As usual I forgot to take a photo until it was tasted and passed
This is a surprisingly tasty and healthy dish. It is more like a lasagne than a pie as it is in layers, each prepared and then assembled at the end.
It all started with, as usual, what I had in the freezer and fridge. This time I was more limited in my choice of ingredients as we are heading off on a long holiday and I am trying to use what fresh food remains in the fridge and vegetable garden and to use some of the frozen meat and fish from the freezer.
Our vegetable garden has been prepared to endure 3 months of very little attention, having all beds covered with a thick layer of compost, some chicken and cow poo, a layer of newspaper to kill off any resulting weeds and a thick layer of sugar cane mulch. I have only left some newly planted garlic, kale, snow peas and our well established perpetual spinach and famous chilli plant. So in went spinach and some of the pumpkin that I had roasted with the intention of freezing for future salads.
Serves 6
Ingredients
Top Layer
- 1 whole medium sized cauliflower, (or cauliflower and broccoli mix) broken into florets. Put through the wide grating blade on the food processor
- 2 tbs coconut oil
- handful each of parsley and basil, finely diced
- 125ml low fat ricotta or crumbled cream cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
Middle Layer
- 1 tbs vegetta or vegetable stock powder or the poaching liquid from the fish (check for taste)
- 2 brown onions, finely chopped
- 2 zucchini chopped finely
- 2 cups pumpkin or sweet potato, roasted and chopped (or microwaved and fried off till browned)
- 3 large handfuls of spinach, finely sliced,
- The zest from 1 lemon
- juice from 1/2 lemon to taste
Bottom Layer
- 5 pieces of smoked cod, rinsed then poached by putting fish into a fry pan with water (a few herbs won’t go astray but are not necessary) and bringing it to the boil, then simmering, covered for 10 minutes. Remove and when cooled skin and break up into pieces
- 300 grams peeled raw prawns cut into thirds
- 2 medium tomatoes chopped or finely sliced capsicum (lightly fried off till softened – use some poaching liquid)
- 4 hard boiled eggs, cut into chunks
- 1/2 lemon
- salt and pepper
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 200°C.
- Put processed cauliflower/broccoli into a fry pan or actifry, add the coconut oil and stir until browned and crispy, adding salt and pepper to taste. Put into a bowl and stir through the drained ricotta or crumbled cream cheese and herbs. Leave to cool.
- In a large frypan, fry the onions, and zucchini over a gentle heat until soft, adding the stock powder and extra water or poaching liquid (taste it to check for saltiness) if necessary. Then add the spinach and lastly gently stir in the pumpkin. Finally add in the lemon zest. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
- In a large lasagne dish, arrange the fish, prawns, eggs and tomato. Squeeze the juice from half the lemon over the seafood layer.
- Spread the vegetables over the seafood, then squeeze over the juice from the remaining half a lemon.
- Sprinkle the cauliflower mix over the top.
- Bake until the topping is well browned. It took about 30 minutes.