Pâté au Saumon

Ingredients :
- double pie dough recipe of your choice
- one large salmon filet
- 8 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed
- one bunch of both parsley and dill, chopped
- 2 lemons
- salt and pepper
- one egg, beaten or 2 tablespoons of milk

Prepare the dough, cut in half and refrigerate for 1 hours. I use Martha Stuart pâte brisée.
Preheat the oven at 350. Press juice from one lemon, cut into slices the second lemon and set aside. Chop parsley and dill and set aside. Rinse salmon filet, place it on a foiled or parchemin paper onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle lemon juice onto salmon, parsley and dill and arrange lemon slices on top. Bake for about 23 minutes, time could vary according to type of oven. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Remove skin and lemon slices. In a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes, salmon with herbs using a large fork, season with salt and pepper. Roll the dough onto a 9 inch pie plate, place the mixture into the plate, press with a spoon then roll the top to finish. Brush the top with egg or milk. Bake for about 40 minutes or intil golden brown.
The next day, I take it out of the fridge, cut the remaining of the pâté in individual portion in plastic wrap, then put it in a large freezer bag and freeze it.

Asparagus Soup

From : Deborah Madison Vegetable Cooking for Everyone
Ingredients :
- 2 bunch of asparagus
- 1 leek, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of raw white rice
- 6 cups of homemade vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoon of olive oil
- salt and pepper
- fresh lemon juice to taste

Slice asparagus in 3 parts : ends, middles, and tips. Chop middles in 1 inch pieces and set aside. Drop ends into boiling salted water and cook until tender for about 4 minutes. The cooked tips are added later to the finish soup.
Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the leek, onion and rice, sauté until onion are slightly colored. Add one cup of stock and stew for about 10 minutes. Add the chopped asparagus, the remaining stock and simmer partially covered for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool the soup briefly and add 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice. Puree in a food processor, adding fresh coriander, salt and pepper to taste. Separating vegetables from the broth and then adding the broth when puree, give you a better control over texture.

Carrot Soup

Ingredients :
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- one medium onion, chopped
- 2 pound bag of organic carrot, peeled and sliced
- 1 teaspoon of dried caraway seeds, crushed
   or dried dill
- 4 cups of homemade chicken stock
-  sea salt and pepper

Variation - Ginger-Orange carrot soup :
Omit the caraway seeds or dill and add a 2 inch piece of fresh ginger,1/2 cup of fresh orange juice



Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion, then the carrots for about 10 minutes or until the onions are soften. Season with salt and pepper. Pour chicken stock, add the ginger if using and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 45-55 minutes, or until the carrots are very soft. Cool the soup slightly, take out the ginger if using, pour orange juice if using. Puree in batches in a food processor. I separate the vegetables from the broth in a coriander, puree the vegetables, then adding the broth to obtain the consistence desire.