httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMJeO30hOQk

INGREDIENTS

• 2 liters of whole milk
• 1 cup of cream
• half a cup of apple cider vinegar
• 4 fillets of Trout
• Oil
• Honey
• 2 thumbs Ginger
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 1 lemon
• Butter
• 2 rolls of puff pastry
• indian spices mix ( hand made or pre made)
• 800g to 1KG of fresh spinach
• 3 onions

 

MAKING THE PANEER

Paneer is a fresh cheese quite common in India.
It is made by curdling heated milk with an acidic liquid.

In a big pan over medium high heat, pour 2 liters of whole milk and 1 cup of cream

Stir it from time to time.

When it’s simmering, or there is serious foam forming, This is where things get exciting !

Remove the milk form the heat, and add half a cup of apple cider vinegar.

The reaction just takes a few minutes.

The milk will separate into curds and whey.

Now get yourself a piece of cloth. This can be called a cheesecloth or a muslin.

Place the cloth in a strainer over the sink. Pour everything in.

As it is quite hot, Carefully Make a knot.

Now put weight on it. It will squeeze the excess of water out.

Leave it there : The Paneer Cheese will be ready, when we need it.

PREPARING THE FILLING.

 

FISH MARINADE

Let’s marinate the fish.

– cut 4 fillets of Trout, into big chunks.
Season well salt and pepper, then place them in a bowl.

Add :
– a Drizzle of oil
– a Drizzle of honey
– a Crush of garlic
– a Gratted thumb of ginger
– the Juice of Half a lemon
– and All the zest you can get from it

Let it rest while we prepare the greens…

THE SPINACH

From now on, we will use an oven-proof frying pan
you can also use a skillet. Or – of course – a frying pan and a pie dish.

Over medium high heat :
– Add a Thumb of gratted ginger
– 2 crushed cloves of Garlic
– a big knob of Butter
– Chop 3 onions, and let them get translucent.
– 2 to 3 minutes should do it.
– Add loads of fresh spinach and let them “fall down” in the frying pan.
(nearly 1 KG of fresh spinach, added one at a time)

Spinach will litteraly vanish in the pan.
Good big pinch of Salt,
Pinch of pepper.

When almost all the water has evaporated, we can move on to the next step.

BUILDING UP THE PIE

– Two rolls of puff pastries on the board.
– Parchment paper under it
– Heavy Sprinkling with an indian spices mix

I use loads of differents spices in this mix, but remember at least to grind these :
– 1 tsp Coriander seeds
– 1 tsp Cumin seeds
– A bit of Nutmeg
– 1 tsp Salt
– 1 tsp Pepper corn
– A bit of Cinammon
– 3-4 Bay leaves
– 2 cloves

You can also add Cardamom, Tumeric…

RUBBING THE PUFF PASTRIES

FAT, like oil or butter, is always a good carrier of taste, because many flavors do not dissolve in water.
In this case we use fat of the puff pastries to retain the indian spices.

Thoroughly Rub to the puff pastries.

On one roll, sprinkle breadcrumbs.
They will suck out the excess of moisture during baking.

Spread the Onions and Spinach.
Carefully slide it in the same pan we used earlier.

Next the drained chunks of fish.
A Sprinkle of chopped mint leaves can’t do any harm.

USING THE PANEER

Unwrap it. It should be firm.
Now slices of Paneer on top of the pie’s filling. Season well.

Fold the edges of the first lay of puff towards the center.
Place the second roll on top, spiced side down.
Gently Push the edges back in the pan, under the first layer.

Prick the pastry so that steam can escape.
And finally, Brush the pie with milk.

BAKING

45 minutes at 180°C or until you achieve a nice golden brown finish.

If you are using a pie dish :
It’s always good to bake a pie near the bottom. Because, with all that
filling and all that moisture, the pastry uderneath takes longer to cook.

I really hope you will enjoy this recipe !
I find it exotic and reassuring at the same time.

What you think ?

Cheers