Culinary Anthropologist

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  1. Mackerel escabeche

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    This recipe is adapted from one by Thomasina Miers. Escabeche usually refers to a technique of frying fish and then marinating it in a vinegary liquid with onions, spices and herbs. Flavourings vary enormously from country to country; escabeche is popular in Italy, Spain, Latin America and the Philippines.

    smmackerelescabeche0009.jpgThis dish is a relative of good old fish and chips, which is not as British as one might think. They share origins in a dish beloved of the Shahs of Persia some 1500 years ago – sikbāj – sweet and sour stewed beef. This later made its way around the Arabic world, with fish replacing beef in Christian parts. The amazing history is told by Prof Dan Jurafsky on his blog, ‘The Language of Food’.

    Dan writes: “The word escabeche came to Spanish from Catalan, which acquired it from its neighbour, Occitan, who got it from the Genoese, who stole it from the Neapolitans, and so on, back eventually east to the Arabic of Baghdad and the Persian of Ctesiphon.” And the story continues with the Jews being expelled from Spain and Portugal and going to northern Europe, taking their fish dishes with them. Finally, in England, Belgian frites were married with battered and fried fish doused with vinegar: fish and chips.

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  2. Salmon baked in fig leaves with nasturtium butter

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    This recipe is based on one from the Chez Panisse Café cookbook, a restaurant where I did a stint and learnt a tonne.  I was inspired to make it for a dinner in honour of Chez Panisse’s 40th birthday by the astounding number of nasturtium flowers and fig leaves in my garden in early September this year. 

    smnasturtiums0003.jpgI served it with some braised Umbrian lentils and bright rainbow chard. You could add some fresh pink peppercorns and/or capers (both drained and rinsed well) to the butter if you like for extra zing.

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  3. Scallops with orange-tarragon beurre blanc

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    This one sounds a bit fancy, and it is.  I think it makes a very elegant
    starter and will make your dinner guests think they’re in a posh
    restaurant.  However, we had it in a flimsy bungalow that looked more
    like a rough pub from the 70s than the ‘redwood cabin’ it was marketed
    as, and it still tasted great.  And it only takes around 40 mins from
    start to finish.  [Matt adds – but then the main course took more like 5
    hours and we didn’t eat it til after midnight, by which time we’d drunk
    more Manhattans than is strictly sensible.]

    Smscallops0004.jpgThis recipe is an adaptation of one from the Girl and the Fig cookbook.  The Girl and the Fig is a really sweet restaurant in Sonoma where we have eaten a couple of times after spending the day wine tasting in Sonoma Valley.  However, I’d drink a white Burgundy (chardonnay) with this dish.

    Beurre blanc can seem a little tricky to make the first time, but it’s worth learning as it goes really well with a range of fish, vegetable and egg dishes.  You can experiment with different flavours in the reduction by using different herbs and fruit juices.  The reduction should also contain vinegar and/or wine.

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  4. Black cod with miso

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    It was fairly clear in the end:

    Black cod: 9; Roast chicken: 6;
    Aubergine soup: 5;
    Squash soup: 2

    Thanks for all the votes.  You were right about the squash soup – it’s
    not quite as nice as the other dishes.  I’ll send the recipes for the
    chicken and the aubergine soup another week.  The squash soup has
    obligingly resigned.  (Voting has gone pretty well over here in the US
    of A too.)

    black cod with miso.jpg

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