Fishermans Rainbow Pie

I had a fun day at the daycare today using lots of produce to create colourful rainbows for the kids to eat.  We had bags of beets, sweet potatoes, peas, sweetcorn, apples, pears, bananas and the list goes on.  I'm very lucky to have so much fresh produce at my finger tips in the kitchen.

On our lunch menu today was fish.
We have to serve fish once a week at the daycare under the government guidelines.  The only exceptions being if the children are vegan or vegetarian. Some kids don't care for fish, and would rather be a veggy on these days, but we have to offer it anyway.  So my job is to make it taste as wonderful as possible, and I think I nailed it today.

I used haddock for the fish part and steamed it in the oven first. The I lightly fried it in oil for a couple of minutes with sweetcorn to get the juices going. I then added Almond milk (we have a gluten and dairy free guy we are catering for today) and corn flour,sprinkled with turmeric, to make a lovely creamy yellow sauce.  The next layer was mushy peas! I know, I know , the things nightmares are made off .( or is that just me?)  But these peas tasted soooooooooooooooo sweet blended up with non dairy margarine, almond milk and a sprinkling of salt.  Now if I can eat these and think YUM, anyone can!  This incredible hulk layer goes on top of the yellow layer. I then added mozzarella cheese (dairy free cheese to our little dairy free guys portion). The top layer is made by the one and only 'Sweet potato' or 'Kumara' as they call it in Australia and NZ.  All we did here was boil to tender and blend with non dairy margarine and almond milk with a touch of salt and pepper. Spread on top to complete your rainbow. Voila!  I then baked it in the oven to bring it all together.

The Verdict :- The pre-schoolers weren't too impressed with the 'Hulk' layer, but those that did try it, asked for seconds, but there were a few that just picked and prodded. But that's not unusual for them. All it takes is one kid to say 'Ewwwwwww' and then its a domino effect.  Everyone is Ewwww'ing and nothing gets eaten. But I've learnt to have pretty thick skin and still come back day after day with new creations and ideas with just as much enthusiasm. I love food and I love kids eating good food, I WILL NEVER GIVE UP!  BUT......................and that's a huge BUT, my toddlers (18months to 3yrs) LOVED it! I mean they scooped this up, plate after plate, so much so that I had to go and steal more from the pre-schoolers that were Ewww'ing. Now that is what I call satisfaction. It made my heart warm. And even the teacher (she whispers....who doesn't like fish) had a big plateful. 

So go for it and try it, you WILL be pleasantly surprised.


Here is my recipe for a family of 4. If you work in a daycare or school environment, just scale it up.

• 2 Pieces of white fish. (Sustainable fish local to where you are from is even better)
• 2 Sweet Potatoes (Roughly the size of your hand)
• 1 Cup of frozen sweetcorn
• 2 Cups of frozen Peas
• 1tsp Turmeric (organic if possible)
• 3 Cups Almond Milk (or full fat whole milk)
• 1 Cup margarine (or butter)
• 1tbsp Corn Flour
• 1 Cup of mozzarella/non dairy cheese

1. Cook frozen fish according to the instructions. Or bake for 20minutes at 350def F until flakey if using fresh.
2. Peel and chop sweet potatoes and pop in a pot filled with water and bring to the boil. Then turn down to a simmer and check potatoes after 15mins. What your feeling for is tender, but not too soft. Drain and puree with a stick blender with 1-2 tablespoons of margarine/butter (I like mine buttery so I tend to add more) and 1 cup of almond milk/whole milk. Set aside.
3. Flake the fish and fry it up with a little oil of your choice in a frying pan with the frozen sweetcorn.  After 4-5 minutes add 1 cup of almond milk/whole milk, a tablespoon of corn flour and the turmeric. Cook on simmer for 3-4 minutes to thicken up.  Add more milk if required to make it a thick sauce. Pour this layer into an oven proof dish.
4. Cover the peas with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and blend with a stick blender with 1 tablespoon of margarine and most of a cup of almond milk/whole milk. You want it wet enough that it is easily pureed with the blender. Season with salt and pepper if required.
5. Now layer the 'Hulk filling' on top of the fish. Just dollop it on and spread it over with a fork. Then add mozzarella and dump the sweet potato on top to finish. Spread over with a fork, or if its nice and smooth, pour it on.
6. Pop in the oven for 30-35 minutes @ 350deg. Let cool slightly before serving little mouths.

The hard part of following government guidelines for educational facilities is that, when you make a meal like the one above, they encourage you to add a bread roll to tick the 'Grain' box.  We have asked the question, "Can sweetcorn be classed as a grain". Currently we are waiting on comment back. I'll keep you all posted. But this would be fantastic if it were classed as a grain. Schools , in my opinion, put costs before nutrition. I understand that, I truly do. There isn't a whole lot of budget in the school system for food at all. So when they look at the meal above, $$ signs are rolling in there eyes and then I ask them to put a bread roll on the side!?  They would rather just give a bread roll with a fish finger (aka fish stick) on it, with a side of veg.  And I understand that too. But that doesn't mean I have to like it.
The purpose of this blog is to give information to educational facilities and families to try and make it easier to provide 'Good Food' that fits into the 'current' government guidelines.  It should be exciting for our chefs at work and our cooks at home, not daunting!


(ps...........please excuse my photos on this one. It was a quick snap before I ran lunch out. But any comments on how to take great blog photos would be fantastic. Thanks)