Walter's Recitte Favorito
If you live in Seattle you know by now that Alaskan halibut season has started up again, bringing with it great buys at the grocery stores. Halibut is a mild fish that lends itself well to many preparations. This particular recipe pairs halibut with a saffron cream sauce.
Saffron - the yellow-orange stigmas from a small purple crocus - is often called the world's most expensive spice. It takes upwards of 75,000 crocus flowers to yield a pound of saffron, hence the hefty cost per pound. Fortunately most recipes call for only a pinch (about 1/8 teaspoon), which is well under a gram in weight and a minor splurge. You can find saffron at our local spice shops and gourmet grocers. Store it in an airtight container and in a dark place for up to six months.
Though the saffron sauce in this recipe contains cream, it is very light so as not to overpower the saffron flavor. If you have leftover sauce, try folding it into whipped (mashed) potatoes - a wonderful accompaniment with this dish.
Alaskan Halibut with Saffron Cream Sauce (serves six people)
2 tablespoons Olive oil
2 tablespoons Unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups White onion, peeled and small dice
1 cup Celery, small dice
1 cup Leeks, cleaned and small dice
2 cups Carrots, peeled and small dice
6 cups Vegetable or shellfish stock
Small pinch Saffron, crushed
3 cups Whipping cream
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon White pepper
6 portions Fresh halibut (8-ounce fillets)
Black pepper to taste
In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, begin to heat butter and olive oil (don't let it smoke).
Add diced onion, celery, leeks and carrots and adjust heat to medium. Slowly sauté the vegetables until soft, not allowing them to brown (this process is called "sweating"), approximately 10 minutes.
Place the bowl of stock with the saffron in
it in a microwave for 2 minutes. This will warm the stock as well as infuse the saffron flavor and color into the liquid. Add the saffron-infused broth to the vegetables and simmer for 1/2 hour, cooking the stock down to at least half its original volume.
Add cream to broth and simmer for another 20 minutes. The sauce will still have a slightly thin consistency, but will carry a lot of flavor.
If you prefer a thicker sauce, simmer until it reaches the desired consistency. Season with salt and white pepper and keep warm.
The sauce may yield more than you need; you can fold it into whipped potatoes and serve it as an accompaniment to the halibut.
Season the halibut fillets with salt and fresh black pepper (make sure the fish is completely
dry before seasoning). In a heavy-bottomed saucepan add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and begin to heat. As the oil just begins to smoke, place the halibut in the pan and cook on one side for
1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Then turn fillets over and place into a 375-degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
To test for doneness, press down on the fillet with a fork. The halibut should be slightly firm, but still flaky and moist. Halibut is at its best when cooked medium rare. Cooking it any longer may dry out the fish. Take the fish out of the oven and let rest.
Place the fish on a platter and ladle the sauce over the top. Serve immediately.
Michael's Versisi Vino
Last month we explored white wines from Washington; this month, in keeping with the arrival of spring, we will travel to Italy. Italy has an abundance of dry, light white wines that not only pair well with springtime meals but will also refresh after a day in the yard.
Mother's Day is fast approaching and what better way to impress and delight than an Italian halibut dinner accompanied by white wine from Italy. You can take her to the shores of the Mediterranean without leaving the Puget Sound region.
Pinot grigio is probably the best known white wine from Italy. This wine is light, dry and high in acid. Its low aroma and high level of acidity make it a perfect seafood match and a wonderful socializing wine. My favorite is the 2001 Ca' Montini from Trentino. Wonderful flavor and a little fuller than most pinot grigios, this one will please the skeptic.
White wines from Piedmont have become increasingly popular. Arneis is a white grape from Piedmont that was virtually unknown outside Italy until Giacosa and Vietti began producing this wine in the 1980s. The 1999 Vietti Arneis will excite your palate and transport your taste buds to Italy where you can also indulge in the 2000 Palladino Gavi. This wine is made from 100-percent Cortese grapes in the Alba region of Piedmont. The 2000 Palladino Gavi is also dry and will accompany shellfish, halibut and ahi.
Another wine off the beaten path is the 2001 Giumin Cinqueterre, which comes from one of the most impossible and magnificent wine microregions in the world. There, five steep terraces fall into the Tyrrhenian Sea; hence the name Cinqueterre. It is a difficult terrain for harvesting but well worth the effort. The area contains three grapes: Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino. This wine is unique, with its flowery bouquet and rich herbal flavor and texture.
For those of you who love chardonnay and refuse to break a tradition that seems to work for you, I offer you the 2000 Castello di Ama from Tuscany. An absolute delight on the palate but without the richness of barrel aging and the overbearing vanilla and butterscotch flavors of American chardonnays. If you choose to grill your halibut or other choice of fish, this Italian wine will indeed be the better choice and will educate your palate on the true flavors of chardonnay.
The 2000 Castello di Ama may be hard to find but will become a treasure in your collection. Open your mind and your palate to different wine varietals. I'm positive you will be glad you did.
To all of the mothers around the Puget Sound area, I salute you on a job well done! Salute!
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