As you will see below, after surfing all afternoon, the young men produced petit paquets de lotte en prosciutto and fresh nectarine and blackcurrant and it was delicious... and as well as getting them to cook supper I got them to write the blog.
What with the young men and the housekeeper, shortly like Bilbo, I shall disappear completely...
The Blogger
Showing posts with label fish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fish. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Monkfish, friend style!
This is a guest post by the young men
Hello Internet! This is the young mans friend and I've had a bit of a relaxed time when it comes to the kitchen, I've had to eat a cooked breakfast almost everyday day and I've had lunch literally put on a plate for me but when the sun dips behind the trees and the blogger starts to even think about dinner I immediately rush to my book hoping he might leave me to read and just use one man for the lesser culinary jobs.This doesn't work and I get put by the table top and asked to pulp some garlic or wrap some monkfish or skewer some beef.I guess this isn't that bad but the garlic sticks to everything and the monkfish smells and the lemon stings as it seeps into the scratches on my hands and the lambs kidneys freak me out and you get the picture,I like food more than cooking! However, at times it can be peaceful, that is , if you get the easy jobs like chopping(but not peeling!).
Today the blogger tells me "we're having monkfish", at first I thought that it would be fine, then he said that it needed to be wrapped in parma ham and that the potatoes needed to be peeled.When something 'needs' to be done it means that we(the young men) have to do something.This is: Monkfish with Parma Ham.
The blogger filleted the monkfish and cut them into approximately 135g pieces(quarters of a whole tail). I,the guest, then prepared them rubbed a little
oil,salt,pepper and a squeeze of lemon into the fillets .I then wrapped the monkfish in the parma ham beautifully to make four neat parcels ready for roasting (a tip: put the fillet diagonal to the parma ham,on a chopping board,and at a diagonal to the ham and at one of the top corners,then roll the monkfish down,again on a diagonal, to make sure that the monkfish is completely covered) then roast in a fan oven at 210 for 7 minutes in an oil-less shallow roasting dish.
'His Majesty' The Young Man - As if this conglomeration (spelt correctly?) of flavours was not enough, I tortured table-sitters with my blend of Nectarines, Blackcurrants and L'Occitane hand-cream. Nectarines were cut into questionable quarters with uneven amounts of Blackberries spread over the three bowls. If you have managed to complete this task, Congratulations! You qualify for the same medication as me. If not, you have suceeded in serving fruit ...in a bowl.
Hello Internet! This is the young mans friend and I've had a bit of a relaxed time when it comes to the kitchen, I've had to eat a cooked breakfast almost everyday day and I've had lunch literally put on a plate for me but when the sun dips behind the trees and the blogger starts to even think about dinner I immediately rush to my book hoping he might leave me to read and just use one man for the lesser culinary jobs.This doesn't work and I get put by the table top and asked to pulp some garlic or wrap some monkfish or skewer some beef.I guess this isn't that bad but the garlic sticks to everything and the monkfish smells and the lemon stings as it seeps into the scratches on my hands and the lambs kidneys freak me out and you get the picture,I like food more than cooking! However, at times it can be peaceful, that is , if you get the easy jobs like chopping(but not peeling!).
Today the blogger tells me "we're having monkfish", at first I thought that it would be fine, then he said that it needed to be wrapped in parma ham and that the potatoes needed to be peeled.When something 'needs' to be done it means that we(the young men) have to do something.This is: Monkfish with Parma Ham.
The blogger filleted the monkfish and cut them into approximately 135g pieces(quarters of a whole tail). I,the guest, then prepared them rubbed a little
oil,salt,pepper and a squeeze of lemon into the fillets .I then wrapped the monkfish in the parma ham beautifully to make four neat parcels ready for roasting (a tip: put the fillet diagonal to the parma ham,on a chopping board,and at a diagonal to the ham and at one of the top corners,then roll the monkfish down,again on a diagonal, to make sure that the monkfish is completely covered) then roast in a fan oven at 210 for 7 minutes in an oil-less shallow roasting dish.
