Monkfish Provencal

Have you ever seen a whole monkfish? It is ugly, ugly, primitive-looking. Scary bad. But have you ever tasted monkfish? It is one of my favorite fish, and one I hadn't eaten in many years because, similar to oft-compared to lobster, it can be very expensive (much of the time, lobster can be picked up cheaper than monkfish). Our local Whole Foods had monkfish on sale last weekend, and we grabbed two filets. Swoon. Ambrosial. Delectable.

When properly prepared, monkfish has a firm, meaty texture like lobster and is buttery and subtly sweet, well, similar to lobster dipped in butter. Monkfish is an easy fish for fish haters to like because it doesn’t have the fishy, gamey, assertive, in-your-face taste like salmon for instance. Mark Bittman refers to monkfish as the “veal of the sea,” because of its versatility. It works nicely cut into medallions, breaded, and sautéed or braised, which is the preparation I used. As with most fish, do take care not to over-cook it unless you enjoy eating rubber.

I was in the mood for polenta so I decided to make a simple Provencal sauce with garlic, onions, last of this season’s garden tomatoes, capers (no olives since Craig doesn’t eat them), white wine, and I threw in a few spoonfuls of homemade pesto at the end to add brightness to the dish (and it was too dark to head to the garden for fresh basil). We had a few strips of prosciutto in the frig, and I started by crisping those in the pan and sprinkled it atop the fish after it was done, which lent an understated saltiness as a foil to the sweetness of the tomatoes. This dish comes together in minutes, exceptionally easy without a lot of chopping or fuss. The monk fish melted in our mouths, and I was (almost) licking my plate. Beauty is only skin deep, and this is one luscious fish.

Monkfish Provencal

Serves 2, but easily doubles

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

A few slices of prosciutto (Costco now sells La Qercia prosciutto, which is outstanding)

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

2 good sized tomatoes, cored and chopped (I did not peel or seed)

1/2 cup good white wine

2 tablespoon capers, minced

2 tablespoon pesto

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

12 ounces monkfish, cut into “large” bite-sized pieces

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or other large, deep skillet. Add the prosciutto and sauté until well-browned. Remove from the pan and set aside. Crumble when cooled.

Heat the remaining olive oil. Add the onions and cook until they’ve softened, about five minutes.

Increase the heat and add the garlic and tomatoes. Stirring occasionally, cook until it starts to thicken and the juice from the tomatoes cooks off.

Add the wine and cook for another five minutes. Add the minced capers, the pesto, salt and pepper. Let the sauce cook for a minute or so and submerge the fish and cook until tender about seven minutes.

Garnish with the crumbled prosciutto.

Print here.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking – “The Class” (Class 1)

I got the most thoughtful Christmas present ever from Craig and Connor (confession: back in October, I happened to place the Kitchen Conservatory's schedule on the desk with this class annotated “THE perfect Christmas gift for Mom.” Hint dropped and taken).

It is a month of hands-on classes where I hope to Master the Art of French Cooking, or at least learn a few classic Julia dishes to add to my repertoire. I’ll be noting those keepers as “in the box” (as in the recipe box). Basic lesson from week one: the French wrote the language of food and codified it by developing “the” rule book. Follow the rules and it’s not complicated. Week one’s menu:
Amuse-Gueules au Roquefort
Cold Roquefort Cheese Balls – Rolled balls of butter, Roquefort, and bread crumbs, not worth the calories, my least favorite dish of the evening.

Moules a la Mariniere
Fresh Mussels Steamed Open in Wine and Flavorings – My hands-on contribution to class, extremely simple, quick, and THE best recipe of the evening. But I would sell my soul for good mussels. IN THE BOX.
Paupiettes de Boeuf
Braised Beef Rolls – Chuck roast, thinly sliced, pounded, then stuffed with ground pork and veal, braised in wine and stock with aromatics and herbs. While perhaps time consuming, surprisingly not difficult, impressive. The mustard sauce perfectly compliments the melt in your mouth meat. Comforting bistro fare.

Soubise

Braised Rice and Onions - French risotto and easy – no stirring! Classic Julia, “Boil (rice) for 5 minutes - exactly.” Though it may be heresy, I made this again on Saturday night with brown rice, and it was still delicious. Definitely “in the box.”

Carottes Glacees
Glazed Carrots – Differing from traditional glazed carrots with maple syrup, brown sugar, or honey, these tasted purer, simpler, and indeed EYE CANDY. Would work well with a roasted chicken, pot roast. Unfortunately, Craig does not do carrots…. "on the edge of the box."

La Tarte Des Demoiselles Tatin
Upside-down Apple Tart – A French classic, baked like an upside down apple pie, and when flipped to serve, the apples are soft, sweet, and perfectly caramelized. In doing some quick research, legend has this dessert resulting from the Tatin sister’s hotel in the the Loire Valley in the last 1800s. Sister Stephanie accidently put the apples in the tart plan first and recovered by placing the pastry on top of the simmering apples prior to baking. Voila!

Craig and Connor want this IN THE BOX, but I'm not a baker, and I veto.

Until next week, Bon Appétit!