Saturday 9 April 2016

Recipe - White fish with chorizo and ratatouille

I have not put a recipe on this blog for ages, but having experimented with some combinations of our favourite ingredients, I have produced a dish which we think we will often be eating again in the future, so I felt it was worth sharing with you all!


Any white fish should do for this recipe.  The first time I tried it, I used cod, then last night I used whiting, which I filleted first.   Both times we said how good it was. I have all vegetable ingredients either bottled, or in my garden, so it is easy for me!



Ingredients with optional topinambour (jerusalem artichoke) in unpeeled state - see top left insert.

White fish with ratatouille and chorizo.  (for 2 people)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil.
1 large onion, chopped.
Ratatouille.  Mine is home made and I used about half of the large jar in the picture above - about 500 grams (1lb).
If ratatouille is not available, a tin of tomato pieces would probably do, but the flavour of the dish may suffer.
1 heaped teaspoon light, soft brown sugar.
Several sprigs thyme, leaves stripped. If not available use a teaspoon of dried thyme.
1 tablespoon soy sauce.
60 grams of chorizo (we used hot, but any type will do) Cut the sausage lengthwise and then slice.
Optional - Several pieces of topinambour (jerusalem artichoke) peeled and sliced.
2 pieces of white fish de-boned.

Non stick frying pan with a lid for cooking the meal.

Method
Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion, topinambour (if using) and chorizo, then fry for 5-8 mins until the onion is soft. Stir in the ratatouille, sugar, thyme and soy sauce, then bring to the boil.

Simmer 5 mins, and then put the fish on top of the sauce. Cover and gently cook for about 5 mins until the fish is steamed and cooked through.
I served it with mashed butternut (also from the garden last season), but any alternative vegetable of your choice would be acceptable.  

Onion, topinambour and chorizo.

All ingredients except fish cooking for about 5 minutes - per recipe above. 
I forgot to take a photo of the fish steaming with the lid on!!

But here is the final meal served with the butternut mash.


Also see my daily diary HERE

and My Life Before Charente (updated 09 April 2016) 

41 comments:

  1. It looks very good and the presentation is lovely. :)

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    1. Thanks Linda, the flavour of the chorizo in it is amazing. Hope you are well Diane

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  2. Oh my, all too scrumptious. Lots of work, but all worth it.

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    1. Lots of work!!!! It is so easy to do and it is on the table in less than 30 minutes from the start. The ratatouille was bottled a couple of years back so no work now. Hope all is well with you Rosaria. Diane

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    1. We thought so :-) Have a good day Diane

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  4. Super recipe...something I'll make for Leo using our tilapia. I like the brown sugar and soy in the sauce.

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    1. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did. I used the base tonight again with a couple of cooked pork chops we had left over (I always cook too much to save time next time around!) Equally as delicious. Just a good way to serve ratatouille as well I think with anything. Hope you are both well and Leo is managing well. Take care Diane

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  5. My but this looks delicious! Wishing you a grand weekend!

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    1. Thanks Cathy, hope you have a good one as well. Take care Diane

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  6. Nice looking plate of food. I have never made ratatouille but think I ought to give it a go. Any useful hints on how to make it?

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    1. Vera just use a standard recipe, a good one is
      http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/ratatouille-recipe0.html
      I then just put it staight into a jar and put the top on while hot and wait for the lid to pop.
      BUT often I do not have aubergine in the garden and I just make a mixture of vegetables using beans, carrots, courgettes, peppers, chilies and tomatoes or what ever I have. It has always turned out perfectly. I am using 'ratatouille' made in 2013 at the moment and it is great. Good luck, this is a good way to preserve tasty vegetables and low in calories :-) Diane

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  7. It looks delicious and I'm getting hungry even though I just had a satisfying dinner ;-)

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    1. It was really good and one I do not think we will get fed up with as you can slightly change the flavours as you please. Hope you are well Diane.

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  8. We love fish so I shall be testing this recipe out. It looks delicious.

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    1. We loved it Gaynor, and yesterday I also used the base with pre-cooked pork chops, yum yum. I think it has already become a firm favourite in this house. Have a good Sunday Diane

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  9. Looks delicious! I bought two chunks of jerusalem artichoke the other day and was wondering what to do with them!

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    1. Jean plant one of them and use the other in the recipe. You will have as much artichoke as you want next year. Just remember to eat only a couple of times a week as it has the nick name of fartichoke!!! It makes amazing soup, our favourite recipe is below.

      Jerusalem Artichokes Palestine Soup.
      This will make 3 hearty lunch portions or will serve 4 to 6 as a starter.

