Monday Suppers

As part of the beautiful High Tea party my husband threw for my birthday last week, he made his own gravadlax. This is a recipe he has done a few times and it was one of my most anticipated itemso n the High Tea menu. Everyone paid him high compliments. At the morning tea we ate gravadlax rolled up with creme fraiche and chives. Delicious. But my absolute favourite way to eat Nathan's gravadlax is with pickled cucumbers and potato pancakes. This we enjoyed the night after my birthday. It is a simple dish, but takes some forethought as the salmon must cure for four days. Nathan's Gravadlax recipe comes from "Falling Cloudberries" by Tessa Kiros and is a recipe from her Finnish Grandfather.

Potato Pancakes with Gravadlax and Dill Cucumbers
The ingredients:
Gravadlax:
300g Caster Sugar
200g Coarse Salt
150g Dill, chopped
2 Whole Fillets of Salmon, skin on, cleaned and boned

Dill Cucumbers:
1 Cucumber
1 Tbs Chopped Dill
100ml White Wine Ve=inegar
2 Heaped Tbs Caster Sugar
1 Tsp Salt

Chopped Dill, to serve
Finnish Mustard or Creme Fraiche, to serve

Potato Pancakes:
500g Potatoes, peeled and halved
125ml Pouring Cream
50g Plain Flour, sifted
A Little Grated Nutmeg
3 Eggs, separated
Butter, for shallow-frying
Olive Oil, for shallow-frying

The recipe:
Gravadlax:
Combine the sugar, salt, dill and a few good grindings of black pepper in a bowl. Put a large piece of foil on the work surface and place a third of the mixture. Put one salmon fillet, skin side down, on top of the sugar-salt mix, then top with another third of the mixture. Top with the other salmon fillet, skin side up, and cover with the remaining mixture. Pat down so it is all covered and wrap in foil to seal the salmon. Keep it in a container in the fridge for four days, turning it every day.

To serve the gravadlax, remove the foil and scrape off as much of the sugar and salt mixture as possible. Slice the salmon very thinly, horizontally, and scatter with more fresh dill.

Cucumbers:
Cut the cucumber into very thin slices. Layer them into a bowl, sprinkling the dill between layers. Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and 2 tablespoons of water, stirring to dissolve. Pour this over the cucumbers to cover it. Keep in the fridge for at least a few hours, and up to a week, before serving.

Potato Pancakes:
Boil the potatoes for about 15 minutes in salted water until they are soft. Pass them through a food mill and then stir in cream. Add the flour, nutmeg and some pepper and mix through well. Leave to cool a little.

Lightly whisk the egg yolks and whisk into cooled potatoes. Whip the egg whites to soft peaks and fold those into the potato batter. Add a little more salt if necessary.

Melt a little butter and olive oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, drop in spoonfuls fo the batter. Cooker for 1-2 minutes until golden on the underside, then flip them swiftly over. Cook until golden, then lift out and keep warm in the oven. Add more butter and olive oil to the pan when necessary and cook the rest of the pancakes.

Serve warm with gravadlax, dill cucumbers and a dollop of creme fraiche.

The result:
Soft, fluffy pancakes; fresh, moist salmon and crunchy cucumbers. Its a colourful and vibrant plate, and so satisfying! A little slice of Finland right here in suburban Sydney.

Do you have a favourite recipe from a far off culture?