Recently, I was talking to a colleague while nibbling on a twisted puff pastry appetizer which was flaky on the outside and still deliciously warm and soft in the middle. We got to talking about food and it turns out, he really enjoys cooking. Farther down the conversation, we both decide it’s a pain to cook for yourself and sometimes even for two. You can spend hours in the kitchen only to have the food disappear within 10 minutes.
So then my mind wandered to the big parties I like to give where I do spend hours, sometimes days in the kitchen preparing things and then when everyone arrives and ready to eat, I’m not hungry. After breathing in the aromas and tasting everything, I’m satisfied. I could just sit and talk and laugh with everyone while they enjoy my food. But I eat a little anyways since it would look fishy if I weren’t to eat my own food.
And my mind jumps again, and I think back to a fish dish I made a few months back for my mother and myself after having seen a photo. I was scrolling through Aran’s blog post on her trip to London last December and my eye spotted a piece of fish on a bed of beans and fennel. That’s what I wanted. Right then. But it wasn’t until a month later that I actually got around to making it. Of course I had no recipe or clue as to how it was actually made, so I used my imagination and let my taste buds direct me. The result has little in common with the actual dish, but it was exactly what I had imagined it to be.
Spring has finally arrived and this will be my last winter inspired dish before I bring on the spring dishes. Rhubarb anyone?!
Trout with cannellini beans and radicchio
- 250 g cooked cannellini beans
- 250 g trout filets
- 200 g radicchio leaves, sliced into strips
- 3 Tbs balsamic vinegar, divided
- olive oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp chopped tarragon
Whisk 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons olive oil, mustard and tarragon together until creamy. Set aside.
If using canned beans, rinse well. Place the beans in a pot and cover with water. Gently heat them. When they are heated through, drain and carefully pour the mustard sauce over the beans, mixing well. You may use less sauce if, you prefer. Season to taste and keep the beans warm.
Pour a bit of olive oil into a skillet and heat. Add the radicchio and sautée until wilted. Add one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and deglaze.
Pour a bit of olive oil into a larger skillet and pan fry the trout until cooked through. Season to taste.
Divide the beans among two plates, top with the radicchio leaves and place the fish filets on the radicchio.
Serves 2.
