Fresh salmon encrusted in a buttery short pastry with flavours of dill and asparagus makes a great summer pie for picnics or to have with friends at home. The pastry recipe is also very versatile, so keep it on hand for other uses. You can use pre-rolled savoury pastry sheets as a substitute if you wish.

Ingredients

Pastry

• 2½ cups flour
• ½ teaspoon each baking powder and salt
• 250 grams butter
• 1 egg yolk
• chilled water

Filling

• 12 asparagus spears, blanched
• ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
• 200 grams ricotta cheese
• 2 egg yolks
• 600 grams boneless salmon, skin removed

Method

Pastry

1. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles crumbs and make a well in the centre.
2. Add the egg yolk and gradually work into the flour, adding sufficient chilled water to make a dough, if required.
3. Knead the dough lightly on a floured board. Roll two-thrids out to line the base and sides of a 24cm flan tin. Trim. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

Filling

1. Cut asparagus into 4cm pieces and mix together with the dill, ricotta cheese and egg yolks.
2. Cut the salmon into 3cm pieces. Heat 2 cups of water and a good dash of white wine or cider vinegar in a frying pan and blanch the salmon for 2 minutes. Drain well and cool.
3. Fold the salmon into the ricotta mixture and spread into the prepared flan tin.
4. Roll out the remaining pastry and use it to cover the top of the pie, pressing the edges together firmly. If wished, brush the top with a little milk and decorate with any pastry scraps. (To prepare the plait as in our picture, cut long strips about 2.5mm wide, plait them together and then arrange around the edge of the pie top. This is quick and simple, and it looks very effective).
5. Place on a pre-heated baking tray in a 200ºC oven for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 190ºC and cook for 1 hour until golden. Cool for 20 minutes before removing from the tin. Serve with a green salad.

Cooks Tips

- You can buy salmon steaks with or without the bone. If you buy salmon with the bone it, blanch the whole steaks for 2 minutes and then pull the skin away from the salmon and cut the salmon free of the bone before dicing. - If you can get boneless salmon steaks ask your fishmonger to remove the skin as well for you.