7 minute read
Recipes
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 excellent sharing recipe is a perfect centrepiece.
MEDITERRANEANSTYLE BOUILLABAISE
You will need (for 6 people)
J 225ml fish stock J 900g chopped coley fillets J 1 leek J 1 onion J 1 bulb of fennel J 2 sticks of celery J 1 red pepper J 1 red chilli J 3 tablespoons of good olive oil J Zest of half an orange J 2 large cloves of crushed garlic J Handful of chopped basil J Sachet of saffron, or a teaspoon of turmeric J 1 tin chopped tomatoes J 1 dessertspoon tomato purée J Salt and pepper J 50ml Pastis J 12 new potatoes J 250g monkfish tail J 165g raw king prawns 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 Bouillabaisse. Place this in the middle of your garden table and you’ll bathe in the hot glow of grateful admiration all day – which can only help with your tan…
You’ll need to make the fish stock using
a load of fish bones boiled up with plenty
of water, pepper, lemon, leeks and onions until it starts to go thick. However, getting hold of fish bones is not all that
easy these days so you may have to resort to the bought stuff. If that’s the case, buy the best fish stock you can. It
makes so much difference.
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.
Add the fish and orange zest and cook for a further 15 minutes. A good slug of Pastis
at this point will add that little touch of je ne sais quoi!
While that is finishing off, peel and halve the new potatoes. Once the soup in ready,
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.
Cai Ross is co-owner and Maitre d’ of the award-winning Paysanne Bistro in Deganwy, which has been serving French country-style food to the fine people of North Wales since 1988. He also writes for Calibre Magazine, BBC Good Food, HeyUGuys.com and The North Wales Weekly News
Gather your guests around the table outside. Carefully ladle your fish soup into your biggest serving pot and
bring it to the middle of the table and tell everyone to help themselves. Serve with lots of warm crusty bread, some aïoli (Google the recipe!) and open a few bottles of chilled rosé. n
(If you need any help with the recipe, you can catch a cooking video of the dish being prepared by looking up PaysanneTV on YouTube.)
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