Midweek Pasta - Baked Pasta With Smoked Trout And Spinach From The Tummies' Kitchen

As soon as I laid my eyes on the beautiful smoked trouts at the deli, I knew straight away what was going to be last night's dinner. With no dramas with my brain, I picked up my shopping in record time and rushed home before the storm arrives. With this dish, I get to practice my white sauce making skill for the first time after my success with mac and cheese a fortnight ago and it was a breeze. While I was preparing the dish; my mind went wild with ideas using different combinations of ingredients for my next pasta bake, so brace yourself for a few more pasta bakes over the colder months!
P.S This is quite a rich dish, I do advice skim milk to be used for the white sauce. Asparagus is a wonderful substitute for spinach, just cut into 1" pieces and lightly blanched.

makes 5 individual serves

you'll need;

1 smoked rainbow trout, skinned, boned and flaked

500 g of bow tie pasta (or pasta of your choice)

1 bunch of spinach, cut quarters, blanched, refreshed and squeezed out excess water

1 block of good quality cheddar, grated

1 bunch of dill, chopped

4 tbs of onion relish (I found some leftover in the fridge) or 1 onion, chopped and saute with olive oil

3 tbs of butter

3 tbs of plain flour

1 liter of skim milk

salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the ingredients and set aside.

Cook pasta with plenty of salted water, drain well and set aside. 

To make the white sauce - melt butter in a pot then add in the flour, mix well and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on low heat. Slowly add in the milk and with a whisk, continue to stir and whip til the sauce is smooth and thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in the 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Return pasta to the pot, add in spinach, smoked trout, chopped dill, onion relish/saute onion  and the white sauce. Mix well and check for seasonings.

Fill individual bowls or ramekins with pasta mixture and top with some grated cheese. Bake in the preheated oven til golden and bubbling.

A salad of fig, pear, rocket and pecorino cheese with balsamic vinaigrette was served with our meal.

I turned on another set of light and I think the photos are slightly better :)