Roasted Trout With Lentils And Verjus Recipes

Steps:

• For lentils:
• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add carrot, celery, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5-8 minutes. Mix in lentils and add broth to cover by 1". Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer, adding more broth as needed to keep lentils covered, until lentils are tender, 20-30 minutes. Mix in vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside; keep warm.
• DO AHEAD: Lentils can be cooked 1 day ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.
• For verjus beurre blanc:
• Bring shallot, garlic, star anise, bay leaf, peppercorns, verjus, and wine to a boil in a medium saucepan and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup, 15-20 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan; discard solids.
• Place saucepan over low heat and gradually whisk in butter, until butter is melted and sauce is emulsified. Whisk in tarragon and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside; keep warm.
• For trout and assembly:
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season fish with salt and pepper. Place fish, skin side down, in pan and cook, undisturbed, until skin is crisp and releases from pan, about 4 minutes. Turn fish, add butter to pan, and cook, tilting pan and spooning butter over fish, until opaque throughout, about 2 minutes longer.
• Stir parsley into verjus beurre blanc just before serving. Serve fish with lentils and sauce.

Steps:

• In a medium size pot, combine lentils, water, onion, bay leaf, garlic and optional cayenne. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Add salt, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, until lentils are cooked through but still have some texture. They should not be mushy but they shouldn't be crunchy either. Taste and adjust salt. Add pepper. Using tongs, remove and discard onion and bay leaf.
• While lentils are simmering make rillettes. In a medium bowl, break up trout with your fingers or with a fork. In a small bowl, mix together olive oil and butter until well amalgamated. Mash trout with a fork, then work in olive oil and butter, and yogurt. Make sure to mash well and to distribute butter, olive oil and yogurt evenly through the mixture. Work in lemon juice and stir in minced chives and pepper. Refrigerate if not using right away. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.
• Spoon warm lentils onto plates or wide bowls. To form quenelles, dip a soup spoon into warm water and scoop up a spoonful of trout mixture. With another soup spoon, round the top of the mound, then ease off on top of the lentils. Repeat with another spoonful and serve.

Steps:

• To make the cabbage, warm the oil and garlic together in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Season with salt and sauté the garlic, stirring constantly to prevent it from browning, for about 2 minutes, until it begins to soften. Add the cabbage, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes, to wilt it slightly. Reduce the heat to low, add the vinegar, and simmer the cabbage 35 to 45 minutes, until the vinegar is reduced by about two-thirds and is thick and jammy. You don't need to stir the cabbage while it cooks, just let it slowly simmer and it will melt down into the vinegar. You can prepare the cabbage to this point up to three days in advance. Transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate; bring to room temperature before serving.
• Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Season both sides of the trout with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium- high heat until the oil is almost smoking and slides easily in the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Place the fish fillets in the pan skin side down and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, so the skin begins to brown and crisp. Place the pan in the oven and cook for about 4 minutes, until the skin is golden brown. (To check for doneness, look at the skin around the outer edges of the fish; you want it to be a rich, crunchy, french-fry brown around the sides.) Remove the pan from the oven and slide a spatula under each fillet to turn it, taking care not to tear the skin or burn yourself, as the pan will be searing hot. Return the pan to the oven and cook the fish for another minute. Remove the pan from the oven and let the fish rest in the pan for 2 minutes.
• While the fish is cooking, combine 1/2 cup of the cabbage with the parsley in a small bowl and toss gently. Warm the lentils in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add enough water so they are the consistency of a thick porridge but not so thin that they will spread over the surface of the plate. Remove the lentils from the heat and drizzle in 2 tablespoons of the finishing-quality olive oil, stirring constantly for about a minute, until the lentils are creamy and emulsified.
• Ladle 1/4 cup of the lentils into the center of each of four plates. Lay the trout on top of the lentils, squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over each fish fillet and top with the cabbage and parsley, dividing it evenly. Drizzle each serving of fish with the finishing olive oil, and serve with the remaining cabbage on the side.
• suggested wine pairing
• Orvieto Superiore (Umbria)

Steps:

• Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the butter, and when it foams, stir in the red onion. Add the thyme, a healthy pinch of salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Sauté about 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent and soft. Add the sorrel to the pan, and stir to combine. Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the cream, and cook, stirring continuously, about 3 minutes, as the cream reduces and coats the onions. Taste for seasoning, and transfer to a plate to cool completely.
• Lay the trout, skin side down, on a cutting board, open like a book. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and spread the sorrel onions on one side of each fish. Fold the fish back together, and wrap each trout with a piece of pancetta, spiraling the meat around the fish like the stripe on a candy cane. Refrigerate the fish until 15 minutes before cooking.
• Light the grill 30 to 40 minutes before cooking.
• Meanwhile, using a mortar and pestle, pound the grapes until they're partially crushed. Transfer to a bowl, and stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil, the parsley, a healthy pinch of salt, and a pinch of black pepper.
• When the coals are broken down, red, and glowing, brush the trout with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the trout 3 to 4 minutes on each side, rotating the fish a quarter-turn after a couple of minutes, to get the skin crispy.
• Scatter the watercress on a large platter, and place the trout on top. Spoon the warm verjus sauce over the fish, and top with the crushed grapes. Serve the fennel gratin at the table.
• Place the grapes, shallot, and verjus in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/8 teaspoon salt, and simmer until the liquid is reduced by three-quarters. Let the mixture cool until lukewarm.
• Transfer to a blender, and, with the motor running, add the cold butter a little at a time, blending until the butter is just incorporated. Taste for seasoning, and add a little lemon juice, a pinch of pepper, and more salt if you like. Return the sauce to the pan, cover, and keep in a warm place. Reheat just before serving.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Toast the fennel seeds in a small saucepan over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes, until they release their aroma and are a light gold color. Using a mortar and pestle, pound the seeds coarsely.
• Trim the root end of the fennel, cut the stalks off where they meet the bulb, and peel off any outer layers that are brown or bruised. Cut the bulb in half lengthwise, leaving the core intact. Place the halves, cut side down, on a cutting board, and slice the fennel thinly lengthwise. You should have about 6 cups of sliced fennel.
• Toss the fennel in a large bowl with the onion, thyme, bay leaves, fennel fronds, fennel seeds, and 1/3 cup olive oil. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a pinch of pepper.
• Slice the potatoes on a mandoline into 1/16-inch-thick slices. Toss the potatoes in a medium bowl with the cream and 1 teaspoon salt.
• Add the potatoes and parsley to the fennel, scraping all the cream into the bowl. Toss well to combine, and taste for seasoning.
• Arrange one layer of potato slices in the pan, overlapping them slightly, on the bottom of a gratin dish. (For this recipe, I like to use a copper or black iron dish, so the potatoes get extra crisp.)
• Toss the remaining fennel-potato mixture again, and arrange it over the layer of potatoes. Pour all the remaining creamy juices over the top. Bake about 45 minutes, until the potato is cooked and the fennel is golden and slightly crispy on top.
• You can stuff and wrap the fish the morning before you plan to grill it. Both the fennel gratin and the verjus sauce can also be prepared ahead of time and reheated before serving.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat.
• Add leeks, carrots, and garlic; saute for 2 minutes.
• Stir in lentils, water, and broth; bring to a boil.
• Cover and reduce heat; simmer for 25 minutes or until lentils are tender and liquid is almost absorbed.
• Remove from heat.
• Add celery, parsley, vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper; stir to combine with the lentil mixture.
• Preheat broiler.
• Sprinkle fillets with the remaining salt (I omit) and pepper, and place them on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
• Broil for 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
• Break fish into chunks and add to lentil mixture.
• Toss gently to combine.