Spelty Trout & Courgette Ribbon Salad

Yoo hoo! I'm experimenting this week with new grains. I'm trying out spelt tonight. Pearled Spelt - which has the rough outer jacket bashed off and makes it quicker to cook.

My good friend Aisha introduced me to this lovely nutty grain recently when she blew me away with a spelt, walnut and butternut squash recipe. It was just heavenly with some shaved mature, hard goats cheese. Oh lordy I'm hooked.

So tonight I'm having a go and in true cheffy style I'm using what I've got in my fridge.

Armed with some trout fillets & a couple of courgettes we're off!

Apols re: lack of pics - I'm having problems uploading... bear with... x


This is what you'll need:

Trout fillets - mine were smoked, you can use fresh fish - that'd be delish!
200g pearled spelt (find it at your local health food shop, then if you like it source a cheaper supplier - or use pearl barley which will give you the same nutty result, but takes a bit longer to cook - thank you Mr Fearnley W.)
1 good tspn thyme
1/3 onion
4 cloves garlic
oil for cooking (I used a blend of linseed and Carotino's Healthier Oil for Cooking. Catchy name huh?)

stock - I still use cubes - probably shouldn't if I'm being a purist - but I'm not - so bite  me!

Ground flax, pumpkin, walnuts (or any other combo you fancy - for some extra taste and omega goodness) This is optional and you don't need to grind - you could fling this all in for crunch.

Courgette
Red pepper
Mange Tout

Olives (about 10)
1 lemon
chilli (optional)

What to do now you've got this lot wrangled?

• gently heat the oil, chop the onion and garlic and add to the pan with the thyme
• sweat together, in the meantime pop the kettle on
• wash your pearl spelt and add it to the sweated onion mix for a few mins
• now add some of the water from the kettle and make the rest up into about a litre of stock.
• add the stock to the pan and bring to a gentle shimmer
• this will take around 25 mins to cook - so set a timer and keep an eye out - add a little more water if it needs it.
• When it's pretty much absorbed all of the stock/water and is cooked (taste it and see if you like it al dente - if not add more water and cook some more) just turn off the heat and pop the lid on to let the rest of it steam away.
• when you're ready to eat - add the fish in flakes and stir in a couple of big table spoons of the seedy mix.
• adjust the seasoning to taste.

To make the salad

• use a potato peeler to create ribbons out of the courgettes - either save the last little bits too fiddly to shave or chop them up small
• cut the mange tout lengthwise 
• cut the red pepper into a thin julienne 
• cut up half the lemon into fine slices and quarter each one
• juice the other half
• toss the courgette ribbons, lemon bits, and olives (halved maybe?), mange tout & red pepper with some linseed oil* & the lemon juice, sea salt and black pepper.

 * use any oil you like that has a lovely subtle taste so I'd steer clear of sesame but you knock yourself out - whatever you've got to hand will be perfect.

You can give this a little kick with some chilli oil or flakes too.

It's as easy as that!