Monkfish With Roasted Artichoke Hearts Food

ROASTED MONKFISH WITH MORELS, DANDELION AND ARTICHOKE SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the sauces, cut the head of garlic in half crosswise. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic head, tarragon and thyme and sweat for 5 minutes. Raise the heat and stir in the wine and vinegar. Stir in the broth and 3/4 cup of oil. Squeeze the juice from 1 halved lemon into the saucepan, then add rind, along with the peppercorns. Simmer slowly for 20 minutes. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, squeeze the juice from the remaining 2 halved lemons into a wide pot and add the rinds. Stem the artichokes. Place the artichokes in the pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Place damp paper towels over the artichokes to keep them immersed. Lower the heat and simmer until very tender when pierced with a knife, about 35 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl. Strain the reserved garlic-herb mixture over the artichokes, stir to coat them well and set aside for 1 hour.
• Remove artichokes from the liquid and simmer it in a saucepan until reduced to 2 cups. Let cool. Place in a blender and, with the machine running, slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup of oil. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small skillet over low heat. Add the chopped clove of garlic and sweat just until softened. Pull off and discard all but the innermost leaves of the artichokes and place the artichoke hearts in a food processor with the garlic, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in a medium saucepan and whisk in half of the vinaigrette. Set aside.
• To make the monkfish, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle the fish very lightly on both sides with flour and season with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Place the fish in the skillet top side down and sear on both sides until golden brown (in 2 batches if necessary). Place in the oven and roast until fish is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, warm the artichoke sauce over very low heat. (The sauce will separate if too hot.) Remove the fish from the skillet and keep warm. Deglaze the skillet over medium heat with the remaining vinaigrette. Strain the vinaigrette into another skillet and place over medium heat. Add the butter and the morels and cook for 2 minutes. Add the dandelion greens, stir just until wilted, remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, spoon the vegetables with their sauce onto the center of 6 plates. Place 1 piece of monkfish on either side of the vegetables. Spoon the artichoke sauce around the vegetables and serve immediately.

ROASTED MONKFISH WITH HERBS AND PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Saute onion in 2 T of the olive oil until soft. When soft add in the fresh herbs and saute until wilted.
• Meanwhile Preheat oven to 190°C Rinse fish and pat dry. I then "butterflied" the fish the best I could to make it a bit flatter.
• Season fish with salt and pep.
• Lay the prosciutto slices vertically and slightly overlapping on a roasting tin, then put one of the monkfish fillets across, cut side up. Arrange the peppers and the herb mix on top of the fish. Then put the other fillet on top (cut side down), to make a parcel. Wrap the prosciutto around the fish, covering it completely.
• Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 30 minutes.

ROASTED ARTICHOKES WITH ANCHOVY MAYONNAISE

Steps:

• Prepare the artichokes: Fill a large bowl with cold water. Cut the lemon into quarters, and squeeze the juice from each quarter into the water. (This acidulated water will keep the artichokes from discoloring.)
• Snap off a few of the tough outer leaves (bracts) near the stem of each artichoke. Cut each artichoke in half from top to bottom, and lay the halves cut-side down on a cutting board.
• Using a sharp vegetable peeler and working one half at a time, trim the rough edges and the stems. Cut 1/4 inch from the bottom of the stem and 1/2 inch from the top of each half. Turn the halves over and use a teaspoon or melon baller to remove the hairy "choke." Place trimmed artichoke halves in the lemon water. Leave them in the lemon water until ready to cook.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add drained artichoke halves and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove and place artichoke halves cut-side up in a stainless steel roasting pan or ceramic baking dish, in one layer.
• Tuck thyme sprigs under artichokes, and sprinkle artichokes with salt and pepper. Drizzle generously with olive oil, about 1 1/2 teaspoons per halved artichoke. Bake, uncovered and brushing with oil from the pan occasionally, until nicely browned, 30 to 40 minutes.
• As artichokes roast, make the anchovy mayonnaise: Put mayonnaise in a bowl and stir in chopped anchovies and capers, lemon zest and juice, garlic, cayenne and a little salt and pepper. Let sit for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust seasoning.
• When artichokes are ready, transfer to a serving platter or individual plates. Brush lightly with oil from the pan. Sprinkle with parsley and serve anchovy mayonnaise and lemon wedges, if you like, on the side.

MONKFISH ROASTED WITH HERBS AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Tie the monkfish fillets with butcher's twine at 2-inch intervals. Season with salt and pepper.
• Line the bottom of an earthenware or other low-sided baking dish with thyme and rosemary sprigs. Tuck bay leaves here and there, if using. Lay the fish on top of the herbs and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Scatter the lemon slices and whole olives over fish. Set aside for 30 minutes to marinate. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
• Meanwhile, make the olive paste: Put pitted black olives, garlic and 1/4 cup olive oil in a small food processor and pulse to a rough paste. (Alternatively, chop olives finely with a knife and stir together with garlic and oil.)
• Roast fish, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned on top and firm to the touch. Check with a paring knife to be sure fish is cooked through. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Snip twine with scissors and remove from fish. Cut fish into 4 portions and spoon some of the roasted lemon slices and whole olives over the top. Dab each piece with a teaspoon of olive paste, or pass olive paste separately.