I have been a magpie when it comes to recipes. I have always collected them; memorised them from other people's books; torn them out of magazines very furtively in the dentist's waiting room; copied them into the pages of books, cookery and others. As a young woman, believe it or not, I wrote them onto cards and filed them in a box.
I have never cooked many of these. I often did not have the money to get the ingredients or later on, the time to bother. But I still enjoyed having them and I think I am not the only one. We are surrounded by suggestions of how to cook food; new books, celebrity chefs, everywhere you look there are glossy pictures of food. It is perhaps a kind of imaginary dream world - a creative outlet. It certainly was for me when I used to read cookery books from the library like novels
.
In the end, you need recipes you can choose to cook repeatedly. If you experiment from your collection/library, and if they work, they become staples.
Often I just cook white fillets of fish by flouring them lightly, frying quickly in butter and oil and serve with slices of lemon; or I make a little green sauce with capers, herbs and lemon juice to pour over; or fry unfloured thickish fillets like mullet, skin side down till crisp, turn over briefly and then make a sauce in the pan with halved cherry tomatoes, a few sun dried ones from a jar, basil or thyme, and a squeeze of lemon to taste. The recipe below is a reliable way to cook fillets a little more elaborately but it is also easy and impressive.
Fish in Cheese Sauce
White, fresh fillets eg haddock
Grated strong cheese ( about 3 oz for 2 fillets/people)
Double cream (a small pot for the above will be plenty)
Dijon mustard - a teaspoonful
Spinach
I have never cooked many of these. I often did not have the money to get the ingredients or later on, the time to bother. But I still enjoyed having them and I think I am not the only one. We are surrounded by suggestions of how to cook food; new books, celebrity chefs, everywhere you look there are glossy pictures of food. It is perhaps a kind of imaginary dream world - a creative outlet. It certainly was for me when I used to read cookery books from the library like novels
.
In the end, you need recipes you can choose to cook repeatedly. If you experiment from your collection/library, and if they work, they become staples.
Often I just cook white fillets of fish by flouring them lightly, frying quickly in butter and oil and serve with slices of lemon; or I make a little green sauce with capers, herbs and lemon juice to pour over; or fry unfloured thickish fillets like mullet, skin side down till crisp, turn over briefly and then make a sauce in the pan with halved cherry tomatoes, a few sun dried ones from a jar, basil or thyme, and a squeeze of lemon to taste. The recipe below is a reliable way to cook fillets a little more elaborately but it is also easy and impressive.
Fish in Cheese Sauce
White, fresh fillets eg haddock
Grated strong cheese ( about 3 oz for 2 fillets/people)
Double cream (a small pot for the above will be plenty)
Dijon mustard - a teaspoonful
Spinach
- Choose an oven dish that your fish will fit into snugly.
- Put a layer of cooked and well drained spinach on the bottom.
- Lay the seasoned fish on top, If you have got the long tail fillet, cut into portions,double the end piece over as you want it all to be the same thickness.
- Mix the grated cheese with enough cream to make a thick paste which will be enough to cover the fish.
- Add the mustard.
- Spread over the fish making sure it is all covered.
Cook on No 6 15 - 20 minutes maximum. Serve with new potatoes and green beans.
You can leave the spinach out and then it is good served as a vegetable instead.
If you are worried about the cream, or want a less rich version, use thick greek yoghurt instead with whole grain mustard.
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