microwave, and set it aside.
Blend the fish, lemon juice and butter mixture in a food
processor until quite smooth. Add the cream and cayenne
pepper and blend again until smooth. Check for seasoning
– I never add salt in this instance – then decant the mixture
into small ramekins. Smooth the surface with the back of a
spoon or a small spatula, then sprinkle a little cayenne on
top. Pour a little of the melted butter on top of each one
to create a seal, then refrigerate. The pâtés will keep for a
week in the fridge.
Serve with hard-boiled eggs, watercress and toast.
WINE: The buttery richness of the pâté suggests any
white wine with sufficient acidity and heft. As a change
from my beloved Riesling, perhaps a good Chenin from
the Loire would be equally suitable.
18
Roman Virtues
Puntarella Salad with Anchovies and Seville Orange
I have been asked many questions about my involvement
with Odeon Cinemas’ luxury ‘movies with meals’ project,
the Lounge. One of the most intriguing is the notion that
I might try and theme the meals in accordance with some
of the films. This would present a challenge. Some films
might be comparatively easy: The Artist could have
something French, light and airy – quenelles, perhaps –
and The Iron Lady would undoubtedly feature halibut as
she seemed to be looking forward to it so much. I daresay
I could come up with something for W.E. (cold fish?)
although Shame and Warhorse might well prove more
problematic. The one complete shoo-in would be a
puntarella salad with Coriolanus.
I discovered the strange – but beautiful – puntarella
some twenty years ago. I tore off a stem to eat it raw,
but promptly spat it out in a mouth-puckering state of
disbelief. Untamed, it is about as bitter as chicory can be.
It needs a bit of handling. The outside leaves should be
blanched, then dressed with olive oil and lemon, and
served with roast meat. The stalks are addressed as salad.
These must be soaked in cold water for a couple of hours,
which has the merit of making the shoots even crisper
while also drawing out much of their bitterness.
The traditional dressing for puntarella – rarely strayed
from in Rome – is an aggressive mix of chopped
anchovies, white wine vinegar and olive oil, but one that
I find addictive. That combination of bitterness, salt and
sour is typically Roman and one can imagine it being
chomped by a bunch of centurions two thousand years
ago as easily as in a restaurant in Trastevere today.
Coriolanus would have regarded it as a little dainty,
perhaps, but enjoyed it nevertheless.
I was going to commend this traditional fare to you
– well, I still do – but I happened to have a few Seville
oranges and debated whether to partner them with the
puntarella. The question was whether the oranges were
just bitter like the salad, thus compounding the felony,
or complementarily sour, like the vinegar. In the end, I
made both the traditional salad and the version below.
There is a simple test on these occasions: which one did
the extraordinarily greedy (and skinny) photographer eat
and finish, concluding that whereas the zest of the orange
is indeed bitter, the juice is sour?
21
January
PUNTARELLA SALAD WITH ANCHOVIES AND
SEVILLE ORANGE
Puntarella is at the height of its season in January but, I
will have to concede, not easily found. Unusually, I would
also concede that substitutions can and might have to be
made. The salad will work well with curly endive, radicchio
or witloof endive, the flavours being similar, if lacking a
little of puntarella’s special crunch.
Discard the leaves from the outside and top of the
puntarella and separate the stalk clusters, breaking them
off or cutting them from the base. Cut these in half, then
slice them into thin strands. Rinse them carefully in cold
water, then soak in a large basin of very cold water for at
least 1 hour, preferably 2. Drain the stalks, then dry them
in a salad spinner. Place the anchovies in a bowl and
mix with the grated zest of one of the oranges and the
juice of both. Add the olive oil and a good grinding of
black pepper, then add the puntarella and turn it very
thoroughly until it is coated in the mixture.
Serve with plain country bread, either as a starter or as
a side salad to a piece of grilled fish or grilled lamb chops.
WINE: The aggressive seasoning – especially the orange
– will, I’m afraid, kill fine wine. A gutsy white from Central
Italy such as a Trebbiano, Pecorino or Fiano d’Avellino or
a coarse and racy red will not be so squeamish and should
cope very well.
Serves six as a starter.
1 head of puntarella
10 salted anchovy fillets,
coarsely chopped
2 Seville oranges
4 tablespoons strong olive oil
black pepper
22
Forced from Thongs
Sea Kale with Poached Eggs and Truffles
Most of the time I do my best. I try to suggest recipes with
everyday ingredients whenever possible. I take pride in
getting the best out of a shoulder of lamb, a Savoy cabbage
or a pineapple. Most of the produce that you see
photographed