieces work JUST as well and are usually cheaper to buy. Not only are my recipes for June easy to make and very seasonal, but they yield lots of leftovers, which brings the cost per person price down and keeps them very thrifty as well as organic of course. Leftovers are an essential part of keeping costs down when budgeting for the family, and just because I have used organic ingredients, doesn’t mean that I can’t still keep the costs down to a very frugal level, as regular Lavender and Lovage readers will see from last month’s menu and recipes here: Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner for May: Chicken, Exotic Spices and Floral Fruit

Watercress, Spring Onions and Rice

So, let’s get down to numbers, here’s my shopping list for this month and the costs, as well as my costings per head for the meal planner. Please Note: I have only listed the main ingredients in each recipe; “pantry staples” such as flour, oil, sugar, seasoning, spices and herbs have not been added, unless they are a large part of the recipe or are a core ingredient for the month. 

Shopping List for June:

700g whole salmon fillet or fillets = £10:00 (special offer at Sainsburys)

150g watercress = £2:60

Spring onions = 0:85

Basmati Rice = 0:50

Puff pastry = £1:00

1 egg = 0:25

450g broad beans = £2:00

450g potatoes = £2:00

200g carrots = 0:50

50g butter = 0:25

chives = 0:80

400g strawberries = £2:00

Cream = £1:20

Amaretti biscuits = £1:00

TOTAL: £24:95

Individual meal breakdown costs:

Salmon en Croûte with Watercress & Spring Onions = £15:20

Price per person, serves 8 = £1:90 per person

Summer Vegetable Medley with Chive Butter = £5:55

Price per person, serves 6 = 0:92  per person

Strawberries & Cream Quick Trifle Pots = £4:20

Price per person, serves 6 = 0:70 per person

NOTE: There is some excess rice filling for the salmon, about 2 to 3 portions which cold be used as an accompaniment or as a veggie meal – when this is taken into consideration, it reduces the salmon price per head down to approximately £1:50 a head.

Strawberries & Cream Quick Trifle Pots

As usual, I like to suggest alternative recipes and leftovers ideas, and here are my suggestions for June:

Other Recipe Ideas with Core Ingredients:

Salmon Curry with Basmati Rice

Poached Salmon and Watercress salad

Salmon Pancakes with Watercress Sauce

Salmon and Spring Onion Chowder

Salmon & Vegetable Rice Bake

Spring Vegetable Gratin

Vegetable Pasties

Strawberry Tarts

Strawberry Pavlova

Strawberry Pancakes

Leftover Ideas:

The Salmon en Croûte can be served cold for lunch boxes and picnics, as well as with salads for a light lunch

Spring Bubble and Squeak (Vegetables)

Rice and Vegetable Salad

Spiced Summer Rice and Vegetable Broth

Eton Mess

Strawberry Compote

Salmon en Croûte with Summer Vegetable Medley and Chive Butter

I hope I have inspire you to make some of these June Thrifty and Organic recipes, I would just like to point out that I shopped at various outlets, as well as using my own organic, free-range eggs in one recipe. I shopped at Morrisons, Aldi, Sainsbury’s and various local farm shops – and in many cases I took advantage of special offers on organic produce as they approached their “sell by date”. (Prices are correct at time of publishing) That’s all for now, see you next month with my new menu plan, and I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as my family did if you make them, Karen 

Salmon en Croûte

Salmon en Croute with Watercress & Spring Onions

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Serves	6 to 8
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	50 minutes
Total time	1 hours, 5 minutes
Allergy	Egg, Fish
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish
Misc	Child Friendly, Gourmet, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot
Occasion	Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Thanksgiving, Valentines day
Region	British
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

An elegant and delicious twist on the classic Salmon Coulibiac; this version is less rich and uses fresh seasonal watercress as a base for the rice filling, as well as spring onions. Can be served warm or cold and freezes beautifully.

Ingredients

• 500g ready-made puff pastry
• 700g to 750g salmon fillet, boned and skinless (or salmon steaks, skinless and boned)
• 100g cooked Basmati rice
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• large bunch of watercress, about 200g, chopped finely
• small bunch of spring onions, trimmed and chopped
• 50g butter
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg, beaten with a little milk (to glaze)

Note

An elegant and delicious twist on the classic Salmon Coulibiac; this version is less rich and uses fresh seasonal watercress as a base for the rice filling, as well as spring onions. Can be served warm or cold and freezes beautifully.

