Questions for chef

Julie Winter. Spain
Hi Julie and thanks for the question.

The oranges for last week's recipe were with the skin left on. It is very important that the oranges are really well cooked and that they are a sweet variety like navel and navalinas, sevile oranges would be too bitter and over–powering. Mrs Giri asked me about the smoked cod used in last week's remojon. This is simply smoked in an identical way to smoked salmon and needs to be thinly sliced as well. You can buy it in the gourmet club on the second floor of El Corte Ingles and at a shop in Santa Catalina market. If you need a really simple quick pudding buy a pineapple, remove the skin but leave the top on. Stud the pineapple with pieces of cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise and a vanilla pod. Sprinkle with brown sugar and place a few knobs of butter over the pineapple. Bake this in a hot oven for about 20 minutes. The smell is fantastic and the sugar and butter caramelise to form a sauce. Baste the pineapple with the caramel 3–4 times during the cooking. Remove from the oven. Slice it hot at the table and serve with a big scoop of vanilla ice–cream. I hope you like it.

My favourite: Mediterranean fish soup
ONE of my very favourite things to cook is, without doubt, the Mediterranean fish soup. It is, quite simply a meal in it self, served with crusty bread and saffron alioli it needs nothing more than a nice crisp dry white wine for company. (Try a Verdejo from the Rueda region.) Every cook seems to have his own recipe and way of making fish soup and all along the Mediterranean coastline hundreds of variations exist. Here in the Balearic islands the markets always have a selection of weird and wonderful tiny rock fish that are grouped together and called “moralla”. These tasty, little rock fish are perfect for flavouring robust fish soups and stocks. They need no cleaning or scaling and can be thrown straight into the pot. My fish soup is flavoured with fennel, saffron and orange zest and the French favour Pernod or pastis. Some time back a friend cooked a fish soup for me “Bocuse” style with a puff pastry lid and I thought this was a great way to serve it. The soup can be thickened up with the addition of rice or stale bread is sometimes added to add body and texture. Personally I prefer the soup to be light and full of flavour and with the garnish added right at the end to ensure that the mussels, clams and fish etc are just cooked. As soon as the mussels and clams open the soup is ready to serve. If you want to serve it with the saffron alioli, make it the day before and the flavour will be more pronounced. Go to the market and buy the fish on the same day as you're going to make it and take your time in the kitchen, enjoy the pleasures of making one of the most classical and popular dishes of the world. Make sure you pour it into a soup terrine and leave it on the table as you and your guests are bound to want more than one serving. Try the Creme Catalan recipe for dessert and have a great meal.

Que aproveche!!

SOPA MEDITERRANEA DE PESCADOS MARISCOS (MEDITERRANEAN FISH AND SHELLFISH SOUP SERVES 6)

• 1 SMALL MONKFISH HEAD
• 1 LOBSTER HEAD
• 1KL MIXED ROCK FISH (PESCADO DE ROCA)
• 2 MEDIUM ONIONS (CHOPPED)
• 4 CARROTS (PEELED AND CHOPPED)
• 1 BULB OF FENNEL (CHOPPED)
• 2 LEEKS (CLEANED AND CHOPPED)
• 4 GARLIC CLOVES (CRUSHED)
• 2 TOMATOES (CHOPPED)
• 1TBSP. TOMATO PUREE
• 1.5L FISH STOCK
• 200ML OLIVE OIL
• 200ML WHITE DRY VERMOUTH
• 100ML BRANDY
• 200ML DRY WHITE WINE
• 1 PINCH OF FRESH SAFFRON
• GRATED ZEST OF 1 ORANGE

GARNISH:

• 12 PEELED PRAWNS
• 24 FRESH CLAMS
• 200G MONKFISH (CLEANED AND DICED)
• 24 FRESH MUSSELS
• 1TBSP. CHOPPED PARSLEY

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the chopped onions, carrots, leeks and fennel. Cook slowly over a gentle heat until the vegetables start to soften. Add the garlic, saffron and tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the tomato puree and orange zest, then add the monkfish head, lobster head and rock fish. Increase the heat then add the brandy, vermouth, white wine and reduce the liquid by half. Cover with fish stock and cook gently for 20-30 minutes. Skim off the scum as it rises to the top and add cold water if necessary. Remove the lobster and monkfish heads. Blend the soup to a puree and pass through a fine sieve.

To serve
Heat the fish soup in a clean saucepan. Bring to the boil, add the garnish and season to taste. Pour into a soup terrine and serve.

Any questions for Marc can be faxed to 971719706 or e-mailed to mc.mdb@bitel.es