ARCTIC CHAR CONFIT IN HERB INFUSED OLIVE OIL

ARCTIC CHAR CONFIT IN HERB INFUSED OLIVE OIL

Confit as a cooking term describes when food is cooked in fat, oil or syrup, at a lower temperature, as opposed to deep-frying. The term is usually used in modern cuisine to mean long slow cooking in oil or fat at low temperatures. In meat cooking, this requires the meat to be salted as part of the preservation process. After salting and cooking in the fat, sealed and stored in a cool, dark place, confit can last for several months or years. Confit is a specialty of Southwestern France.

By Confiting the Arctic Char in olive oil we expand the benefits of the fish and olive oil as well as keeping the fillets wonderfully soft and moist.

Ingredients

·       Lemon

·       Bouquet Garni (Fresh Aromatic Herbs)

·       2 tablespoons of Sea salt (coarse)

·       2 Arctic Char fillets (skinless)

·       500 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Procedure 

·       Take your arctic char fillets and place them on a large plate and salt them heavily on both sides.

·       Get an ovenproof dish that is large enough to fit all your fillets and then cover the fillets completely with olive oil. Ensure that the fillets are completely submerged in olive oil with slices of lemon and bouqet garni.

·       Set your oven to a temperature of 170F

·       Place arctic char fillets in the middle of the oven rack to ensure even cooking. Leave the fish to cook for 20 minutes.

Once cooked, use a fish spatula to carefully lift the fillets from the oil bath and allow the excess oil to drip off the fish first. Place the fish on your serving plate and garnish it with greens.

HUMUS; You will never get a store version when you try making yours...

HUMUS

Ingredients

·       250 gr (1 cup) Chickpeas (Canned or if dry soaked overnight and boiled)

·       4 cloves garlic, crushed

·       50 gr (¼ cup) tahini

·       Fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon

·       10 gr (½ tbsp.) cumin

·       Salt to taste

·       50 gr (1/3 cup) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish

·       Cumin or paprika, for garnish

Method

1.     In a medium bowl, combine chickpeas with 2 lt cold water and let soak overnight. Drain chickpeas, transfer to a saucepan and cover with fresh water. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until very tender, 40-50 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let cool slightly.

2.     Drain chickpeas, reserving some cooking liquid. To the bowl of a food processor, add chickpeas and 4 cloves garlic and process for 2 minutes.

3.     Add some the cooking liquid along with tahini, lemon juice, cumin and olive oil; season with salt. Process, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the mixture is very smooth, about 5 minutes.

4.     To serve, place hummus in a bowl and make a small indentation in the middle using the back of a spoon.

5.     Garnish with olive oil, cumin or paprika.

IRISH SODA BREAD

Ingredients

4 cups flour
4 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
4 Tbsp butter, cold
1 cup raisins
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1¾ cups buttermilk

Directions

- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Mix your dry ingredients in a large bowl,
- Chop or grate the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is mixed in well,
- Add raisins,
- Create a well in the mixture and pour in your egg and buttermilk.
-Stir the dry ingredients into the liquid slowly with a wooden spoon until it is solid enough to kneed.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and kneed together to form a ball, careful not to over-kneed the dough. The dough should remain somewhat shaggy looking.
-Transfer your dough to your pre-heated/hot cast iron pan or a sheet pan and use a large knife to cut an X into the dough about 1 inch deep.
- Bake in oven for 45-55 minutes or until internal temperature reads between 200-205F. The bread should sound hollow when tapped.
- Remove to a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with lots of butter :