In the Hands of a Chef (32 page)

Authors: Jody Adams

BOOK: In the Hands of a Chef

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Roast Cod in Terra-Cotta, with Bacon and Horseradish

H
ere’s a delicious puzzle: How
do you roast cod, potatoes, leeks, and spinach in a single terracotta dish without turning everything to mush by the time the potatoes are done? The solution is to partly bake the layer of potatoes first, then add the remaining ingredients. The layer of bacon and leeks flavors the potatoes below and the cod above so the mixture tastes as though everything were cooked at the same time. A terra-cotta casserole has a rustic charm, can travel directly to the table, and holds heat so the food stays warm throughout the meal.

MAKES 4 ENTRÉE SERVINGS

8 Red Bliss potatoes, scrubbed and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces smoked bacon, chopped into ½-inch dice

2 large leeks, white part only, trimmed of roots and tough outer leaves, sliced ½ inch thick, and swirled vigorously in a bowl of cold water to remove any grit

2 celery stalks, peeled and chopped into ½-inch dice

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 cup dry vermouth

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, plus 4 sprigs for garnish

6 ounces flat-leaf spinach, trimmed of thick stems, washed, and dried

Four 6-ounce cod fillets, skin removed

1 cup heavy cream

¼ cup prepared horseradish, drained if necessary

¼ cup dry bread crumbs

1.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2.
Toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Layer evenly in a 3-quart terra-cotta or ceramic casserole and bake for 30 minutes.

3.
While the potatoes are roasting, cook the bacon in a large sauté pan over medium heat until it renders its fat, about 5 minutes—stop before it gets too crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside.

4.
Add the leeks and celery to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about a minute. Add
½
cup of the vermouth and, as it heats, scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dissolve the crispy bits. Stir in the tarragon and thyme and take the pan off the heat.

5.
Lay the spinach over the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and then cover with the leek and bacon mixture. Season the cod fillets with salt and pepper and set on top of the vegetables. Pour the remaining ½ cup vermouth over the fish and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Cover with foil, pressing the foil down so it touches the fish, and bake for 15 minutes.

6.
While the cod is cooking, whip the cream and horseradish together until the mixture holds soft peaks. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

7.
After the fish has baked for 15 minutes, remove the foil, sprinkle with the bread crumbs, and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Roast for 5 minutes more, or until the crumbs are golden brown and the cod is opaque. Garnish with the thyme sprigs and serve, offering the horseradish cream on the side.

Halibut Braised in Ginger-Lemongrass Broth with Cilantro, Basil, and Mint

T
his dish is as close
a foray into fusion cuisine as you’ll ever see me make. Lemongrass isn’t a Mediterranean herb, although I think it would feel right at home in Provence, paired with basil. I tried to develop this dish as an alternative to my usual Mediterranean treatment of halibut, but my technique kept steering me in the direction of the
bourride,
a fish soup from southern France. The result is a piece of lightly cooked fish sitting in an extraordinary aromatic mixture of broth and Asian vegetables. If I were to strictly adhere to an Asian (or nonfat) approach, the herbs, halibut, mushrooms, and other vegetables would simply be poached in the broth. But it was too hard for me to resist sautéing them, in extra virgin olive oil or butter, before adding them to the broth. Then the entire dish simmers together just before serving.

MAKES 4 ENTRÉE SERVINGS

BROTH

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large onion, sliced ¼ inch thick

4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1 ounce fresh ginger, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 stalks lemongrass, finely chopped (remove any tough ends or hard outer husks before chopping)

¼ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

4 bay leaves

1 cup dry white wine

4 cups Fish Stock (page 33) or 2 cups high-quality low-sodium canned chicken broth combined with 2 cups bottled clam juice

HALIBUT

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Four 6-ounce halibut fillets, skin removed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed

¼ pound celery root, peeled and cut into

⅛-inch-thick matchsticks

1 ounce fresh ginger, peeled and cut into
¹/
₁₆-inch-thick matchsticks

4 large scallions, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths

28 sugar snap peas, strings removed (about 1 cup)

20 fresh cilantro leaves

20 fresh mint leaves

20 fresh basil leaves

Four ¼-inch-thick lemon slices cut in half

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1.
To make the broth, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and season with salt and pepper. Sauté the vegetables until they begin to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the lemongrass, hot pepper flakes, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, bay leaves, white wine, and fish stock. Lower the heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Strain and set aside.

2.
To sear the halibut, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Season the fish with salt and pepper on both sides. Sear the fillets for about 3 minutes on each side—they should be a light golden color, but not even close to cooked through. Transfer to a plate.

3.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the pan. When the oil is hot, add the shiitake mushrooms and sear on one side. Flip and add the celery root, ginger, and scallions. Cook for 5 minutes, until the celery root is just tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add the broth and sugar snap peas and return the fish to the pan. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the halibut is medium-rare. The texture of cooked halibut resembles that of salmon: When medium-rare, the center of the fillet will still be moist and slightly translucent, unlike the opaque outer flesh. Also like salmon, if cooked all the way through, it dries out.

4.
Add the herbs and lemon slices and swirl in the butter. Divide the fish among four warmed bowls, then pour the broth and other ingredients evenly over each portion. Serve immediately.

OCTOPUS NOTES

L
ike squid, octopus is quite perishable, so it is almost always cleaned and frozen at sea. Freezing has no ill effect on texture or flavor, so don’t be concerned about buying it frozen. In the unlikely event that you do stumble across a fresh octopus (or even a thawed, previously frozen one), be sure to sniff it. It should smell of nothing but the sea, if it has any aroma at all. Your fishmonger will clean it if necessary. Use octopus within a day of purchasing or thawing. Octopus shrinks by about half during cooking, so figure on ¾ pound raw octopus per person for an entrée portion, half of that for an appetizer.

Grilled octopus is one of our summer favorites—especially the tentacles. A few years ago during a trip to Greece, my husband ordered octopus, typically grilled over a very hot fire of olive wood, in every restaurant we tried for two weeks. After a while, our meals seemed incomplete unless they included at least one oval platter with its familiar g-cleft of tentacle in olive oil with rosemary and lemon.

To tenderize octopus for grilling or sautéing, put it in a pot, cover with cold water, and season with salt, the juice of 1 lemon, and several bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Depending on the size, octopi vary considerably in the length of time they require to become tender. For one of less than 2 pounds (or several smaller octopi totaling the same weight), start checking after 15 minutes of boiling. For an octopus of 2 pounds or larger, start checking after 30 minutes. Octopus is done when the point of a thin sharp knife easily penetrates the mantle, the area where the head joins the tentacles.

What you do next depends on the size of your octopus. If it’s a large one, leave the tentacles whole and cut the head into strips several inches wide. If the tentacles are much smaller (say, narrower than your fingers), cut the octopus into pieces that can be threaded onto skewers. If you’re using small octopi, ones the size of a large man’s hand, leave them whole. Rub the boiled octopus with finely chopped fresh rosemary, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and brush with extra virgin olive oil.

When the grill is hot, lay the octopus crosswise across the grill bars. Watch closely. Since the octopus is already cooked, you really only need to grill it long enough to give it a good sear and heat it through, a few minutes at the longest, for large ones, on each side. If you cook it any longer, the meat dries out. Serve with lemon wedges.