Directions

Step 1	Pre-heat oven to 20C/450F/Gas mark 6.
Step 2	Put the butter in a large frying pan and melt, add the chopped spring onions and fry for 5 minutes; add the juice and lemon zest and the watercress and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the watercress has wilted but is still a vibrant green. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Step 3	Roll out half of the pastry to a long oblong shape, big enough to sit the salmon fillet (or steaks) on top with a wide border of about 1 1/2 " (4cms).
Step 4	Spoon half of the rice mixture over and then sit the salmon on top before spooning the rest of the rice mixture over the top. (If using small salmon steaks or fillets, push them together so there are no gaps)
Step 5	Roll out the remaining pastry, brush the edges of the pastry bottom with beaten egg and place the pastry lid on top, sealing around the edges and crimping. Trim if necessary to make a neat shape. Brush the whole pie with beaten egg and decorate with pastry leaves and shapes.
Step 6	Bake in pre-heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Allow to sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into slices and serving with seasonal vegetables.

Summer Vegetable Medley with Chive Butter

Summer Vegetable Medley with Chive Butter

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Serves	4 to 6
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	20 minutes
Total time	35 minutes
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Side Dish
Misc	Serve Hot
Occasion	Birthday Party, Casual Party, Easter, Formal Party, Valentines day
Region	British
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A delightful medley of early summer vegetables that are all dressed in chive butter - perfect as an accompaniment to fish, especially salmon and roast chicken, as well as tarts and quiches.

Ingredients

• 450g broad beans
• 450g new potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small pieces if large
• 200g carrots, peeled and cut into small batons
• 50g butter
• fresh chives with chive flowers (snipped into small pieces)

Note

A delightful medley of early summer vegetables that are all dressed in chive butter - perfect as an accompaniment to fish, especially salmon and roast chicken, as well as tarts and quiches.

Directions

Step 1	Place the potatoes into a saucepan with cold water and bring to the boil, boil for 5 minutes before adding the carrots, boil for a further 5 minutes before finally adding the broad beans and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the vegetables all cooked.
Step 2	Meanwhile, add the chopped/snipped chives to the butter and mix well; add some chive flowers too for extra colour if you have any available.
Step 3	Add the chive butter to the cooked vegetables and spoon them into a serving bowl, garnishing with more chopped/snipped chives and flowers.
Step 4	NB: I don't tend to add salt to the water, as it toughens the broad beans, season to taste at the table.

Strawberries & Cream Quick Trifle Pots

Strawberries & Cream Quick Trifle Pots

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Serves	4 to 6
Prep time	10 minutes
Allergy	Milk
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Dessert
Misc	Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold
Occasion	Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party, Formal Party, Valentines day
Region	British
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

This deceptively easy to assemble dessert makes the most of seasonal strawberries - served "trifle" style in water glasses, if you want to make the dessert more "grown up", add some sherry or liqueur of your choice.

Ingredients

• 16 to 20 amaretti biscuits (crumbled)
• 600mls extra thick double cream
• 400g fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced (mixed with 2 tablespoons icing sugar)
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar
• whole fresh strawberries (for garnish)

Note

This deceptively easy to assemble dessert makes the most of seasonal strawberries - served "trifle" style in water glasses, if you want to make the dessert more "grown up", add some sherry or liqueur of your choice.

Directions

Step 1	Take 4 to 6 water glasses and spoon some crushed amaretti biscuits in the bottom.
Step 2	Add some of the sliced strawberries and any juice then some thick cream.
Step 3	Repeat the layers one more time finishing with cream and garnish with a whole strawberry.
Step 4	For a grown-up version of this dessert, drizzle your favourite liqueur over the amaretti biscuits.

Disclaimer: Organic UK is paying me an agreed fee to create and develop these Thrifty and Organic Recipes. However, as I am a big supporter of organic produce, I am happy to share these sponsored organic recipes and posts on my blog, for the benefit of my readers.

Salmon en Croûte with Summer Vegetable Medley and Chive Butter

Salmon en Croûte with Summer Vegetable Medley and Chive Butter

Strawberries & Cream Quick Trifle Pots