Spooky dinner for one

Google: “Halloween or Hallowe’en is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints’ Day. It begins the observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints, martyrs, and all the faithful departed. It’s now popular in Australia, complete with costume parties, spooky decorations, and kids going trick-or-treating.”

 I have not had salmon for ages because its so expensive. I crave for it, bought a small piece of skinless salmon a bit cheaper than the one with skin on to curb my taste bud. Then bought asparagus and prawns as it’s on sale. To it I have added my leftover blueberries, two cherries tomatoes and potatoes. Looking at my pantry, the eyes balls are still full, if I don’t use it; it will go to waste.

Today, I am making a Halloween dinner just for fun and introducing dinner meal as Halloween feast rather than all desserts treats. Got my thinking hat on to use eyes balls. I am glad to make this Halloween dinner that looks spooky, healthy, flavourful, colourful, cute, and delicious. Let’s change spooky dessert to spooky diner!!!!

Ingredients

8 blueberries, garnish
3 eyes balls, garnish
3 stalks of asparagus, trimmed
2 small potatoes, peel skins, cut into small bite
2 prawns, shells removed and cut into small pieces
2 cherries tomatoes
1 salmon, skin off
1 walnut kernel
1/8 c milk
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs Parmesan Pecorino cheese, thawed
Italian seasoning
black pepper
salt
oil

Method

Heat oven 220 degrees C. Place cold water in a pot, with potatoes and add a generous pinch of salt. Next bring to boil and cook for 10-15 minutes until softened. Meantime, in another small pot over medium-low heat, cook milk and butter, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted and mixture is warmed through.

Once potatoes are done, drain the water and return potatoes to pot. Using a potato masher, mash potatoes until smooth. Pour milk mixture over potatoes and stir until combined and creamy. Next add cheese and stir until combined. Then generously season with salt and pepper. Transfer potatoes to a oven proof bowl. Keep warm with foil.

Place asparagus and cherries tomatoes into a foil lined tray; drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and arrange in a single layer. Bake in the preheated oven until just tender, 10-12 minutes, depending how many and on thickness. Remove asparagus to a paper towel plate. Reduce oven temperature to 160 degrees C.

Brush oil over salmon and prawns. Season with lot of black pepper, salt and Italian seasoning. Put salmon into the same baking tray with cherries tomatoes. Bake salmon for 10-15 mins (or about 4 mins per 1cm thickness) until just opaque and easily flaked with a fork. Halfway through, about last 7 minutes, add prawn’s pieces into the baking tray. Cook until lightly white and cooked.

Remove from oven, switch off oven. Warm up asparagus and mashed potato again if it had gone cold in the hot oven for about 1-2 minutes. Plate up lined the prawns in a single line followed by salmon and then asparagus. Place the cherries tomatoes on top of asparagus. Next removed mashed potato from oven. Spoon a big tablespoon of mashed potato on to plate, make two dents and place each dent with a blueberry and three blueberries as the mouth of skull mashed potato.

Next another spoon of mashed potato on to plate make it into headless body, place one blueberries and followed by three eyes balls. Then the last spoon of mashed potato makes it like a space animal, place two blueberries as eyes and a walnut in between as nose. Serve with a glass of Moscato white wine. Enjoy my Halloween dinner in front of the TV.

Note: In general, small or cubed potatoes will take about 10 to 15 minutes to boil, while larger, whole potatoes will take between 20 to 25 minutes. You can use any vegetables of your choice. You can add more asparagus and cherries tomatoes. You can buy bigger salmon with skin on. You can have salad instead of baked asparagus and cherries tomatoes. You can pipe you mashed potato and make the eye with mini chocolate chips.

https://helenscchin.com/2023/10/30/black-pepper-salmon-prawns-vegetables-and-spooky-mashed-potato/

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