Pass the Parcel

How many epic birthday parties did you have as a child? They were the event of the year with endless cake, balloons, magicians, games and most importantly presents. Did your parents also go overboard with the motto: the more the merrier? Not only was the entire class usually invited, but also family friends with children of a similar age. Now calculate how many presents and cake that results in? A LOT! Aside from the obligatory goody bags, one of the best parts of these parties were the games: musical chairs, water balloons, the knife and fork chocolate game (secretly I actually want to play this again… maybe tipsy…. that might increase the entertainment factor), hopscotch, hide and seek, jump rope, capture the flag and pass the parcel. The latter was great. Despite the small probability of actually having the parcel in your hands when only one layer of wrapping paper was left between you and the prize, adrenalin was still pumping every time it was your turn to unwrap.

Unwrapping parcels, presents and posted packages remains exciting to this day, even if you think you know what to find inside. I’m sure you have even all wrapped up a present for yourself and placed it under the Christmas tree at least once in your life…. or maybe that’s just my brother. But it proves the point. Things in parcels are exciting. So why not serve food in parcels as well? Not only is it a great way to develop the flavour while cooking, but it also almost always impresses the guests. Here is my latest attempt:

Salmon, Cranberry and Couscous Parcels with Caramelised Onions

adapted from Bbcgoodfood and Wildeisen

Simply Salmon

Sitting in my living room at the end of a hectic day’s work, looking out over the rooftops of London, enjoying the blue sky and the tiny outline of the London Eye in the distance, I could finally put my feet up and relax. In that moment it hit me: I live in London!!! Admittedly one of my favorite cities. Moving to a city of this caliber has been more tiring than I initially thought. The amount of people out and about each day is fascinating, yet exhausting. Even on sundays the streets are bubbling with life (back home your lucky to find an open supermarket within 20 minutes). Some evenings you need a break from the buzz going on around you, a quick, tasty home made meal, a glass of wine and time to switch off your brain. These moments are rare. Enjoy them!! This recipe is the result of my most recent one.

A quick note about the word salmon for all our swiss/german readers: the “l” is silent, no joke. Please engrave this newly won knowledge into your mind. Thank you.

As for the recipe: it is a Jamie Oliver inspired simple salmon dish prepared within minutes. Perfect if you don’t want to invest a lot of time, but still feel like a satisfying your taste buds. Considering its based on one of Jamie’s recipes, I thought I’d stick to his art of cooking and go with my gut feeling regarding the amount of ingredients.

Salmon with Beans, Pesto and a Herby Crust