      ½ onion, finely chopped
      2 carrots, medium-sized
      1 heaped tbsp uncooked basmati or long grain rice
      300 ml vegetable stock
      150 ml milk (semi-skimmed is fine)
      300 g Jerusalem artichokes, prepared weight
      Small handful of shelled hazelnuts
      A little lemon juice

      Add a small amount of oil to a pan and cook the onion gently for at least five minutes until it starts to soften without colouring. Meanwhile, peel and slice the carrots finely. Add the carrot and rice to the pan and pour over the stock and milk. Cover the pan, bring to a simmer and let it gently bubble away for 20 minutes.

      Meanwhile, peel and slice the Jerusalem artichokes quite finely. Place the slices into water with a little lemon juice added to prevent discolouration. At the end of 20 minutes simmering, add the Jerusalem artichokes to the pan, season with a little salt and pepper (white pepper is best to maintain the colour), cover the pan again and bring back to a simmer. Keep the pot simmering for another 10 – 15 minutes or until the carrots and artichokes are tender.

      Meanwhile, lightly toast the hazelnuts. You can do this in a dry pan over a low heat or simply place them in a medium oven for 4 or 5 minutes. Be careful to avoid burning them.

      Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool a little. Add the toasted hazelnuts and liquidise. If you're being very fussy, you can pass the soup through a fine sieve, but I don't usually get that fussy.

      Adjust the seasoning and add a dash of lemon juice if it needs it. Croutons are good with this soup, if you fancy them, and a sprinkling of parsley does no harm either. Many recipes finish this soup by adding cream. That does give it a touch of luxury, but I really don't think the soup needs it and I prefer to keep it low in fat.
      Enjoy Diane

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  10. Thanks for sharing the recipe, I'm definitely going to try that, just need Chorizo x

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    1. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. The base is now being used for other things besides fish as well as we like it so much. I have masses of botles mixed veg as well as ratatoullie so it is pretty much all going to be used this way. The chorizo certainly gives it a great taste. Have a good day Diane xx

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  11. Hi Diane - it does look delicious ... and it's wonderful to see most of the ingredients came from the garden - and the idea of butternut mash - I got hooked on that when living in South Africa ... thankfully I'm going out for a roast lamb lunch! Cheers Hilary

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    1. Hi Hilary, it was a really tasty dish. Butternuts, we love soup, roasted or mashed, certainly a flavour that I first learnt about in RSA. Hope you have a good lunch, keep well and take care Diane

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  12. It was good and will be a regular in our house :-) Hope you are well Diane.

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  13. Hi there, Diane! That recipe sounds just wonderful. I have never made ratatouille and will be checkout that recipe! All of your recipes sound devine! Many thanks...

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    1. We eat a lot of ratatouille as during the growing season it is easy to just make it up with the surplus vegetables and bottle for winter. The chorizo though in this gives it a great flavour.
      It has become a firm favourite here . Have a good day Diane

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  14. I'm glad you decided to share the recipe, Diane…it really sounds like a good one. Love your combination of flavors.

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    1. I hope you give it a try Karen as we really loved it. Keep well Diane

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  15. I love that you've featured a recipe Dianne. What a lovely dish and beautifully presented. If it's got chorizo in it I know I will enjoy it.
    Sam

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    1. Thanks Sam. This blog has suffered a bit because of the daily one. Hard to keep them all going!!
      We are away quite a bit this year, but I will update when I can, and see if I can make up any more recipes along the way. Hope you are well Diane

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  16. That looks wonderful. We had Tilapia for dinner tonight with lots of fresh lemon squeezed to top. Enjoy your week! Hugs, Diane

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    1. Tilapia is one fish we never see in France. I have just looked it up and it says that Tilapia farmed fish is dangerous to Your health. I hope yours are caught in the wild. Keep well Diane

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  17. Yummmm I bet it smells good too.

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    1. Diane it was delicious and ratatouille with chorizo has become a firm favourite in this house :-))) Have a good day t'other Diane

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  18. I eat a lot of fish and I like chorizo but have never put chorizo and fish together, thanks for the idea Diane. Thanks for calling by my blog, I am well and busy so not much blogging sadly! Hope you and Nigel are ok and looking forward to your travels.

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    1. It is a yummy combination I am doing it all the time now!! Take care Diane

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  19. It looks terrific; I'm sure the ratatouille added enormous flavor! Plus, I'm sure it smells sensational while cooking.

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    1. One of my better experiments :-) Hope that you are all well. Diane

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  20. Looks yummy.
    I can nearly smell it all the way up here in Norway:)

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    1. LOL hope it smells as good as it tasted. Have a good day Diane

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  21. I love this recipe Diane , I love ratatouille :)

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    1. We also love ratatouille and the chorizo makes it even better :-)) Hope you are well Diane

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