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Hake, tomato, saffron and potato en cocotte with chorizo cheese straws
Serves 6 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 500g red potatoes, peeled
- 2 red peppers, deseeded
- 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 350ml good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
- 50ml dry white wine
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- pinch saffron
- 3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
- 2tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 40g butter
- 320g hake, skinned and pin boned
- 3tbsp pitted black olives
- 1 fresh thyme sprig
- zest and juice ½ lemon
For the chorizo straws
- 1 pack ready rolled all-butter puff pastry
- 1-2tsp gojuchang chilli paste (optional)
- 300g chorizo picante, skin removed and finely diced
- 50g Italian hard cheese, grated
- 1tsp finely chopped rosemary
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2tsp pul biber flakes
Method
To make the chorizo straws, preheat the oven to 220C/200C F/Gas 7. Cut the pastry in half horizontally. Spread a very thin layer of gojuchang chilli paste over one half, leaving a 1cm border around the edges. Scatter the chorizo evenly over it, then sprinkle over the cheese followed by the rosemary. Brush a little egg around the borders of the pastry and lay the second piece of pastry on top, then press the edges together.
Transfer to a baking sheet and brush with more egg. Sprinkle over the pul biber flakes and bake for around 15 minutes until rich golden brown. Remove from the oven, leave to cool slightly and cut into strips around 1cm wide.
Reduce the oven temperature to 210C/190C F/Gas 6. Cut the potatoes in half (or quarters if very big) and put in a saucepan. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil and cook until almost soft. Drain, slice and scatter over the base of a roasting tin.
Cut the red peppers into rough pieces, each about two bites big. Scatter them over the potato slices, then drizzle over the oil and roast for around 20 minutes until the potatoes are starting to colour very slightly and the peppers are soft.
Meanwhile, pour the stock and wine into a saucepan over a medium heat. Pour the chopped tomatoes into a sieve and discard the juice. Rinse the tomatoes under cold running water, until only the pulp remains in the sieve. Add this to the pan, then stir in the saffron and chopped anchovies. Stir in the thyme leaves, reserving a few to garnish, and butter. Bring the mixture to the boil, then turn down the heat and leave to simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove the peppers and potatoes from the oven and pour the tomato mixture over.
Cut the hake into six pieces, sit them on top of the vegetables, then add the olives. Baste the fish with the sauce mixture, add the thyme sprig and return the tin to the oven to cook for 10 minutes. Remove and stir in the lemon juice.
Serve in small bowls, garnished with a sprinkling of lemon zest and the reserved thyme, accompanied by the chorizo straws.
This recipe was taken from the January/February 2021 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe, click here.
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