From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

I had this for lunch at Cape Town Fish Market in May 2015, sitting in the sunshine on the pier outside the Victoria and Alfred Mall in Cape Town, South Africa. We had just come off the ferry from visiting Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.

My lunch actually was two pieces of grilled hake sandwiching spinach, sundried tomato and feta cheese, with a prawn (shrimp) and olive tapenade. They used fresh spinach, but I like to keep a bag of frozen chopped spinach in the freezer. I added some cream and left out the olive tapenade – far too salty for me. This sauce would go well with probably any fish or chicken breast or pork. Add different herbs, some chili spice.

Generous sauce portioned for 2 people

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. (15 ml) olive oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach – no need to thaw
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) sundried tomatoes in oil, sliced or chopped . You can buy sundried tomatoes cut into ‘julienne’ – meaning thin slices
• 2 Tbsp. (30ml) feta cheese crumbles
• 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz., 120ml) cream or coconut cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pinch of sugar if spinach is too bitter for you.
• Your choice of salmon, chicken or pork cooked to your liking

Directions:

1. Gently heat olive oil in small pan. Add onions and cook until tender and starting to brown.
2. Add spinach and garlic, stir well, cover pan and leave to simmer for several minutes until spinach is tender.
3. Add sundried tomatoes and cream and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
4. Taste and adjust seasoning remembering that feta cheese tends to be salty.
5. Cook salmon fillet, chicken or pork until done.
6. Stir feta cheese into sauce and immediately pour over salmon, chicken or pork so feta cheese doesn’t melt into sauce.

Oonagh’s Alternative Suggestions:I like to add fresh parsley or basil. Lemon thyme in season is wonderful, little bit of fresh mint. This would also be good over pasta or rice. Use coconut cream to reduce cholesterol and omit feta and it’s dairy-free. I also cook a similar mix as a base for a crustless quiche. I tried adding a vodka cream sauce I had bought that was good on its own, but didn’t work in place of cream in this recipe.

Watch Chef Oonagh make the Salmon dish on NH’s ABC WMUR Cooks Corner May 2015

About Chef Oonagh Williams

‘Like’ Chef Oonagh on Gluten Free Cooking with Oonagh on Facebook. Keep up with her television appearances, radio, talks to both celiac disease groups and non-gluten-free diet groups. Consult with her by Skype.

Come Meet Chef Oonagh when she speaks at the GFAF expo in Worcester MA on July 25 and at the GIG Conference in North Dakota on November 7. Chef Oonagh also does Corporate Lunch ‘n’ Learns and speaks at celiac disease conferences. Read her article on visiting Atlanta GA, tourism and gluten free options in the current issue of New England Celiac Organisation magazine.