FOOD AND WINE RECIPES

1 Salmon fillet (about 1.5 kg)
Maldon Salt and freshly ground pepper

SPINACH MASH
6 potatoes peeled and cubed
200 g spinach, shreded
50 ml milk
pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper
100 g butter


CHARDONNAY SAUCE
150 ml Chardonnay (I used The Eleanor Chardonnay)
150 ml Chicken stock
2 Shallots finely chopped
3 tablespoons of fresh dill, chopped
lemon juice to taste
50 g butter

TOMATO SAMBAL SALAD
100 g cherry tomatoes halved
1 green chilli finely chopped
3 tablespoons coriander/dania chopped
1 red onion, chopped
vinegar and sugar to taste (for dressing)
mix of lettuce leaves (baby salad, rocket, basil)

SALMON
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Sprinkle the fillet with the salt and pepper.
Bake for around 20 minutes for medium rare and 25 minutes for cooked. Rest for 15 minutes.

SPINACH MASH
Boil potatoes in salted water. Wilt spinach in milk and add salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. (This takes only a few minutes) Drain milk from spinach in colander. Mash potatoes roughly. Add butter and spinach and mix well.

CHARDONNAY SAUCE
Put a little bit of butter in the pan and brown shallots. Add stock and bring to the boil. Add wine and dill and bring back to boiling point. Add lemon juice to taste (just enough to break the richness). Stir in butter to give the sauce a shiny finish.

TOMATO SAMBAL SALAD
Mix the tomatoes, chilli, coriander, onion, vinegar and sugar and let it infuse for about 1/2 hour to infuse. Serve on bed of lettuce.

SHORTCRUST PASTRY
1 cup (120 g) cake flour
¼ cup parmesan cheese
½ t (2,5 ml) salt
4 T (60 g) butter, fridge temperature
1 egg yolk
2 T (30 ml) cold water

SALMON AND CHEESE FILLING
4 leeks, well washed and finely sliced
1 T (15 ml) oil
1 T (15 ml) butter
400g left over cooked salmon or tinned salmon, drained, skin and hard bones removed & flaked.
2 eggs
1 cup (250 ml) créme fraiche
¼ cup (60 ml) cream
Salt & pepper to taste

Sift the flour and salt twice and cut or rub in the butter to form coarse crumbs. Mix the egg yolk with cold water and brandy and add to the flour. Cut the liquid in with a small knife to form a lumpy mixture. Use your hands to gather and knead the mixture together until it forms a ball. Don't add more water, simply keep working the dough lightly.
Wrap the dough in cling film and leave to rest in a cool place (in cold weather, it is best not to put it in the fridge, as the pastry can become too hard and brittle). Roll out to 1 cm thickness. Fold into thirds and roll out again to 2 mm thickness on a well-floured surface, using a floured rolling pin. (The preliminary rolling makes the dough much easier to handle).
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Bake the pastry blind for 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 170°C.

SALMON AND CHEESE FILLING
Sauté the leeks in the oil/butter mixture for about 5 minutes until soft. Add the flaked salmon and keep on one side. Once the salmon & leek mixture is cool and spread over the pastry. Beat the eggs, crème fraiche, cream, salt & pepper. Pour the egg mixture carefully over everything.
Bake at 180°C for ± 35 minutes until barely set. Switch off the oven, leave the door slightly open and let the quiche rest in the warm oven for another 15 minutes.

5 tablespoons olive oil
6 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
1 fresh rosemary sprig
2 cups dry red wine
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 sea bass, about 2 pounds each, cleaned
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, sliced into thin rings
2 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

There is a splendid restaurant-wine bar in Verona called Antica Bottega del Vino (the Old Wine Shop). It is indeed very old, a cavernous room decorated with large wall frescoes, and it's always bustling, with waiters darting back and forth, and a solid crowd at the small bar at the front. One dish that's often on the menu is Branzino in red wine, deliciously irresistible.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft - about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaf, marjoram, rosemary, and wine, and bring to the boil. Boil rapidly until the liquid is reduced by half - about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. Discard the solids. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir to mix. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Rinse the fish and dry well. Using a sharp knife, score the skin with 3 diagonal slashes on each side. Rub the fish with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Oil the bottom of a roasting pan with the remaining olive oil and place on the stove top over medium heat. Place the onion, celery, and tomatoes in the pan and heat through, shaking the pan frequently until the vegetables release a little liquid - 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and place the fish on top of the vegetables in the pan. Pour the wine sauce evenly over the fish.

Put the pan in the oven and roast the fish, basting once (halfway through) until the skin is lightly browned and the flesh is firm to the touch - about 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, lift 1 fish from the pan, and place it on a work surface.

To fillet it, make sideways cuts behind the head and before the tail, and then cut along the backbone from the head to the tail of the fish. Place the knife in that cut, parallel to the backbone, and work the knife down along the rib bones of the fish, from top to bottom. Lift off the fillet and place, skin side up, on a warmed plate. Turn the fish over and repeat the process, placing the second fillet on another warmed plate. Repeat with the remaining fish. Spoon the pan juices, including the onion, celery, and tomatoes, over the fillets and serve.

NOTE: Because of overfishing, Sea Bass are getting smaller, so a 2-pound fish is average. A 3-pounder, if available, will also serve four people nicely. This recipe also works well for Snapper or other types of bass.

Serves four.

Place flour in large bowl. Cut rind from Brie; discard rind. Cut Brie into cubes; drop into flour. Toss to coat; separate cheese cubes. Crumble Roquefort into same bowl; toss to coat. Place wine in heavy medium saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat. Add cheese by handfuls, stirring until melted after each addition. Continue stirring until smooth.

Stir mushroom mixture into fondue. Season with generous amount of pepper. Transfer to fondue pot. Set pot over candle or canned heat burner. Serve with bread and vegetables.

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