'His Majesty' The Young Man - As if this conglomeration (spelt correctly?) of flavours was not enough, I tortured table-sitters with my blend of Nectarines, Blackcurrants and L'Occitane hand-cream. Nectarines were cut into questionable quarters with uneven amounts of Blackberries spread over the three bowls. If you have managed to complete this task, Congratulations! You qualify for the same medication as me. If not, you have suceeded in serving fruit ...in a bowl.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
(Sustainable) Merluza en salsa verde
Green! The young man doesn't do green. Courgettes, aspragus, parsley, rocket are not his thing. I have never been able to tempt him with broccoli ice-cream. This isn't something we've wanted to make a fuss about as he eats plenty of fruit. But since he's been eating with us rather than earlier in the evening it does impact the sorts of dishes that can be served. I learned this a while ago serving a Paella with chicken, fish and artichoke. I thought he would be able to pick out the artichoke, but artichoke flavour suffused the whole dish and he ended up with cheese and an apple. Anyway this morning he left for the Isle of Wight for a couple of days to stay with a mate on Newtown Creek. So today...
Merluza en salsa verde
There's a lot of fuss about Hake and the sustainability of the European stock seems to be a serious issue. However, it's a fantastic fish to cook and eat and the Spanish are rightly mad for it. We're eating Cape Hake tonight from an MSC approved fishery but I will admit to having a bit more trouble avoiding more locally caught (and fresher) fish landed at Plymouth when we're in Devon. I haven't had time to go to Condon and so there are no Paloudres to go with our Hake but we do have the very last of the English Asparagus to support this Basque classic recipe.
400g Hake in two fillets
2 tblspn Olive Oil
10g butter
Seasoned flour
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1/2 tspn fennel seeds
4 tblspn fresh flat parsley chopped
60ml white wine
70ml fish stock
4 Asparagus spears steamed till 'al dente'
Dust the hake with the flour. Heat the oil and when hot add the butter. When the foam has subsided add the Hake and seal it until golden (a minute or two) either side. Remove to a dish for the moment. Add the garlic and fennel to the pan and fry for a minute or so until the garlic is golden then stir in half the parsley. After a minute turn down the heat and stir in 1/2 tspn of seasoned flour. Cook this for a further minute then stir in the wine and a minute later the fish stock. This will thicken slightly - just another minute should do it. Add the asparagus and warm though for another minute then add the fish back. Cover the pan and leave it for 2 minutes then sprinkle the remaining parsley over everything. Serve with steamed new potatoes slightly crushed.
If you can get it, drink a good Txacoli with this otherwise a bone dry french wine.
Merluza en salsa verde
There's a lot of fuss about Hake and the sustainability of the European stock seems to be a serious issue. However, it's a fantastic fish to cook and eat and the Spanish are rightly mad for it. We're eating Cape Hake tonight from an MSC approved fishery but I will admit to having a bit more trouble avoiding more locally caught (and fresher) fish landed at Plymouth when we're in Devon. I haven't had time to go to Condon and so there are no Paloudres to go with our Hake but we do have the very last of the English Asparagus to support this Basque classic recipe.
400g Hake in two fillets
2 tblspn Olive Oil
10g butter
Seasoned flour
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1/2 tspn fennel seeds
4 tblspn fresh flat parsley chopped
60ml white wine
70ml fish stock
4 Asparagus spears steamed till 'al dente'
Dust the hake with the flour. Heat the oil and when hot add the butter. When the foam has subsided add the Hake and seal it until golden (a minute or two) either side. Remove to a dish for the moment. Add the garlic and fennel to the pan and fry for a minute or so until the garlic is golden then stir in half the parsley. After a minute turn down the heat and stir in 1/2 tspn of seasoned flour. Cook this for a further minute then stir in the wine and a minute later the fish stock. This will thicken slightly - just another minute should do it. Add the asparagus and warm though for another minute then add the fish back. Cover the pan and leave it for 2 minutes then sprinkle the remaining parsley over everything. Serve with steamed new potatoes slightly crushed.
If you can get it, drink a good Txacoli with this otherwise a bone dry french wine.
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