Last night I had the pleasure of going to The Avenue Cookery School in Wandsworth, who host allll types of cooking classes from ski chalet host courses to hen do cooking events! This family run company is perfectly set up in S.W. London with a large bright kitchen, each with individual islands for a totally hands on cooking experience.  Most are BYOB and you enjoy the food you cook that evening for dinner, although with January detoxes in full throw we decided not to drink and made delicious fruit smoothies instead.  The chefs were so knowledgeable but it wasn’t at all a lecture, as they were always wandering around the kitchen helping us as we went.  I highly recommend to all you local foodies out there, plus if you book via my recommendation you get 10% off in the next 2 days!

http://theavenuecookeryschool.com/

Last nights class was a “January Detox” class, where we learnt how to make a Black Rice Pudding Desert which was delicious, and this spicy tomato salmon dish on a bed of pearl barley. Have a try!

Ingredients        (Serves 4)

4 Salmon Fillets
2 Onions, finely chopped
2tsp Sweet Paprika
3tsp Caraway Seeds
2tsp Ground Cumin
⅓tsp Cayenne Pepper
⅓tsp Ground Cinnamon
4 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp Tomato Purée
150ml Water
3tsp Agave
1 Lemon
Maldon Sea Salt &  Black Pepper
225g of Pearl Barley
1ltr of Good Quality Stock
2 Red Onions, roughly chopped
1 Butternut Squash, peeled and cubed to 1.5cm

Method:

For the Salmon:
Oil your pan and pop it on a high heat.
Season the salmon steaks (skin side up)  with lots of oil, salt and pepper, and place skin down in the pan until the skin is golden. Take out and put to one side.
Meanwhile, sweat the onions in 1 tbspn of oil, until soft. Add the ground spices and cook for a further 2 minutes. Stir it all and add your chopped garlic, tomato puree and water.
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer so its bubbling softly. Then place the salmon in the sauce and let it slowly simmer in the tomato for about 6 minutes.  Add a dash of agave, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Delicious!

For the Pearl Barley:
Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Roast the Butternut Squash and Red Onions in Oil for 35 minutes until golden, turning every 10 minutes or so.
Meanwhile, cook the barley in stock for 45-50 minutes until cooked. Don’t let it get dry and add water as you go.  When cooked, drain the barley then fold in your roasted veg, season generously.

Serve up your delicious barley as a base, with some green veg and your aromatic salmon on top. Voila! PWPantry x