Would Haddock, peas and spinach go well togeter?

It’s Monday evening and I am in traffic on my way home.  As if at least only mentally escaping the traffic,  my mind kept strolling in Paris as I thought of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations program’s 100th episode inParis.

But this wasn't an escape from Istanbul to Paris, rather it was an escape from the complexity of our city lives to the simplicity of the dishes that were taking control of Paris’s culinary scene. The young chefs in Paris were defying the old rules and simply inventing something new every day, based on the day’s ingredients, aiming for elegant, tasty and healthy plates.  One of these plates was so vivid in mind:  some lightly sauteed filet of fish on a bright green sauce.

They used thick slices of Chilean Sea Bass in the TV program.  It wouldn't have been possible form e to find something like that today in Istanbul .... but I still tried to create version of this recipe and made the following dish. I opened on the side a bottle of California Zinfandel wine, which went really well with it.

The recipe as any has room for improvement and adjustments to your taste, but it is fast, light, healthy and colorful….great for a simple week night dinner.

Recipe for 2 

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of green peas (frozen are fine but fresh would be preferred), a glass of water (optionally chicken broth) and 1 tablespoon of butter.  Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add 6-8 pieces of medium/large sized spinach leaves into the pan and cook the spinach on low heat in the steam from the pea mixture until the spinach wilts-  don’t over cook as the color will darken too much.  Season with salt and pepper to your taste, and puree the mixture with a hand blender, and set aside somewhere to keep it warm until the fish is ready.

Cut in half two haddock fillets (or any other fish fillet).   Pat them dry with a paper towel, season with garlic powder, salt and black pepper.  Heat a large frying pan.  Once hot, add 2 tbps of olive oil and lightly saute the fish.    When frying, first put the side of the fish you want to display on your plate face down.  Don’t over fry the fish.  3 minutes on one side, and 2 on the other should be plenty.

Spoon some of the green sauce on a plate. Place two pieces of fried fish on the sauce.  I decorated mine with julienned turnip to add even more color and freshness.  A little lemon also went very well with it.   Bon appetit :)

Cafe de Paris / Le Relais de l'Entrecote Sauce

I was in Geneva with a friend last week.  I am not a big meat fan, in fact, I almost never eat meat.  But there are certain places where I cannot resist the offer.  We had lunch at the famous Le Relais de L'Entrecote on Rue de Rhone.  The famous place as you might know serves one menu only:  A small salad with vinaigrette, followed  by an amazing piece of entrecote with their famous sauce and french fries.  The place has an interesting history.  You can read more about it here.

The sauce was so delicious that I quickly realized that I have been eating cheap fakes since the last time I had been to the restaurant's branch in Paris.  After this current Geneva experience, it was not going to be possible to eat cheap fakes anymore.  So I started searching everywhere for the recipe.  There are many out there.  The real one does not seem to have been disclosed yet, but a lot of devoted cooks and chefs have worked hard to develop their versions.  My humble version is below.  I was very happy with it, and so were my guests who have had a chance to try the original sauce both in Geneva and Paris.

I have to credit Scott and his blog Meats, Roots and Leaves for the base recipe which I modified.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced and chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups chicken stock (I used knorr brand bouillion)
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 table spoon dried tarragon (fresh would have been better, but I couldn't find any)
2 table spoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup white wine
4 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp anchovy paste
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt

Heat the olive oil on low heat.  Cook the onions and garlic for a few minutes on low heat until they soften.  Add the chicken broth, bring to boil, and simmer for 5 minutes.

While the broth simmers, place all other ingredients except for the butter in a blender.  Add the broth and blend everything into a smooth sauce.

Return to pan, add the butter, and continue to cook on low heat until the butter completely melts.

Pour on your steak and devour.  It's important to keep the sauce warm.  This is why they serve only a little bit a time on a small place and keep the rest warm on tea lights at Cafe de Paris and Relais de L'Entrecote.