Herring, Spinach & Pasta Bake

Inspiration…

Having recently returned from spending Christmas with friends in Sweden it is natural that we have eaten our share of herring or “sill” as it is called in Sweden. Usually we make this dish with tinned tuna but when a trip to our store cupboard revealed that we were out of stock we decided to give the dish a Swedish twist…

Ingredients & Costing…
Herring Fillets in Mustard Sauce 200gm (Ocean Rise Tinned)	0.99
Fusilli  100gm	0.11
Baby Spinach	0.14
Milk 500ml	0.37
Flour 10gm	0.10
Butter 30gm	0.13
Mature Cheddar Cheese 20gm (grated)	0.30
Wholegrain Mustard 5gm	0.10
Black Pepper 2gm	0.05
Sea Salt 2gm	0.05
Approx 2-3 Hearty Portions	€2.34

It Couldn’t be easier…

æ      Start by cooking the fusilli in plenty of boiling water for approx 8-10 minutes then drain and rinse under cold running water

æ      Open herring fillets, break into even size pieces

æ      Wilt spinach by melting a small knob of butter in a wok over a gentle heat, add washed spinach and allow to “wilt” – this will only take a few minutes

æ      Make the a basic “roux” by melting 20gm of butter in a small saucepan, add the flour & mix to a paste, gradually add the milk making sure to whisk well each time to avoid any lumps!! Allow to simmer gentle until the sauce thickens slightly. Add grated cheddar, teaspoon of wholegrain mustard & season to taste – don’t be shy with the black pepper… ☺

æ      Combine all the ingredients & place in a shallow baking dish

æ      Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs and dot with tiny pieces of butter

Thrifty Tip…

Save any stale bread & the end slices from each pan. Toast on both sides – when cool place them in a food processor until they resemble fine breadcrumbs. They can be stored in an airtight container for future use

Bake & Enjoy…

Place in a preheated oven – gas mark 5 for approx 30 minutes until golden brown on top and heated through