Poached Hake in a White Wine Reduction Sauce

Ingredients:
3-4 hake (cod or haddock) filets
Salt
1 tablespoon good quality oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, diced
Dry white wine, enough for a finger's depth in your pan
1 dried or 2 fresh bay leaves
1 tomato, diced
2 twigs of fresh thyme (let's say a teaspoon of dried)
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns (but crushed pepper would probably be okay)
1/2 teaspoon of chipotle powder (or other smokey, hot spice like red pepper or piment d'espelette)
Optional: cream or flour to thicken the sauce

Directions:
Wash the hake and sprinkle a liberal amount of salt on each side of the fish.  Set aside.

Heat the oil until it runs faster in the pan, add the shallots and garlic, sauteing.  After the shallots have browned, stir in the wine and bay leaf/leaves.  Once the wine comes to a strong boil, add the tomatoes, sprigs of thyme, and peppercorns.  Simmer the tomatoes for a bit, add the hake.  Cover.

When the side of the hake have cooked but the center is still raw, flip.

When the fish is completely cooked, take it out of the pan and place it in a serving dish or bowl that you can cover.  Then add the cream or flour to the sauce pan and let the sauce boil down until it is half the amount that you started with.  Once it has thickened appropriately, [strain, if you prefer] pour the sauce over the hake and serve.

Cheers!



PS- We served the dish with crusty bread (to sop up the sauce, of course) and spaghetti squash roasted with olive oil and garlic.  Next time we might add boiled potatoes and brussel sprouts to the hake just before the sauce is poured on instead. 

Groninger (Dutch Mustard Soup)

Pip took me on my first European vacation last year, in which we were able to see the Netherlands, Romania and Berlin by staying with his very kind and hospitable relatives.  We spent a day in Amsterdam, where we stumbled upon a terrific restaurant, Haesje Claes.  Everything about the meal was excellent- food, service, ambiance.  The most unforgettable part of the meal was the "creamed mustard-leek soup with eel".

At Haesje Claes: Amsterdam microbrews (and Pip's thumbs)

Of course, we've tried to make similar soups several times since then.  This recipe was most helpful, but you'll need to translate it if you don't read Dutch.

Ingredients:
 2 leeks, chopped
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
4 cups chicken broth, room temperature
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup milk or cream
4 tablespoons whole grain mustard
Optional: a little something meaty, salty and smokey, chopped into small bits
              such as smoked herring (our favorite), bacon, or krills

Directions:
Melt butter in a soup pot and add leeks- let them clarify a little, but not so much that the butter or leeks brown. Slowly add in the broth, stirring continuously.  In a separate bowl, whisk the flour into the milk a little at a time to avoid lumps, add extra milk if needed.  Once the flour/milk mixture is ready, slowly add it to the leeks and broth, again with the stirring.  Then stir in the mustard.

When the soup is up to temperature (not boiling of course, as it will curdle the dairy) add in your chopped meat. Simmer for a few minutes for the meat to absorb the soup flavors and vice versa.
Salt and pepper to taste, then serve.

[pic of finished product coming soon]

Some related links: Vegan version of the soup and how to make mustard