Food for thought
At the time of writing, summer is taking its sweet time to get here. Each day appears to be a trip through the seasons: sunny in the morning, rainy at night, or vice versa. On several occasions, I’ve been tricked into wearing shorts by the morning sun, only to find myself shivering and rain-soaked by the middle of the afternoon. Last year by this time, we were seating people outside Paysanne. It was that hot, guests were begging to dine alfresco. Eating outside is one of the great bonuses of summer. For the length of a glorious meal, you might as well be somewhere along the Mediterranean coast. Having friends over to eat in the garden is always a highlight of the summer for me. If you want to gather your pals around a table one balmy afternoon and take your mind abroad, this
MEDITERRANEANSTYLE BOUILLABAISE
excellent sharing recipe is a perfect centrepiece. It’s based on the fish soup which David makes in Paysanne, a recipe we’ve been using since we opened back in 1988. For this dish, I’ve turned it into a variation on the classic
You will need (for 6 people)
Bouillabaisse. Place this in the middle of your garden table and you’ll bathe in the hot
J 225ml fish stock
glow of grateful admiration all day – which can only help with your tan…
J 900g chopped coley fillets J 1 leek J 1 onion
You’ll need to make the fish stock using
J 1 bulb of fennel
a load of fish bones boiled up with plenty
J 2 sticks of celery
of water, pepper, lemon, leeks and onions
J 1 red pepper
until it starts to go thick. However,
J 1 red chilli
getting hold of fish bones is not all that
J 3 tablespoons of good
easy these days so you may have to
olive oil
resort to the bought stuff. If that’s the
J Zest of half an orange
case, buy the best fish stock you can. It
J 2 large cloves of crushed
makes so much difference.
garlic J Handful of chopped basil J Sachet of saffron, or a teaspoon of turmeric J 1 tin chopped tomatoes
Chop up all the vegetables, finely chop the chilli and fry it all on a low heat together with the garlic in olive oil for ten minutes. Add the tomatoes, purée, stock, saffron and basil, season using plenty of freshly ground pepper and simmer for about 30 minutes.
J 1 dessertspoon tomato purée J Salt and pepper
Add the fish and orange zest and cook for a further 15 minutes. A good slug of Pastis
J 50ml Pastis
at this point will add that little touch of je ne sais quoi!
J 12 new potatoes J 250g monkfish tail
While that is finishing off, peel and halve the new potatoes. Once the soup in ready,
J 165g raw king prawns
add the potatoes and leave for ten minutes. Finally, add the monkfish tails and the prawns and leave it bubbling away for six or seven minutes. Gather your guests around the table outside. Carefully ladle your fish soup into your biggest serving pot and
Cai Ross is co-owner and
bring it to the middle of the table and tell everyone to
Maitre d’ of the award-winning
help themselves. Serve with lots of warm crusty bread,
Paysanne Bistro in Deganwy,
some aïoli (Google the recipe!) and open a few bottles of
which has been serving French
chilled rosé. n
country-style food to the fine people of North Wales since
(If you need any help with the recipe, you can catch a
1988. He also writes for Calibre
cooking video of the dish being prepared by looking
Magazine, BBC Good Food,
up PaysanneTV on YouTube.)
HeyUGuys.com and The North Wales Weekly News
Don’t fancy cooking?
01492 582079 / @PaysanneDeganwy / www.paysannedeganwy.co.uk
NWM 2022 Page 45
