Fabiennes Leeks And Monkfish Food

FABIENNE'S "TOMCARON" MONKFISH

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, ginger, cumin, curry powder, cinnamon, basil, salt and black pepper. Stir in cooking wine. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until flavors combine, about 10 minutes.
• Stir tomatoes and apple into the pot. Increase heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring frequently, until tomatoes soften and break down, about 30 minutes. Lower monkfish gently into the pot; spoon sauce over fish. Cook and stir over low heat until monkfish flakes easily with a fork, about 5 minutes.

PAN ROASTED MONKFISH WITH POTATOES AND LEEKS

Steps:

• Begin by removing the outer mottled gray membranes and any dark red portions from the monkfish fillets. On a slight angle, slice the fish into 1/2-inch thick medallions. Using two pieces of wax paper, place a few medallions between the paper and lightly pound them with the flat side of a meat mallet or small heavy saucepan to slightly flatten them.
• In a 4-5 quart saucepan, add the potatoes and enough cold water to cover them by 3 inches, season with salt and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to a gentle boil and cook 10 minutes.
• Trim the root ends and dark green leaves from the leeks. From the greens of one leek, trim any yellow, wilted or bruised parts and reserve them. The other two leek greens can be set aside for another use, like stock. Slice the leek whites and reserved greens in half lengthwise. Rinse layers well under cold water to remove any grit from between the layers. Using one set of leek whites and greens, cut again in half lengthwise. The remaining leek whites cut crosswise into 1 inch pieces. Add all the leeks to the potatoes after they have cooked at a gentle boil for 10 minutes. Cook leeks and potatoes for an additional 10 minutes or until they are tender.
• Reserve 2 cups of the potato/leek cooking liquid. Drain the remaining liquid from the vegetables. Transfer to a blender the leek greens, long pieces of leek whites and two slices of the potato. Add approximately 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and blend until smooth. While the blender is still running, add 1/2 cup of the olive oil in a thin steady stream. Blend until creamy and the sauce is thick enough to lightly coat a spoon. If necessary, add more cooking liquid to get the sauce to that stage. Strain the sauce into a small saucepan, keep warm over low heat.
• In a large skillet over a medium-high flame, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the remaining leeks and potatoes that have been drained and the thyme sprigs to the skillet.
• Season with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown, turning often, for approximately 12 minutes. Remove from heat and cover skillet to keep the mixture warm.
• Sprinkle the monkfish slices with salt and lightly coat them with flour, tap off excess. In a large non-stick skillet over medium flame, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Add as many monkfish slices as possible to fit in a single layer. Cook fish only turning once until golden brown on both sides, approximately 5-7 minutes. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
• Divide the potatoes and leeks among 6 warm dinner plates. Place the monkfish slices on top of the vegetable mixture and spoon the sauce over the fish. Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley and/or chives. Serve immediately.

LINGUINE WITH MONKFISH AND SCALLOPS

Steps:

• Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat and add the garlic. Saute briefly while stirring; do not brown. Add the pepper flakes, onions, leeks and celery. Stir. Add the saffron and stir. Cook for two minutes, stirring often. Add the tomatoes, wine, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Blend in the parsley and fennel seeds. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir often.
• Add the fish to the pan and stir. Cover and cook for about four minutes, then add the scallops. Cover and cook two minutes more.
• Meanwhile, boil the linguine al dente and drain. Put the linguine in a heated baking dish and spoon the remaining two tablespoons of oil over it. Sprinkle with pepper and toss briefly. Remove the bay leaf from the seafood sauce and spoon the sauce over the pasta. Toss and serve immediately.

