Koulibiaka Recipes

SALMON COULIBIAC

Steps:

• First, get everything prepared. Boil a pan of salted water, add the eggs and cook for 8 mins exactly. Drain and cool under cold water, then peel and set aside.
• Heat half the butter in a non-stick frying pan and sizzle the slices of salmon for 1 min on each side (Pic 1), just to firm up the fillets but not cook them all the way through. Lift the salmon onto a plate.
• Now cook the rice. Melt the rest of the butter in the same pan. Add the onion, cumin and coriander seeds, cardamom and star anise, then gently fry for 8 mins until golden. Stir in the rice and add the bay leaf and cinnamon stick (Pic 2), then pour over the stock and season generously. Cover and bring to the boil, then lower the heat to its lowest setting and continue to cook for 10 mins. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 10 mins, then stir through the lemon zest and juice. Set aside to cool. This can be done several hrs in advance. Once cool, stir though the chopped dill.
• To assemble the pie, roll out one of the pieces of pastry to a rectangle as wide but a third longer than this magazine (23 x 40cm), then lay on a baking tray. Pack half the rice along the middle of the pastry, discarding the star anise and cinnamon as you do so, leaving a good 5cm border around the edge. Lay the salmon over the rice, then slice the eggs and lay those over the whole salmon layer (Pic 3). Top the eggs with the remaining rice and use your hands to gently pack everything down to a firm, even shape. Brush any stray grains of rice off the border, then brush the border with beaten egg,
• Roll the second piece of pastry out to a rectangle slightly larger than the first. Drape over the coulibiac and gently press the edges to seal the 2 pastry sheets together. Trim the edges to neaten and crimp with your fingers or press down with a fork. The uncooked pie can now be chilled, on the baking sheet, for a day or frozen for up to 2 months.
• To cook, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7. Brush the pie all over with beaten egg and, if you want, lightly score the pastry with the back of a knife in a criss-cross fashion, making sure you don't cut all the way through (Pic 4). Bake for 20 mins, then reduce the heat to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and continue to cook for 20 mins until golden brown. Leave to rest for 10 mins, then serve in thick slices with a bowl of Dill cream or Herb salsa (see recipes, below).

KOULEBIAKA (RICE AND SALMON PIE)

Steps:

• Sift the flour, yeast and salt into a bowl and make a well in the center. (If using fresh yeast, mix this with a little warm milk and a pinch of sugar and set aside for 10 minutes until it becomes active and frothing).
• Scald the milk and butter, then let them cool to blood temperature. Mix the sour cream, whole eggs, egg yolks together throughly then add to the well along with the lukewarm milk.
• With a wooden spoon, gradually incorporate the liquids into the flour mixture.
• Once the mixture is combined into a ball, knead vigorously for 10 minutes until the dough is elastic.
• Put the dough into a greased bowl, cover it and set it aside to allow it to raise to double the original volume (about 1.5 hours). When it has risen, punch it down and knead it briefly.
• Divide the dough into two equal halves, wrap them, and place into the refrigerator to chill until you are ready to assemble the dish.
• In a large frying pan, cook the salmon fillet in butter for two minutes on each side. Set aside, season it and sprinkle with half of the lemon juice. Chill until ready to use.
• Cook the onions in the remaining butter until they become translucent. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook until the juices run. Remove the lid, turn up the heat, and quickly evaporate the juices.
• Place the onion and mushrooms in to a mixing bowl along with the remaining lemon juice. Toss to coat everything then add cooked rice, raw egg, herbs, spices and seasonings, and mix together everything well in the bowl.
• On a floured board, toss out one dough half.and roll out to an oblong 1/3 inch thick, which will fit your baking sheet. Place on a baking sheet and spoon onto it the rice mixture, leaving a rim about 1 1/2 inches wide.
• Arrange the salmon on top of the rice and slices of egg on top of the salmon. Cover with the remaining rice mixture.
• Dampen the edges of the dough with water. Roll out the second piece of dough to the same size as the first and place over the filling. Press together the edges firmly. Turn them up and then press them together again using the tines of a fork.
• Make a small steam hole in the top center of the pie, and, if you have extra dough left, feel free to decorate the pie with leaves and braids.
• Brush the pie all over with the sour cream and bake in a preheated oven at 400F for 45-60 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Place the pie on a serving platter and pour the melted butter into the hole on top. Serve hot.

KOULIBIAKA

Steps:

• To make the rice pilaf, heat 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 2 1/2 tablespoons of onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with butter. Pour in 1 cup chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the rice is fluffy and all of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set the rice aside.
• For sauce, melt 1/4 cup of butter in a saucepan over medium heat until a pinch of flour sprinkled into the butter will just begin to bubble. Whisk in the flour to form a thick paste the consistency of cake frosting. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the flour has turned golden, and begins to smell like toasted bread, about 20 minutes. Whisk in 2 cups chicken broth and simmer until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Pour the sauce into the rice pilaf, reserving about 1/4 of it for serving, if desired.
• Heat another 1/4 cup of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until soft, about 5 minutes; add the 1 1/2 cups onion. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 8 minutes. Combine the onions and mushrooms with the rice mixture and allow it to cool slightly. Stir in the lemon juice, chopped hard-cooked eggs, and fresh dill.
• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with buttered parchment paper.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the cabbage leaves and cook, uncovered, until softened, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander, then immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes to stop the cooking process. Once the leaves are cold, drain well, and blot dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut the pastry into 6 rectangular shapes; they should be three times wider than the salmon fillets, and 2 inches longer. Lay 2 cabbage leaves on each rectangle and top each with a spoonful of the rice mixture. Place each fillet "skin-side" up on top of the rice, and season with salt and black pepper. Top the fillets with another spoonful of rice; fold the cabbage leaves over the fillets to encase them. Center the folded leaves on the puff pastry.
• Fold the short ends of the pastry in, and then the sides together to make a packet; pinch along the seams to seal. Place the pastries onto the parchment-lined baking sheet seam sides down. Cut a small slit in the center of each pastry to act as a steam vent. Beat the egg and 1 tablespoon water together in a bowl; brush the pastries with the egg wash.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the pastries are deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. The internal temperature of the salmon should reach 135 degrees F (57 degrees C).