Allow the fish to cool, carefully remove any bones and skin, then flake it into pieces. Return the fish to the bowl of milk, together with thegarlic, chillies, potatoes and cream. Mix well. Take a deep oven dish (one that will also look good from which to serve), fill it with the fish mixture and spoon over the olive oil, while also slightly mixing it into the liquid, so that it appears as occasional pools. Strew the breadcrumbs liberally over the entire surface, dot with flakes of butter, then slide into the oven. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden and nicely crusted.
smoked haddock pilaf with ginger & coriander
serves 2, as a light lunch or supper dish
3 tbsp butter
2 tsp garam masala
9 oz basmati rice (Tilda or other brand)
13 oz light chicken stock
1 bay leaf
grated zest of 1 small lemon
2 mild green chillies, seeded and chopped
a small knob of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
a little salt and freshly ground black pepper
14 oz undyed smoked haddock fillet, boned and skinned, cut into 2 equal pieces
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
1 tbsp chopped coriander
lemon juice, to taste
A good pilaf is a wondrous thing, for me. This is partly to do with having trouble cooking rice successfully for years—decades, even—but also because when a pilaf works really well, it remains possibly my favorite way to eat rice in any form (a risotto comes in at a very close second, but only just).
The important thing is never to mistrust the following ratio of rice to liquid. This is correct. My friend, the photographer Jason Lowe (whose superb illustrations grace this book) once cooked a lamb pilaf recipe I gave him, only to lose faith at the last minute, adding a touch more liquid to the pot. Result? Stodgy pilaf. He won’t be doing that again in a hurry; he is, in fact, a naturally instinctive, very good cook indeed (if that does not sound too patronizing).
For preference, I always use Tilda basmati rice, and never, ever wash it. This goes against many opinions of my peers, but it works perfectly for me every time.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Melt the butter in a solid-bottomed, lidded ovenproof cooking pot. Add the garam masala and allow to sizzle gently for a moment or two. Tip in the rice and stir around until the grains are well coated with this spicy butter. Pour in the stock and add the bay leaf, lemon zest, green chillies, ginger and a touch of seasoning. Bring up to a simmer, then slip in the haddock fillets, gently submerging them under the surface. Put on the lid and slide the pot into the oven. Cook for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven, then leave to stand for 5–7 minutes without removing the lid; this is important, allowing the rice to finish cooking. Take off the lid, immediately tip in the chopped egg, onions and coriander and, using 2 forks, gently mix the rice about, while also breaking the fish into flakes and mixing everything else in as you go. Remove the bay leaf, then cover the pot with a dish towel, clamp on the lid, and leave for a further 5 minutes, so allowing excess steam to evaporate. Serve directly from the pot on to hot plates and squeeze over a little lemon juice.
smoked haddock & spinach, with chive butter sauce
serves 4
for the hollandaise sauce
3 egg yolks
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
a little salt and generous freshly ground white pepper
juice of ½ a lemon
2 tbsp snipped chives
4 pieces of smoked haddock, approx. 5–6 oz each, boned and skinned
9 oz milk
for the spinach
17 oz spinach leaves
2 tbsp butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
A simple-sounding little dish, but I hope you won’t mind having a go at the hollandaise sauce, which is integral to the success of the assembly. The method for the sauce is a traditional one, but you may like to go down the small food processor route, which is a good deal easier. In this case, the texture emerges slightly different from the original
smoked haddock pilaf with ginger & coriander
serves 2, as a light lunch or supper dish
3 tbsp butter
2 tsp garam masala
9 oz basmati rice (Tilda or other brand)
13 oz light chicken stock
1 bay leaf
grated zest of 1 small lemon
2 mild green chillies, seeded and chopped
a small knob of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
a little salt and freshly ground black pepper
14 oz undyed smoked haddock fillet, boned and skinned, cut into 2 equal pieces
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
1 tbsp chopped coriander
lemon juice, to taste
A good pilaf is a wondrous thing, for me. This is partly to do with having trouble cooking rice successfully for years—decades, even—but also because when a pilaf works really well, it remains possibly my favorite way to eat rice in any form (a risotto comes in at a very close second, but only just).
The important thing is never to mistrust the following ratio of rice to liquid. This is correct. My friend, the photographer Jason Lowe (whose superb illustrations grace this book) once cooked a lamb pilaf recipe I gave him, only to lose faith at the last minute, adding a touch more liquid to the pot. Result? Stodgy pilaf. He won’t be doing that again in a hurry; he is, in fact, a naturally instinctive, very good cook indeed (if that does not sound too patronizing).
For preference, I always use Tilda basmati rice, and never, ever wash it. This goes against many opinions of my peers, but it works perfectly for me every time.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Melt the butter in a solid-bottomed, lidded ovenproof cooking pot. Add the garam masala and allow to sizzle gently for a moment or two. Tip in the rice and stir around until the grains are well coated with this spicy butter. Pour in the stock and add the bay leaf, lemon zest, green chillies, ginger and a touch of seasoning. Bring up to a simmer, then slip in the haddock fillets, gently submerging them under the surface. Put on the lid and slide the pot into the oven. Cook for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven, then leave to stand for 5–7 minutes without removing the lid; this is important, allowing the rice to finish cooking. Take off the lid, immediately tip in the chopped egg, onions and coriander and, using 2 forks, gently mix the rice about, while also breaking the fish into flakes and mixing everything else in as you go. Remove the bay leaf, then cover the pot with a dish towel, clamp on the lid, and leave for a further 5 minutes, so allowing excess steam to evaporate. Serve directly from the pot on to hot plates and squeeze over a little lemon juice.
smoked haddock & spinach, with chive butter sauce
serves 4
for the hollandaise sauce
3 egg yolks
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
a little salt and generous freshly ground white pepper
juice of ½ a lemon
2 tbsp snipped chives
4 pieces of smoked haddock, approx. 5–6 oz each, boned and skinned
9 oz milk
for the spinach
17 oz spinach leaves
2 tbsp butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
A simple-sounding little dish, but I hope you won’t mind having a go at the hollandaise sauce, which is integral to the success of the assembly. The method for the sauce is a traditional one, but you may like to go down the small food processor route, which is a good deal easier. In this case, the texture emerges slightly different from the original
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