ROASTED MONKFISH WITH CHANTERELLES, LEEKS, AND GINGER

Steps:

• Clarify butter:
• In a heavy saucepan melt butter over low heat. Remove pan from heat and let butter stand 3 minutes. Skim froth and strain butter through a sieve lined with a double thickness of rinsed and squeezed cheesecloth into a bowl, leaving milky solids in bottom of pan. Pour clarified butter into a jar or crock and chill, covered. Butter keeps, covered and chilled, indefinitely. When clarified, butter loses about one fourth its original volume.
• Roast monkfish:
• Preheat oven to 475°F.
• In a large bowl of water soak leeks 10 minutes, agitating occasionally to dislodge any sand and letting sand sink to bottom of bowl. Lift leeks out of water with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Peel potatoes and trim if necessary to match diameter of leeks. Cut potatoes crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. In a saucepan of boiling water blanch potatoes 5 minutes and drain.
• Cut half of garlic clove into several slivers and finely chop remaining half. Cut half of gingerroot into several slivers and finely chop remaining half. With a paring knife make several shallow slits in monkfish and insert a sliver of garlic and gingerroot into each.
• Heat a flameproof roasting pan, 13 by 9 by 2 inches, in oven 10 minutes. In heated pan toss together leeks, potatoes, mushrooms, chopped garlic and ginger, salt and pepper to taste, and 2 tablespoons clarified butter. Roast vegetables in middle of oven 15 minutes.
• Heat a 12-inch non-stick skillet over moderately high heat. Pat fish dry and season with white pepper and salt. Add remaining tablespoon butter to skillet and brown fish about 2 minutes on each side. With a slotted spatula transfer fish to a plate. To skillet add Port and soy sauce and on top of stove deglaze over moderately high heat, scraping up any brown bits, 30 seconds. Pour liquid over roasted vegetables, tossing to coat, and arrange fish on top. Roast fish and vegetables in middle of oven 15 to 18 minutes, or until fish is just cooked through (fish will be firm rather than flaky).
• Garnish fish with chives. Cut fish crosswise into slices and serve with vegetables.

FABIENNE'S "TOMCARON" MONKFISH

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, ginger, cumin, curry powder, cinnamon, basil, salt and black pepper. Stir in cooking wine. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until flavors combine, about 10 minutes.
• Stir tomatoes and apple into the pot. Increase heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring frequently, until tomatoes soften and break down, about 30 minutes. Lower monkfish gently into the pot; spoon sauce over fish. Cook and stir over low heat until monkfish flakes easily with a fork, about 5 minutes.

ROASTED MONKFISH, FENNEL, AND CHESTNUT TAGINE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Cut 1 fennel bulb half lengthwise into paper-thin slices with a mandoline or other manual slicer and toss with oil and salt and pepper to taste. Cut remaining fennel lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick sticks.
• Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron or heavy nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then cook fennel sticks in 2 batches with salt and pepper to taste over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and edges are golden brown, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon, reserving skillet, and keep warm, covered.
• Halve chestnuts and add to skillet with 1 tablespoon butter and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl with fennel using slotted spoon, reserving skillet, and keep warm, covered.
• Blanch fig leaves in boiling salted water 2 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking and drain well. Trim stems from leaves.
• Pat fish dry and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon butter to skillet and heat over moderately high heat until foam subsides. Sear fish in 2 batches, turning once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes, transferring to a plate.
• Melt remaining tablespoon butter in skillet, then remove skillet from heat. If not using fig leaves, drizzle pieces of fish with butter. If using fig leaves, arrange 1 leaf, smooth side down, on a work surface, then put a piece of fish in middle and drizzle with some of melted butter. Wrap fig leaf around fish to enclose it and secure with wooden toothpicks. Wrap remaining fish in same manner.
• Boil 1/2 cup sauce in skillet until reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 2 minutes. Stir in chestnuts and cooked fennel and transfer to a wide shallow heavy pot (with a tight-fitting lid) just large enough to hold fish in 1 layer. Top chestnut mixture with fish. Cover pot with lid and roast in middle of oven until fish is just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.
• While fish is roasting, heat remaining 1/2 cup sauce in a small saucepan over moderate heat until hot.
• Remove toothpicks and open fig leaves. Serve fish (with fig leaves) over chestnut mixture and scatter with raw fennel. Serve warm sauce on the side.

MONKFISH WITH LEMON

Steps:

• Cut monkfish into 8 pieces.
• Dredge in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.
• Heat skillet over medium heat; add 4 tablespoons butter.
• Sauté fish in melted 1 minute on each side, till nicely browned.
• Remove from skillet.
• Add wine, lemon and parsley to skillet and reduce by half.
• Add 3 tablespoons butter to lemon mixture, shake skillet.
• Serve over fish.