Smoked fish, spinach and bechamel

Ready in 20 minutes, serves 4.

• 350ml milk
• 25g butter
• 25g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• Salt and milled pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp butter
• 500g cleaned spinach, sliced from stems
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 250g freshly smoked fish, flaked
• 4 poached eggs
• 4 lemon wedges

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter before stirring in the plain flour. Cook over a gentle heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cumin and grated cheese, and cook for 1 minute more before removing to cool.

2. Add around 1/4 of the hot milk and beat into a thick paste. Add another 1/4 and repeat beating until you have a smooth sauce. Return to the heat and gently cook for 10 minutes, then season.

3. Melt the butter in a large pan. Add the spinach and sugar and finally season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and quickly cook to wilt the spinach for 2 to 4 minutes. When wilted, drain off the excess water and stir into the hot white sauce (béchamel). Stir in half the flaked smoked fish.

4. Divide the spinach onto four plates, sprinkle with the remaining smoked fish, top with seasoned poached eggs and serve with a wedge of fresh lemon.

Cook’s tip:
When selecting spinach for this dish, look for very large leaves.